Charles Macartney
Encyclopedia
Charles George "Charlie" Macartney (27 June 1886, Maitland, New South Wales
– 9 September 1958, Little Bay
, Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australia
n cricketer
who played in 35 Tests
between 1907 and 1926. He was known as The Governor-General in reference to his authoritative batting style and his flamboyant strokeplay, which drew comparisons with his close friend and role model Victor Trumper
, regarded as one of the most elegant batsmen in cricketing history. Sir Donald Bradman
—generally regarded as the greatest batsman in history—cited Macartney's dynamic batting as an inspiration in his cricket career.
Macartney started his career as a bowling all-rounder
. He made his Test debut in 1907, primarily as a left arm orthodox spinner who was considered to be a useful lower-middle order right-hand batsman. As Macartney was initially selected for his flexibility, his position in the batting order was frequently shuffled and he was largely ineffective. His most noteworthy Test contribution in his early career was a match-winning ten wicket haul at Headingley
in 1909, before being dropped in the 1910–11 Australian season. It was around this time that Macartney befriended Trumper and began to transform himself from a bowler who batted in a defensive and technically correct manner, into an audacious attacking batsman. He reclaimed his Test position and made his maiden Test century in the same season, before establishing himself as the leading batsman in the team.
The First World War stopped all first-class cricket and Macartney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
. Upon the resumption of cricket, Macartney stamped himself as one of the leading batsmen in the world with his performances during the 1921 Ashes tour
. Macartney produced an Australian record score in England
of 345 against Nottinghamshire
. The innings was the fastest triple century in first-class cricket and the highest score made by a batsman in a single day of play. He reached 300 in 205 minutes and the innings took less than four hours. Macartney topped the batting average
s and run-scoring aggregates, which saw him named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1922. Wisden
opined that he was, "by many degrees the most brilliant and individual Australian batsman of the present day". After missing the 1924–25 series due to mental illness or a recurrence of war injuries, Macartney departed international cricket at the peak of his powers on the 1926 tour of England
. He became the second Australian to score a century in the first session of a Test match, and did so on a sticky wicket
conducive to bowling. This was part of a sequence of three consecutive Test centuries as he led the batting charts. Macartney was posthumously inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
in 2007.
described Macartney as "a triumph to individualism... he is not a model to be copied" and "one of the most brilliant and attractive right-handed batsmen in the history of Australian cricket". His success was largely attributed to his eye, hand and foot co-ordination.
Macartney was a short man, standing 160 cm (5" 3). When batting, he would unconventionally attempt to leg glance yorker
s pitched on middle stump
down to fine-leg, and often lost his wicket in so doing. He was known for preferring his team-mates to give him candid criticism rather than praise. In later life he condemned modern batsmen; he would explain why he no longer watched cricket by saying "I can't bear watching luscious half-volleys being nudged gently back to bowlers". Sir Neville Cardus
wrote that "there was always chivalry in his cricket, a prancing sort of heroism. The dauntlessness of his play, the brave beauty and the original skill bring tears to my eyes yet." In the late 1940s, Macartney received a letter from a compiler of Who's Who in Australia
, seeking information on his life. Macartney said that he had "no record of figures, nor am I concerned with them. My only interest is the manner in which the runs are compiled and how wickets are taken, and in the good of the game." "Those sentiments", wrote former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
, "summed up the cricket story of C. G. Macartney".
An authoritative, combative stylist, Macartney's élan and devastating strokemaking led Kent
cricketer Kenneth Hutchings
to dub him the "Governor-General". Fingleton noted that, early in his innings, Macartney had a strategy of aiming a shot straight at the bowler's head, in order to rattle him and seize a psychological advantage. On one occasion, after reaching a century before lunch on the first day of a match, he immediately called for a bat change. He selected the heaviest bat from the batch that his team-mate brought out and stated "Now I'm going to have a hit". His rate of scoring and boundary-hitting subsequently increased. He possessed powerful hands, strong forearms and broad shoulders. Leg spin
ning Test team-mate Arthur Mailey
recalled that Macartney would often hit him for six in Sydney Grade Cricket
matches. Grinning, he would say "Pitch another one there and I'll hit you for a few more". On the occasions when he lost his wicket attempting further long hits, Macartney's grin remained, and he would remark "Wasn't it good fun?" The famed cricket writer RC Robertson-Glasgow said
As a bowler, Macartney delivered the ball at a relatively fast pace for a left-arm orthodox spin
ner, comparable in speed to Derek Underwood
. He was known for his consistent length and his well-concealed faster ball which often caught batsmen off guard. On sticky wicket
s, he was often incisive, and these conditions helped him take five wickets in an innings 17 times in his first-class
career. He was known for his miserly attitude, often giving the impression that he would rather bowl ten consecutive maidens
rather than take wickets if it meant conceding runs. This extended to his off-field activities, where he was considered careful with money. On the 1926 tour of England, he and Mailey visited a hat shop that had a tradition of giving souvenir hats to cricketers of touring Australian squads. When asked if he would like a similar style to the one he received in 1921, Macartney referred to the hat on his head and replied "Not on your life. I've been wearing this since you gave it to me in 1921." Macartney's notorious fiscal obsessions irritated his captain Warwick Armstrong
on the 1921 tour; during the trip, he would hoard all manner of goods that were given to the team as gifts.
In 1909, Australian team-mate Trumper moved from Paddington
, a suburb on Sydney's south shore to Chatswood on the northern side of the harbour, where Macartney lived. Macartney and Trumper played together for Gordon
Cricket Club on the north shore and became close friends. Macartney regularly practised on the Trumper family's backyard turf pitch. Trumper's relocation made more frequent meetings possible, since the Sydney Harbour Bridge
was not to open until 1932, and the only way of travelling between either side of the bay was by ferry. Trumper was regarded as the "crown prince of the golden age of cricket", the finest and most stylish batsman of his era, and one of the most elegant strokemakers of all time. Under Trumper's influence, Macartney became more audacious and adventurous; Unlike their English counterparts, the Australians were proud of their spontaneous play. Macartney revered Trumper as both a cricketer and a person, and was to be a pall bearer when Trumper died in 1915 at the age of 37. However, unlike Trumper, Macartney was known for his habit of "walking", the act of leaving the ground before or contrary to an umpire's decision if a batsman knows that he is out. On one occasion, Macartney felt so guilty that the umpire had incorrectly ruled him not out despite a clear edge that he attempted to throw his wicket away with a wild airborne shot. However, the ball went for six, and Trumper, his batting partner at the time, admonished him, saying that his good luck would be balanced by occasions when the umpire would give him out incorrectly.
who represented New South Wales
in three first-class matches against Victoria
. The equipment consisted of small hand-crafted bat made from cedar
, and apples from the family orchard used as balls.
In 1898, Macartney and his family moved from Maitland
to Sydney
. In his school cricketing career Macartney distinguished himself as an all-rounder at Woollahra
Superior and Chatswood
public schools, before briefly attending Fort Street High School
. Macartney asserted that school cricket was insignificant in his development, believing that he learned more about cricket during informal summer cricket games with his brother at the local park, with their dog acting as a fielder. It was during his school career that Macartney was noticed by incumbent Australian captain Monty Noble
, who heaped praise on him in a newspaper article.
After leaving school, Macartney worked for a fruit and vegetable merchant near Sydney's Sussex Street docks, honing his batting skills by practising without pads
on a wooden wharf during his lunch break. At this stage in his career, he possessed a copybook technique and defensive style, something he was to discard for an audacious, self-styled and attacking outlook.
In 1902, Macartney joined North Sydney Cricket Club
in the first division of Sydney Grade Cricket
and then moved to the Gordon
club in the outer northern suburbs when it was formed during the 1905–06 season. He played regularly for Gordon until 1933–34 when he was 47, amassing 7648 runs at an average
of 54.62. He was known for his dominant status at the Chatswood Oval
. In one match, he lofted a ball out of the ground, over a railway line and onto an adjacent lawn bowling green, forcing the players to take evasive action.
against Queensland
at the start of the 1905–06 season. He made 56 in New South Wales' first innings of 691, and after not bowling in the first innings, he took 3/80 and his first catch in an innings victory. He then scored 70 not out in an innings triumph over South Australia
. He failed to pass 25 in his remaining four matches for the season, but took at least one wicket in each game. In one match for his state against an Australian XI, Macartney took a total of 5/123, including the wickets of Trumper and Australian Test captains Noble and Joe Darling
. He was also run out
in both innings. Aside from this match, New South Wales were victorious in the remaining five fixtures. He scored 185 runs at 26.43 and took 15 wickets at 28.20 in six matches.
Macartney continued his rise with a more productive and consistent second season with both the ball and bat. In his second match in 1906–07, Macartney broke through for his first century, scoring 122 before taking match figures of 4/92 in an innings win over Queensland. In the next match, he took his first five-wicket innings haul, recording figures of 5/18 and 2/17 in an innings win over South Australia, including leading Test batsman Clem Hill
twice. Macartney took wickets in each match; he ended the season with 405 runs at 40.50, with two further fifties, and took 30 wickets at 18.20 in nine matches.
The following season, in 1907–08, saw the arrival of England for a Test series. Macartney had a chance to stake his claim for national selection in a match for his state against the tourists. He made 9 and 13, unbeaten in both innings, as his partners were dismissed cheaply and left him stranded. New South Wales made 101 and 96 and lost by 408 runs, with Macartney taking a total of 1/64. He was selected for an Australian XI to play the tourists in an effective dress rehearsal for the Tests, and made 42 and took 4/36 in a drawn match. As a result,
Macartney was selected to make his debut against England in the First Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. He was viewed as a utility player, selected for the flexibility in his batting position and his left arm orthodox spin.
