John McIlwraith (cricketer)

John McIlwraith (7 September 1857 – 5 July 1938) was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test match in 1886.[1]

John McIlwraith
Personal information
Full name
John McIlwraith
Born(1857-09-07)7 September 1857
Collingwood, Melbourne, Colony of Victoria
Died5 July 1938(1938-07-05) (aged 80)
Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria
BattingRight-handed
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 43)12 August 1886 v England
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 1 44
Runs scored 9 1468
Batting average 4.50 24.06
100s/50s 0/0 2/6
Top score 7 133
Catches/stumpings 1/– 24/–
Source: Cricinfo, 28 April 2019

Early life and business career

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Jack McIlwraith was the son of John McIlwraith, the co-founder of the McIlwraith McEacharn shipping company and Mayor of Melbourne in 1873–74,[2] and the nephew of Thomas McIlwraith, who was several times Premier of Queensland. Jack was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne.[3] He worked with McIlwraith McEacharn, managing the Melbourne office while still in his twenties, and later became a director.[4][3] He was also involved with the company's lead-manufacturing concern.[5]

Cricket career

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McIlwraith pictured 4th left (middle row) with 1886 Australian team

McIlwraith played for Melbourne Cricket Club, scoring more than 1500 runs in the 1883–84 season.[6] He was selected to play for Victoria in 1884–85.[3] He was the outstanding batsman in the short Australian first-class season in 1885–86, scoring 315 runs at an average of 78.75, with two centuries; only one other batsman scored a century, and the next most successful batsman made 201 runs.[7] He made his highest first-class score of 133 in the first match of the season, an innings victory for Victoria over New South Wales.[8]

He toured England in 1886 with the Australian team, but was only moderately successful in a team that lost all three Tests. He was handicapped on English pitches by the lack of a sound defence, and made only 520 runs at an average of 16.25.[9] He improved towards the end of the tour and played in the Third Test, but scored only 2 and 7 in an innings defeat.[3][10] He continued playing for Victoria until 1889, when he retired to concentrate on the family business.[9]

McIlwraith was also a leading Australian rules footballer for Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1880s.[11]

Personal life

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McIlwraith married Florence Edith Osborn in June 1885.[12] When he died on 5 July 1938 he left no family, his wife and only daughter having pre-deceased him.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Obituaries in 1939". Wisden. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. ^ Hone, J. Ann. "McIlwraith, John (1828–1902)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Jack McIlwraith Passes: Was Fine Batsman". Sporting Globe: 13. 13 July 1938.
  4. ^ "Mr. John McIlwraith". Cricket: 113–14. 13 May 1886.
  5. ^ a b "Mr. John McIlwraith". The Argus. Melbourne: 2. 8 July 1938.
  6. ^ "John McIlwraith". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  7. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1885/86". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Victoria v New South Wales, 1885/86". Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 352.
  10. ^ "3rd Test, Australia tour of England at London, Aug 12-14 1886". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  11. ^ Atkinson, p. 182.
  12. ^ "Marriages". The Australasian: 3. 27 June 1885.
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Sources

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  • Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0 86788 009 0