Club Legends

Club Legends

2012-13 Induction

Arthur Liddicut first came to notice aged 20, when he scored 129 for a Geelong XV against the touring Englishmen in January 1912, the first century against an England Touring Team in a provincial match. The performance earned Liddicut selection for the Victorian Colts team to Tasmania before he had played District Cricket.

He joined Fitzroy Cricket Club in 1914-15 after playing 2 seasons at St Kilda (14 matches) where he was not given an opportunity to bowl. A lower-middle-order batsman and fast-medium bowler, in his career with Fitzroy, he played 237 games, making 6585 runs (average 35.40) with a highest score of 132no, 13 centuries and 37 half-centuries. In bowling, he took 542 wickets (average 17.09) with best figures of 8/26. He took 5 wickets in an innings

35 times and 10 wickets in a match, 3 times. He played 23 seasons of district cricket for Fitzroy and was still in the team in his late 40s. He won the 2nd XI batting average aged 54.

He captained the Club from 1927-28 until 1932-33, including captaining the Club to its first premiership in 1930-31 over South Melbourne at the Albert Ground. In that final, he made 114 and took 4/40 to be a major factor in the victory. He played in 5 VCA Finals for Fitzroy, for just that one premiership. He twice took 14 wickets in a match - 14/49 (6/23 & 8/26) v Prahran in 1929/30 and 14/67 (8/37 & 6/30) v Hawthorn/East Melbourne in 1931/32. He won Fitzroy's batting average six times and the bowling average eight times.

He twice toured New Zealand, once with an Australian Second XI in 1920/21, playing both of the matches against New Zealand (topping the tour averages at 60.58 in 15 innings), but did not play Test cricket. He toured New Zealand a second time with a Victorian side in 1924/25.

Although Liddicut often batted as low as number nine or ten for Victoria, he was good enough to score three first-class centuries and total 2177 runs @ 30.24 for the State. His highest score was 152 against South Australia at the MCG in 1920/21, batting at number nine. He also scored 102 against a touring English team in 1922/23 (after taking 4/16) and 132 against New South Wales at Sydney in 1925/26. His lively pace bowling earned him 118 wickets @ 27.64 with 7/40 v Tasmania in 1929/30, his best figures when, captaining Victoria, he opened the bowling and bowled throughout the innings, dismissing Tasmania for 77. Against the touring MCC team in 1922-23, he took 4 for 16 from 15 eight-ball overs, then scored 102 in 138 minutes.

He later became a prominent coach, administrator for Fitzroy and the VCA and an ABC radio commentator in the 1950s.

Liddicut served as a Fitzroy Delegate to the VCA for 39 seasons (1931/32-1969/70). He was a VCA Pennant Committee member (1933/34-1961/62) for 27 seasons, the last 21 as Chairman. He was elected VCA Vice-President in 1969/70. When the VCA decided to establish the Ryder Medal in 1972/73, the Club committee decided to establish the Arthur Liddicut Medal for the Fitzroy player who receives the most Umpire votes in the Ryder Medal voting.

In 2012-13, when the Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club Hall of Fame was established, Arthur was an inaugural inductee and one of 3 Club Legends inducted. Undoubtedly one of the Club’s greatest servants.

Ray Harvey was one of six brothers who all played for Fitzroy in Victorian Premier Cricket. Under the influence of cricketing mentors Joe Plant and Arthur Liddicut, the Harvey boys were taught to adopt an aggressive approach, using fast feet movement to attack spin bowling in particular. Ray Harvey was a right-handed middle-order batsman and leg-spin bowler and made his First XI debut for Fitzroy in 1941–42. In 1943–44, he scored a club record of 817 First XI runs in a season. In 1942–43, Neil was promoted to Fitzroy's First XI, joining Merv, Mick and Ray. During that season, the family held down the first four batting

positions for Fitzroy; Merv and Mick opened the batting and Ray and Neil came in after them. Ray continued to play for Fitzroy over the next two decades when he was not required by Victoria.

