US cricket pioneer Severn passes away

US cricket pioneer Severn passes away at 88
Peter Della Penna
June 5, 2014
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Clifford EB Severn, former USA national team player, pictured here in Los Angeles at age 84 in 2010, died on June 4, 2014
Clifford EB Severn, former USA national team player and longtime supporter of cricket in California, continued to play even into his 80s © Raj Naik
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Players/Officials: Sir Aubrey Smith
Teams: United States of America
Cliff Severn, a former USA national team player and pioneer in Southern California cricket, died on Wednesday at the age of 88. Severn was a longtime member of the Los Angeles cricket community and many players and supporters have taken to social media to mourn his passing.

"A US Cricket legend, true lover and devotee of cricket," wrote Madhukar "Mark" Sood, a member of the Southern California Cricket Association board of directors. "God bless and RIP. There will be cricket in heaven now."

Clifford EB Severn was born in London on September 21, 1925, and was the second-oldest of eight children to Dr Clifford B Severn, of South Africa, and mother Rachel, an Afrikaner. Dr Severn moved the family back to South Africa and then Los Angeles in 1933, where all eight of the children went on to have varying degrees of success in the Hollywood film industry. Clifford EB Severn is listed on IMDB for having roles in 18 movies including 1938's A Christmas Carol, a starring role in 1940's Gaucho Serenade alongside famous American cowboy movie star Gene Autry, and a small part in legendary director John Ford's 1941 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, How Green Was My Valley.