MAITLAND cricketer Allan Elliott, a player once described as having "real batsmanship", has died.
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Elliott passed away earlier this week, having recently undergone heart surgery.
He was 79.
"Uncle Col will be up there waiting for dad," Allan's daughter Debbie said.
Telarah-based Allan, who played for Norths, Police Boys, Combined City and Wests, was a prolific run scorer and topped the Maitland District Cricket Association's batting average on at least three occasions.
His best season arguably came in 1961-62, two years after making his first-grade debut at Norths.
Allan made a district-best double of 558 runs averaging 50.4. This featured an innings of 104 from just 30 scoring shots, including 14 sixes. He also claimed figures of 9-66, bowling 21 consecutive overs as part of an outright win.
Norths annual report described Allan as "the star of the season" and went on to say "it is a feat to score over 500 runs in any season but to do so in a season in which so much cricket was lost and so many slow grounds encountered, is quite phenomenal".
In 1963-64 Allan produced an innings of 162.
He set a district record for the second-wicket partnership next to Glenn Brooker, combining for 256 with Norths against Raymond Terrace at Lorn Park in 1964-65.
Allan also reached a district-high 525 runs in 1966-67 and district-high average of 60.2 in 1967-68.
He represented Maitland in the John Bull Shield and Col Board Cup competitions while also touring Tasmania with the Emu Colts in 1963-64 and earlier being part of the Country Boys Coaching Class.
Allan switched to Newcastle, joining sibling Colin at Wallsend, for a period during the 1970s.
Raised on a farm at Phoenix Park, the twins started playing cricket in 1956-57.
Playing third grade for Police Boys, Allan took 58 wickets, including figures of 9-0 against Raymond Terrace, in 1957-58 before topping the Maitland district's batting aggregate (723 runs) and average (51.6) in 1958-59.
"There is no doubt that the Elliott twins were a very talented double act," Maitland cricket historian Lindsay Wood wrote in one of his many books.
Allan is survived by his wife Annette and two children, Debbie and Anthony.
The family are due to hold a private funeral service next week.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
