'He'll do the hack work': The honest toil of underrated John Maguire

There are few more backhanded compliments in cricket than ‘honest toiler’, but it’s also a kind of accurate description, especially the ‘toiling’ part.

We all know the species: medium pacers who don’t get much swing or pace but who can be relied upon to bowl endless overs, keeping things tight, never being too scary or too fast but keeping the batters honest.

Other terms used to describe honest toilers include ‘lionhearted’, ‘workhorse’, ‘packhorse’, ‘reliable into-the-wind seamer’, ‘unfashionable’ and ‘good team man’.

In the bowling hierarchy honest toilers rank well below the speedsters and leggies, yet often captains prefer to have them in their line-up because they are more reliable. Honest toilers rarely tear through an opposition – like, say, Mitchell Johnson. But they also rarely cost you a series by spraying the ball everywhere – again like, say, Mitchell Johnson.

The smarter selectors even realise that in some countries honest toilers do a lot better than speedsters or leg spinners, like in India, New Zealand and England. Our selectors are not always among these.

Few bowlers toiled more honestly in the early 1980s than John ‘Moose’ Maguire, the right-arm fast-medium bowler who played three Tests and 23 ODIs for Australia.

Maguire was from Queensland, a state which has a distinguished track record when it comes to producing honest toilers – Andy Bichel, Michael Neser, Dirk Tazelaar, Geoff Dymock et cetera. They pound away under the hot Brisbane sun, nobly serving their state, uncomplaining, while the 150-clicks-and-over brigade – Carl Rackemann, Craig McDermott, Jeff Thomson, et cetera – get the press and the fast track to the national side.

Maguire was born in 1956. Like another beloved Queenslander, Sam Trimble, he was originally from New South Wales, in Maguire’s case Murwillumbah. His family lived in Lismore for several years before moving to Brisbane when Maguire was 15.

He didn’t make his grade cricket debut (for Wynnum Manly) until he was 20. Apparently he was discovered playing warehouse cricket, a competition for employees of Brisbane commercial business houses. He made his first-class debut for Queensland in 1977-78, benefiting from Jeff Thomson’s absence from the Test team. Maguire took 6-68 in a game against Victoria, and he became a Queensland regular in 1978-79 in the absence of Thommo, who had ‘retired’ in the second season of World Series Cricket in an attempt to play for Packer).

After World Series Cricket, Maguire found it hard to find a spot with Geoff Dymock, Thommo and Rackemann but became a regular in 1981–82.

Despite the unsexiness of Maguire’s bowling, his solid line and length had been noticed, not to mention his high level of fitness and excellent attitude. He even bowled a bouncer that hit Rick Darling of South Australia in the eye during a Shield game, effectively wrecking Darling’s career.

Credit: Allsport UK/Allsport

The selectors picked Maguire in the ODI team in 1982-83. The circumstances of this are interesting. Maguire was playing against NSW for Queensland in a Shield game in Brisbane. Queensland Cricket Association chairman Norm McMahon held up play during the New South Wales innings to advise that Maguire was booked on a 7pm flight to Melbourne that evening to play in the World Series Cup international against England following fitness doubts about Australian pace trio Jeff Thomson, Geoff Lawson and Rodney Hogg.

Maguire left the field an hour before stumps while NSW were still batting, with the bowler on figures of 2-80. Maguire was replaced by bowler Michael Maranta, who batted in Maguire’s place for the second innings. Queensland ended up losing that game by an innings and five runs. I’m not sure any extra runs from Maguire would’ve made a difference.

He was made 12th man and was dropped, but he was called into the ODI team for some games.

At this stage Maguire was a cartographic draughtsman with the Queensland Forest Department. “I don’t really go for the fanfare, “ he said that season, before adding “I thought that if I worked hard and got a couple of breaks, it was possible” to get picked for Australia. “I got my opportunity only through injuries.”

He toured Sri Lanka with the Australian team in 1983 without playing in the Test – Australia went for two spinners– although he played some ODIs. He didn’t make the World Cup squad in 1983, and in hindsight Australia might’ve been better off taking Maguire rather than, say, Jeff Thomson.

Maguire made his Test debut against Pakistan in December 1983, replacing an injured Rodney Hogg, taking 3-111 in a run-heavy game. It was only a one-off appearance, but Maguire became a regular in the ODI side that summer, never stealing the show but always providing constant support.

Maguire was picked in the Australian squad to tour the West Indies in 1984, no-one’s favourite selected, but as Peter McFarline said, “Maguire is prepared to do the hard work that is necessary on a tour like this”.

Bob Simpson said “I think Maguire may be the surprise of the tour. He is an honest hard worker and will bowl with patience for hours. The West Indies batsmen have shown they can be frustrated into error and I feel Maguire may be the bowler to do it”.

Simpson was right. Maguire turned out to be the most successful bowler on tour, with 26 first-class wickets at 25, a better result than Lawson, Rackemann, Hogg or Terry Alderman (or Tom Hogan or Greg Matthews. He played in only the last two Tests, taking 3-121 and 4-57 – the latter was Australia’s second-best bowling performance of the tour.

