The club is very saddened to hear of the passing of Bruce Ritchie, grandfather of current Waratahs opener Jack Ritchie.
Our first grade side wore black armbands on the 2nd day of our Round 10 victory over North Sydney to commemorate Bruce’s passing as per above photo.
Bruce, who was a team mate of Richie Benaud at Central Cumberland, now Parramatta, died at Buderim on the Gold Cost on the 15th January at the age of 86.
Bruce was actually the best man for Richie at his first marriage in 1953.
As we all know, Jack won the Benaud Medal as the Player of the Final last season when the Tahs took out the Belvidere Cup 1st Grade Premiership. Jack is a 3rd generation grade cricketer, following in the footsteps of Bruce and his father Mike who played for Easts and Gordon.
Bruce had captained the Central Cumberland A.W. Green Shield team in 1944-45, and he led the team’s batting (201 runs at 28.71) with Benaud next (177 at 25.28). He was chosen to lead the Combined AW Green team against Newcastle.
On the day Benaud made his first grade debut, for Central Cumberland against Glebe, 26th October 1946, Bruce Ritchie was starring for Sydney Grammar School in its match against Sydney Boy’s High. Bruce took 4-92 and scored 51 and 102 not out.
Later that season, 25th January 1947, 17 year old Bruce would make his first-grade debut with Cumberland against North Sydney. Richie Benaud made six, and batting one below him, Bruce top scored with 70 (1 six, 5 fours) of Cumberland’s 186.
The following day, in a Poidevin Gray match against Marrickville, Bruce scored 100 not out.
Bruce would go on to play first-grade for Central Cumberland, along with Richie, through to 1958-59, amassing 2796 runs at 22.54 with 14 half-centuries. He contributed to five first-grade century partnerships. In one, for Cumberland against Western Suburbs in 1948-49, he added 126 for the fourth wicket with Benaud. In that innings, Bruce scored 71* and Richie 69.
Although Bruce did not manage a first-grade century, he scored 120, run out, for the New South Wales Colt against Queensland Colts on the Sydney Cricket Ground No. 2 in 1951. That innings included three sixes.
Our thoughts are with the entire Ritchie family.
