Ken Funston

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack obituary

FUNSTON, KENNETH JAMES, died on April 15, 2005, aged 79. An aggressive presence in the middle order, Ken Funston played 18 Tests for South Africa in the 1950s. But he never reached a Test century, and in a team that valued stickability, he was often criticised for starting well and getting out. His nearest miss, 92 at Adelaide, came on the 1952-53 tour, when the South Africans stunned Australia with their athleticism; Funston, lurking in the covers, was an integral part of that. But his place was never secure: he missed the 1955 tour of England, and his best match was a heavy defeat: he scored 70 and 64 not out against the 1957-58 Australians at the Wanderers when he joined Jackie McGlew in a brave, tedious and ultimately futile rearguard action. Most of Funston's domestic matches were for Transvaal, and he also played provincial soccer and hockey. His son, Graham, was a stalwart for Griqualand West in the 1970s.