My grandad was South Africa rugby star… but I’m blazing my own trail for England in completely different sport

FREDDY TURNER was a rugby legend as he starred for South Africa during his career.

He played for the Springboks between 1933 and 1938 and started a sporting lineage in his family.

Getty

John Turner has become a sportsman like his grandfather[/caption]

Getty

However, he is starring in cricket other than rugby[/caption]

The now-late Freddy played a key role in series wins over New Zealand and Australia.

This included the tour against the All Blacks in 1937 which saw the team hailed as the greatest to ever visit New Zealand.

Turner’s grandson John has not exactly followed his ancestor’s footsteps but is on his way to international sport.

The 22-year-old is hoping to be a part of the England team that can revive their limited-overs domination.

England failed in the recent ICC Cricket World Cup and captain Jos Buttler will be looking for some new faces to bring into his team with the likes of David Willey retiring.

Turner, 22, possesses a UK passport thanks to his mother Caroline, who was brought up in Zambia and her father worked for the British government.

He has admitted that when it comes to rugby he supports South Africa.

However, he is committed to England’s cricket team and is hoping to make an impact against the West Indies during the tour of the Caribbean next month.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

He told the Daily Mail: “My dream growing up was always to play international cricket and try to be the best in the world at it, and obviously at that stage it was for the Proteas.

“But the door opened for me to potentially play for England and it was a no brainer for me.”

Turner only became eligible for England last summer as he completed his three-year residency in the country.

At the same time, he started to show that he would be capable of replacing injured stars Olly Stone and Jofra Archer.

Turner’s fast bowling caught the eye in last season’s T20 Blast for Hampshire as he took 21 wickets in 11 appearances with an economy rate of only 6.67.

He did get a call-up for England’s four-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand but injury ruled him out.

He has since been awarded a development contract by the ECB and a spot in the T20 squads to face the West Indies.