The 2018/19 NSW Premier Cricket 2nd Grade Statistical Review has just been released.
2018/19 NSW Premier Cricket 1st Grade Statistical Review
The 2018/19 NSW Premier Cricket 1st Grade Statistical Review has just been published below.
Robert James Lee Hawke
Robert James Lee Hawke (1929-2019) was ACT Cricketer number 270, playing for the ACT in 1956/57 and 1957/58. He was a right handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He played for the ACT on eight occasions, scoring 86 runs with a highest score of 31 against Monaro in 1957/58.
He played 1st Grade for Northbourne in 1956/57 and for Turner in 1957/58. He was in Canberra in 1956 to accept a scholarship to undertake doctoral studies in the area of arbitration law in the Law Department at the Australian National University. He has previously played A Grade cricket in the WACA 1st Grade competition for the University of Western Australia in 1948/49 and 1949/50.
He played in 20 1st Grade matches, 11 for Northbourne in 1956/57 and 9 for Turner in 1957/58. He scored 416 runs in 1956/57 for Northbourne at 27.73 and 179 runs at 17.90 for Turner in 1957/58. He was the third highest run scorer in 1st Grade in 1956/57, only 12 runs behind the leading run scorer. Overall he scored 595 runs in 1st Grade at an average of 23.80 with two fifties. His highest score was 84 against RMC in 1956/57 at Reid Oval.
The following year (1957), he abandoned his studies when he was recommended to the ACTU to become research officer with the organisation. This was to put him on the path to become President of the ACTU. He later became the Member of the House of Representatives for the Victorian seat of Wills in 1980, then leader of the Australian Labor Party in 1983 and then defeated Malcolm Fraser to become the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia.
While undertaking his Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University, Hawke came close to representing the University in first-class cricket, playing in selection trial matches and the University 2nd XI.
One of his first acts after being Prime Minister was the resurrection of the Prime Minister’s XI series of matches against touring sides. The first match in the modern era of the series was played in January 1984 when the West Indies played the PM’s XI at Manuka Oval. The PM’s XI side was captained by Kim Hughes and contained Greg Chappell and Dennis Lillee in their last season of international cricket. The match was dominated by a young David Boon who scored 134 off 136 balls. The match was won by the PM’s XI by 52 runs and was the first match in the modern era which has continued uninterrupted since.
He hosted his last Prime Minister’s XI match on December 17, 1991 against India, just two days before he was defeated for the leadership of the Australian Labor Party by former Treasurer Paul Keating.
In 1983, Bob Hawke played for the Parliamentary Cricket side in their annual match against the Press, a match dating back to 1946/47 when former Test batsman and then reporter Jack Fingleton inaugurated the match. The following season, at Kingston Oval, went down in history when Hawke had his glasses smashed when attempting a hook/pull stroke. Fragments of his glasses went into his right eye and he had to attend hospital before returning to the match.
He captained two Prime Minister’s XI matches in matches against the Australian Aboriginal side, prior to and after their side’s tour of England in 1988. In the 1988 match, he was dismissed for duck and in the 1989 match he was dismissed for two. Both matches were played at Manly Oval.
In 1992, the Bob Hawke and Robert Menzies Stands were opened by Bob Hawkes and Dame Patti Menzies in recognition of the two cricket loving Prime Minister who had brought international cricket to Canberra and Manuka Oval.
He was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in 1979 as well as foreign honours from Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Japan. He was also given honorary degrees from nine different universities from across the globe.
Bob Hawke passed away peacefully in his sleep at his Northbridge home on May 16, 2019 at the age of 89.
Rest in Peace Robert James Lee Hawke
Sydney 1st Grade Finals Trivia 2018-19
It’s New South Wales Premier Cricket Finals time again, so here is the latest installment of the Sydney 1st Grade Finals Trivia.
Enjoy!! Please leave your comments below.
ACT World War I Cricketers
As Remembrance Day draws closer and we remember the centenary of the end of World War I, the war to end all wars, the history of cricket in the Australian Capital Territory is intertwined with the military history of the region.
Although the FTCA (Federal Territory Cricket Association) was not formed until 1922, the 1914/15 season saw the start of the first organised cricket competition in the Canberra region, the Federal Cup. Seven teams competed in the competition – Ainslie, Brickbats, Canberra, Duntroon, Hall, Power House and Queanbeyan. Brickbats became Westridge in the FTCA competition and Power House became Eastlake. Ainslie, Canberra, Duntroon, Hall and Queanbeyan all continued on in the later Canberra competitions from 1919/20 onwards and then in the FTCA competition in 1922/23.