. He took one wicket, that of leading English batsman Wilfred Rhodes
. With Australia needing 274 runs to win in the second innings, Noble decided that Macartney's first innings effort warranted promotion to act as Trumper's opening partner. He managed to score only nine, but Australia managed to scrape home to seal a two wicket victory. Macartney's domestic form after his Test debut was sufficient for him to retain his position for the Second Test in Melbourne
. Noble persevered with Macartney as Trumper's opening partner and he scored 37 of an 84 run opening partnership in the first innings. He returned to the middle order in the second innings to score 54 and took a total of 1/55 as England squared the series with a narrow one wicket victory.
His most productive batting of the series came in the Third Test in Adelaide
, when he scored 75 batting at No. 3 and took two wickets for 66 runs (2/66) in an Australian victory. His batting was largely ineffectual in the last two Tests; he failed to score more than 30 in any innings as he was moved to No. 8 and then back to the opening position in the Fifth Test. Despite his confused role as a batsman, he contributed with the ball in the Fifth Test victory on a pitch amenable to spin, taking match figures of 5/66. His first international series had yielded 273 runs at an average of 27.30 and ten wickets at an average
of 26.60. He tasted victory, with Australia taking the series 4–0. His highest score of the season was 96 against England in a later match for New South Wales. The hosts were 12 runs short of victory with one wicket in hand when time ran out. Macartney scored 524 runs at 27.58 and took 25 wickets at 28.76 in 12 matches. In spite of his unsettled role in the batting line up, Macartney had performed well-enough as an all-rounder in the following domestic season in 1908–09 to be selected for the 1909 tour of England, his first overseas tour. Macartney took a total of 6/60 in an innings victory over South Australia in the first match of the season. He then scored 100 in the return match, and ended the six matches of the summer with 319 runs at 53.17 and nine wickets at 29.89.
. He took at least two wickets in each of the five matches leading up to the Tests, with 5/24 against Oxford University
. He totalled 17 wickets at 15.18 and scored 141 runs at 28.20.
Macartney took 3/21 in the first innings of the First Test, removing captain Archie MacLaren, CB Fry and leading batsman Jack Hobbs
, but managed only 0/35 in the second innings as England scored 0/105 to win by ten innings. He then scored five and was wicketless as Australia leveled the series with a nine-wicket win in the Second Test. He then scored 124, his only century of the tour, in a non-first-class match against Western Union.
His bowling confounded the English team in the Third Test at Headingley
in Leeds
, where he took 7/58 in the first innings and 4/27 in the second. It was his best innings and match bowling figures in Tests and helped win the Test and eventually retain The Ashes
. Australia had struggled to post 188 in their first innings on a pitch conducive to spin bowling
, with Macartney scoring only four. Australia responded with a dual spin attack, with Noble bowling off spin
in tandem with Macartney's left arm orthodox. Noble (0/22 from 13 overs) tied down the batsman, allowing Macartney to attack at batsman at the other end. He bowled with a high trajectory, tempting the batsmen to attack him and then varied his bowling speed to surprise them. He had Jack Sharp
stumped after luring him from the crease
and bowled Jack Hobbs
with a faster ball. Other victims included English captain MacLaren, JT Tyldesley, George Hirst and Sydney Barnes
. England were bowled out for 182 and Australia replied with 207; Macartney scored 18. Australia went on to win by 126 runs after Macartney took four more wickets in the second innings, removing MacLaren, Tyldesley, Rhodes and Barnes to help dismiss the hosts for 87. Macartney then made a half-century and took a wicket in each of the last two Tests, both of which were drawn to hand Australia a 2–1 series win.
Macartney's batting in the Test series was largely unsuccessful. He made two fifties, but otherwise failed to pass 20 and ended with 153 runs at 19.13. In his era, the expectation was that batsmen would be able to bat in a variety of positions and Macartney was gradually moved from seventh down to tenth in the batting order by the end of the tour. Largely due to his efforts at Headingley, his bowling figures were more impressive; he ended the Tests with 16 wickets at 16.13. At this stage of his career, Macartney was regarded as a bowling all-rounder. He was only eighth on the batting averages for the tour, with 503 first-class runs at 16.77, but took 71 wickets at an average of 17.46 in eight matches.
Upon returning to the southern hemisphere, Macartney headed to New Zealand
for a stint with Otago instead of playing in Australia in 1909–10, due to attractiveness of the foreign outfit's remuneration. The period was unsuccessful for Otago—all three matches were lost—but Macartney was prolific as an individual. He took match figures of 7/68 against Canterbury and 7/81 in the first innings of a game against Australia, removing Test teammates Warwick Armstrong
and Warren Bardsley
. He ended with 17 wickets at 17.53 and scored 132 runs at 22.00.
Macartney started poorly in the home series against the touring South Africans in the Test series of 1910–11. In the first three Tests, he accumulated 15 runs in five innings and took a solitary wicket. As a result, he was dropped for the Fourth Test. Up to this point he had not passed 45 in 13 innings for the season and taken only seven wickets in seven matches. He then made 119 and 126 for New South Wales against South Africa and took match figures of 4/155 as the tourists fell to a 44-run defeat. This prompted the selectors to restore him to the Test team, and Macartney bounced back with his first Test century, making 137 in the first innings and 56 in the second in just 40 minutes, as Australia completed a seven-wicket win. It was his third century in as many first class innings. The late-season hat-trick of centuries pushed Macartney's season total to 609 runs at 33.83 and 10 wickets at 54.90 in ten matches.
The 1911–12 season started strongly for Macartney. He scored 122 and took 5/81 as New South Wales defeated Queensland by an innings. However, the season went downhill from there; Macartney failed to pass 30 in the next ten innings and took only three wickets in the next six matches. As a result, he was left out of the playing XI and made twelfth man for the first three Tests against the touring England team.
wanted to include Macartney for the Third Test, but another member of the panel, former player Peter McAlister
objected and said that Hill should omit himself if he wanted Macartney to play. Tensions between the two selectors were high, and came to a head in a selection meeting ahead of the Fourth Test. McAlister criticised Hill's tactics and policies towards his bowlers, provoking an exchange of insults regarding the other's leadership ability. Hill then bloodied McAlister with a powerful blow to the nose and the ensuing brawl lasted between 10 and 20 minutes. Furniture was knocked across the room, artwork shattered and Hill had to be restrained from throwing McAlister out of the third floor window, before resigning as a selector.
Eventually, Macartney was recalled for the Fifth Test against England and scored 26 and 27 and took a total of 1/54 in a defeat. Macartney scored 300 runs at 27.27 and took nine wickets at 32.78 in eight first-class matches for the season. Macartney wrote later that "persistent ill-feeling seriously affected the morale of the side".
Macartney then toured England for the 1912 Triangular Test Tournament, which also included South Africa. He was not in the original touring party, but six senior players including Hill and vice-captain Warwick Armstrong
and leading batsman Victor Trumper
withdrew from the tour due to a dispute with the board. Macartney was thus given a late call-up.
Macartney scored 84 but the tourists started on a bad note, losing to Nottinghamshire
. He then scored 127 against Northamptonshire
, 208 against Essex
, 123 and 25 not out against Surrey
and 74 against the Marylebone Cricket Club
in four consecutive matches. Australia won the first two by an innings and the latter two by seven and five wickets respectively. Up to this point, Macartney had only claimed a solitary wicket. He then took match figures of 6/60 in a ten-wicket win over Oxford University
.
Australia then defeated South Africa in their first Test of the tournament. Macartney made 21 in an innings victory and did not bowl. Macartney's batting waned in the next seven tour matches, passing 50 only three times in ten innings. However, he did take 13 wickets, including 6/54 against Yorkshire
. Macartney then scored 99 in a drawn Test against England at Lord's
that did not reach the second innings. Wisden regarded the innings as his best for the season. Macartney added half-centuries in consecutive county matches and after three further matches without passing 21, the Tests resumed.
Macartney scored nine and took 3/29 in a ten-wicket win over South Africa, and then scored 142 and 121 in the next match against Sussex
. The next Test against England was then washed out in the first innings; Macartney neither batted nor bowled. The following match against South Africa did not reach the second innings and Australia then lost to England by 244 runs in the final, with Macartney taking a total of 2/67 and scoring four and 30. It was a barren August for Macartney, who did not pass 35 and took only six wickets in six first-class matches. However, he finished the tour strongly, scoring 176 against the South of England
and 71 against CB Fry's XI in the last two matches.
Macartney scored 2,207 runs during the tour at an average of 45.04. During the English season, he reached the peak of his performance as an all-rounder, taking 38 wickets. He made six centuries, including two in one match against Sussex
. Apart from his 99 at Lord's, Macartney did not pass 34 in the other Tests and ended with 197 runs at 32.83. He did not bowl heavily during the series, taking six wickets at 23.66. It was not a happy tour for the Australians; without the senior players, there were frequent reports of drunken brawls and verbal abuse towards the locals. Macartney was one of only four players to accept the guaranteed tour fee of 400 pounds; the others signed up to a percentage share of the profits and the commercial failure of the tour left them with less than half of the flat fee.
There were no further Test matches before the First World War. The 1912–13 Australian season was a short one for Macartney, but he was in rare form, scoring 125, 96, 94, 76 not out, 91, 10 and 154 in four matches, to total 646 runs at 107.66. He also took four wickets at 30.50.
During an unofficial tour of the Australian team to the United States
and Canada
during the off season in 1913, which consisted of more than 50 matches, the overwhelming majority of which were not first-class, Macartney scored 2,390 runs at 45.92 and took 189 wickets at 3.81, topping both the batting and bowling averages. He also made the most centuries (seven) and the highest individual score of 186 against a combined Canada and United States team. Macartney played in only five first-class matches and scored two centuries in these fixtures. In two non-first-class matches, he took 11/23 and 10/29 in an innings.
The 1913–14 domestic season was to be the last season of cricket before the outbreak of World War I
. Macartney captained New South Wales for the first time against Tasmania
. He had another prolific season with the bat; in six matches he scored 892 runs at 111.50 in nine innings. He scored 201 in an innings victory over Victoria, four other centuries including a 195, and two fifties. With Macartney in such form, five of the matches were won by an innings, and another by nine wickets. The record was blotted only by a loss to South Australia by 19 runs. Macartney took two wickets at 32.50. Macartney was selected for the five-Test tour of South Africa in 1914–15, but the campaign was called off due to the war.
