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Benjamin Caine Hollioake (11 November 1977 – 23 March 2002) was an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. Born in Australia, Hollioake moved to England where he made his first-class cricketing debut for Surrey in 1996. A right-handed batsman and right-arm seam bowler, Hollioake's performances as an all-rounder saw him join his brother Adam Hollioake in the 1997 England ODI team. Later that year, Adam and Ben Hollioake made their England Test cricket debut in the same game, becoming only the third set of brothers to do so. Ben Hollioake made two Test appearances and earned 20 ODI caps before he was killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 24.
The following July, Hollioake produced another Man of the Match performance at Lords, this time taking two wickets and scoring 98 runs from 112 deliveries as Surrey defeated Kent in the final of the Benson & Hedges Cup.
England were not performing well in the 1997 Ashes series when Ben and Adam made their Test cricket debuts together, on 7 August 1997. England was losing the six-Test series 2–1 when the Hollioake brothers were selected for the fifth Test, becoming the fifth set of brothers to play for England in the same Test and the third to make a debut together after the Grace and Hearne brothers. Aged 19 years and 269 days, Hollioake was England's youngest Test player since Brian Close in 1949. Losing his place in the team soon after, he toured Sri Lanka that winter with the England A team, scoring two centuries. Ben played one more Test match, against Sri Lanka in 1998, scoring 14 and 0 with the bat, and bowling two for 105.
The following year, Surrey awarded Hollioake his county cap, but his form began to waver and, by August 2000, he could not command a regular place in the county side that had won back-to-back county championships. After working hard on his technique during the winter break, Hollioake delivered several impressive performances for Surrey that led to his recall to the English ODI side in 2001.
In July 2001 he was once more man of the match in the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup at Lord's, where he scored 73 runs and helped Surrey to victory over Gloucestershire.
Steve James wrote in the Daily Telegraph:
At the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, the player of the tournament award is named in his honour, the 'Ben Hollioake Award'. Pakistan knock-out England to win KARP Group Hong Kong Sixes 2011, ESPNcricinfo, 30 October 2011
At his old club, Surrey, an apprenticeship for an up-and-coming younger player was set up in 2003, also called the 'Ben Hollioake Award'. Surrey set the title standard, The Guardian, 15 April 2003
At times he was so laid back as to be infuriating... but there was a remarkable warmth and gentleness in his character. Among the youngsters he was simply one thing: cool.
Death
Hollioake died on 23 March 2002 in Perth, Western Australia, near his childhood school, Wesley College, when he crashed his Porsche 924 into a wall on the Mill Point Road exit of the Kwinana Freeway on his way home from a family celebration. His death at the age of 24 years and 132 days was the youngest of any England Test cricketer.
Legacy
Following his death, Ben's brother, Adam Hollioake and his family established the Ben Hollioake Fund to raise funds for CHASE Hospice Care for Children.Brett.O (2005) Life after cricket, BBC sport website, 21 June 2005. Retrieved 29 May 2011. A range of fundraising activities have taken place, including breaking the world record for the number of participants in a continuous 100-metre relay in 2004. World relay record for Hollioake, BBC sport website, 22 October 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
Honours
See also
External links
Categories: 1977 Births, 2002 Deaths, Australian People Of Indonesian Descent, People Educated At Millfield, England One Day International Cricketers, England Test Cricketers, English Cricketers, Road Incident Deaths In Western Australia, Surrey Cricketers, People Educated At Wesley College, Perth, People Educated At St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, Nbc Denis Compton Award Recipients, People Educated At St George's College, Weybridge, People Educated At Millfield Preparatory School, First-class Counties Select Xi Cricketers, Cricketers From Melbourne
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