World's oldest first-class cricketer, Rustom Sorabji Cooper, popularly known as Russi Cooper, died on Monday morning in Mumbai. Born on December 14, 1922, Cooper was 100 years and 229 days old when he passed away. He played for Mumbai (then Bombay) and Middlesex in first-class cricket and the Parsee team in the Pentangular, a tournament meant for communities in Mumbai.
Cooper represented Mumbai (Bombay then) for a decade between 1941-51 and was part of the team's Ranji Trophy triumph in 1945. In that final against the Holkar at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium, Cooper scored 52 and 104 in a six-day contest, in which Mumbai's Rusi Modi (151) and Vijay Merchant (278), and Holkar's Dennis Compton (249) and Mushtaq Ali (109, 130) also scored centuries. Mumbai had won by 374 runs. He played 22 First Class matches in total, with 7 of them for Mumbai.
Cooper was alone when he died in his sleep at his Kemp's Corner residence in South Mumbai. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law.
In Mumbai's cricket circle, he was known as a veteran who was full of life and humor. Since the pandemic, he was not seen much in social circles. He had wished that his body be donated to a hospital, and his family said it intends to fulfill his wish. "To respect his wishes there'll be no ceremonies or condolence meetings," his family said.
Cooper was the oldest first-class cricketer not only from Mumbai but England too. Before him, James Gilman of England held the record in England, living for 97 years and 181 days - from March 17, 1899, to September 14, 1976. Coincidentally, Gilman also played for Middlesex.
