THE brother of a talented bowler who has gone missing in South Africa has made a fresh appeal for help.

Jeff Brown has been in touch with British officials in South Africa after learning of Phil Brown’s disappearance through an article on the Examiner website.

Phil Brown, 61, formerly of Almondbury, was last seen in his home town of Franschhoek, 50 miles east of Cape Town, in February.

His brother Jeff only learned of his disappearance after his niece emailed him from Cape Town after seeing an article on www.examiner.co.uk

Jeff, 63, who lives in Gloucestershire said: “I didn’t know anything about Phil disappearing until this week when I got the email.

“Last we heard he was living in Namibia, South Africa. I hadn’t seen him for about four years when he came to work for me on house renovations for about six months.

“He is a bit of a loner and liked to move around a lot but the reports that he had been in ill health and flying home to Huddersfield don’t add up.

“Our parents passed away more than a decade ago so I am sure if he had come back to the UK he would have got in touch with me.”

Jeff is now in contact with the British Embassy in Cape Town to see if he can piece together his brother’s whereabouts.

The alarm was first raised by friends of the talented bowler who disappeared without telling anybody, leaving his tools at his workshop and his bowls at Franschhoek Bowling Club, where he regularly played.

The club also told The Examiner that Mr Brown had been in a depressed state prior to his disappearance.

Jeff added: “I didn’t know of any ill health. He had a smoker’s cough when I last saw him but that was all. He seemed in good spirits.”

Both brothers grew up in Almondbury and Phil worked for ICI and Reliance Gears as an engineer before joining the merchant navy.

He last returned to Huddersfield in the early 1990s when he stayed with his parents in Almondbury before returning to South Africa.

Speaking of his relationship with his brother, Jeff added: “We hadn’t kept in touch regularly but when he was in the UK we would meet up.

“He liked the freedom of moving about. He wasn’t one to send birthday cards or Christmas cards.”

Mr Brown is described as white, about 5ft 9in and slim.

Have you seen Phil Brown in the last four years? Call the Examiner: 01484 437769.