Despite his success on the field, Macartney still had a regular job outside of cricket, as with most cricketers of the era. In 1914, he left his job on the Sydney wharves and joined the staff of New South Wales Railways & Tramways in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office at Redfern
. The following season, he scored 191 runs at 38.20 including a century in three matches. He did not take a wicket.
World War I
interrupted Macartney's career as competitive cricket was cancelled. In January 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
(AIF). In July 1917 he was posted to France
as a temporary Warrant Officer in the 3rd Division Artillery. In 1918, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal
for gallantry and reached the rank of corporal
. The death of his father later in the year led to his repatriation from Britain and prevented his appearance with the AIF cricket team
.
The war years divided Macartney's career in two. Prior to the war, he was primarily known as a bowling all-rounder. In 21 Tests, he had taken 34 wickets at 26 and scored 879 runs at 27, with one century. After the war, Macartney transformed himself into one of the greatest batsmen of his era. In his 14 post-war Tests, he scored 1,252 runs at nearly 70, with six centuries. His bowling became more sporadic, taking just 11 more wickets, averaging 32.
Macartney resumed Test cricket when Australia hosted England in 1920–21, and was one of only four players remaining from before the war. However, he only played in two of the Tests due to illness and injury. His early season form was ominous for the tourists. Macartney scored 161 in guiding New South Wales to a successful run-chase of 4/335 over the Englishmen. He then scored 96 and 30 for an Australian XI against the tourists in a dress rehearsal for the Tests.
In the First Test, playing as an opening batsman, he struck 19 in the first innings. Australia's new post-war skipper Warwick Armstrong
felt that Macartney would be more effective at number three, and in the second innings, he made a free-flowing 69 in a 111-run second-wicket stand with Herbie Collins
as Australia went on to inflict a 377-run defeat. Macartney's return to form was interrupted by an illness, which caused him to miss the following three Test matches. After a two-month layoff, Macartney struck 130 in a match for his state against England.
He returned for the Fifth and final Test, where he recorded his highest Test innings of 170 on his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground
. Among the spectators was a 12-year-old Don Bradman, who had been taken to watch Macartney by his father. Eight decades later, Bradman recalled the innings, "as if it were yesterday", describing it as full of "delicate leg-glances, powerful pulls, cuts and glorious drives" and concluding that it was one of the best innings he had seen in his lifetime. Bradman cited the innings as an inspiration for his career. Macartney headed the Australian Test averages with 260 runs at 86.66 as Australia won the Ashes 5–0. It was the only such Ashes whitewash until 2006–07. Macartney has amassed 821 runs at 68.42 for the season. He took only three wickets at 56.33.
, he started strongly with 177. his fast scoring helped Australia complete an innings victory in just over half the allotted playing time. He scored 87 against Surrey
, 51 against Combined Services and 77 against Oxford University
in the next seven matches leading up to the start of the Tests, with a total of 539 runs at 53.90 under his belt.
Macartney made 20 in the first innings and was unbeaten on 22, playing as an opener, as Australia completed a ten-wicket win in the First Test. It was Australia's sixth consecutive Test win over England. He failed to pass 20 in the next two county matches, but did take 2/19 against Middlesex
, his first wickets on tour. This came in his 11th match on tour and was a reflection of his role as a specialist batsman in the post-war years. The next game against Gloucestershire
heralded the start of a rich vein of run-scoring during the remainder of June. Macartney scored 149, in an Australian innings noted for elegant strokeplay and big hitting, after managing only 31 and eight in the eight-wicket win in the Second Test, hit three consecutive centuries.
Macartney hit 105 as Australia amassed 7/708 declared against Hampshire
and then made 193 as Australia compiled 621 and defeated Northamptonshire
by an innings and 484 runs. The two matches were separated by a match against Surrey, which Macartney missed due to injury. In the latter match, Macartney came in at first drop after the hosts took a wicket from the first ball of the match, and he scored 193 of the 318 runs scored while he was in the middle. Macartney took only 135 minutes and hit 31 fours as Australia added more than 300 in just over two hours of batting. Such was the dominance of Macartney and the rest of Armstrong's men that they disposed of Northamptonshire in less than two days. However, his most famed innings was yet to come.
In the next match, Macartney scored 345 against Nottinghamshire
at Trent Bridge in 232 minutes, with 47 fours and four sixes. Macartney had an inauspicious start to the day, coming to the crease after the dismissal of Warren Bardsley
with only one run scored. He attacked immediately and was dropped in the slips when on nine runs. The missed chance further emboldened Macartney, who had a philosophy that being dropped was a signal that it was his day to shine. He proceeded to exhibit his full repertoire of strokes. After reaching his double century in only 150 minutes, Macartney signalled to the pavilion. When Nottinghamshire captain Arthur Carr asked him if he was seeking a drink, Macartney said that he wanted a heavier bat and indicated that he was going to attack. Macartney kept his promise, adding his next 100 runs in only 48 minutes to reach 300 in 198 minutes. At the time, it was the fastest triple century in first-class cricket in terms of minutes. It still stands as the highest innings by an Australian in England, and at the time was the most runs scored by any batsman in one day. During the innings, Macartney partnered Nip Pellew
in a partnership of 291. Australia went on to score 675 and won by an innings and 517 runs, in only two days, the largest winning margin achieved by Australia in a first-class match. The cricket writer Sumner Reid described Macartney's innings as:
In the space of four days, Macartney had scored 538 runs, and for the month of June, he had totalled 913 runs at 91.30. He carried this form into the next Test.
In the Third Test at Headingley
, he made his first Test century on foreign soil, striking 115 in the first innings. It was a relatively sedate innings for his standards, but helped Australia to victory by 191 runs and an unassailable 3–0 series lead. It gave Warwick Armstrong
's men an eighth consecutive Test win, which remained a world record for more than five decades until surpassed by the West Indies cricket team of the 1980s. The cricket writer Gideon Haigh
said that "It was like watching the armies of succeeding generations in combat, artillery, and tank against sword and horse".
Macartney had a quiet time over the next month, passing fifty only once in the next eight innings in seven matches. He also ended his wicket-taking drought, claiming six in three matches after almost two months without success. He returned to form with 72 against Warwickshire
and 155 in the next match against Kent
.
Macartney finished with 61 in the drawn Fifth Test at The Oval
, to head the run-scoring with 300 runs at 42.85 as Australia took the series 3–0. He did not take a wicket in the Tests. Macartney then scored 121 against Gloucestershire
in an innings victory immediately after the Tests, but did not pass 45 in the remaining four matches of the tour. Macartney topped the batting aggregates and averages with 2,317 runs at 59.41 in the first-class matches. He took only eight wickets at 32.63 for the entire tour.
Macartney's efforts during the 1921 English summer led to his being named as one of the 1922 Wisden Cricketers of the Year
. Wisden stated that Macartney was "by many degrees the most brilliant and individual Australian batsman of the present day".
On the journey back to the southern hemisphere, Australia stopped for its first ever Test tour of South Africa. Macartney warmed up with 135 in a victory over Natal. The cricket writer Jack Pollard
described Macartney's hitting as "powerful, almost arrogant". Macartney then scored 59 and 116 in an aggressive display in the First Test in Durban
, which was drawn, with the hosts hanging on with only three wickets in hand. After missing the Second Test due to fitness reasons, Macartney returned against Western Province
. He took 5/40 in the first innings, his first five-wicket innings since June 1912, nine and a half years earlier.
In the Third Test in Cape Town
, Macartney scored 44, before taking 5/44 in the second innings to ensure that Australia would only have to chase a solitary run. He bowled three of his victims and removed JW Zulch twice. The hosts struggled against the dual spin of Macartney and Mailey. Australians went on to secure a ten-wicket victory. Macartney finished the Test series with seven wickets at 14.86. He totalled 492 runs at 70.28 and 14 wickets at 17.14 for the tour, against topping the batting averages.
Macartney started the 1922–23 season strongly, scoring 63 and 84 and taking 2/8 in a five-wicket win over the touring MCC in the first match of the summer. He only passed fifty once more in the season and took 5/8 in an innings against Victoria. Macartney totalled 350 runs at 29.16 and 12 wickets at 12.16 in eight matches for the season. The next Australian season was a shortened one for New South Wales. Macartney scored 174 runs at 21.75 and took seven wickets at 21.14 in four matches before his state embarked on a tour of New Zealand.
Macartney struck form immediately, scoring 80 and 120 in the opening match against Wellington. He followed this with 100 (in a non-first-class match), 120 against Otago and 221 in the next match against Canterbury, all in consecutive innings. He added match figures of 4/38 as New South Wales defeated Canterbury by an innings. Macartney then scored 36 and 55 not out and took match figures of 4/55 in an eight-wicket win over New Zealand. He made only two and seven in the remaining first-class matches, and ended with 13 wickets at 20.92.
Macartney missed the 1924–25 Test series when England toured Australia. He played in only two first-class matches in the early stages of the season, scoring 11 runs at 3.66 and taking five wickets at 23.40. The withdrawal of Macartney from competition was attributed to a flare-up of an injury he had suffered during World War I, but sceptics believed that he had suffered a nervous breakdown
.
Following his year off, Macartney returned to full-time cricket in 1925–26. He re-established himself in his first match, scoring 114 and taking a total of 4/49 as New South Wales crushed Western Australia by an innings and 235 runs. Macartney then scored 84 and 28 to help the Rest of Australia defeat the national team by 156 runs. He then scored two centuries as New South Wales won all four of their Sheffield Shield matches, three by an innings. Up to this point, Macartney had scored 582 runs at 72.75 and taken 20 wickets at 20.30. This was enough for him to be selected for the 1926 tour of England
. His most notable performance with the ball was his 7/85 and 2/16 in an innings victory over arch-rivals Victoria. His wickets included batsmen Bill Woodfull
(twice), Bill Ponsford
, Jack Ryder and all rounder Hunter Hendry
, who played alongside him in the 1926 Tests. Following his selection for the England tour, Macartney warmed up by scoring 66 and 163 not out and taking a total of 4/48 in consecutive innings victories for the Australian touring party over Tasmania
.
