HAROLD Stapleton, who was Australia's oldest surviving first-class cricketer, has died at the age of 100.

Harold was born at Kyogle on January 7, 1915, the son of Vincent and Mary (nee Evans). He had five siblings, spending his boyhood on the family dairy farm and going to Ettrick Public School.

After winning a bursary, Harold travelled into Lismore for high school where his all-round sporting talents began to blossom.

He played first grade club cricket at the age of 13 and scored his first century.

At 18 he scored a double century and attended Country Week in Sydney.

After leaving school and before gaining employment with the Atlantic Oil Company, Harold represented Kyogle District in rugby league. He was rated the top fullback in the region.

Some commentators said Harold Stapleton was the "greatest sports all-rounder from the Far North Coast".

From 1935 to 1938 he was in Lismore where he topped club and interdistrict batting and bowling averages.

In 1936-37 Harold played for Northern NSW against Gubby Allen's English touring team and in 1937-38 he hit 312 not out, a record on the Far North Coast. That season he scored 746 runs and took 50 wickets.

A tall left-handed all-rounder, Harold was a punishing batsman with a fine array of shots and an accurate left-arm medium-pace bowler who could swing the ball both ways.

An injury during the 1936 season, where he had put on many dominant displays, forced his retirement from rugby league so he took up tennis. In 1937 he won the Lismore District singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.

In his last cricket match in Lismore before moving to Wollongong in 1938 with the Atlantic Oil Company, he produced an outstanding all-round performance - 69 not out from a total of 99 and 7-7 including a hat-trick.

After moving to Wollongong, Harold travelled to Sydney each weekend to play with St George in Sydney first grade, a powerful team captained by Bill O'Reilly that also included Arthur Morris and Ray Lindwall. The club won three consecutive titles.

Harold scored 2242 runs and took 93 wickets for the St George club.

Harold's strong grade performances attracted the attention of the NSW state selectors and he played a number of state Second XI matches before getting his only first-class match in Adelaide in 1941 where he was dismissed for a solitary run. However, he would almost certainly have had more state opportunities if the war had not intervened.

In April 1941 Harold enlisted in the AIF and served in New Guinea but like many other returned servicemen he did not discuss the war with his family.

Harold married Bonnie Sheather in 1945 and they spent 64 years together. Bonnie died in 2009.

After returning from New Guinea, he returned to work for his company and resumed playing cricket in the Illawarra with the Keira club from 1946 to 1954 where he was a member of four premiership teams, two of which he captained.

In 1949-50 he won both the district batting and bowling averages and took 10-13 in a match against Thirroul, the first time all 10 wickets had been captured in an Illawarra first grade innings.

He had also represented Southern NSW against the touring Indians in 1947-48.

At Keira's 150th anniversary dinner in 2011 Harold was named in the club's team of its first century.

In 1970 Harold became the first life member of the City of Wollongong Tennis Club and earlier this year he cele-brated his 100th birthday at the club.

Golf also became prominent in his later life and at one time he played off scratch at the Wollongong Golf Club. He was a regular player until the age of 93.

For most of his life Harold maintained a strong and active interest in the Catholic Church .

Harold and Bonnie did not have children but took a loving interest in the lives of their relatives including many nieces and nephews.

In particular they were very close to nephew Kevin Everingham and his family, who also lived in Wollongong and provided plenty of support in the couple's twilight years.

*Ron Johnston is a Life Member of the Keira Cricket Club and Cricket Illawarra