Neil McCorkell reaches century

One of England's oldest surviving cricketers has celebrated his 100th birthday. Neil McCorkell, who played for Hampshire between 1932 and 1951, currently lives in South Africa, where he emigrated at the end of his county career.

McCorkell never played Test cricket but did make an appearance for an England XI captained by Lord Tennyson on an unofficial tour to India in 1937. A wicketkeeper who claimed 532 catches and 185 stumpings in first-class cricket, McCorkell averaged 25.60 with the bat, with 17 centuries and a high score of 203 from 396 appearances.

He made his Hampshire debut against Somerset in the summer of 1932 and quickly became a regular in the side, scoring more than 1,000 runs in a season on nine separate occasions. Two former Hampshire players have lived to the age of 100: EA English and GO Deane - but neither had as successful a career as McCorkell.

The oldest surviving Test cricketer is currently Norman Gordon, who played five times for South Africa in the late 1930s, including an appearance in the Timeless Test. He turned 100 in August 2011.