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'A true champion' Former Australian bowler Hawke loses battle with illness
ADELAIDE (Reuters) -- Former Australian test paceman Neil Hawke died on Christmas Day after a 20-year battle with illness, his wife Beverley said Tuesday. Hawke, who was also a talented Australian Rules footballer in South Australia and Western Australia, died aged 61 in hospital Monday after a series of health problems arising from an infection he suffered in 1980. "My wonderful husband, Neil, died at Adelaide's Mary Potter Hospice yesterday afternoon," his wife said in a prepared statement. "Right to the end he showed all the courage that had enabled him to survive over 20 years of life-threatening illnesses, dozens of operations and many months of hospitalisation, as he fought back from the brink of death time after time. "He was a true champion as a cricketer and Australian Rules footballer, showing those qualities and more while he tackled head-on the setbacks of the last two decades." Hawke, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, took 91 wickets in 27 tests at an average of 29.41 between the 1962-63 and 1968 Ashes series. His best figures for an innings were seven for 105 against England in the third test of the 1965-66 series in Sydney. He suffered an infection after undergoing bowel surgery in July 1980, which left him with a raft of health problems including ongoing heart trouble.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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