Ivan Julian "Jack" Siedle (11 January 1903 – 24 August 1982) was a South African cricketer who played in 18 Test matches from 1927–28 to 1935–36. Family background and personal life Born on 11 January 1903 in Berea, Durban, Colony of Natal, Siedle was the youngest son of Otto Siedle, who was born in Woolwich, London of southern German stock and who trained as a watchmaker, subsequently emigrating to Durban where he became prominent in the shipping business and public affairs. Otto Siedle's wife Mary became deputy mayor of Durban. Jack's older brother Karl Siedle played first-class cricket for Natal before the First World War, in which he was killed; his sister Perla Siedle Gibson became a well-known singer and a symbol of her country during the Second World War. Siedle married Lesley Maud McPherson on 14 March 1931, with his cricket colleague Eric Dalton as best man. Their son, John Siedle (1932–2008), played a few first-class cricket matches for Natal and Western Province in the mid-1950s. Early cricket career A right-hander who played for Natal for 15 seasons from 1922–23 to 1936–37, Jack Siedle bowled occasionally and kept wicket just as infrequently, but his chief value to South Africa was as an opening batsman. He had had no great success when he was picked, in the 1923–24 season, for the match that was the trial for the 1924 tour to England and the 56 he scored in his second innings there was his highest score to that point, as well as the top score for his side, but he was not picked for the tour. For the next couple of seasons that decision was made to look wise as Siedle struggled for runs in the Natal side, not improving his highest score and averaging little over 20 runs per innings. But in the first match of the 1926–27 season for Natal against Border he hit his first century, 114. Two matches on, he did better, sharing a partnership of 424 for the first wicket with John Nicolson against Orange Free State which remains the record for the first wicket for Natal and was the record for the whole of first-class cricket in South Africa until January 2020; Nicolson made an unbeaten 252 but Siedle's dismissal for 174 broke the partnership. Siedle was in less good form the following year, though he managed a second century against Orange Free State.