{{Short description|Australian cricketer (1927–2015)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2016}} {{Infobox cricketer | name = Val Holten | image = | country = Australia | fullname = Charles Valentine Holten | birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|9|15|df=yes}} | birth_place = Brighton, Victoria, Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|1|14|1927|9|15|df=yes}} | death_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | heightft = | heightinch = | batting = | bowling = | role = | club1 = Victoria | year1 = 1950/51–1952/53 | type1 = FC | columns = 1 | column1 = First-class | matches1 = 5 | runs1 = 170 | bat avg1 = 21.25 | 100s/50s1 = 0/1 | top score1 = 59* | deliveries1 = 176 | wickets1 = 2 | bowl avg1 = 45.00 | fivefor1 = 0 | tenfor1 = 0 | best bowling1 = 1/11 | catches/stumpings1 = 4/– | date = 30 August | year = 2022 | source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/val-holten-5859 CricInfo }} '''Charles Valentine '''"'''Val'''"''' Holten''' (15 September 1927 – 14 January 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played five first class cricket matches for Victoria between 1950–51 and 1952–53. Born in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Holten was a right hand batsman and right arm medium pace bowler who bowled inswingers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Beames |first1=Percy |author-link=Percy Beames|title=Pathetic Displays by Batsmen in District Games |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdJVAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA7 |access-date=28 August 2022 |work=The Age |date=7 December 1953 |page=14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Bruce |date=1949-12-30 |title=Holten Made Two Starts |pages=13 |work=The Age |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108519047/holten-made-two-starts/ |access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> He was considered "one of the State's most useful cricketers."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beames |first=Percey |title=Holten Makes 108 in District Play |pages=13 |work=The Age |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206085054 |access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref>
Holten attended Hailebury College and Melbourne Grammar,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Piesse |first1=Ken |author-link=Ken Piesse|title=Val Holten – A Giant of the Game |journal=Scoresheet |date=2015 |volume=36 |issue=1 |page=2 |url=https://australiancricketsociety.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Scoresheet_2015_-Summer.pdf |access-date=28 August 2022 |publisher=Australian Cricket Society}}</ref> and first played District cricket with Melbourne Cricket Club in 1947–48. After two seasons with Melbourne, he moved to Prahran Cricket Club where he played another eight seasons; topping the District cricket averages in his first season and five seasons later topping the aggregate.<ref name=Vale>{{cite press release|title=Vale Val Holten|date=15 January 2015|url=http://cricketvictoria.com.au/news/article/vale-val-holten|publisher=Cricket Victoria|accessdate=15 January 2015}}</ref>
Holten later joined the Sub-District club of Malvern. A dispute over coaching fees five seasons later saw him move to sub-district rivals Oakleigh. Highly successful at sub-district level, Holten was made an inaugural member of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA) Hall of Fame in 2007 and in 2014 was appointed a Legend of the VSDCA.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ryan|first1=Conor|title=Val Holten elevated to Legend status|work=Stonnington Leader|date=11 March 2014|ref=Legend}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Amy |first=Paul |date=19 March 2008 |title=One for the ages |pages=41 |work=Stonnington Leader}}</ref>
== Personal life == He married Dorothy Porter in 1952.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 March 1952 |title=Cricketer to Marry at Grammar Chapel |pages=13 |work=The Herald |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/246042019 |access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref> He died at Melbourne in 2015 aged 87.<ref name=ca>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/16/16188/16188.html Val Holten], CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2022. {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Molloy |first=Eamonn |date=21 January 2015 |title=Sub-District farewells one of the greats |pages=24 |work=Diamond Valley Leader|publisher=News Limited}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Paproth |first=Daniel |date=19 January 2015 |title=VSDCA mourns passing of Oakleigh's 'Don Bradman' |language=en |work=The Weekly Review Bayside & Port Philip|url=http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.com.au/story/1830640/cricket-vsdca-mourns-passing-of-oakleigh-s-don-bradman-photos/gtm.start|archive-date=6 April 2015|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20150406235547/http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.com.au/story/1830640/cricket-vsdca-mourns-passing-of-oakleigh-s-don-bradman-photos/gtm.start |access-date=2022-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Paproth |first=Daniel |date=21 January 2015 |title=VSDCA: Oakleigh's touching tribute to legend Val Holten |language=en |work=The Weekly Review Bayside & Port Philip |archive-date=6 April 2015|url=http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.com.au/story/1830843/vsdca-oakleigh-s-touching-tribute-to-legend-val-holten/|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20150406235359/http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.com.au/story/1830843/vsdca-oakleigh-s-touching-tribute-to-legend-val-holten/ |access-date=2022-08-30}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Cricinfo|id=5859}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holten, Val}} Category:1927 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Australian cricketers Category:Victoria cricketers Category:Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers Category:People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne) Category:People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Category:People from Brighton, Victoria Category:Cricketers from Melbourne Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen
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