Macartney's international farewell on the 1926 tour of England
saw him at the peak of his batting powers. Unlike the previous tour in 1921, Macartney was also prominent with the ball.
During the opening first-class fixture against Leicestershire, Macartney scored only two but took 5/9 in a rain-affected draw. In the next match against Essex
, another rain-affected draw, he starred with the bat, scoring 148. In the third match, another draw against Surrey
, Macartney combined both of his skills and scored 53 and took 6/63 in the first innings. His victims included English Test batsmen Jack Hobbs
and Percy Fender
. He then took 3/21 and 4/57 as Australia beat Hampshire
to record their first win of the season. In nine matches before the First Test, Macartney scored 379 runs at 42.11 and took 30 wickets at 13.20.
The First Test at Trent Bridge
was washed out, with England scoring 0/32 in the only innings of the match. Macartney then scored 54 as Australia made 6/148 in the only innings of another wet match against Yorkshire
. He then hit form ahead of the Second Test, scoring 160 and taking a total of 5/34 in an innings win over Lancashire
.
After scoring 39 in the first innings in the Second Test at Lord's, Macartney took 1/90, removing centurion Jack Hobbs
as England took a 92-run first innings lead. He then scored 133 not out in the second innings, to help to stave off defeat. Australia were 5/194 when the match ended, and were it not for Macartney's effort could have been bowled out.
Between Tests, Macartney scored 42 and 81 against Northamptonshire
and Nottinghamshire
respectively before taking 5/38 against Worcestershire
. Australia won all three matches.
In the Third Test at Headingley, Macartney became only the second Australian to score a century before lunch on the opening day of a Test. The match started poorly for Australia. English captain Arthur Carr won the toss and sent Australia in to bat after a thunderstorm on the previous day had turned the surface into a sticky wicket; Bardsley was then dismissed by the first ball for a golden duck. Macartney strode to the crease, surveyed the fielding positions and called down the wicket to the bowler Maurice Tate
"Let's have it!" He nearly regretted his comment when he edged the ball to Carr at third slip from the fifth ball of the day. It was a difficult chance but the English skipper failed to hold the ball. Macartney was then on two. Within a few minutes, he had regained the initiative for the Australians.
Utilising both conventional technique and audacious shots, Macartney pierced the field with a variety of cuts, hooks, pulls, drives and glances. He teased the fielders with deliberate deflections through the slips; his late cuts were described by Raymond Robertson-Glasgow as being "so late they are almost posthumous". Macartney's attack helped his partner Bill Woodfull
to settle in the difficult conditions. Macartney saved his severest hitting for George Macaulay
, a medium pace swing bowler
and off spin
ner whom he regarded as England's most potent bowler. Macartney had asked for and received permission from captain Herbie Collins
to target Macaulay's bowling. By the end of the Australian innings, Macaulay had figures of 1/123 and was never to play against Australia again. Macartney's confidence was such that he charged down the pitch to meet the medium pace bowlers, a dangerous tactic on a surface with erratic bounce.
He reached 40 in as many minutes as Australia's total reached 50. Australia reached 100 in only 79 minutes with Macartney contributing 83 of those runs. Macartney reached his century in 103 minutes with the tourists on 131. By lunch, he had scored 112 in 116 minutes and he continued until the score reached 1/235, when he hit Macaulay to Patsy Hendren
and was dismissed, having amassed 151 in 170 minutes. Former English captain Sir Pelham Warner said "I say without hesitation that I have never seen a greater innings... not even the immortal Victor Trumper could have played more finely". Macartney's innings allowed Australia to accumulate a healthy first innings total of 494. He then took 2/51, removing Carr and Fender as England made 294 and were forced to follow on; however, the Australians could not dismiss the hosts for a second time and the match ended in a draw.
Macartney then made 106 in a non-first-class match against the West of Scotland, before hitting 109 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in a rain-affected draw; the match failed to reach the second innings. Macartney had scored three centuries in as many innings.
Macartney's form tailed off thereafter; in the following six weeks, he made only one score beyond 40 in 11 innings and took only three wickets in nine matches. This included the Fifth Test, when he scored 25 and 16 and failed to take a wicket as England won the Test by 289 runs and with it the Ashes. Macartney topped the batting averages with 473 runs at 94.60 and took four wickets at 53.75. Macartney returned to form in the final first-class fixture of the season with an unbeaten 100 against and England XI.
Macartney decided to retire from Tests after the tour. He had taken part in twelve Test century partnerships, the highest being 235 with Woodfull in the Leeds Test.
In mid-1927 he toured Singapore
and Malaya
with Bert Oldfield
's team and played in a series of non-first-class matches against local teams. In October 1929, he played for a New South Wales Cricket Association
team against a series of local teams in the state's rural west.
In 1935–36, Macartney was vice-captain to Jack Ryder
, on the tour of India organised by Frank Tarrant
; he also wrote forthright columns for The Hindu
, covering the trip. At the time, India had only received its first official tour, by England, and Australia was not keen on sending a Test team there. Thus, while the Test team were in South Africa, Tarrant's party consisted mainly of retired Test cricketers in their mid-40s and beyond.
In his return to first-class cricket after nine years, Macartney took 5/17 and 3/42 in the first international match against India
, which the Australians won by eight wickets. He went wicketless as the series was squared in the second match, before taking 3/52 and 6/41 in the final match. Despite his nine wickets, Australia lost by 34 runs. Other notable performances included an 85 against Bengal
and 3/45 and 3/47 against Madras
. In the latter match, Macartney added 39 as the Australians scraped home by one wicket.
Macartney wrote for several Sydney newspapers, and between 1936 and 1942 regularly produced pieces for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1930 he published the autobiographical My Cricketing Days. During the Second World War, he was a lieutenant in the amenities service of the Australian Defence Force
, and afterwards was a personnel officer at Prince Henry Hospital.
Childless, Macartney was predeceased by his wife. He died of coronary occlusion (heart attack) while at work. In February 2007, Macartney was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
along with Richie Benaud
, making them the 26th and 27th inductees.
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
– 9 September 1958, Little Bay
Little Bay, New South Wales
Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwick....
, Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played in 35 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between 1907 and 1926. He was known as The Governor-General in reference to his authoritative batting style and his flamboyant strokeplay, which drew comparisons with his close friend and role model Victor Trumper
Victor Trumper
Victor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
, regarded as one of the most elegant batsmen in cricketing history. Sir Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
—generally regarded as the greatest batsman in history—cited Macartney's dynamic batting as an inspiration in his cricket career.
Macartney started his career as a bowling all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
. He made his Test debut in 1907, primarily as a left arm orthodox spinner who was considered to be a useful lower-middle order right-hand batsman. As Macartney was initially selected for his flexibility, his position in the batting order was frequently shuffled and he was largely ineffective. His most noteworthy Test contribution in his early career was a match-winning ten wicket haul at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
in 1909, before being dropped in the 1910–11 Australian season. It was around this time that Macartney befriended Trumper and began to transform himself from a bowler who batted in a defensive and technically correct manner, into an audacious attacking batsman. He reclaimed his Test position and made his maiden Test century in the same season, before establishing himself as the leading batsman in the team.
The First World War stopped all first-class cricket and Macartney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
. Upon the resumption of cricket, Macartney stamped himself as one of the leading batsmen in the world with his performances during the 1921 Ashes tour
Australian cricket team in England in 1921
Australia won the 1921 Ashes series held in England. They won the first three matches against England, which meant that they had won eight in succession, an unequalled sequence in Ashes Tests, following the 5-0 drubbing they had administered to England in the 1920-21 season in Australia...
. Macartney produced an Australian record score in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
of 345 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. The innings was the fastest triple century in first-class cricket and the highest score made by a batsman in a single day of play. He reached 300 in 205 minutes and the innings took less than four hours. Macartney topped the batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
s and run-scoring aggregates, which saw him named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1922. Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
opined that he was, "by many degrees the most brilliant and individual Australian batsman of the present day". After missing the 1924–25 series due to mental illness or a recurrence of war injuries, Macartney departed international cricket at the peak of his powers on the 1926 tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1926
England won the 1926 Ashes series against Australia. England won the last Test of the series after the first four matches were drawn:*1st Test — drawn - *2nd Test — drawn - *3rd Test — drawn -...
. He became the second Australian to score a century in the first session of a Test match, and did so on a sticky wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
conducive to bowling. This was part of a sequence of three consecutive Test centuries as he led the batting charts. Macartney was posthumously inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
in 2007.
Style
Macartney's flair was compared to that of Victor Trumper, and his determination to that of Don Bradman, who is generally regarded as the finest batsman in cricketing history. His style was quite different to that of Trumper, but he generated fascination with his Trumper-like daring and supreme confidence. Self-taught to a greater extent than anyone else in Australia or England in his era, the 1922 Wisden AlmanackWisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
described Macartney as "a triumph to individualism... he is not a model to be copied" and "one of the most brilliant and attractive right-handed batsmen in the history of Australian cricket". His success was largely attributed to his eye, hand and foot co-ordination.
Macartney was a short man, standing 160 cm (5" 3). When batting, he would unconventionally attempt to leg glance yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
s pitched on middle stump
Stump (cricket)
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
down to fine-leg, and often lost his wicket in so doing. He was known for preferring his team-mates to give him candid criticism rather than praise. In later life he condemned modern batsmen; he would explain why he no longer watched cricket by saying "I can't bear watching luscious half-volleys being nudged gently back to bowlers". Sir Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
wrote that "there was always chivalry in his cricket, a prancing sort of heroism. The dauntlessness of his play, the brave beauty and the original skill bring tears to my eyes yet." In the late 1940s, Macartney received a letter from a compiler of Who's Who in Australia
Who's Who in Australia
The Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –...