During the winter, the Harvey boys played baseball for the Fitzroy Baseball Club, often competing in matches played as curtain raisers to the Victorian Football League. In 1948, Ray Harvey was selected at shortstop in the 1948 All-Australian baseball team.

Growing up in Fitzroy, they learned their cricket playing in a cobblestone laneway next to their house, or in their concrete backyard using a marble and a miniature bat. They were usually joined by other local children, two of whom became elite sportsmen: Allan Ruthven (an Australian rules footballer) and Harold Shillinglaw (both an Australian rules footballer and first-class cricketer).

Much of the batting skill displayed by the Harvey brothers has been attributed to these games played on the unpredictable bounce of the bumpy laneway.

Ray shone for Fitzroy in Victorian Premier Cricket, in all playing 247 matches over 20 seasons, scoring 19 centuries and 40 fifties in his 9,146 runs (average 36.29) with a highest score of 205no. Both his number of centuries and total runs were club records for many

years, until both were surpassed by Gary Watts.

He also took 217 wickets (average 20.98) with best figures of 6/43, and was an excellent fielder. He won the Club batting average 6 times (1943-44, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1958-59). He also won the bowling average in 1956-57 and 1960-61. He was a member of the 1953-54 and 1960-61 Premiership Teams. In the 1953-54 Final, he top-scored with 39 in the first innings as Fitzroy trailed Prahran, and was 36no in the second innings as Fitzroy won outright. He did not bowl in this match. In the 1960-61 Final, he made 0 in Fitzroy’s only innings, but took 4/32 and 3/54 with his leg spinners as Fitzroy defeated St Kilda outright.

He made his first class debut in the middle of the 1947-48 season, and played his first two matches for Victoria alongside his brothers Merv and Neil, who were already established players. Merv opened, while Neil and Ray batted at Nos. 4 and 7 respectively. Ray came in at 5/208 to make 43. Victoria ended with 331, and the Harvey brothers had scored almost half the runs. New South Wales were forced to follow on, and Victoria were set 51 for victory. Lindsay Hassett elevated Ray to No. 3, allowing two Harveys to bat together for the first time at the first-class level. Ray and Merv put on an unbeaten partnership of 27 to take Victoria to a nine-wicket win. Merv and Ray ended unbeaten on 12 and 22 respectively.

Harvey did not gain first-class selection in 1948-49, and vacancies were hard to come by as all of Australia's international representatives were available for the whole season. In 1949–50, with three Victorian batsmen in the Australian Test team in South Africa, he was still only selected for one match, against Tasmania, making 9 and 45 in a four-wicket win. This was effectively a second-choice Victorian team as the leading players were involved in a Shield match against New South Wales at the same time.

In 1950–51, he was selected only for the two first-class matches against Tasmania.

In 1951–52, he made five appearances, gaining selection only when Victoria's Test players were busy representing Australia. The following season, he gained selection for the last three matches and broke through for his maiden first-class century, having never previously passed 50.

Harvey was unable to gain selection during the 1952–53 season until late in the season. In the final match of the season, against Western Australia, Harvey broke through for his maiden first-class century, scoring 121 in an innings victory over Western Australia.

He played his first full season for Victoria in 1953–54, despite the availability of the Test players for the whole campaign. He scored two centuries and five half-centuries against full-strength teams from other states and was rewarded with selection in Lindsay Hassett's testimonial match, which was effectively a Test trial match. Harvey scored 69 and 17 as his

team completed a 121-run win. Harvey ended the season with 699 runs at a batting average of 49.92. As a result of his performances in this season, he was hailed as the best batsman

 Merv and Ray Harvey outside the Australian Test team.

At the start of the following season, Harvey was included in an Australian XI for a match against the touring England cricket team for a Test trial match. However, rain curtailed the match and turned the playing surface into a sticky wicket. Harvey made only seven in his only innings. He played in all of Victoria's matches for the season, despite a form

slump—he scored only 206 runs at 18.72. He was then overlooked for state selection until 1958–59, when he regained his position late in the season and made 97 and 86 in consecutive innings. He ended the season with 233 runs at 46.60.

