Rice leads tributes to all-rounder Barlow

Clive Rice, the former South African captain, has led the tributes to Eddie Barlow, one of the great all-rounders of the 1960s, who died in Jersey on Friday at the age of 65 following a long illness.

Nicknamed "Bunter" because of his round face and glasses, Barlow played in 30 Tests, scoring 2,561 runs at 45.74 and taking 40 wickets with his medium pace. One of the most popular players of his generation, he also represented Transvaal, Western Province and Derbyshire. Rice said: "It's a sad day for South African cricket."

Rice claimed Barlow's uncompromising attitude had inspired future generations of cricketers in the country. "The motivation and determination that he instilled in South African cricket in the early 1960s developed into the winning attitude that the country had in the 1980s," he said.

"When you played against him you knew that he didn't give one inch to the opposition."

A stroke in 2000 left Barlow paralysed and Rice admitted, "When he went into the wheelchair it was very sad. As optimistic as he was that he would one day come out - that was his attitude - it sadly never happened."