, seeking information on his life. Macartney said that he had "no record of figures, nor am I concerned with them. My only interest is the manner in which the runs are compiled and how wickets are taken, and in the good of the game." "Those sentiments", wrote former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
, "summed up the cricket story of C. G. Macartney".
An authoritative, combative stylist, Macartney's élan and devastating strokemaking led Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
cricketer Kenneth Hutchings
Kenneth Hutchings
Kenneth Lotherington Hutchings was a cricketer who played for Kent and England....
to dub him the "Governor-General". Fingleton noted that, early in his innings, Macartney had a strategy of aiming a shot straight at the bowler's head, in order to rattle him and seize a psychological advantage. On one occasion, after reaching a century before lunch on the first day of a match, he immediately called for a bat change. He selected the heaviest bat from the batch that his team-mate brought out and stated "Now I'm going to have a hit". His rate of scoring and boundary-hitting subsequently increased. He possessed powerful hands, strong forearms and broad shoulders. Leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ning Test team-mate Arthur Mailey
Arthur Mailey
Arthur Alfred Mailey was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926....
recalled that Macartney would often hit him for six in Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
matches. Grinning, he would say "Pitch another one there and I'll hit you for a few more". On the occasions when he lost his wicket attempting further long hits, Macartney's grin remained, and he would remark "Wasn't it good fun?" The famed cricket writer RC Robertson-Glasgow said
As a bowler, Macartney delivered the ball at a relatively fast pace for a left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
ner, comparable in speed to Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
. He was known for his consistent length and his well-concealed faster ball which often caught batsmen off guard. On sticky wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
s, he was often incisive, and these conditions helped him take five wickets in an innings 17 times in his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
career. He was known for his miserly attitude, often giving the impression that he would rather bowl ten consecutive maidens
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
rather than take wickets if it meant conceding runs. This extended to his off-field activities, where he was considered careful with money. On the 1926 tour of England, he and Mailey visited a hat shop that had a tradition of giving souvenir hats to cricketers of touring Australian squads. When asked if he would like a similar style to the one he received in 1921, Macartney referred to the hat on his head and replied "Not on your life. I've been wearing this since you gave it to me in 1921." Macartney's notorious fiscal obsessions irritated his captain Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
on the 1921 tour; during the trip, he would hoard all manner of goods that were given to the team as gifts.
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
, a suburb on Sydney's south shore to Chatswood on the northern side of the harbour, where Macartney lived. Macartney and Trumper played together for Gordon
Gordon, New South Wales
Gordon is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gordon is located north-west of the Sydney Central Business District and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council...
Cricket Club on the north shore and became close friends. Macartney regularly practised on the Trumper family's backyard turf pitch. Trumper's relocation made more frequent meetings possible, since the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
was not to open until 1932, and the only way of travelling between either side of the bay was by ferry. Trumper was regarded as the "crown prince of the golden age of cricket", the finest and most stylish batsman of his era, and one of the most elegant strokemakers of all time. Under Trumper's influence, Macartney became more audacious and adventurous; Unlike their English counterparts, the Australians were proud of their spontaneous play. Macartney revered Trumper as both a cricketer and a person, and was to be a pall bearer when Trumper died in 1915 at the age of 37. However, unlike Trumper, Macartney was known for his habit of "walking", the act of leaving the ground before or contrary to an umpire's decision if a batsman knows that he is out. On one occasion, Macartney felt so guilty that the umpire had incorrectly ruled him not out despite a clear edge that he attempted to throw his wicket away with a wild airborne shot. However, the ball went for six, and Trumper, his batting partner at the time, admonished him, saying that his good luck would be balanced by occasions when the umpire would give him out incorrectly.
Early years
Macartney was taught to play cricket as a child by his maternal grandfather George Moore, a slow roundarm bowlerRoundarm bowling
In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...
who represented New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
in three first-class matches against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
. The equipment consisted of small hand-crafted bat made from cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
, and apples from the family orchard used as balls.
In 1898, Macartney and his family moved from Maitland
Maitland
Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" , or it may be a locational reference to Mautalant, a place in Pontorson, France...
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. In his school cricketing career Macartney distinguished himself as an all-rounder at Woollahra
Woollahra, New South Wales
Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. The Municipality of Woollahra takes its name from the...
Superior and Chatswood
Chatswood, New South Wales
Chatswood is a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chatswood is located 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Chatswood West is a separate suburb...
public schools, before briefly attending Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School is a co-educational, academically selective, public high school currently located at Petersham, an inner western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. Macartney asserted that school cricket was insignificant in his development, believing that he learned more about cricket during informal summer cricket games with his brother at the local park, with their dog acting as a fielder. It was during his school career that Macartney was noticed by incumbent Australian captain Monty Noble
Monty Noble
Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...
, who heaped praise on him in a newspaper article.
After leaving school, Macartney worked for a fruit and vegetable merchant near Sydney's Sussex Street docks, honing his batting skills by practising without pads
Cricket clothing and equipment
Cricket is traced back to 1550. It was first played in Guildford, Surrey. Later in 1598, cricket was cited in an Italian English dictionary written by Florio. In the year 1676, British residents in Aleppo played cricket abroad for the first time....
on a wooden wharf during his lunch break. At this stage in his career, he possessed a copybook technique and defensive style, something he was to discard for an audacious, self-styled and attacking outlook.
In 1902, Macartney joined North Sydney Cricket Club
North Sydney Cricket Club
North Sydney District Cricket Club is a cricket club in Sydney, Australia. The Bears as they are known were founded in 1858 playing club's such as Callen Park Mental Hospital, North Sydney joined the Sydney Grade Cricket Competition as an initial member in 1893...
in the first division of Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
and then moved to the Gordon
Gordon, New South Wales
Gordon is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gordon is located north-west of the Sydney Central Business District and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council...
club in the outer northern suburbs when it was formed during the 1905–06 season. He played regularly for Gordon until 1933–34 when he was 47, amassing 7648 runs at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 54.62. He was known for his dominant status at the Chatswood Oval
Chatswood Oval
Chatswood Oval is located south of the Chatswood railway station in northern Sydney, Australia. It has four small pavilions and seating surrounding the oval. It is one of the Lower North Shore's largest sportsgrounds, and the home ground of the Gordon Rugby Football Club and Gordon District Cricket...
. In one match, he lofted a ball out of the ground, over a railway line and onto an adjacent lawn bowling green, forcing the players to take evasive action.
First-class debut
Macartney's exploits were noticed by the State selectors, and he made his first class debut for New South WalesNew South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
against Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
at the start of the 1905–06 season. He made 56 in New South Wales' first innings of 691, and after not bowling in the first innings, he took 3/80 and his first catch in an innings victory. He then scored 70 not out in an innings triumph over South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
. He failed to pass 25 in his remaining four matches for the season, but took at least one wicket in each game. In one match for his state against an Australian XI, Macartney took a total of 5/123, including the wickets of Trumper and Australian Test captains Noble and Joe Darling
Joe Darling
Joseph "Joe" Darling CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including...
. He was also run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
in both innings. Aside from this match, New South Wales were victorious in the remaining five fixtures. He scored 185 runs at 26.43 and took 15 wickets at 28.20 in six matches.
Macartney continued his rise with a more productive and consistent second season with both the ball and bat. In his second match in 1906–07, Macartney broke through for his first century, scoring 122 before taking match figures of 4/92 in an innings win over Queensland. In the next match, he took his first five-wicket innings haul, recording figures of 5/18 and 2/17 in an innings win over South Australia, including leading Test batsman Clem Hill
Clem Hill
Clement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...
twice. Macartney took wickets in each match; he ended the season with 405 runs at 40.50, with two further fifties, and took 30 wickets at 18.20 in nine matches.
The following season, in 1907–08, saw the arrival of England for a Test series. Macartney had a chance to stake his claim for national selection in a match for his state against the tourists. He made 9 and 13, unbeaten in both innings, as his partners were dismissed cheaply and left him stranded. New South Wales made 101 and 96 and lost by 408 runs, with Macartney taking a total of 1/64. He was selected for an Australian XI to play the tourists in an effective dress rehearsal for the Tests, and made 42 and took 4/36 in a drawn match. As a result,
Macartney was selected to make his debut against England in the First Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. He was viewed as a utility player, selected for the flexibility in his batting position and his left arm orthodox spin.
Test debut
Macartney had a moderately successful debut. He bowled three wicketless overs in the first innings, before scoring 35 in Australia's reply while batting at No. 7Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
. He took one wicket, that of leading English batsman Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
. With Australia needing 274 runs to win in the second innings, Noble decided that Macartney's first innings effort warranted promotion to act as Trumper's opening partner. He managed to score only nine, but Australia managed to scrape home to seal a two wicket victory. Macartney's domestic form after his Test debut was sufficient for him to retain his position for the Second Test in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Noble persevered with Macartney as Trumper's opening partner and he scored 37 of an 84 run opening partnership in the first innings. He returned to the middle order in the second innings to score 54 and took a total of 1/55 as England squared the series with a narrow one wicket victory.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, when he scored 75 batting at No. 3 and took two wickets for 66 runs (2/66) in an Australian victory. His batting was largely ineffectual in the last two Tests; he failed to score more than 30 in any innings as he was moved to No. 8 and then back to the opening position in the Fifth Test. Despite his confused role as a batsman, he contributed with the ball in the Fifth Test victory on a pitch amenable to spin, taking match figures of 5/66. His first international series had yielded 273 runs at an average of 27.30 and ten wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 26.60. He tasted victory, with Australia taking the series 4–0. His highest score of the season was 96 against England in a later match for New South Wales. The hosts were 12 runs short of victory with one wicket in hand when time ran out. Macartney scored 524 runs at 27.58 and took 25 wickets at 28.76 in 12 matches. In spite of his unsettled role in the batting line up, Macartney had performed well-enough as an all-rounder in the following domestic season in 1908–09 to be selected for the 1909 tour of England, his first overseas tour. Macartney took a total of 6/60 in an innings victory over South Australia in the first match of the season. He then scored 100 in the return match, and ended the six matches of the summer with 319 runs at 53.17 and nine wickets at 29.89.