The Ainslie side won the competition but when war was declared, the competition was suspended as most sides struggled to get a side together especially the Duntroon side which was centred around the Royal Military College. In fact, even the mainly rural Ainslie side was unable to raise a side. It was reported that in late October 1915 “six of the eleven players who won the deciding game were now fighting on Gallipoli or getting in a bit of war practice in camp. Incidentally, the official scorer thought it his job to go with them and check the scalps.”
Although the first ACT (then Federal Territory) side was not formed until 1923, sides of the 1920s were filled with World War I veterans. 29 players who went on to play for the ACT served in various roles in World War I. Roles ranged from the infantry and machine gun battalions to different units such as the Camel Transport Corps, Australian Army Dental Corps and the Australian Flying Corps. They served in theatres ranging from Gallipoli to the Western Front, and to the Middle East with the Light Horse.
Some notable cricketers that served in WWI include:
- John James who served with the Australian Army Medical Corps and later became an acclaimed surgeon who served Canberra from the 1920s to the 1960s and for whom John James Hospital was named for.
- Ernest Corey who was the only person to be awarded the Military Medal on four occasions. His medals are on display at the Australian War Memorial.
- Robert Nimmo who eventually became a member of the Australian General Staff in World War II and commanded the United Nations operation in disputed Kashmir.
- Frank Kerr who was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1913 to attend Oxford University and then enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1914 and saw action on the Western Front. He was awarded a DSO in 1915 for bravery and had previously played VFL football for University.
- Ian Mackerras who went on to be one of Australia’s leading entomologists and helped reduced the amount of malaria infection in Australian soldiers in World War II.
- Bill Tickner who went on to be the leading wicket taker in the history of ACT 1st Grade Cricket and for whom 5th Grade player of the season medal is named for.
A large number of those who served in World War I also took up service in World War II in various roles from the Volunteer Defence Corp to active service.
So as Remembrance Day draws near, we honour the following who served their country in World War I and went on to play for the ACT – Harrie Alderton, Edgar Barker, Sidney Begley, Jack Bradby, John Calthorpe, Glyn Cavanagh, Henry Clapson, Alfred Conron, Ernest Corey, William Cottingham, Fred Dawkins, Dr Rolland Fraser, Bill Graham, Eric Greville, Clarence Hincksman, Joseph Honeysett, Dr John James, Dr Frank Kerr, Ian Mackerras, Reg Maguire, Charles McFadyen, Edward Neilson, Robert Nimmo, George O’Neill, Ken Pickering, Ralph Rutledge, Fred Shoobert, Bill Tickner and Albert Wright.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Australian International Cricket Scorers
To date there have been 179 known scorers who have scored International cricket in Australia or have been an Australian Scorer overseas. This includes Men’s and Women’s Tests, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals.
Of the 179 scorers, 10 have come from the Australian Capital Territory, 44 from New South Wales, 3 from the Northern Territory, 27 from Queensland, 25 from South Australia, 16 from Tasmania, 41 from Victoria, and 12 from Western Australia. 2 scorers have scored International matches while representing both the ACT and New South Wales.
There have been 2586 Scorer Appointments since the first Test Match in 1877. 830 in Men’s Test Matches, 1232 in Male One Day Internationals, 66 in Male T20 Internationals, 70 in Women’s Test Matches, 294 in Women’s One Day Internationals, and 94 in Women’s T20 Internationals.
Of these 2586, there are just 64 missing appointments – 5 in Male Test Matches, 2 in Male One Day Internationals, 8 in Women’s Test Matches, 46 in Women’s One Day Internationals, and 3 in Women’s T20 Internationals. All of the scorer appointments have been found for the Men’s Internationals.
107 scorers have scored Men’s Test Matches, 80 have scored Men’s One Day Internationals, 27 have scored Men’s T20 Internationals, 26 have scored Women’s Test Matches, 46 have scored Women’s One Day Internationals and 37 have scored Women’s T20 Internationals.
Mike Walsh has scored the most internationals with 316, Bill Ferguson is next with 208, then David Sherwood with 113, Tom Lowrey with 107, Judy Harris 99, Rita Artis 92, Kevin O’Neill 91, Ernie Cosgrove and Mike Ringham with 84, then Charlie Bull and Erica Sainsbury round out the top ten with 73.
Of the 179 scorers, 83 have scored 3 matches or less while only 53 have scored 10 matches or more. 10 scorers have scored matches overseas for Australia, the first being Nin Batchelor in 1890 and Merilyn Fowler was the last in 2009.
