Former VCA president Jack Edwards dies

Jack Edwards, the former VCA president and director of Cricket Australia, died yesterday aged 75. Bob Merriman, the Cricket Australia chairman, said Edwards was a highly respected member of the cricket community who made a significant contribution to the game at every level.

Merriman said Edwards was a man of "great honour and esteem". "Jack served Cricket Australia as chairman of its programming committee and manager of the successful West Indies tour in 1995 and the tour to Sharjah in 1994," he said. "He was also president of Cricket Victoria and chaired the organising committee for the Championship of Cricket in 1985, which saw the construction of the light towers at the MCG."

Ken Jacobs, Cricket Victoria's chief executive officer, said Edwards served St Kilda, Victorian and Australian cricket with distinction for more than half a century. Elected St Kilda president and a VCA delegate in 1972, Edwards worked in both roles until he became the state association president in 1992. A Cricket Victoria spokesman said when Edwards retired in 1997 he was asked to retain his VCA medallion for life, which was the highest honour a delegate could receive.

Edwards was on the VCA board for 24 years and was a director of the Australia Cricket Board from 1984-85 to 1996-97. A grade batsman, Edwards played 134 matches for St Kilda between 1949-50 and 1960-61.