First tour of England
Macartney started his tour of England by taking match figures of 5/86 in a nine-wicket win over NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. He took at least two wickets in each of the five matches leading up to the Tests, with 5/24 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. He totalled 17 wickets at 15.18 and scored 141 runs at 28.20.
Macartney took 3/21 in the first innings of the First Test, removing captain Archie MacLaren, CB Fry and leading batsman Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
, but managed only 0/35 in the second innings as England scored 0/105 to win by ten innings. He then scored five and was wicketless as Australia leveled the series with a nine-wicket win in the Second Test. He then scored 124, his only century of the tour, in a non-first-class match against Western Union.
His bowling confounded the English team in the Third Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, where he took 7/58 in the first innings and 4/27 in the second. It was his best innings and match bowling figures in Tests and helped win the Test and eventually retain The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. Australia had struggled to post 188 in their first innings on a pitch conducive to spin bowling
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, with Macartney scoring only four. Australia responded with a dual spin attack, with Noble bowling off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
in tandem with Macartney's left arm orthodox. Noble (0/22 from 13 overs) tied down the batsman, allowing Macartney to attack at batsman at the other end. He bowled with a high trajectory, tempting the batsmen to attack him and then varied his bowling speed to surprise them. He had Jack Sharp
Jack Sharp
John "Jack" Sharp was an English sportsman of outstanding talent who is most famous for his 9 year playing career at Everton F.C...
stumped after luring him from the crease
Crease (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...
and bowled Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
with a faster ball. Other victims included English captain MacLaren, JT Tyldesley, George Hirst and Sydney Barnes
Sydney Barnes
Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...
. England were bowled out for 182 and Australia replied with 207; Macartney scored 18. Australia went on to win by 126 runs after Macartney took four more wickets in the second innings, removing MacLaren, Tyldesley, Rhodes and Barnes to help dismiss the hosts for 87. Macartney then made a half-century and took a wicket in each of the last two Tests, both of which were drawn to hand Australia a 2–1 series win.
Macartney's batting in the Test series was largely unsuccessful. He made two fifties, but otherwise failed to pass 20 and ended with 153 runs at 19.13. In his era, the expectation was that batsmen would be able to bat in a variety of positions and Macartney was gradually moved from seventh down to tenth in the batting order by the end of the tour. Largely due to his efforts at Headingley, his bowling figures were more impressive; he ended the Tests with 16 wickets at 16.13. At this stage of his career, Macartney was regarded as a bowling all-rounder. He was only eighth on the batting averages for the tour, with 503 first-class runs at 16.77, but took 71 wickets at an average of 17.46 in eight matches.
Upon returning to the southern hemisphere, Macartney headed to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for a stint with Otago instead of playing in Australia in 1909–10, due to attractiveness of the foreign outfit's remuneration. The period was unsuccessful for Otago—all three matches were lost—but Macartney was prolific as an individual. He took match figures of 7/68 against Canterbury and 7/81 in the first innings of a game against Australia, removing Test teammates Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
and Warren Bardsley
Warren Bardsley
Warren "Curly" Bardsley was an Australian Test cricketer. An opening batsman, Bardsley played 41 Tests between 1909 and 1926 and over 200 first-class games for New South Wales...
. He ended with 17 wickets at 17.53 and scored 132 runs at 22.00.
Macartney started poorly in the home series against the touring South Africans in the Test series of 1910–11. In the first three Tests, he accumulated 15 runs in five innings and took a solitary wicket. As a result, he was dropped for the Fourth Test. Up to this point he had not passed 45 in 13 innings for the season and taken only seven wickets in seven matches. He then made 119 and 126 for New South Wales against South Africa and took match figures of 4/155 as the tourists fell to a 44-run defeat. This prompted the selectors to restore him to the Test team, and Macartney bounced back with his first Test century, making 137 in the first innings and 56 in the second in just 40 minutes, as Australia completed a seven-wicket win. It was his third century in as many first class innings. The late-season hat-trick of centuries pushed Macartney's season total to 609 runs at 33.83 and 10 wickets at 54.90 in ten matches.
The 1911–12 season started strongly for Macartney. He scored 122 and took 5/81 as New South Wales defeated Queensland by an innings. However, the season went downhill from there; Macartney failed to pass 30 in the next ten innings and took only three wickets in the next six matches. As a result, he was left out of the playing XI and made twelfth man for the first three Tests against the touring England team.
Omission and recall in 1912
Macartney's omission was part of the most infamous disputes in Australian cricket history and led to a fracas. Australian captain and selector Clem HillClem Hill
Clement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...
wanted to include Macartney for the Third Test, but another member of the panel, former player Peter McAlister
Peter McAlister
Peter Alexander McAlister was an Australian cricketer who played in 8 Tests from 1904 to 1909....
objected and said that Hill should omit himself if he wanted Macartney to play. Tensions between the two selectors were high, and came to a head in a selection meeting ahead of the Fourth Test. McAlister criticised Hill's tactics and policies towards his bowlers, provoking an exchange of insults regarding the other's leadership ability. Hill then bloodied McAlister with a powerful blow to the nose and the ensuing brawl lasted between 10 and 20 minutes. Furniture was knocked across the room, artwork shattered and Hill had to be restrained from throwing McAlister out of the third floor window, before resigning as a selector.
Eventually, Macartney was recalled for the Fifth Test against England and scored 26 and 27 and took a total of 1/54 in a defeat. Macartney scored 300 runs at 27.27 and took nine wickets at 32.78 in eight first-class matches for the season. Macartney wrote later that "persistent ill-feeling seriously affected the morale of the side".
Macartney then toured England for the 1912 Triangular Test Tournament, which also included South Africa. He was not in the original touring party, but six senior players including Hill and vice-captain Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
and leading batsman Victor Trumper
Victor Trumper
Victor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
withdrew from the tour due to a dispute with the board. Macartney was thus given a late call-up.
Macartney scored 84 but the tourists started on a bad note, losing to Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. He then scored 127 against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, 208 against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, 123 and 25 not out against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and 74 against the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in four consecutive matches. Australia won the first two by an innings and the latter two by seven and five wickets respectively. Up to this point, Macartney had only claimed a solitary wicket. He then took match figures of 6/60 in a ten-wicket win over Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
.
Australia then defeated South Africa in their first Test of the tournament. Macartney made 21 in an innings victory and did not bowl. Macartney's batting waned in the next seven tour matches, passing 50 only three times in ten innings. However, he did take 13 wickets, including 6/54 against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. Macartney then scored 99 in a drawn Test against England at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
that did not reach the second innings. Wisden regarded the innings as his best for the season. Macartney added half-centuries in consecutive county matches and after three further matches without passing 21, the Tests resumed.
Macartney scored nine and took 3/29 in a ten-wicket win over South Africa, and then scored 142 and 121 in the next match against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. The next Test against England was then washed out in the first innings; Macartney neither batted nor bowled. The following match against South Africa did not reach the second innings and Australia then lost to England by 244 runs in the final, with Macartney taking a total of 2/67 and scoring four and 30. It was a barren August for Macartney, who did not pass 35 and took only six wickets in six first-class matches. However, he finished the tour strongly, scoring 176 against the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
and 71 against CB Fry's XI in the last two matches.
Macartney scored 2,207 runs during the tour at an average of 45.04. During the English season, he reached the peak of his performance as an all-rounder, taking 38 wickets. He made six centuries, including two in one match against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Apart from his 99 at Lord's, Macartney did not pass 34 in the other Tests and ended with 197 runs at 32.83. He did not bowl heavily during the series, taking six wickets at 23.66. It was not a happy tour for the Australians; without the senior players, there were frequent reports of drunken brawls and verbal abuse towards the locals. Macartney was one of only four players to accept the guaranteed tour fee of 400 pounds; the others signed up to a percentage share of the profits and the commercial failure of the tour left them with less than half of the flat fee.
There were no further Test matches before the First World War. The 1912–13 Australian season was a short one for Macartney, but he was in rare form, scoring 125, 96, 94, 76 not out, 91, 10 and 154 in four matches, to total 646 runs at 107.66. He also took four wickets at 30.50.
During an unofficial tour of the Australian team to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during the off season in 1913, which consisted of more than 50 matches, the overwhelming majority of which were not first-class, Macartney scored 2,390 runs at 45.92 and took 189 wickets at 3.81, topping both the batting and bowling averages. He also made the most centuries (seven) and the highest individual score of 186 against a combined Canada and United States team. Macartney played in only five first-class matches and scored two centuries in these fixtures. In two non-first-class matches, he took 11/23 and 10/29 in an innings.
The 1913–14 domestic season was to be the last season of cricket before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Macartney captained New South Wales for the first time against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
. He had another prolific season with the bat; in six matches he scored 892 runs at 111.50 in nine innings. He scored 201 in an innings victory over Victoria, four other centuries including a 195, and two fifties. With Macartney in such form, five of the matches were won by an innings, and another by nine wickets. The record was blotted only by a loss to South Australia by 19 runs. Macartney took two wickets at 32.50. Macartney was selected for the five-Test tour of South Africa in 1914–15, but the campaign was called off due to the war.
Despite his success on the field, Macartney still had a regular job outside of cricket, as with most cricketers of the era. In 1914, he left his job on the Sydney wharves and joined the staff of New South Wales Railways & Tramways in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office at Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. The following season, he scored 191 runs at 38.20 including a century in three matches. He did not take a wicket.
Post-war Test career
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
interrupted Macartney's career as competitive cricket was cancelled. In January 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
(AIF). In July 1917 he was posted to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a temporary Warrant Officer in the 3rd Division Artillery. In 1918, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
for gallantry and reached the rank of corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. The death of his father later in the year led to his repatriation from Britain and prevented his appearance with the AIF cricket team
Australian Imperial Forces cricket team
The Australian Imperial Forces cricket team toured England between May and September 1919, playing 28 first-class matches after the First World War. Its overall record was 12 wins, 4 losses and 12 draws...
