Ton Bakker has passed away at 80
Published at 03 November, 2025We received the sad news that Anton (Ton) Bakker has passed away. He was a superb batsman for VOC and later for the Dutch national team. He also bowled with merit and was an excellent fielder.
Ton Bakker made his debut for VOC's first team in 1959 and was a regular for the Rotterdam side in the 1960s and 1970s. His batting was not only elegant but also extremely effective, as evidenced by his impressive statistics: 7,499 runs for VOC 1 at the highest level, with an average of 32.46 runs per innings.
Ton Bakker is one of the few Dutch batsmen with a double hundred to his name, his highest score being 201 not out against Kon. UD in 1976. With VOC 1, Bakker won the national championship in 1965, 1974, 1975, and 1977.
In addition, Ton Bakker scored 2,101 runs for the Dutch national team, with a highest score of 108 not out against London County in 1975. He captained the Dutch national team twenty times.
In 1964, Bakker joined CTC Flamingos. Outside of the regular leagues he scored a total of 3,441 runs with a high score of 113. He made sixteen centuries in total, twelve of which for VOC.
Ton Bakker was an excellent fielder. He twice took four catches in a match as a slip fielder. Five times he took ten or more catches in a season.
Marc and Dave, Ton's sons, followed in his footsteps as players for VOC 1 and various KNCB representative teams, including the Dutch national team.
After his cricket career, Ton Bakker turned his attention to golf, where he also excelled as a member of Golfclub Broekpolder and the Orange All Stars. He also played extensively in South Africa, where his son Dave still manages several hotels.
Our thoughts are with Ton's partner Sabine, his children, and grandchildren.
KNCB Board (with thanks to Wim Neleman, VOC, and the Bakker family)