Maguire’s 1-28 off nine overs in the second ODI played a key role in Australia’s one international victory on the tour. His seven test wickets at 27 was the best average of any bowler.

Peter McFarline summarised Maguire’s tour by writing “sent as the workhorse, he was second, narrowly to [Rodney] Hogg was the best of the pace brigade. An honest toiler, who can go for hours in a spell, he showed great tenacity while lacking the natural talent of some others. His lack of pace negated some of his good work”. Maguire also went on the one-day tour to India in 1984, playing in all five ODIs.

Maguire had an excellent summer in 1984-85, taking 46 wickets at 27.67, including 6-48 against the touring Indies for Queensland. He was 12th man in the first Test but was unable to break into the Test side for the rest of the series, as the selectors went for Lawson, Hogg, Alderman, and new boy Craig McDermott.

More surprisingly, Maguire was not picked for any ODIs. I’m sure he was discussed, but the selectors preferred Rod McCurdy. Maguire was also close to being selected in the Ashes squad to tour England in 1985. When original choices Terry Alderman and Rod McCurdy revealed they had signed to play in South Africa over the 1985–86 and 1986-87 summers, they were replaced by Carl Rackemann and Maguire. However, it was then revealed they had both signed as well and were unable to tour. They would be replaced by Jeff Thomson and Dave Gilbert.

(Steven Paston – EMPICS/Getty Images)

Like the other rebel tourists, Maguire was banned from first-class cricket in Australia for two years and from representative cricket for three years. The first summer in South Africa he took 21 wickets at 25.90, which was decent. The second summer went really well – Maguire took 33 wickets at 23 (including 6-61 in one of the unofficial Tests). In 1986 he played in the Lancashire League.

It’s interesting to hypothesise what would’ve happened if Maguire hadn’t gone to South Africa and been available for tours that would’ve suited his bowling – homes of the honest toiler like England, New Zealand and India. I get the feeling he would’ve done well but would also have been the last one picked and the first one dropped, which is probably a big reason why Maguire decided to go to South Africa.

Maguire played Shield cricket in 1987-88 and 1988-89, bowling well but not quite well enough to get into the national side. Ern Toovey, Queensland selector, said in 1987-88 that “Maguire has surprised me with the way he has developed his pace. He is very quick, faster than before. He’ll do the hack work”. Thanks, Ern. What did Maguire think of when he heard those sorts of things?

In 1989 Maguire received an offer to return to South Africa to play for Eastern Province, who were captained by Maguire’s old Queensland teammate Kepler Wessels. He agreed, meaning Maguire was banned for ten years – along with other rebel tourists who went back, like Rod McCurdy, Kim Hughes, Steve Smith and Mike Haysman. Maguire bowled brilliantly, taking 60 first-class wickets at 15 in 1989-90, winning the South African cricketer of the year award and helping them share the Currie Cup and win the Nissan Shield and Benson and Hedges Night Series – whatever they are.

Maguire bowled 359 overs in the Currie Cup, 63 of them in the final. He was supported by fellow Aussie McCurdy who had also joined Eastern Province, and took 45 wickets at 23.40.

According to Wisden, Maguire “bowled more overs than anyone all season, 430.2, and at fast-medium was seemingly tireless, adding to the timeless virtues of line and length a genuine appetite for bowling and a dedicated approach to fitness. Minutes after a match he would be out jogging. In addition to his bowling, he hit a career-best 65 not out in the Currie Cup to rescue his side after Gerbrand Grobler had sent Eastern Province tumbling to 116 for eight against Northern Transvaal”.

Maguire returned to Eastern Province for 1990-91, taking 52 wickets at 23.4. He then played for Leicestershire in 1991 as its overseas player. According to the local paper, “one of the qualities that attracted them was his famed willingness to bowl all day”. Bob Simpson was team manager for Leicestershire at the time and Maguire was a Simpson-type player. The Queenslander took 77 wickets at 31.64 over the 1991 English season and Wisden wrote “Leicestershire owed a considerable debt to the Australian fast-medium bowler, John Maguire for his efforts that summer” although the team didn’t do very well – an internal report at the county said hiring Simpson was “a mistake”. Maguire signed to the county for two years but apparently asked for a release for 1992 “for personal and business reasons”.

The South African ban was lifted in August 1991 after South Africa was re-admitted to world cricket. Queensland considered recalling Maguire in 1991-92 but it didn’t happen, and he played no more first-class cricket after 1991.

I don’t know what’s happened to Maguire since then. His baggy green came into the possession of Russell Crowe, who sold it.

John Maguire had an interesting career featuring some ODI victories, a rebel tourist, a disastrous West Indies tour, a membership of a strong state side that could never win the big prize. He took a lot of wickets, got to travel the world and did some amazing things. That’s pretty good for an honest toiler.