In 1959-60, with the Test team in India, Harvey was recalled. However, he failed to convert his starts into substantial scores, making 8, 36, 12, 25, 22, 20, 1 and 9 in his four matches, although he took his career-best bowling figures of 3/26 in the first innings against South Australia.

His First Class career ended with 40 matches, 1970 runs, an average 30.78 with 3 hundreds and 7 fifties and a highest score of 121. He took 5 wickets at an average 65.20 with best figures of 3/26.

Harvey was an attacking and free-flowing batsman, but he was not a prolific scorer in first-class cricket, which was attributed by observers to a lack of single-mindedness required to succeed at the top level. Neil said that Ray's footwork was suspect and that the stronger bowlers in domestic cricket were able to exploit this. Neil said that if Ray had been able to rectify his weakness, then he could have become a Test player for Australia. Australian captain Bill Lawry said that Harvey was one of the two best district cricketers he had played against.

E.P. “Eddie” Illingworth came to Fitzroy CC from The Church of the Epiphany Club in Northcote in 1952-53, aged 13, starting in the 4th & 5th XI in his first couple of seasons, and

playing in the 4th XI premiership of 1955-56. He rose rapidly from there and made his 1st XI debut in 1957–58. A right-arm opening bowler, he played a total of 233 matches in the 1st XI over 21 seasons with the Club, taking 599 wickets (average 18.6), which is still the Club record, and the eighth highest in Victorian Premier Cricket. He took 5 wickets in an innings 26 times and 10 wickets in a match, 3 times. As a left-handed batsman, he made 2666 runs (average 14.03) with a highest score of 61no. His best figures were 8/18. Later in his career, he formed a formidable opening bowling partnership with Alan “Froggy” Thomson, also a

Club Legend. Eddie played in two premierships for the Club, in 1960-61 and 1966-67. He was the Liddicut Medal winner three times (1972-73, 1973-74 (shared with Alec Duff), and 1976-77), and later served for seven years, from 1970–71 to 1977–78 as Fitzroy’s delegate on the Victorian Cricket Association board of directors. He is an honorary life member of the club and an inaugural inductee into the Club’s Hall of Fame and inaugural Club Legend.

In December 1959, Eddie was selected for the Victoria Colts, a youth team, to play against NSW Colts. In November 1961, he played for Jack Potter’s XI in an invitational one-day a single-innings match against Bill Lawry's XI at Junction Oval. Both sides featured current Test players, including Lawry, Ian Meckiff and Lindsay Kline.

Eddie played five first-class matches for Victoria between 1962 and 1964.

His first-class début was against Tasmania at Kardinia Park in Geelong in February 1962. At the time, Tasmania was not in the Sheffield Shield competition, so it was a one-off match. His selection had generated controversy since he played in an era when umpires were under pressure to call bowlers with any sort of suspect action, and he had twice been no-balled for throwing by two different umpires in district cricket in the two seasons prior to his selection. Eddie took his career best figures of 4/28 in the second innings, removing Tasmania's first four batsmen as Victoria went on to win.

Despite this performance, Eddie was overlooked for further state selection for over two years. Returning to play for Fitzroy in district cricket, he took 63 wickets at 13.76 in the 1963–64 season, making him the leading wicket-taker for the season across the entire competition. This remained a Club record until 2002-03 when Chris Street took 67 wickets.

Eddie returned to the state team during the 1964-65 season, making his Sheffield Shield debut against Western Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth. His best performance in a Sheffield Shield match was against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval in the following week of November 1964, the same match in which he was called a total of three times by umpires Egar and Ryan. He was called twice by Egar in his eleventh over, and once by Ryan in his fourteenth over. In the same fourteenth over, he had dismissed former Pakistani Test batsman Duncan Sharpe and Australian Test wicket-keeper Barry Jarman. This broke a 97-run stand between Sharpe and Ian Chappell, before Jarman was removed for a duck. After 17 more runs were added, he had Chappell caught behind for 127. Eddie finished with 4/92.

