Chris Rogers became the second oldest Australian Test cricketer to score a debut century when he made his hard fought hundred on the second day of the fourth Test.
So who is the oldest?
At the age of 37 years and 351 days, Arthur Richardson made exactly 100 in 1926 at Leeds. When this remarkable record was mentioned in the lead up to the third day, Allan Border’s joking reaction was “Yeh, I don’t know much about Arthur.”
There is a lot to know about Arthur, in fact, A.B.
He was also a bespectacled opener who scored his only Test ton in an Ashes series in England.
Like Rogers, he made two half centuries before this, having made his Test debut as a 35 year old in 1924 against England in Australia.
He began with 98 and played the four Tests of that series before being chosen for the England tour two years later.
In the third Test he scored his maiden century.
While he was selected for all five Tests in 1926, his Test career came to an end having scored 403 runs at an average of 31.
He must have felt quite at home in England as Rogers has done, because he went back to play Lancashire League cricket breaking the batting record in 1929 and taking 10 wickets in an innings in 1932 with his off breaks.
Richardson had made his first class debut in 1918 for South Australia with his unrelated namesake, Victor Richardson.
The two Richardsons had to wait six years to play his their first Test – again debuting together.
They shared several big partnerships in Shield cricket. In the meantime, Arthur had become the first batsman to hit a century before lunch in Australia on his way to 280 against the MCC. His first class career spanned 15 years and 86 matches during which he scored 5238 runs at an average of 41.57.
His coaching career was extensive. He was South Australian coach from 1923-27, moved to Western Australia as a player coach in the late 1920s and ended up with the South Australian women’s team in the mid 1950s. In 1935 while coaching in the West Indies, he umpired two Tests when the home side played England.
While this involvement in cricket had helped him through the great depression, he lost his savings when W.H.Hodgett’s sharebroker firm went under in 1945.
A testimonial match for him in 1949 was Sir Donald Bradman’s last first class match. When he died in 1973 at age 85 he left behind three children, his wife of 59 years, Elsie and a life in cricket which should be remembered.
Pat Rodgers
Roar Pro
Thanks very much James P. If you click on my name you will get access to some other cricket history pieces that I have done for The Roar. See what you think.
James P
Guest
+1 Really enjoyed reading this
Timmuh
Roar Guru
"Chris Rogers became the second oldest Australian Test cricketer to score a debut century" ... Pedantic I know, and I may be mistaken, but shouldn't that be a "maiden century". His debut was a while back. Good story though, a most welcome little slice of history.
Pat Rodgers
Roar Pro
Sheek, Thanks for that interesting follow up. Monty Noble labelled Kippax's exclusion from 1926 in favour of Richardson as "a crime against the youth of Australia." Kippax was hard done by certainly but Richardson's 100 at Leeds justified his selection. Pat
sheek
Roar Guru
Gidday Pat, Speaking of that 1926 team, it shows just how much the Great War desiccated the youth of Australia. The 1926 team was quite old when some of the guys who might have made this team, were otherwise six feet under, having been killed in war. The 1926 team & their ages. Herbie Collins (c) 38 Warren Bardsley (vc) 44 Charlie Macartney 40 Tommy Andrews 36 Bill Woodfull 29 Arthur Richardson 38 Jack Ryder 37 Jack Gregory 31 Bert Oldfield (wk) 32 Clarrie Grimmett 35 Arthur Maliey 40 Johnnie Taylor 31 Bill Ponsford 26 Stork Hendry 31 Sam Everett 25 John Ellis (2wk) 36 Fast bowler Everett was the youngest member at 25, followed by opener Ponsford at 26. Sadly, Everett was injured for most of the tour, leaving the pace bowling to the three all-rounders Ryder, Gregory & Hendry. And Richardson to a lesser extent. The Aussie bowlers couldn't buy a wicket in 1926, with all of them losing form. Even spinners Mailey & Grimmett struggled. There was outrage at the omission of "young" batsman Alan Kippax, & he was then 29! Also, another fast-bowling all-rounder omitted was the argumentative Charlie Kelleway, then 40. So, out of Australia's top 18 cricketers in 1926, four were aged 40 or more; 10 were in their 30s; two were 29, leaving just two around their mid-20s. And here's something even weirder. When Don Bradman made his test debut in 1928 at Brisbane, this was the team & their ages. Take note! Bill Woodfull 31 Bill Ponsford 28 Alan Kippax 31 Charlie Kelleway 42 Jack Ryder (c) 39 Don Bradman 20 Jack Gregory 33 Stork Hendry 33 Bert Oldfield (wk) 34 Clarrie Grimmett 37 Bert Ironmonger 46 Look at the ages - the next youngest after Bradman at 20, was Ponsford at 28! Ironically, both Kelleway & Gregory were injured in this test & never played test cricket again. Their last tests coinciding with Bradman's first.