Former player and administrator Abdulatief ‘Tiefie’ Barnes has passed away.
Barnes played first-class cricket for Transvaal (now Gauteng) and later became a coach and match referee.
He was an honourary life vice-president at Lions Cricket.
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‘Cricketing icon’
“Last evening we lost a cricketing icon, a gentleman who gave everything he had to the game we all love so dearly,” said Lions Cricket chief executive officer Jono Leaf-Wright.
“While he played before my time, he did facilitate at many coaching courses I attended and I can tell from the endless tributes what a giant of a man he was.
“So many will forever be indebted to him for the countless hours of joy, sincere friendship and absolute respect for his contribution, achievements, sportsmanship and genuine care for the game and all the people involved in it.”
‘Once in a lifetime personality’
Lions Cricket president Anne Vilas added: “The entire South African cricketing community has lost a once in lifetime personality – someone whom we will miss immensely. We wish his family well and may you rest in peace, uncle Tiefie – what a superb innings you had.”
‘Gentle soul’
Former Dev Govindjee concluded: “The news of the passing away of Tieifie has come as a terrible shock to all those who followed cricket in South Africa and particularly those who followed non-racial cricket played under the banner of the South African Cricket Board.
In the new cricket set-up, there was some consolation for many years lost by getting appointed onto the panel of match referees. This meant that we met regularly at pre-season workshops as well as at many post-season awards functions. At all of these, Tiefie enjoyed the utmost respect from everyone present.
“His contribution to the game has been tremendous. He was a gentle soul with an infectious laugh that lingers in my mind as I write these few words about a special soul.”