By Charles Randall
9 January 2013
The funeral of Gary De'Ath, the former Grantham CC all-rounder and Gibraltar legend, takes place at Holy Cross Church, Great Ponton in Lincolnshire tomorrow, 10 January, after his death on 'The Rock' at the age of 55.
De'Ath, a competitive gregarious character, established himself as the Gibraltar national side's go-to bowler four years after his arrival in 1982. In total he played 65 one-day internationals and featured in five World Cups and five European Championships.
The former Gibraltar head coach Richard Cox, these days chief executive of the Dutch Cricket Board, paid tribute, saying De'Ath was one of "those special people" for the way in which he applied his various natural gifts, including cricket.
"Gary was no waster – not of time, not of talent – nor a shirker of any situation or challenge which confronted him," Cox said. "He maintained excellence without arrogance, earned respect without ever assuming it, and displayed confidence and self-assurance within his immense humility. He was such a stubborn fellow, combined with the qualities of thoughtfulness and caring, of courage and bravery – and didn’t he so often show that in his play.
"For all the flamboyance and bravado as a sportsman, Gary was not one to over-dramatise off the field. He said things as they were and for that he earned immense respect by so many. His rooms on tour were a haven of stories and anecdotes that lived long in to the night-time.
For everyone who lives in Gib and those who love their cricket, the name of Gary De’Ath is synomomous with the style of the place." Their best known cricketer, he said, typified the honesty and generosity of spirit that characterised the people of Gibraltar.
Cricket on The Rock started in the late 18th century among British servicemen. The Gibraltar Cricket Club was established in 1883, and by the 1930s local-born people were taking the up game. After The War an area next to the airfield was allocated to cricket, the site of the present-day Victoria Stadium. The game enjoyed a boom in the 1950s with a marked increase in civilian players and the emergence of non-service clubs. In 1960 the Gibraltar Cricket Association was formed and was elected an ICC Associate Member nine years later.
Even with players of the De'Ath calibre Gibraltar has struggled at international level, as to be expected for a country with a small population, but the game of cricket has flourished. Visits from UK sides have become a regular feature - a welcome by De'Ath was usually memorable - and cricket development initiatives in schools have provided a strong base for boys and girls.