John Scholes has died

[Lorelei]

FORMER Victorian cricket coach John Scholes was found dead at his Melbourne home this morning.

He was 53.

Scholes played over 60 first-class matches for Victoria, captained the state and played more Victorian Premier League matches than any other player.

He coached the Bushrangers from 1996-2001.

Scholes also played 30 VFL games for North Melbourne from 1967-71.

He's survived by his wife Diane and two children.

AAP

[Lazza]

Thats a real shock Jen. I used to play cricket against Scholesy, he was a local district cricket legend and a top bloke. Many will miss him.

RIP mate.

Laz

[London Dave]

Sad news....was a great cricketer for Vic....

[Donny]

Thanks for posting that news, Jen. Was quite a shock.

I remember him well, as a Vic batsman and later, as the Vic coach.

He also played senior football for North Melbourne aged 17 in 1967 and state cricket aged 18 in 1968.

He was Victoria's youngest ever captain by age 21, having played his first district senior game for Carlton at 16.

He played 62 matches for his state and later coached Victoria in five seasons between 1996-97 and 2000-2001.

Carlton coach Denis Pagan was a close friend of Scholes, the pair meeting at the Carlton Cricket Club in 1964.

"There he was, this little bloke who looked like Gerry Gee, taking 4-44 bowling leggies as a 14-year-old in the Carlton seconds," Pagan recalled.

"We started our football careers together at North Melbourne in 1967 and John was a very talented rover. How talented? Well, in 1970, such was his form he started first rover in a side that contained Perth rover Barry Cable.

"He was an easygoing person, loved by everyone."

Scholes broke into Victorian cricket in a golden era for batsmen, sides that contained Bob Cowper, Bill Lawry, Ian Redpath and Keith Stackpole.

"He was a lovely, chirpy little fellow. everyone loved Barrel," former Victorian teammate Ian Redpath said. "He shouldn't have even been playing due to his injuries, but he had a such a massive heart. He achieved so much for Victoria."

An autopsy will be conducted in the next two days, with the funeral expected late this week, or on Monday.

Scholes is survived by wife Diane, daughter Shannon and son Adam.

*Quotes taken from an article in the Sun Herald.

[gobbles21]

RIP - John Scholes

a truly sad loss

[gobbles21]

Walter John Scholes
Born: 5 January 1950, East Brunswick, Victoria
Died: 14 July 2003, Eltham, Melbourne, Victoria
Major Teams: Victoria.
Known As: John Scholes
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Leg Break
Other: Coach


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Victoria Coach 1996/97 - Oct 2001

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Career Statistics:FIRST-CLASS
(career: 1968/69 - 1981/82)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 62 112 8 3201 156 30.77 3 23 44 0

Balls M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 278 4 140 1 140.00 1-28 0 0 278.0 3.02

LIST A LIMITED OVERS
(career: 1969/70 - 1981/82)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 17 16 2 443 95 31.64 0 4 8 0

O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling - - - - - - - - - -

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Cricket came to Walter John Scholes very early - the Oxford Companion of Australian Cricketers calls him “a cricket addict from the age of nine.” It’s not surprising then, that the short, thickset allrounder from East Brunswick, Melbourne had a brilliant run in schools cricket. He led the Victorian under-15 team to victory in the Sydney carnival, while chalking up two centuries. He topped that off by scoring 100 runs and picking up 10 wickets in a game - becoming the only schoolboy ever, in Australian cricket, to achieve the feat.
Fast-tracked to bigger things, Scholes made his first-class debut for Victoria aged 18, in the 1968-69 season. Technical deficiencies against pace bowling of the highest quality and a lack of discipline meant that Scholes had to be content with 62 first-class appearances (3201 runs @ 30.78, three centuries, HS 156) without ever getting a taste of cricket at the highest level. Arthritis of the hip finally forced Scholes to bow out of first-class cricket, while he was still captain of the state side in 1981-82.

This, however, did not prevent him from enjoying a long and distinguished career in district-level cricket, where he served Carlton with distinction for over 20 years. In the course of this association, Scholes not only surpassed Jack Ryder’s long-standing record of 338 matches, but also topped Ryder’s tally of 12,667 runs at that level. While Scholes also played Australian Rules Football for North Melbourne, it is his contribution to Victoria cricket that he will be remembered by. As player, captain, selector and coach, he served Victoria well in an innings that spanned 31 years, and came to be hailed as one of Victoria’s greatest cricketing sons.