Following on after conceding a 248-run lead in their first innings. Victoria was 6/193 when Eddie batted, making his highest first-class score of 47 in a partnership of 87 runs with Bill Lawry, before he was dismissed with the score at 7/280. Victoria was 8/286 at the end of play, as the match ended in a draw. Eddie played in two further matches, finishing his First Class career with 5 matches, making 155 runs, average 17.22 and taking 15 wickets, average 27.60.

Following his First Class career, he returned to district cricket and played another 13 seasons with Fitzroy, finishing after the 1977–78 season.

Eddie was also an exceptional baseball player. He started with the Westgarth Baseball Club as a 12-year-old in 1952. As a young cricketer, he was looking for a way to keep his eye in, his arm turning over, and his fitness up during the winter months. He was one of many good cricketers who played baseball in the winter in that era.

He later played baseball with Melbourne, from 1960 to 1972, and for Victoria in the Claxton Shield between 1960 and 1965. In 2013, he was inducted into the Melbourne Cricket Club's baseball section Hall of Fame. Eddie described himself as a utility player - a handy pitcher, good with the bat, a solid first baseman and strong in the outfield. Illingworth was also named in Victorian baseball's Team of the Century in 2002.

In 1975, he went back to Westgarth, filling in if the club was short of players, and kept playing until 67 years of age. Illingworth is also a life member at Westgarth, and the club's MVP trophy is named after him, as is a trophy between Westgarth and Melbourne University – the Illingworth/Bitmead Trophy.

2014-15 Induction

Neil Harvey grew up in Fitzroy, the second youngest in a family of six brothers and a sister.

His eldest brother, Mervyn, also represented Australia (and is a member of the FDCC Hall of

Fame), Clarrie (Mick) and Ray (also an FDCC Hall of Fame member) played for Victoria (Neil and Clarrie also played for NSW and Queensland respectively), and Harold and Brian played first grade cricket with Fitzroy. Neil learned to play cricket with his five brothers and their friends, using a marble and a cut-down bat, in the cobblestone laneway near their house. In his book, “My World of Cricket”, Neil says, “practically every Sunday about ten of us would make up two teams for a weekly match. A tennis ball was used, and naturally, it would do some crazy things off the cobblestones.”

Neil followed his brothers to play for Fitzroy, and says of this in his book, “The Fitzroy Club,

for which I played for 15 years, had a marvellous scheme in operation to help young

cricketers make good. They donated a medallion to all schools in the surrounding area, to be given as an incentive to the leading young sportsman in each of the schools. This medallion entitled the lucky boy to share in all the facilities of the Fitzroy Club for that particular year, including the right to practise at the club nets with the leading players. Fitzroy secured some pretty useful players from the medallion winners and, if I remember correctly, all six Harvey brothers achieved that honour. I won my medallion at the age of twelve and wandered up regularly to practise on the club’s magnificent turf practice strips.”

His early coaching at Fitzroy was from Joe Plant and Arthur Liddicut. Neil says, “Fitzroy had two coaches who were in charge at that time, Joe Plant and Arthur Liddicut.

Both had represented Victorian Sheffield Shield cricket, and the club was indeed fortunate to have two such outstanding players on hand to instruct and improve the young players. I certainly have good cause to thank both of them, particularly Joe Plant, who watched my every move in those formative years.”

In 1941, in his first season, aged 13, Neil advanced from the Fifth XI to the Third XI, making 101 and 141no in the Third XI Final. After a season in the Second XI, Neil made his First XI debut aged 15. As Neil’s career advanced, a particular family thrill was in 1947, when Neil, Ray and Mervyn played together for Victoria for the first time, against NSW.

In Neil’s career with Fitzroy, he played 104 games, making 4044 runs at an average of 37.10 with 8 centuries.

For Victoria, Neil made 4955 runs at an average of 50.05, with 12 centuries.

In all First Class cricket, he played 306 matches, making 21699 runs at an average of 50.93 with 67 centuries.

In Test cricket, he played 79 Tests and made 6149 runs at an average of 48.41 with 21 centuries.

There are many Test performances for which he will be remembered but foremost among them were his 153 against India in his second Test (an innings which made him the youngest-ever Australian to score a Test century); his 112 in the celebrated Leeds Test of 1948; his 151 in Durban in 1949-50; and his highest Test score of 205 against South Africa in Melbourne in 1952-53. He amassed six centuries in his first 13 Test innings alone.

