Vale Len Pavy

While injury curtailed Pavy’s career to just seven first-class matches, he left a lasting impact on the game on and off the field.

Pavy was just 16 years old when Mount Lawley saw his potential and promoted him to play first-grade in January 1953.

Little more than 12 months later, with just 13 senior matches under his belt, Pavy became the youngest player to make their Sheffield Shield debut for Western Australia at just 17 years and 182 days.

Only Shaun Marsh, Cameron Green and Teague Wyllie have joined Pavy in making their Sheffield Shield debut before turning 18.

As well as four Sheffield Shield appearances, Pavy also played first-class matches against New Zealand and the touring Marylebone Cricket Club.

His career was cut short when he suffered a blow to the head in his first Sheffield Shield match of 1955-56 off the bowling of New South Wales quick Pat Crawford.

Pavy was forced to sit out the remainder of the 1955-56 season and all of 1956-57, before he briefly made a comeback in 1957-58.

At the conclusion of his on-field career, Pavy turned his attention to his vocation as a schoolteacher. It was during that time Pavy looked to drive junior and schoolboy cricket, thus giving promising young cricketers the chance to succeed at higher levels. In 1966-67 the Australian Schoolboys Cricket Council was formed.

Pavy was also a member of the State coaching panel, a State selector and WA director of coaching. It was during his time as an administrator that States across the country adopted national under 17s and under 19s carnivals.

His involvement in junior sport didn’t end there, playing a key role in the cricket programme at Kent Street Senior High School, which opened in 1987.

Pavy was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the WACA in 2007 and received further recognition soon after when the Junior Community Cricket Club of the Year was named the Len Pavy Award.

 WA Cricket extends its deepest condolences to the Pavy family and all those impacted by Len Pavy's passing.