Basil Helfrich lived in Kimberley, where he made his first-class debut in March 1935 a few days before his 16th birthday, playing for Griqualand West in a victory over Western Province.
Also in the Griqualand West team were John Waddington, who had made his debut earlier in the season a few days younger than Helfrich and would play for Griqualand West for another 24 years; Tony Harris, 18 years old, who would play Test cricket for South Africa after World War II; and Helfrich's elder brother Dudley, who had made his debut five seasons earlier at the age of 17.
[3] The Australian batsman Jack Fingleton thought Helfrich "was bound to become an international",[4] as did the South African sports journalist Louis Duffus.
In 1936–37 he made his only century, 109 against Transvaal,[6] and appeared for a strong South African team in a first-class match against City of Johannesburg.
During the season, just after scoring 120 not out in 80 minutes in a club match in Kimberley, he was struck down with enteric fever, and died a few weeks later, just short of his 19th birthday.