In later times, Neil continued to play a role at the forefront of Australian cricket as a national

selector for a period of 12 years. In recognition of his string of outstanding achievements in

the game, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in early 2000. He was

also selected in the Australian Cricket Board's official Test Team of the 20th Century.

A further honour was the inclusion of a statue of Neil in a batting pose in the MCG Avenue of

Honour.

Gary Watts was recruited to Fitzroy while still a schoolboy living in Maryborough in central Victoria, having been spotted while playing Dowling Shield for University in 1972-73. His parents, Max and Norma, used to drive Gary down from Maryborough to play each weekend. Gary was later joined at the Club by his younger brothers, Rod and Leigh. All three brothers are now in the Club’s Hall of Fame. Gary played his first game in Fitzroy’s First XI in 1975-76, aged 17.

Gary represented Victoria in the U19 cricket carnival in 1976-77, and still holds a record of 7 dismissals while substituting as a wicketkeeper. He also represented the Australian U19 team on a Tour of England in 1977.

He quickly made his mark for Fitzroy as a prolific left-handed opening batsman and was in the Victorian State team by 1977-78. His first game was at the MCG against NSW, where he ran out Test batsman Peter Toohey.

In his First Class cricket career, Gary played 67 games from 1977-91 for Victoria, making 3976 runs at an average of 32.85, with 8 centuries. He was a member of the 1990-91 team that won the Sheffield Shield. His record for Fitzroy Doncaster is unsurpassed, and he currently holds the club records for the most games played (322 games over 26 seasons), most runs

scored (12,933), most centuries (25), and the highest individual score (260no). He also topped 50 on 75 occasions. His 12,933 runs were the highest for all time in the competition until more recently surpassed by Warren Ayres. He won the Club batting average on 12 occasions.

Gary was a member of the 1993-94 Premiership team, and in the same season won the Ryder Medal, scoring 907 runs at an average of 53.35 for the season.

Gary has been made a Life Member of the club.

2016-17 Induction

Bill Jacobs played 265 games for Fitzroy over 19 seasons, playing in 3 premierships, 1938-39, 1939-40, and was Captain-coach of the 1953-54 premiership team. He was a superb wicketkeeper, taking 265 catches and making 170 stumpings. He also made 2765 runs at an average of 15.27, with one century and 4 half-centuries. He holds the record for the most consecutive 1st XI games – 215. He also played 7 matches for Victorian XIs during the 1940s. Off the field Bill served on the Club Committee, was a Cricket Victoria delegate and a Victorian selector for many seasons. He was President from 1959-61, including for the 1960-61 premiership, which was captained by Jack Potter.

Bill was also appointed Manager of Bob Simpson’s Australian Team that toured South Africa in 1966-67. He was also appointed Manager of the Rest of the World XI, captained by Sir Garfield Sobers, which toured Australia in 1971-72 when the proposed tour by South Africa had to be cancelled. The team comprised 3 West Indians, 4 South Africans, 3 Englishmen, 3 Pakistanis, 3 Indians and 1 New Zealander, and was staged while India and Pakistan were at war! Bill was also Manager of Ian Chappell’s Australian team of 1973, which toured the West Indies and went through the tour undefeated. It would be many years until another team could defeat the West Indies on their home soil.

Bill was also a founding member of the Cricket Victoria 200 Club and a Life Member of Cricket Victoria. Bill was also a footballer, playing for Brunswick in the VFA and in 1941 for Fitzroy Reserves. In 1944, Fitzroy’s last football premiership, Bill served as the Cricket Club’s representative on the football club committee.

Bill became a famous football and cricket commentator on 3AW for 34 years, including calling 27 consecutive Grand Finals. He called VFA football on Channel 10 with Phil Gibbs.

He was a cricket commentator on Channel 9 during the 1960s with Tony Charlton, covering the 1963-64 South African Tour. He won a number of AFL and Cricket Victoria media awards over his career.

