by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (July 8^th 2010)[1]

Editor’s Note

The issue of racism in sport remains pertinent. We have covered this and other issues for several years. The story of Aboriginal cricket is important and still relevant especially with the 74^th Ashes series looming.

The Editor

Cricket’s Shame

Cricket’s treatment of Aboriginal phenomenon, Jack Marsh, was and remains disgraceful. Both England and Australia made sure that Marsh was denied any chance of representing Australia in Test Matches. Both England’s then captain, Archibald MacLaren and future Australian captain, Montague (Monty) Noble made sure that Marsh was prevented from getting any opportunity.

Noble, a veteran of forty-two Test Matches, fifteen as captain, played his last Test Match in 1909, having made sure that Marsh never played one. As a New South Wales selector, Noble limited Marsh’s opportunities. Marsh had been a scapegoat for race-fixing in athletics in 1895, which ended his athletics career, and when cricket needed a soft target in Australia, Marsh was victimised again.

Bob Crockett made his name at Marsh’s expense and Noble used that and the previous wrongful calling of Marsh for throwing by biased umpire William Curran to justify ignoring the clamour for his selection. Future Australian captain, Warren Bardsley[2], believes that racism was the main reason that Marsh never played for Australia.

Noble?

Noble died in 1940. Ninety-one years after the cowardly murder of Jack Marsh (2007), Monty Noble, was posthumously inducted into Sport Australia’s Hall of Fame. However, Marsh’s sporting achievements have yet to be acknowledged fully.

Had he not been an Aboriginal living in racist times, Marsh would be recognised as one of the greatest sportsmen Australia produced and been given the opportunity to prove it beyond doubt on the field of play[3].

Inspiration

Jack Marsh never wore the baggy green cap of Australia. He should have. The bias of umpire Bob Crockett in particular and state selector Monty Noble ensured that Marsh was excluded. He was labelled a chucker due to his bowling action, despite proving another umpire, William Curran, wrong spectacularly by wearing a splint and getting the doctor that fitted it to confirm that it made throwing impossible.

Like his cricketing achievements, Marsh’s athletic achievements were also largely ignored during his lifetime. Nearly ninety years after the Aboriginal athlete was murdered his records were rediscovered. He had equalled John Owen’s world record in 1894, but it wasn’t even acknowledged as an Australian best until 1902.

By then, Marsh had given up on athletics temporarily and excelled at cricket for New South Wales briefly, before ending his career in top level sport on the track in 1906 in a race against aspiring sprinter Arthur Postle, who went on to become one of the greatest athletes that Australia ever produced. However, Marsh was not the first Aboriginal speed king. That distinction belongs to Charles Samuels[4], who was born in 1864, whose people had sporting talent.

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[1] This article was first published in the Magazine in 2009. We publish it again as the issues that it raises remain pertinent.

[2] Bardsley, a left-handed batsman, first played for New South Wales and Australia in the first decade of the 20^th Century. Bardsley was the first cricketer to score a century in both innings of a Test Match – the Oval in 1909 136 out of 325 in the first innings and 130 out of 339 for 5 declared in the second innings. The match was drawn – the men who victimised Marsh, Archibald MacLaren and Monty Noble captained England and Australia respectively in that match.

He excelled in 1912 and 1921 too. In the Second Test Match in the 1926 tour, under the captaincy of Herbie Collins, Bardsley carried his bat for an unbeaten 193 out of 383 all out. Bardsley captained the Australian side in the Third and Fourth Test Matches, which were drawn. Bardsley represented Australia in 41 Test Matches, including ones against New Zealand and South Africa. He scored six centuries and was the oldest captain in Test Matches on his début as skipper at 43 years and 216 days old – he only captained Australia in two Test Matches.

[3] For further information see Max Bonnell’s book How Many More Are Coming? The Short Life of Jack Marsh that was published by Walla Walla Press. Also see Philip Derriman’s article Uncovered: the tragedy of the first great Aboriginal sprinter at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/30/1054177730860.html

[4] Samuels, a member of the Bunyinni people of Queensland, competed in races before accurate timing existed, especially for Aboriginal athletes. He came to notice by winning a handicap event – others were given a head start against him – in 1886. He was once reported to have run 100 yards in 9.1 seconds, but the timings have not been verified. Nevertheless, he defeated the English champion Harry Hutchens thrice.

Later dubbed a nuisance, he was admitted to a hospital for the insane in 1896 suffering from melancholia, allegedly caused by ill health and love affairs. He had also developed an alcohol problem. In January 1897 he was sent back to Queensland at the expense of the Aborigines Protection Board. He lost his first family to illness in 1905. His second family suffered too – his infant daughter died in 1911 and his second wife died just before he did in 1912.