Eldon Raynor

Friends and family of Eldon Raynor gathered to celebrate his 83rd birthday last week.

The ‘Putting Tournament Birthday Partee’ has been an annual event for the past six years. Eldon’s wife Barbara, their two children Wanda and Eldon Jr, and granddaughter Haley organised last Saturday’s celebration in advance of his birthday on Tuesday.

Eldon is now an astute elder statesman. Many Bermudians will remember him as an outstanding sportsman who etched his name into the annals of Bermuda’s sporting history in his formative years.

He can indeed be regarded as one of Bermuda’s greatest cricketers of all times. Without a doubt, he earned his spurs along with all-time greats of the Cup Match classics — Warren Simmons, Alma “Champ” Hunt, Calvin “Bummy” Symonds and Lloyd James.

He became a member of the St George’s Cup Match team in 1958, and was often regarded as a gallant and fearless competitor. He was certainly a thorn in the side of the opposing Somerset Cup Match team; a superior batsman and bowler for over two decades. His personal statistics speak volumes. His aggregate of 738 runs was the fifth best of all time and he was also tenth overall in Cup Match batting averages. He was also listed among the best spin bowlers in Cup Match. For his outstanding achievement in the field of cricket, he was granted host of awards which include:

• Heineken’s Cricketer of the Year Award in 1967. In that same year he was named Most Valuable Player in Cup Match, by Capital Castings;

• In 1972 he won first prize in the double wicket competition with batting partner Seymour Nurse;

• In 2000 he was named best bowler in the annual testimonial match;

• In 2015 he received the Bermuda Cricket Board’s Special Achievement Award;

• He received a special achievement award this year for his contribution to cricket;

• He also holds the Western Counties Cup record for bowling, with 91 wickets, and the Western Counties Cup for batting, with 1,000 runs;

• One of his crowning achievements was his induction into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Eldon also exhibited exceptional talent in football and golf. His interest in golf began at age 13 while he was a caddie at Riddell’s Bay golf course. It has now become his year-round sport; he plays on a regular basis in tournaments worldwide. In 1995, he won first place in the Bermuda Masters Championship Flight and in 1998, first place in the Martin Luther King Jr Golf Tournament in California.

In 2003 he was runner-up in the Caribbean Senior Championship. He has won numerous trophies and awards from The Brothers Invitational Golf Tournament, held regularly in Florida, and several awards from The Par 5 Golf Club.

Eldon played football for Southampton Rangers Sports Club from 1947 until 1965. He was one of the first players to represent the club in the FA Cup finals in 1957, against BAA. He also coached football and cricket at Rangers for nine years, supporting the youth teams financially with uniforms and gear. Eldon continues to sponsor young aspiring Bermudian athletes.

He was born Wednesday, April 26, 1933, the fifth of thirteen boys born to Harley and Gladys Raynor of Southampton Parish. He attended Purvis Primary School and Howard Academy.

Eldon was a self-taught architect, draftsman and master mason who owned a host of successful businesses including a construction company. During his career, he was instrumental in building dozens of houses that continue to dot the landscape of Bermuda. He was one of the proprietors of the F & S Well Drilling Service, and later established E & C Well Drilling Service with his brother Cyril. Eldon is currently a director of the International Sports Shop Ltd.