During the 1977 Centenary Test he was official TV interviewer with special guests during breaks in play. He also pioneered lunchtime entertainment at cricket matches in the 1970s, with events including the footballers mile, hit the pin for golfers, etc

Jack Potter debuted for Fitzroy in 1954-55 aged 16 and went on to play 95 games for the Club over 11 seasons. He was a polished right hand batsman,and scored 3609 runs at an average of 40.10 with a highest score of 170 and 9 centuries.

Jack also played for Melbourne University Cricket Club while studying there, and on his return to Fitzroy in 1960-61 became captain of the Club, leading it to a Premiership in his first season as captain, aged 22. He made his first century for the Club in 1961-62, by which time he had already made 6 centuries for Victoria. Jack made his debut for Victoria aged 18 in January 1957. Consistent scoring in 1959-60 led to his inclusion in an Australian B team to tour New Zealand. In 1963-64 he played a dominating innings of 123no against the touring South Africans and was selected in the XII for the second Test. However, he was made 12th man for the game. In 1964 Jack was selected in the Australian touring team to England, however, while he was 12th man again for the First Test, he did not play a Test during the tour. Towards the end of the tour Jack fractured his skull during a one-day match in the Netherlands. He was therefore unable to tour India and Pakistan along with the rest of the team, where he was likely to have made his Test debut, given that the other players who did not play a Test in England were all given at least one Test in India.

In 1966-67 he captained the Club to another Premiership, making a century in the Final. In the same season he captained Victoria to a Sheffield Shield win, while Bill Lawry and the Australian Team were away in South Africa. During that season he averaged 53 in interstate games and 100 for Fitzroy.

Jack’s First Class record was 104 matches, 6142 runs at an average of 41.22 with 14 hundreds and 33 fifties. His highest score was 221 against NSW at the MCG in 1965-66. He also took 31 wickets at an average of 41.51 with a best of 4/20. He holds the record of being 12th man the highest number of times (3) without playing a Test.

In “Australian Elegance”, by Marc Fiddian, the author compares the elegance of Jack’s batting to Kippax and Trumper, saying “One player who could have been in the same class as the above pair was Jack Potter, the Victorian batsman of the 1960’s…….Potter, a lightly built man, scored his runs with an ease and grace that made the person on the other side of the fence grateful that they had seen him make 55 or 75. Surely a century would have crowned the innings. Indeed it would, but such a thought left you feeling utterly greedy rather than remaining thankful for what you had received. Watching Potter was an exercise in forgetting to look at the  scoreboard. The focus was on his deft use of the bat, his sweetly timed drives and cuts, some majestic square drives and a neat leg-glance here and there. His hooks were so well executed that there was no sense of explosive power, yet the resultant boundary was the same”.

Jack retired from the Victorian team during the 1967-68 season, and the following season left Fitzroy to play sub-district cricket as captain-coach of Preston.

Between 1987 and 1989 he was the inaugural head coach of the Australian Cricket Academy.

2019-20 Induction

Alan Thomson was born and grew up in Reservoir, attending Northcote High School, and coming to Fitzroy Cricket Club in 1961, aged 16. He worked his way through the grades until he made the 1st XI in 1964-65. In his debut game he took 5/39 against Richmond. Alan ultimately played 113 games for Fitzroy, taking 322 wickets @ 17.67. Universally known as “Froggy” he had an unusual bowling action, which resulted in him having to do more than others to earn each promotion he achieved throughout his career.

Alan formed a great opening bowling partnership for Fitzroy with Eddie Illingworth, and opposition teams were never keen to come to Brunswick Street Oval in this era. Alan was a key player in the Premiership in 1966-67, taking 6/72 and 2/40 in the final to bundle Essendon out for 161 and 177 to give Fitzroy (348) an outright win by an innings and 10 runs.

Alan also captained the Club for three seasons from 1973-74. The Annual Report from 1973- 74 states that “In his first season as skipper of our Club, Alan Thomson set his players a fine example with his untiring efforts and dedication to the job of winning games for Fitzroy. Alan met challenges to his personal stamina as he had many long spells of bowling and his leadership brought about a return of team comradeship and spirit which has not been apparent for some time, and augurs well for the future.”