.
The war years divided Macartney's career in two. Prior to the war, he was primarily known as a bowling all-rounder. In 21 Tests, he had taken 34 wickets at 26 and scored 879 runs at 27, with one century. After the war, Macartney transformed himself into one of the greatest batsmen of his era. In his 14 post-war Tests, he scored 1,252 runs at nearly 70, with six centuries. His bowling became more sporadic, taking just 11 more wickets, averaging 32.
Macartney resumed Test cricket when Australia hosted England in 1920–21, and was one of only four players remaining from before the war. However, he only played in two of the Tests due to illness and injury. His early season form was ominous for the tourists. Macartney scored 161 in guiding New South Wales to a successful run-chase of 4/335 over the Englishmen. He then scored 96 and 30 for an Australian XI against the tourists in a dress rehearsal for the Tests.
In the First Test, playing as an opening batsman, he struck 19 in the first innings. Australia's new post-war skipper Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
felt that Macartney would be more effective at number three, and in the second innings, he made a free-flowing 69 in a 111-run second-wicket stand with Herbie Collins
Herbie Collins
Herbert Leslie Collins was an Australian cricketer who played 19 Tests between 1921 and 1926. An all-rounder, he captained the Australian team in eleven Tests, winning five, losing two with another four finishing in draws...
as Australia went on to inflict a 377-run defeat. Macartney's return to form was interrupted by an illness, which caused him to miss the following three Test matches. After a two-month layoff, Macartney struck 130 in a match for his state against England.
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. Among the spectators was a 12-year-old Don Bradman, who had been taken to watch Macartney by his father. Eight decades later, Bradman recalled the innings, "as if it were yesterday", describing it as full of "delicate leg-glances, powerful pulls, cuts and glorious drives" and concluding that it was one of the best innings he had seen in his lifetime. Bradman cited the innings as an inspiration for his career. Macartney headed the Australian Test averages with 260 runs at 86.66 as Australia won the Ashes 5–0. It was the only such Ashes whitewash until 2006–07. Macartney has amassed 821 runs at 68.42 for the season. He took only three wickets at 56.33.
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
On the 1921 Ashes tour, Macartney—who needed a special medical clearance before being selected— had a chance to rectify his poor batting performances of his pre-war tours of England. In his first match, against LeicestershireLeicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, he started strongly with 177. his fast scoring helped Australia complete an innings victory in just over half the allotted playing time. He scored 87 against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, 51 against Combined Services and 77 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
in the next seven matches leading up to the start of the Tests, with a total of 539 runs at 53.90 under his belt.
Macartney made 20 in the first innings and was unbeaten on 22, playing as an opener, as Australia completed a ten-wicket win in the First Test. It was Australia's sixth consecutive Test win over England. He failed to pass 20 in the next two county matches, but did take 2/19 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
, his first wickets on tour. This came in his 11th match on tour and was a reflection of his role as a specialist batsman in the post-war years. The next game against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
heralded the start of a rich vein of run-scoring during the remainder of June. Macartney scored 149, in an Australian innings noted for elegant strokeplay and big hitting, after managing only 31 and eight in the eight-wicket win in the Second Test, hit three consecutive centuries.
Macartney hit 105 as Australia amassed 7/708 declared against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
and then made 193 as Australia compiled 621 and defeated Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
by an innings and 484 runs. The two matches were separated by a match against Surrey, which Macartney missed due to injury. In the latter match, Macartney came in at first drop after the hosts took a wicket from the first ball of the match, and he scored 193 of the 318 runs scored while he was in the middle. Macartney took only 135 minutes and hit 31 fours as Australia added more than 300 in just over two hours of batting. Such was the dominance of Macartney and the rest of Armstrong's men that they disposed of Northamptonshire in less than two days. However, his most famed innings was yet to come.
In the next match, Macartney scored 345 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
at Trent Bridge in 232 minutes, with 47 fours and four sixes. Macartney had an inauspicious start to the day, coming to the crease after the dismissal of Warren Bardsley
Warren Bardsley
Warren "Curly" Bardsley was an Australian Test cricketer. An opening batsman, Bardsley played 41 Tests between 1909 and 1926 and over 200 first-class games for New South Wales...
with only one run scored. He attacked immediately and was dropped in the slips when on nine runs. The missed chance further emboldened Macartney, who had a philosophy that being dropped was a signal that it was his day to shine. He proceeded to exhibit his full repertoire of strokes. After reaching his double century in only 150 minutes, Macartney signalled to the pavilion. When Nottinghamshire captain Arthur Carr asked him if he was seeking a drink, Macartney said that he wanted a heavier bat and indicated that he was going to attack. Macartney kept his promise, adding his next 100 runs in only 48 minutes to reach 300 in 198 minutes. At the time, it was the fastest triple century in first-class cricket in terms of minutes. It still stands as the highest innings by an Australian in England, and at the time was the most runs scored by any batsman in one day. During the innings, Macartney partnered Nip Pellew
Nip Pellew
Clarence Everard 'Nip' Pellew was an Australian cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1920 to 1921.-References:*...
in a partnership of 291. Australia went on to score 675 and won by an innings and 517 runs, in only two days, the largest winning margin achieved by Australia in a first-class match. The cricket writer Sumner Reid described Macartney's innings as:
the most destructive innings I ever saw in England or Australia. Not Trumper at his brilliant best, nor even Bradman in his calculated genius, ever performed with more unadulterated, murderous power and masterful technique.
In the space of four days, Macartney had scored 538 runs, and for the month of June, he had totalled 913 runs at 91.30. He carried this form into the next Test.
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, he made his first Test century on foreign soil, striking 115 in the first innings. It was a relatively sedate innings for his standards, but helped Australia to victory by 191 runs and an unassailable 3–0 series lead. It gave Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
's men an eighth consecutive Test win, which remained a world record for more than five decades until surpassed by the West Indies cricket team of the 1980s. The cricket writer Gideon Haigh
Gideon Haigh
Gideon Clifford Jeffrey Davidson Haigh is an English-born Australian journalist, who writes about sport and business. He was born in London of a Yorkshire father and an Australian mother, and was raised in Geelong, Victoria.- Career :Haigh has been writing about sport and business for over...
said that "It was like watching the armies of succeeding generations in combat, artillery, and tank against sword and horse".
Macartney had a quiet time over the next month, passing fifty only once in the next eight innings in seven matches. He also ended his wicket-taking drought, claiming six in three matches after almost two months without success. He returned to form with 72 against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
and 155 in the next match against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
.
Macartney finished with 61 in the drawn Fifth Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, to head the run-scoring with 300 runs at 42.85 as Australia took the series 3–0. He did not take a wicket in the Tests. Macartney then scored 121 against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
in an innings victory immediately after the Tests, but did not pass 45 in the remaining four matches of the tour. Macartney topped the batting aggregates and averages with 2,317 runs at 59.41 in the first-class matches. He took only eight wickets at 32.63 for the entire tour.
Macartney's efforts during the 1921 English summer led to his being named as one of the 1922 Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
. Wisden stated that Macartney was "by many degrees the most brilliant and individual Australian batsman of the present day".
On the journey back to the southern hemisphere, Australia stopped for its first ever Test tour of South Africa. Macartney warmed up with 135 in a victory over Natal. The cricket writer Jack Pollard
Jack Pollard
Jack Ernest Pollard OAM was an Australian sports journalist, writer and cricket historian.-Early life:Born in Sydney, New South Wales on 31 July 1926, Pollard began his journalism career in 1943 as a copy boy at Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper...
described Macartney's hitting as "powerful, almost arrogant". Macartney then scored 59 and 116 in an aggressive display in the First Test in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, which was drawn, with the hosts hanging on with only three wickets in hand. After missing the Second Test due to fitness reasons, Macartney returned against Western Province
Western Province cricket team
Western Province cricket team is the team representing Western Cape province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa. The team began playing in January 1890 and its main venue has always been Newlands in Cape Town.-Honours:...
. He took 5/40 in the first innings, his first five-wicket innings since June 1912, nine and a half years earlier.
In the Third Test in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Macartney scored 44, before taking 5/44 in the second innings to ensure that Australia would only have to chase a solitary run. He bowled three of his victims and removed JW Zulch twice. The hosts struggled against the dual spin of Macartney and Mailey. Australians went on to secure a ten-wicket victory. Macartney finished the Test series with seven wickets at 14.86. He totalled 492 runs at 70.28 and 14 wickets at 17.14 for the tour, against topping the batting averages.
Macartney started the 1922–23 season strongly, scoring 63 and 84 and taking 2/8 in a five-wicket win over the touring MCC in the first match of the summer. He only passed fifty once more in the season and took 5/8 in an innings against Victoria. Macartney totalled 350 runs at 29.16 and 12 wickets at 12.16 in eight matches for the season. The next Australian season was a shortened one for New South Wales. Macartney scored 174 runs at 21.75 and took seven wickets at 21.14 in four matches before his state embarked on a tour of New Zealand.
Macartney struck form immediately, scoring 80 and 120 in the opening match against Wellington. He followed this with 100 (in a non-first-class match), 120 against Otago and 221 in the next match against Canterbury, all in consecutive innings. He added match figures of 4/38 as New South Wales defeated Canterbury by an innings. Macartney then scored 36 and 55 not out and took match figures of 4/55 in an eight-wicket win over New Zealand. He made only two and seven in the remaining first-class matches, and ended with 13 wickets at 20.92.
Macartney missed the 1924–25 Test series when England toured Australia. He played in only two first-class matches in the early stages of the season, scoring 11 runs at 3.66 and taking five wickets at 23.40. The withdrawal of Macartney from competition was attributed to a flare-up of an injury he had suffered during World War I, but sceptics believed that he had suffered a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
.
