Died: Rustom (Russi) Sorabji Cooper, 100, best known in the sports fraternity as "Middlesex’s oldest first class cricketer,” and in the maritime industry as past president of the Federation of Ship Agents Association of India and Ship Agents Association of Bombay; on July 31, 2023 in Bombay.
During the 12 years from 1941 to 1953 when he played cricket — representing the Parsis in the Pentangulars, the Bombay team in the Ranji Trophy, the Rest of India team, the Cricket Club of India, Middlesex County and Hornsey Club in the UK — Cooper had notched up enviable batting averages. His prowess at the game during these 12 years continued to make waves for at the age of 97 years, 183 days he created a record as "Middlesex’s oldest first class cricketer.” On his 100th birthday last December, the highlights of his cricket career were once again recalled on the Middlesex website that ended the report with "We raise our bat to Russi.” When he passed away, the website stated that Cooper had played for Middlesex "for three seasons in a golden era for the Club. He was an outstanding Club cricketer and a legend at Hornsey Cricket Club.”
In the Hornsey Almanac that carries vital statistics on the number of first class and Hornsey matches he played, at which position, the number of runs he made and his average, Cooper is described as "one of the best, if not the best, Hornsey batsmen of all time.” Though he ended his first class career with a batting average of 52.39 runs and played only a handful of matches for Middlesex, it is at Hornsey "where he achieved legendary status for both his weight of runs and for the flair in which he accumulated them… (He) bestrode Hornsey cricket like a colossus… his stats for the Club are near Bradmanesque and his shot selection abided by one of (legendary Australian cricketer Don) Bradman’s batting axioms: keep the ball on the ground.” None of his peers ever recalled him hitting a six!
Besides cricket, Cooper also excelled in table tennis and was a Bombay Presidency singles table tennis title holder in 1944. His brother Khatu, senior advocate of the Bombay High Court who passed away in 2004, was a leading table tennis player too.
The Indian right-handed batsman from Bombay was brought to the attention of Middlesex by English multi sportsman Denis Compton who had spotted his talent whilst playing against Russi when he was serving the Army in India during World War II. At Compton’s urging, Russi who had completed his BA from St Xavier’s College moved to England and studied for his BSc at the London School of Economics whilst simultaneously devoting time to cricket.
Top and above: Rustom Cooper with wife June, cutting the wedding cake
Rustom Cooper with daughter Dinaz Cooper
After completing his bachelor’s degree in economics and his Bar-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, Russi was looking for a passage to India in 1947 but was told that there were no berths available for six months. He tried approaching the managing director of Scindia Steam Navigation Co Ltd who, instead of a ticket, offered the 25-year-old a job in their London office on the condition that he simultaneously study for a degree in marine insurance, on a part-time basis. Russi had recalled this incident when he was conferred the Hall of Fame honor at the All India Maritime and Logistics Awards (see "Maritime merit,” Parsiana, November 7, 2015).
He thus began his career in the shipping industry with Scindia in the same year that India became independent. After learning the ropes in London, he returned to India in 1954 with his British wife June. A knee injury halted his cricket career but he continued to evince an interest in the game till shortly after his 99th birthday when dementia set in.
Back in India, he worked in senior positions in liner and tramp shipping. After 18 years at Volkarts (the fourth largest cotton trader worldwide), he was head of United Liner Agencies (J. M. Baxi Group of Companies) for 20 years from where he retired as executive director. Ashok Punwani who had worked under Russi at United Liner noted in his condolence message to the family, "They were the best years of my working life. We never saw the boss side of him, instead, a colleague, mentor, friend (who was) simple, down-to-earth, (with) a great sense of humor despite his qualifications, experience and intellect.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Capt Viraf Dadachanji who appreciated Cooper’s "great teaching ability and best temperament. As a boss at United Liner he was never loud nor made anyone feel guilty for any mistake.”
When serving on the India board of the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) Ltd, London that provides specialized insurance for the marine industry, he impressed his colleagues. Retired ITIC director Julia Mavropoulos considered him "an amazing, intelligent, knowledgeable, and interesting man and above all a very good person. My visits to India were always enhanced by spending time with him.”
Rustom Cooper (sitting 5th from l) with his fellow cricketers
Russi was founder member and president of the Ship Agents Association of Bombay, now known as the Maritime Association of Nationwide Shipping Agencies (MANSA) — India. As noted a tribute from MANSA in International Shipping News dated August 9, "The legend was... a pioneer in the maritime sector. (He) saw the growth of India’s shipping and logistics sector from close quarters. Even in his 90s he was active as a committee member of Container Shipping Lines Association and as a member of the Indian Council of Arbitration.” Presiding over several disputes, "some of which went on for years,” he recalled one instance when it took 33 hearings to determine that a fan in a ship had indeed broken down.
A trustee of the Bombay Port Trust for six years, "at the Mumbai Dock meetings every morning, he always upheld the law and was extremely fair in his judgment,” recalled Capt Percy Master, chairman of the Master Group of Companies who had interacted with him over four decades and admired his "very shrewd brain in marine law. We all consulted him in more ways than one if we ever got into trouble.” Russi was instrumental in setting up the Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping, the objective of which was to conduct training programs for staff of shipping agencies.
When the firm Thomas Miller set up a new subsidiary to offer global insurance and related risk management services, their first board of directors comprised around "10 very senior people drawn from eight or nine countries in the world and Russi was one of them,” noted Tony Payne in his condolence letter to the family. Having known him for over three decades, Miller continued, "Russi was one of the quiet ones but never failed to make his opinion clear when he had strong feelings on a subject and was a joy to work with.”
Describing him as an "icon in the shipping industry,” his erstwhile colleague Capt Homi Treasuryvala who had remained in touch with him until Covid struck wrote, "I remember telling him when we last met that we were all looking forward to him scoring a century and he informed that many a batsman gets run out on 99. Like the great cricketer that he was, he patiently waited to complete his century…”
Well read on the Zoroastrian religion, Russi did not believe in observing rituals. More important to him was to live a simple life of good thoughts, words and deeds. Nearly 15 years ago he had decided that he wanted his body to be donated to science, stated his son-in-law Hoshang Jhaveri.
The soft-spoken sportsman and shipping icon is survived by his daughter Dinaz Cooper.