In January 1969, Alan made his first class debut for Victoria against NSW in Sydney, taking 6/114 in the first innings. His next match for Victoria was against the touring West Indies side at the MCG, where he took 5/76 and 6/84. In the 1969-70 season, with the Test team away in India and South Africa, he was the outstanding players of the season, taking 55 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.74. Against NSW at the MCG, he took 5/54 and 8/87, his best innings and match figures for Victoria. At the end of that season Alan was selected as a member of the Australian Touring Team to New Zealand, opening the bowling in the first

match against a Test-strength NZ team and taking 5 wickets.

Early in the 1970-71 season he took 6/80 and 3/101 against the touring MCC team, earning a call up for Test cricket. Alan played in 4 Tests, all in 1970-71 against England. The first was at the Brisbane where his only wicket was England captain Ray Illingworth. His final Test was in Adelaide where he took 2/94 and 3/79, his best Test figures. Overall he took 12 Test wickets at 54.50. Following the 1970-71 season he played only intermittently for Victoria, finishing in 1974-75.

At the end of his First Class career, Alan had played 44 matches, taking 184 wickets at 26.72, including 5 wickets in an innings 12 times. He was the fastest Victorian to take 100 wickets (16 matches); a record that still stands today.

Alan played in the first ODI match in 1971 against England, taking the first wicket (Geoff Boycott caught by Bill Lawry). It was his only wicket in the game and his only ODI. He was, however, the most economical bowler in the match taking 1/22 from 8 eight-ball overs.

Alan was also a VFL field umpire before the advent of the AFL and at a time when there was only one umpire controlling the game. While on the VFL list he umpired 6 Senior VFL games, 58 Reserves games and 94 VCFL games (including 5 grand finals), totalling 158 games in his VFL umpiring career.

2023-24 Induction

Edgar Arthur ‘Ted’ McDonald was born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1891. He played cricket for Tasmania in 1909-10 and 1910-11 before moving to Victoria and joining Fitzroy Cricket Club. He made the Victorian team for the first time in 1912. By 1919 he was taking wickets regularly and was selected for the Australian Test Team (cap no. 114) for 3 Tests against England in 1920-21. He took only 6 wickets in these Tests but was selected for the 1921 Tour of England where he was the outstanding Australian bowler on the Tour. On the Tour he took 150 wickets, including 27 in the Test matches. His 1921 season resulted in him being named one of Wisden’s 5 cricketers of the year in 1922. His partnership with Jack Gregory is often described as the first great fast bowling combination in Test Cricket history.

He played 3 more Test matches in South Africa before accepting a role as a professional in the Lancashire League for Nelson CC, thus ending his Test career for Australia, and making him the highest paid cricketer in the world at the time.

He duly qualified to play County Cricket for Lancashire where he was highly successful. He took 1053 wickets for Lancashire from 1924-31, placing him eighth on the County’s all-time list, and also made a first class century against Middlesex at Old Trafford in 1926. During his time at Lancashire, they won the County Championship 4 times, the most successful period in their history. In those 4 championship years he took 588 wickets.

In 1930, playing for Lancashire against the touring Australians, he bowled Don Bradman, beating him for pace. In his book “Farewell To Cricket”, published in 1950, Bradman says of this match “My first meeting with the great Australian fast bowler, Ted McDonald, who was then playing for Lancashire, was brief. My middle stump went flying, and I am ready now to argue his place amongst the greatest of all fast bowlers. It was hard to visualise a more beautiful action which, coupled with splendid control and real pace, made him the most feared bowler in England at that time, as he had been years before for Australia.”

Later in his book, Bradman comments on his era in cricket “I rate Lindwall and McDonald the two finest Australian fast bowlers of the period.

McDonald had a higher delivery than Lindwall and marvellous stamina. Purely as a bowler there can be little between them.”



