Bob Holland facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 October 1946 Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Died | 17 September 2017 (aged 70) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Legbreak, googly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 326) | 23 November 1984 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 02 January 1986 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 84) | 15 January 1985 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 30 May 1985 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978/79–1986/87 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987/88 | Wellington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 28 September 2013
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Robert George Holland OAM (19 October 1946 – 17 September 2017) was a famous Australian cricketer. He was often called "Dutchy" because of his last name. Holland played for New South Wales and also for the Australian national team.
He spent most of his cricket life in Newcastle. What made him special was that he started playing Test cricket quite late. He made his Test debut at 38 years old, making him the oldest Australian to do so in over 50 years! He was a leg spin bowler, known for his clever way of bowling.
Holland became a key part of the New South Wales bowling attack in the 1980s. He helped his team win the Sheffield Shield (a big Australian cricket competition) multiple times.
Contents
Bob Holland's Cricket Journey
Holland's journey in cricket began early. When he was 15, he met Colin McCool, a player-coach who helped him a lot. At 19, he even played against a touring English team.
Playing for New South Wales
Holland started playing for New South Wales in the 1978–79 season. He quickly became an important bowler for the team. He was part of a strong spin bowling group that helped New South Wales win the Sheffield Shield in 1982–83, 1984–85, and 1985–86.
He often took many wickets in matches. For example, in the 1980–81 season, he took 5 wickets in one game against South Australia. This was his first "five-wicket haul" in a first-class match.
Making His Test Debut
Holland's great performances for New South Wales led to him being chosen for the Australian national team. He made his Test debut in November 1984 against the West Indies cricket team.
His most famous match was the Fifth Test against the West Indies in Sydney in 1985. The West Indies team was very strong, but Holland and another spinner, Murray Bennett, surprised them. Holland took 6 wickets in the first innings and 4 wickets in the second, helping Australia win the match! This was a huge victory for Australia.
Playing for Australia Overseas
After his success in Australia, Holland was chosen to tour England for the 1985 Ashes series. He played in some important matches there. In one Test at Lord's, he took 5 wickets in the second innings. This helped Australia win that game.
He also played a couple of ODI matches for Australia.
Final Seasons and Retirement
Holland continued to play for Australia in the 1985–86 season. He had another great performance against the New Zealand cricket team in Sydney, taking 10 wickets in the match. This helped Australia win and avoid a series loss.
He played his last Test match against India in January 1986. After that, he continued to play first-class cricket for New South Wales. He also played one season in New Zealand for the Wellington team before ending his first-class career.
Cricket Style and Records
Holland was known for his smart bowling. He used different types of spin, including leg breaks and googlys. He was very good at controlling where the ball landed.
He took a total of 316 wickets in 95 first-class matches. While he was a fantastic bowler, he wasn't known for his batting. He even holds a unique Test record for making five "ducks" (scoring zero runs) in a row!
Life Outside Cricket
Outside of cricket, Bob Holland worked as a civil engineering surveyor. He was married to Carolyn and had three children: Craig, Rohan, and Naomi. His son Rohan was named after Rohan Kanhai, a famous West Indian cricketer. Holland also had five grandchildren. One of his grandchildren, Thomas Holland, even represented Australia in baseball!
Holland was very dedicated to his local cricket club, Southern Lakes Cricket Club (now Toronto Workers Cricket Club). He also loved coaching young cricketers and sharing his knowledge. He was known for his kind and gentlemanly behavior on the field.
In September 2006, Holland celebrated his 60th birthday with a special cricket match that included many of his former teammates.
In August 2016, Holland and his wife were involved in an incident where they were hurt after asking people to stop riding motorcycles on a cricket ground. The people responsible were later arrested.
Sadly, in March 2017, Holland was diagnosed with a serious brain cancer. Many of his former teammates and friends gathered for a tribute night for him in September 2017. Just two days later, on September 17, 2017, Bob Holland passed away at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle.