Following his year off, Macartney returned to full-time cricket in 1925–26. He re-established himself in his first match, scoring 114 and taking a total of 4/49 as New South Wales crushed Western Australia by an innings and 235 runs. Macartney then scored 84 and 28 to help the Rest of Australia defeat the national team by 156 runs. He then scored two centuries as New South Wales won all four of their Sheffield Shield matches, three by an innings. Up to this point, Macartney had scored 582 runs at 72.75 and taken 20 wickets at 20.30. This was enough for him to be selected for the 1926 tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1926
England won the 1926 Ashes series against Australia. England won the last Test of the series after the first four matches were drawn:*1st Test — drawn - *2nd Test — drawn - *3rd Test — drawn -...
. His most notable performance with the ball was his 7/85 and 2/16 in an innings victory over arch-rivals Victoria. His wickets included batsmen Bill Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
(twice), Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
, Jack Ryder and all rounder Hunter Hendry
Hunter Hendry
Hunter Scott Thomas Laurie Hendry was a cricketer who played for New South Wales, Victoria and Australia national cricket team.Nicknamed Stork, he was a formidable batsman who bowlers found difficulty in delivering to...
, who played alongside him in the 1926 Tests. Following his selection for the England tour, Macartney warmed up by scoring 66 and 163 not out and taking a total of 4/48 in consecutive innings victories for the Australian touring party over Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
.
International farewell
Australian cricket team in England in 1926
England won the 1926 Ashes series against Australia. England won the last Test of the series after the first four matches were drawn:*1st Test — drawn - *2nd Test — drawn - *3rd Test — drawn -...
saw him at the peak of his batting powers. Unlike the previous tour in 1921, Macartney was also prominent with the ball.
During the opening first-class fixture against Leicestershire, Macartney scored only two but took 5/9 in a rain-affected draw. In the next match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, another rain-affected draw, he starred with the bat, scoring 148. In the third match, another draw against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, Macartney combined both of his skills and scored 53 and took 6/63 in the first innings. His victims included English Test batsmen Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
and Percy Fender
Percy Fender
Percy George Herbert Fender was an English all-round cricketer who played 13 Tests for England. He was a middle order batsman and bowled mainly leg spin.-Biography:...
. He then took 3/21 and 4/57 as Australia beat Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
to record their first win of the season. In nine matches before the First Test, Macartney scored 379 runs at 42.11 and took 30 wickets at 13.20.
The First Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
was washed out, with England scoring 0/32 in the only innings of the match. Macartney then scored 54 as Australia made 6/148 in the only innings of another wet match against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. He then hit form ahead of the Second Test, scoring 160 and taking a total of 5/34 in an innings win over Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
.
After scoring 39 in the first innings in the Second Test at Lord's, Macartney took 1/90, removing centurion Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
as England took a 92-run first innings lead. He then scored 133 not out in the second innings, to help to stave off defeat. Australia were 5/194 when the match ended, and were it not for Macartney's effort could have been bowled out.
Between Tests, Macartney scored 42 and 81 against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
respectively before taking 5/38 against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
. Australia won all three matches.
In the Third Test at Headingley, Macartney became only the second Australian to score a century before lunch on the opening day of a Test. The match started poorly for Australia. English captain Arthur Carr won the toss and sent Australia in to bat after a thunderstorm on the previous day had turned the surface into a sticky wicket; Bardsley was then dismissed by the first ball for a golden duck. Macartney strode to the crease, surveyed the fielding positions and called down the wicket to the bowler Maurice Tate
Maurice Tate
Maurice William Tate was a Sussex and England cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s and the leader of England's Test bowling attack for a long time during this period...
"Let's have it!" He nearly regretted his comment when he edged the ball to Carr at third slip from the fifth ball of the day. It was a difficult chance but the English skipper failed to hold the ball. Macartney was then on two. Within a few minutes, he had regained the initiative for the Australians.
Utilising both conventional technique and audacious shots, Macartney pierced the field with a variety of cuts, hooks, pulls, drives and glances. He teased the fielders with deliberate deflections through the slips; his late cuts were described by Raymond Robertson-Glasgow as being "so late they are almost posthumous". Macartney's attack helped his partner Bill Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
to settle in the difficult conditions. Macartney saved his severest hitting for George Macaulay
George Macaulay
George Gibson Macaulay , was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1935. He played in eight Test matches for England from 1923 to 1933, achieving the rare feat of taking a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket...
, a medium pace swing bowler
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
and off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
ner whom he regarded as England's most potent bowler. Macartney had asked for and received permission from captain Herbie Collins
Herbie Collins
Herbert Leslie Collins was an Australian cricketer who played 19 Tests between 1921 and 1926. An all-rounder, he captained the Australian team in eleven Tests, winning five, losing two with another four finishing in draws...
to target Macaulay's bowling. By the end of the Australian innings, Macaulay had figures of 1/123 and was never to play against Australia again. Macartney's confidence was such that he charged down the pitch to meet the medium pace bowlers, a dangerous tactic on a surface with erratic bounce.
He reached 40 in as many minutes as Australia's total reached 50. Australia reached 100 in only 79 minutes with Macartney contributing 83 of those runs. Macartney reached his century in 103 minutes with the tourists on 131. By lunch, he had scored 112 in 116 minutes and he continued until the score reached 1/235, when he hit Macaulay to Patsy Hendren
Patsy Hendren
Elias Henry Hendren better known as Patsy Hendren was an English cricketer. Patsy was one of the most prolific English batsmen of the period between the wars, averaging 47.63 in his 51 Test matches...
and was dismissed, having amassed 151 in 170 minutes. Former English captain Sir Pelham Warner said "I say without hesitation that I have never seen a greater innings... not even the immortal Victor Trumper could have played more finely". Macartney's innings allowed Australia to accumulate a healthy first innings total of 494. He then took 2/51, removing Carr and Fender as England made 294 and were forced to follow on; however, the Australians could not dismiss the hosts for a second time and the match ended in a draw.
Macartney then made 106 in a non-first-class match against the West of Scotland, before hitting 109 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in a rain-affected draw; the match failed to reach the second innings. Macartney had scored three centuries in as many innings.
Macartney's form tailed off thereafter; in the following six weeks, he made only one score beyond 40 in 11 innings and took only three wickets in nine matches. This included the Fifth Test, when he scored 25 and 16 and failed to take a wicket as England won the Test by 289 runs and with it the Ashes. Macartney topped the batting averages with 473 runs at 94.60 and took four wickets at 53.75. Macartney returned to form in the final first-class fixture of the season with an unbeaten 100 against and England XI.
Macartney decided to retire from Tests after the tour. He had taken part in twelve Test century partnerships, the highest being 235 with Woodfull in the Leeds Test.
Career end
After his return to Australia, Macartney continued to play club cricket and turned out for a final first-class summer. At the start of the 1926–27 season, he captained a combined Sydney City team against a New South Wales country team, which included the then 18-year-old Bradman. Macartney scored 126 and Bradman 98 in a match viewed as a generational transition in Australian batting. He scored 114 in his opening first-class match of the season, and took wickets in each of his four matches. Macartney totalled 243 runs at 40.50 and took 11 wickets at 17.82.In mid-1927 he toured Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
with Bert Oldfield
Bert Oldfield
William Albert Stanley "Bert" Oldfield was an Australian cricket player. He played for New South Wales and the Australian cricket team as wicket-keeper....
's team and played in a series of non-first-class matches against local teams. In October 1929, he played for a New South Wales Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
team against a series of local teams in the state's rural west.
In 1935–36, Macartney was vice-captain to Jack Ryder
Jack Ryder (cricket)
John "Jack" Ryder was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.Born in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, Ryder was known as the "King of Collingwood" for his long association with the local cricket team...
, on the tour of India organised by Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant (in full Francis Alfred Tarrant (Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 1880 – 29 January 1951 in Melbourne) was an Australian all-rounder who played with great success for Middlesex in the County Championship in the years before World War I.His record is...
; he also wrote forthright columns for The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, covering the trip. At the time, India had only received its first official tour, by England, and Australia was not keen on sending a Test team there. Thus, while the Test team were in South Africa, Tarrant's party consisted mainly of retired Test cricketers in their mid-40s and beyond.
In his return to first-class cricket after nine years, Macartney took 5/17 and 3/42 in the first international match against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, which the Australians won by eight wickets. He went wicketless as the series was squared in the second match, before taking 3/52 and 6/41 in the final match. Despite his nine wickets, Australia lost by 34 runs. Other notable performances included an 85 against Bengal
Bengal cricket team
Bengal cricket team is considered Eastern India's strongest cricket team, it is the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy and were runners-up twice consecutively in the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 season. Their ranks are occasionally bolstered by the return of Sourav Ganguly to the domestic competition...
and 3/45 and 3/47 against Madras
Tamil Nadu cricket team
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Team ; , competes in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy, the top cricketing competition in India. The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country...
. In the latter match, Macartney added 39 as the Australians scraped home by one wicket.
Outside cricket
Macartney married Anna Bruce, a schoolteacher, at Chatswood Presbyterian Church in December 1921. At the time, the NSW Railway & Tramway Magazine noted that he was a "strict teetotaller and non-gambler" who loved his pipe, tennis and music. After his marriage, Macartney described himself as a civil servant while he was not engaged in cricketing activities. Like most Australian cricketers of his era, Macartney was Protestant, and a freemason.Macartney wrote for several Sydney newspapers, and between 1936 and 1942 regularly produced pieces for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1930 he published the autobiographical My Cricketing Days. During the Second World War, he was a lieutenant in the amenities service of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
, and afterwards was a personnel officer at Prince Henry Hospital.
Childless, Macartney was predeceased by his wife. He died of coronary occlusion (heart attack) while at work. In February 2007, Macartney was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
along with Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
, making them the 26th and 27th inductees.
Test match performance
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best (Inns) |
| England | 26 | 1640 | 43.15 | 170 | 5/7 | 908 | 33 | 27.51 | 7/58 |
| South Africa | 9 | 491 | 37.76 | 137 | 2/2 | 332 | 12 | 27.66 | 5/44 |
| Overall | 35 | 2131 | 41.78 | 170 | 7/9 | 1240 | 45 | 27.55 | 7/58 |