Later, when comparing fast bowlers, Bradman says “The tremendous success of the Gregory-McDonald combination always brings these two into the limelight together. Gregory was without doubt the greater player because of his superlative fielding and fine batting, but, purely as a bowler, McDonald was his superior. This tall lean Victorian had a perfect rhythmic action, incredible stamina and real pace plus the ability to do things with the ball. Taking everything into consideration he would probably win a Gallup Poll – take the points for the best of all fast bowlers.”

After finishing County Cricket with Lancashire (aged 40), McDonald went back to the Lancashire Leagues where he was pro for Bacup for a further two years.

English cricket writer Neville Cardus wrote of a match in which McDonald played, “Whence does McDonald draw his terrible strength and velocity? His run to the wicket is so easy, so silent. He does not thunder over the earth like Gregory – like a bull at a gate. No, he runs along a sinister curve, lithe as a panther, his whole body moving like visible, strange music. A more beautiful action than McDonald’s was never seen on a cricket field or a more inimical. The man’s whole being tells of the sinister, destructive forces of nature – he is a satanic bowler, menacing but princely. Yesterday he was at his best; he like a comet burned, and from his wheeling arm shot pestilence and war. His attack mingled in proportion the strength of the lion and the subtlety of the serpent… Bowling of McDonald’s skill and dreadful beautiful energy ennobles the game; the spark of it belongs to life immortal and it kindles imagination’s fires in all men who look on.”

A biography, “The Silk Express” by Nick Richardson, tells his life story.

For Australia, he played 11 Test matches (all in the calendar year of 1921), taking 43 wickets at 33.27 (best 5/32).He made 116 runs at 16.57. In all first class cricket (for Tasmania, Victoria and Lancashire) he played 281 matches, and took 1395 wickets at 20.76 (best 8/41) with 5 wkts/innings 119 times and 10 wkts/match 31 times. He made 2661 runs at 10.43.

For Fitzroy, he played 89 games from 1912-13 until 1929-30 taking 360 wickets at 15.39 with a best of 9/47 and 5 wkts/innings 30 times and 10 wkts/match 3 times. He also made 1338 runs at 14.86 with one century.

He also played Australian Rules Football for Launceston, Essendon (2 games 1912) and Fitzroy (46 games 1913-1919).

McDonald died in England in 1937 when the car he was driving collided with another near Blackpool. He survived that crash but was killed by another car while discussing the first accident with the other driver and the police.

Leigh Watts followed his older brothers, Gary and Rod, to Fitzroy from Maryborough at the age of 13, starting his career in the 4th XI in 1978-79. As a schoolboy, he was driven from Maryborough to games each weekend by his parents, Max and Norma, who followed their sons' careers very closely. Max even played some games in the 4th XI, including captaining the side at times, when required.

Leigh had one season with the Victorian Under 16 team and 3 seasons with the Victorian Under 19 team. In 1983/84 he was a member of the Australian Under 19 team alongside Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor, playing against Sri Lanka in one Youth Test Match and three Youth ODIs.

At Fitzroy, Leigh rose through the grades quickly, making his 1st XI debut in 1981-82 at age 16. He went on to play 253 games, making 6889 runs at an average of 30.75 (7 centuries and 41 fifties) currently placing him 6th on the list of the Club’s all-time run scorers. He also took 155 wickets at an average of 29.25 (5 wickets in an innings 5 times).

In the 1993-94 Final, Leigh made 131no (his highest score for the Club) in a record 221 undefeated partnership with Brendan Joyce (92no) to seal an 8 wicket

Premiership win. In the Club’s history, only Arthur Liddicut (114 in 1930-31), Jack Potter (100 in 1966-67) and Peter Dickson (226rh in 2015-16) have also made centuries in Premiership-winning Finals.

Leigh was appointed Captain/Coach of the Club in 1996/97 and 1997/98 before standing down to continue playing under Grant Gardiner. Leigh finished his playing career in 1999/2000 and then took on the role as non-playing coach for the 2000/01 season.

He later served on the Selection Committee for several seasons, and served on the Club Committee from 2010/11 until 2021/22.

He has been appointed a Life Member of the Club, and was an inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame in 2012/13.

A club stalwart, Leigh was one of the most competitive and dedicated players ever torepresent the club, a great fieldsman and the ultimate team man.