FORMER Yorkshire batsman and second team captain, the Honourable Geoffrey Keighley, has died in New South Wales, Australia, aged 80.

Born in Nice, Keighley was one of the elite band of 'outsiders' - including Lord Hawke - to turn out for Yorkshire before the policy of playing only Yorkshire-born cricketers was ended in 1992.

His family founded and owned Bradford Cotton Mills (Bradmill) and Westminster Carpets, but Keighley gave up cricket for sheep farming in Australia where he earned fame and fortune.

He served on the New South Wales Legislative Council for 13 years and a couple of years ago was awarded the Order of Australian Merit for services to the community including the sheep-breeding industry, local and stage government and the arts.

After trebling the production on his first sheep farm in Australia, he bought 1,000 acres of Golden Vale from his uncle, later inheriting the Golden Vale homestead and in 2004 he gifted the house and surrounds to the nation through the National Trust.

Educated at Eton, he captained the College in 1943 and played for Oxford University from 1947-48. He played in 35 matches for Yorkshire as an amateur from 1947-51 scoring 1,227 runs and hitting a century against Surrey in 1951.

Keighley captained the Second XI for a while and was also in charge of the first team for one match. He was sounded out about taking on the captaincy of Yorkshire as well as Middlesex and the MCC but by then he had settled in Australia.

The last Oxford University graduate to play for Yorkshire until Joe Sayers came into the side at the end of 2003, Keighley deputised as an opening batsman for the county and three times featured in century opening stands with Len Hutton.

He leaves a widow, Karin, and four children from his first marriage.

Updated: 10:19 Tuesday, July 05, 2005