Chris Wilkins

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Chris Wilkins (born July 31, 1944) was a South African cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler and wicket-keeper.

Wilkins' cricketing career started with Border in 1962, when he represented them for the first time in the season's Currie Cup tournament. He continued playing for Border through to the 1969/70 season, and represented them for the last time when visited by the travelling Australians in February 1970.

Wilkins soon made the switch from the South African game to the English game, making his debut in May of the same year for Derbyshire, in an innings defeat inflicted upon them by Yorkshire. Derbyshire would finish in the top half of the table in that season, before slumping to the foot of the table in the next, with only one season victory under their belt. Wilkins again would spend October to February in his homeland before moving back to England to play for the Peakites again in 1971, though he stayed in England over the winter and was a first-team choice once again in 1972.

However, Derbyshire would suffer identical misfortunes, finding themselves once again with only one victory to show for their season and a bottom of the table finish under their belts.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wilkins moved back home, but this time around played for Eastern Province, having agreed a deal with Border to play for them. Eastern Province over the next few years would have slightly better fortunes in their half of the Currie Cup draw than Border in theirs, and he would not appear for an English county side again having suffered the misfortunes of 1972.

Wilkins would continue playing in South Africa until 1982. He was the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1966. His brother Andrew and uncle Albert also played first-class cricket in South Africa, Andrew also appearing for Border at the same time as his brother's early career was taking off. At the end of his career, Wilkins played twice for Natal.

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