Below is a list of missing appointments. Those in bold have unconfirmed appointments based on other appointments in that season. Some matches are missing one appointment, some are missing both. Any help tracking down these appointments would be greatly appreciated.
2018/19 PM’s XI Media Guide
The Media Guide for the 2018/19 Prime Minister’s XI match is available below.
If you use material in this guide in your articles, etc, please make sure that you give appropriate credit for its use.
Any queries/questions can be sent through to me via Twitter @actcricketstats or via email adammorehouse@bigpond.com.
Adam Morehouse
Long time between 1st Grade Matches
Tomorrow Phil Coe will return to the 1st Grade side of North Canberra-Gungahlin after almost a 14 year hiatus. In doing this he becomes the player with the third highest number of days between 1st Grade matches in ACT 1st Grade history.
The highest is Marcus Cosgrave who played for Western District-UC and had 6230 days between 1990 and 2007. Marcus played 14 matches for Wests in 1st Grade between 1985/86 and 1989/90 and then two matches on his return in 2006/07.
Next is Harry Oldfield who played for Queanbeyan and he missed 5362 days between 1934 and 1948. A mitigating circumstance for Harry was that there was no competition cricket in the ACT between 1940/41 and 1946/47. Harry played for Queanbeyan between 1930/31 and 1933/34 and then between 1948/49 and 1952/53, playing 36 matches in total and also representing the FCT (as it was then known) in 1931/32.
Phil Coe is next on the list with 5095 days. A wicket-keeper, Phil has so far played 60 matches between 1998/99 and 2004/05 but has been a stalwart of the lower grades since then.
Paul Nemes missed 4655 days between 2000/01 and 2013/14 when he played a single match. Phil played his final match for Tuggeranong Valley after playing 148 1st Grade matches in total, three of which were for Queanbeyan. His previous match was for Queanbeyan while his previous match for Tuggeranong Valley was in 1998/99. For days between Tuggeranong 1st Grade matches it is 5390.
Robbie van Aalst missed 4307 days between matches for Western District-UC. He missed 1st Grade matches between 2004/05 and 2016/17, playing 24 matches in his 1st Grade career, 18 between 2002/03 and 2004/05 and 6 from 2016/17 to 2017/18.
Paul Stephens missed 4053 days between 1994/95 and 2005/06 for Norths. He played 65 matches between 1985/86 and 1994/95 for Northern Suburbs and Canberra North Daramalan and played a further two matches for North Canberra-Gungahlin in 2005/06.
The final player with more than 4000 days between matches is Alan Lea. Alan Lea missed 4039 days between 1937/38 and 1948/49. He played 87 1st Grade matches in total for Westridge (1926/27), Canberra (1927/28) and Kingston (1928/29-1937/38 and 1948/49-1949/50). He also played for the FCT between 1928/29 and 1931/32.
Most Days between ACT 1st Grade Matches
6230 Marcus Cosgrave (1990-2007)
5362 Harry Oldfield (1934-1948)
5095 Phil Coe (2004-2018)*
4655 Phil Nemes (2001-2013)
4307 Robbie van Aalst (2005-2017)
4053 Paul Stephens (1995-2006)
4039 Alan Lea (1938-1949)
Three Brothers in the same 1st Grade side
Yesterday for the first time since 1937/38, three brothers played in the same ACT 1st Grade side. Jason, Benji and Tim Floros played for Tuggeranong Valley against Ginninderra in their 18 run victory.
Benji and Tim have played for the ACT but have not played in the same side together. Jason has come back to play 1st Grade for Tuggeranong Valley after played First-Class and List A cricket for Queensland. He has yet to play a senior match for the ACT despite playing Youth Cricket for the ACT and representing the Australia Under 19 side.
In 1937/38, Les, Bede and Francis Reardon played together for Hall during that season. Additionally, they all played for the ACT during the Country Week competition in Sydney that season as well.
In 1922/23 for Ainslie, four Maloney brothers – William, Valentine, Edward and Lisle all played together in matches that season. Their cousins John and Robert also played for the side in the same season.
The family did better in 1925/26 with five Maloney brothers played in the same side. The four brothers were joined by their youngest brother Harry in the side who made his debut at 15 years of age.
Four of the Maloney brothers played for the ACT, only Valentine did not play for the Territory and only three brothers played for the Territory at the same time.
2018/19 ACT 1st Grade Statistical Guide
The 2018/19 ACT 1st Grade Statistical Guide has been released.
Please feel free to leave any comments and/or suggestions.
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