Caesar
Member
Along the same lines as my thread in the England forum, I have been reading a lot of history of the game recently and have been inspired to post some information about some of my favourite players to have graced the Test arena.
The players who will appear in this thread are not necessarily the best, most successful, or most famous players to have pulled on the baggy green - although assuredly plenty of them will be. The key criteria will merely be the degree to which they capture my interest - either as cricketers or as men.
I hope this will be of interest to readers - partially as an homage to these men, and also as an effort to inspire others to take a greater interest in the often fascinating history of our great game.
With this in mind, I will begin with one of my favourite Australian cricketers of all time - and naturally, a New South Welshman:
Archibald Jackson
Born in Scotland's South Lanarkshire in 1909, Archie Jackson emigrated to Balmain in Sydney at the age of 11 with parents. The Jackson family had a strong sporting tradition - to this day his uncle (Jimmy Jackson) and cousin (James Jackson Jr) are hailed as footballing legends at Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
Jackson was captivated by the game at the local Balmain club, home of Test legend Arthur Mailey, and for several years a young Jackson formed part of a group of street cricketers terrorising horse drawn traffic and blocking drains to save balls near Birchgrove Oval. Of this motley crew, Jackson and one other (Bill Hunt) became Test cricketers - two others played first class cricket for NSW. The tearaways attracted the attention of the local club and soon Jackson was playing in the lower grades.
Were it not for the unexpected intervention of a wholly unlikely benefactor, this is where Jackson's story may have ended. Lacking the money to pursue his career, Balmain captain Mailey induced the great H.V. Evatt to fund the equipment young Archie required to play first grade. The future Labor icon, High Court Judge and Opposition Leader was at that time the local member for Balmain - it was arguably the greatest investment he ever made.
From there, Jackson's ascent was rapid. A stylish and elegant batsman who in an age of utility was a throwback to the great Victor Trumper, he made his debut for NSW at 17 and Australia at 19. He was renowned for playing incredibly efficiently, imparting unexpected velocity to the ball with minimal force. His 164 in the Fourth Test of England's 1928-29 tour, at that time making him the youngest player ever to score a Test century, is still regarded by many as one of the greatest innings ever played.
Whilst his form on the subsequent tour of England was disappointing given high expectations (he was widely regarded a more complete batsman than the other Baby Blue, Bradman, and more likely to succeed in tricky English conditions), it was widely assumed that he and Bradman would go on to form the most formidable upper-order partnership ever to grace the field.
Unfortunately, merely a handful of years into his Test career, Jackson was struck badly by tuberculosis. Moving to Brisbane in hopes the climate would assist his recovery, he recommenced grade cricket with Northern Suburbs against the advice of his doctors. Despite playing well, his health continued to deteriorate and he died on the day England regained the Ashes during Bodyline - at the age of 23. His epigraph read simply - 'He played the game'.
Should he have survived, many predict he could have matched (perhaps even surpassed) the achievements of his contemporary, Bradman. Certainly during their time together, he was seen by some as the more complete and gifted player. One thing is certain - his death robbed our game of one of its greatest talents.
The players who will appear in this thread are not necessarily the best, most successful, or most famous players to have pulled on the baggy green - although assuredly plenty of them will be. The key criteria will merely be the degree to which they capture my interest - either as cricketers or as men.
I hope this will be of interest to readers - partially as an homage to these men, and also as an effort to inspire others to take a greater interest in the often fascinating history of our great game.
With this in mind, I will begin with one of my favourite Australian cricketers of all time - and naturally, a New South Welshman:
Archibald Jackson
Born in Scotland's South Lanarkshire in 1909, Archie Jackson emigrated to Balmain in Sydney at the age of 11 with parents. The Jackson family had a strong sporting tradition - to this day his uncle (Jimmy Jackson) and cousin (James Jackson Jr) are hailed as footballing legends at Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
Jackson was captivated by the game at the local Balmain club, home of Test legend Arthur Mailey, and for several years a young Jackson formed part of a group of street cricketers terrorising horse drawn traffic and blocking drains to save balls near Birchgrove Oval. Of this motley crew, Jackson and one other (Bill Hunt) became Test cricketers - two others played first class cricket for NSW. The tearaways attracted the attention of the local club and soon Jackson was playing in the lower grades.
Were it not for the unexpected intervention of a wholly unlikely benefactor, this is where Jackson's story may have ended. Lacking the money to pursue his career, Balmain captain Mailey induced the great H.V. Evatt to fund the equipment young Archie required to play first grade. The future Labor icon, High Court Judge and Opposition Leader was at that time the local member for Balmain - it was arguably the greatest investment he ever made.
From there, Jackson's ascent was rapid. A stylish and elegant batsman who in an age of utility was a throwback to the great Victor Trumper, he made his debut for NSW at 17 and Australia at 19. He was renowned for playing incredibly efficiently, imparting unexpected velocity to the ball with minimal force. His 164 in the Fourth Test of England's 1928-29 tour, at that time making him the youngest player ever to score a Test century, is still regarded by many as one of the greatest innings ever played.
Whilst his form on the subsequent tour of England was disappointing given high expectations (he was widely regarded a more complete batsman than the other Baby Blue, Bradman, and more likely to succeed in tricky English conditions), it was widely assumed that he and Bradman would go on to form the most formidable upper-order partnership ever to grace the field.
Unfortunately, merely a handful of years into his Test career, Jackson was struck badly by tuberculosis. Moving to Brisbane in hopes the climate would assist his recovery, he recommenced grade cricket with Northern Suburbs against the advice of his doctors. Despite playing well, his health continued to deteriorate and he died on the day England regained the Ashes during Bodyline - at the age of 23. His epigraph read simply - 'He played the game'.
Should he have survived, many predict he could have matched (perhaps even surpassed) the achievements of his contemporary, Bradman. Certainly during their time together, he was seen by some as the more complete and gifted player. One thing is certain - his death robbed our game of one of its greatest talents.
Code:
Competition Test FC
Matches 8 70
Runs scored 474 4383
Batting avge 47.40 45.65
100s/50s 1/2 11/23
Top score 164 182