Barry Gibbs dies aged 73

Barry Gibbs, the former South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) executive manager, has died aged 73 after battling illness for several months.

Mike Deare, the SACA chief executive, paid tribute to Gibbs and said that he was an extremely popular and respected member of the cricket community.

"As the chief driver of projects such as the Sir Donald Bradman Stand, the first bid to host AFL at the Adelaide Oval, and kicking off the Adelaide Oval light towers initiative, Barry's legacy will live on at the Adelaide Oval," he stated in a media release. "He will also be remembered as someone who was instrumental in the return of Darren Lehmann to South Australia from Victoria - something for which I'm sure the majority of South Australians are very thankful.

"He was very much a likeable character around the Adelaide Oval and an extremely popular member of the cricket community. He had a real passion for cricket and will be dearly missed by those who worked with and knew him."

Gibbs was executive manager of the SACA from 1988 to 1997.