Charles Vintcent

Born in Mossel Bay and educated in Cape Town and then Charterhouse School, England, Charlie Vintcent, was without doubt the most versatile South African sportsman of his time.

He excelled in many sport he played representing both Western Province and Transvaal at rugby, obtaining his national colours for soccer, a sport he did much to promote on the Reef and as an athlete he was the Transvaal sprint champion in the events from the 100 yards to 440 yards for three years from 1889 to 1891, besides being competitive at both the long and high jump events.

He was unable to carry this form into the Internationals and his Test record is not a true reflection of his ability.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed a long career in provincial cricket which lasted some twenty seasons playing first an important role for Transvaal in the early Currie Cup fixtures, and then when he returned to the Southern Cape, he captained them in their only appearance at provincial level, by which stage he was nearly 40.

He married Lilian Jackson and they had three children, among them Nevill Vintcent DFC, joint founder of the airline that went on to become Air India.