Eddie Illingworth
Encyclopedia
Edward "Eddie" Philip Illingworth (born 27 November 1938) is a former Australia
n cricket
er who played five first-class matches for Victoria
between 1962 and 1964. A right-arm medium pace bowler
, Illingworth was best remembered for being no-balled
for throwing
in a Sheffield Shield match against South Australia
in November 1964 by umpires Col Egar and Jack Ryan. His selection for Victoria was made more controversial by the fact that he had been called at district level for throwing prior to his first-class debut. Away from first-class cricket, Illingworth had a successful career for Fitzroy in Victorian Premier Cricket
, where he remains the eighth highest wicket-taker of all time, with 599. He was named the club champion three times, and later served for seven years as a board member of the Victorian Cricket Association.
. He made his debut in the first-grade team in the 1957–58 season. He was to represent them for 20 years, playing a total of 233 matches.
In December 1959, Illingworth was selected for the Victoria Colts, a youth team, to play against the New South Wales Colts. Illingworth scored a pair and opened the bowling, taking 1/51 as New South Wales made 278 in their only innings of a drawn match.
Two years later, in November 1961, Illingworth was selected for Jack Potter
's XI in an invitational one-day single innings match against Bill Lawry
's XI at Junction Oval
. Both sides featured current Test players, including Lawry, Ian Meckiff
and Lindsay Kline
. Illingworth made 17 as Potter's men were bowled out for 125, before bowling nine wicketless overs for 34 runs as Lawry's side made 9/279, having reached the target with eight wickets intact.
at Kardinia Park
in Geelong in February 1962. His selection had generated controversy since he had twice been no-balled for throwing by two different umpires in Melbourne district cricket in the two seasons prior to his selection. One of the occasions in district cricket, he had been no-balled three times in one over
. At the time, Tasmania were not in the Sheffield Shield competition, so it was a one-off match.
Victoria won the toss and elected to bat. Illingworth came to the crease at 7/109 and scored 22 before being dismissed at 8/154 his team were bowled out for 214. He then took 3/43, all of his victims being top seven batsmen, as the hosts bowled Tasmania out for 119 to take a 95-run lead. He then made four as Victoria made 8/286 declared, leaving Tasmania with a target of 392. Illingworth took his career best figures of 4/28, removing Tasmania's first four batsmen, as his team took a 190-run win.
Despite this performance, Illingworth was overlooked for further state selection for over two years. Returning to play for Fitzroy in district cricket, he took 63 wickets at 13.76 in the 1963–64 season, making him the leading wicket-taker for the season across the entire competition. He finally returned to the state team in late-1964, during the 1964–65 season. In a trial match at the start of the season against Sunraysia Cricket Association
in the regional town of Mildura, Illingworth opened the bowling and took 1/15 from eight overs as Victoria took a 117-run win in the one-day match.
He was then selected to make his Sheffield Shield debut a week later, against Western Australia
at the WACA Ground
in Perth
. Illingworth came in at 6/168 and made 25 before being run out
in his team's 208. Bowling first change, he dismissed both openers to leave the hosts at 2/60, before they recovered to take a 183-run lead. Illingworth ended with 2/53. He then scored 14 as Victoria set a target of 180. Illingworth then took 0/20 from ten overs before time ran out with Western Australia on 1/50.
in the following week of November 1964, which was the same match in which he was called. The home side won the toss and elected to bat first.
Illingworth took 4/92 in South Australia's first innings but was no-balled a total of three times by Egar and Ryan. Illingworth was called on each of the occasions by the umpire standing at square leg. He was called twice by Egar on the second and fourth deliveries of his eleventh over, and once by Ryan on the sixth ball of his fourteenth over. In the same fourteenth over, Illingworth had dismissed former Pakistani Test batsman Duncan Sharpe
and Australian Test wicket-keeper Barry Jarman
from the first and fourth deliveries respectively. This broke a 97-run stand between Sharpe and Ian Chappell
, before Jarman was removed for a duck. After 17 more runs were added, Illingworth had Chappell caught behind for 127. South Australia eventually finished at 392.
Victoria then batted. Illingworth made 22 of his team's 144 after they fell to 6/100. They were forced to follow on, having conceded a 248-run lead in their first innings. Victoria had to try to stave off defeat and they were in trouble when Illingworth came in to bat, partnering captain Bill Lawry after wicket-keeper
Ray Jordon
was out with the score at 6/193. Illingworth scored his highest first-class score of 47, putting on a partnership
of 87 runs with Lawry before he was dismissed with the score at 7/280. Victoria were 8/286 at the end of play, just 38 runs ahead, as the match ended in a draw.
, he took 1/56, taking the wicket of Test player Keith Slater
as Western Australia made 455. He made 10 as Victoris responded with 318, before bowling two overs for the concession of two runs as Western Australia reached 3/72 when time ran out.
Illingworth's final match was against Queensland in December 1964. He took 0/34 as Queensland batted first and made 270. After scoring seven of his team's 341, he took 1/86 as Queensland declared at 5/332. Chasing 261 for victory, Illingworth made four as his team lost by 40 runs. Illingworth ended his career with 15 wickets at an average of 27.60, and 155 runs at 17.22. The state selectors were reluctant to pick him for Victoria because of the throwing allegations that surrounded him.
Illingworth returned to district cricket and played another 13 seasons with Fitzroy until finishing his career after the 1977–78 season, having played 233 matches. He took 599 wickets at 18.60 for Fitzroy, placing him eighth on the all-time wicket-takers list in Victorian Premier Cricket. His best bowling figures in an innings was 8/18 and he took five wickets in an innings 26 times, and ten wickets in a match three times. He also amassed 2666 runs at 14.03 and took 91 catches. He was part of two premierships in his career, with Fitzroy winning in 1960–61 and 1966–67. Illingworth was voted the club champion three times, winning the Arthur Liddicut Medal in 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1976–77. He is an honorary life member of the club.
From 1970–71 to 1977–78, Illingworth served as Fitzroy's delegate on the Victorian Cricket Association's board of directors.
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 cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played five first-class matches for 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...
between 1962 and 1964. A right-arm medium pace bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
, Illingworth was best remembered for being no-balled
No ball
In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled...
for throwing
Throwing (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, throwing, commonly referred to as chucking, is an illegal bowling action which occurs when a bowler straightens their arm when delivering the ball. The Laws of Cricket specify that a bowler's arm must be fully extended and rotated about the shoulder to impart velocity to...
in a Sheffield Shield match against 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...
in November 1964 by umpires Col Egar and Jack Ryan. His selection for Victoria was made more controversial by the fact that he had been called at district level for throwing prior to his first-class debut. Away from first-class cricket, Illingworth had a successful career for Fitzroy in Victorian Premier Cricket
Victorian Premier Cricket
Victorian Premier Cricket is the elite club cricket competition in the state of Victoria, administered by Cricket Victoria. Each club fields four teams of adult players and usually play on weekends and public holidays. Matches are played on turf wickets under limited-time rules, with most results...
, where he remains the eighth highest wicket-taker of all time, with 599. He was named the club champion three times, and later served for seven years as a board member of the Victorian Cricket Association.
Early career
During his career in local cricket, Illingworth played for Fitzroy in Victorian Premier CricketVictorian Premier Cricket
Victorian Premier Cricket is the elite club cricket competition in the state of Victoria, administered by Cricket Victoria. Each club fields four teams of adult players and usually play on weekends and public holidays. Matches are played on turf wickets under limited-time rules, with most results...
. He made his debut in the first-grade team in the 1957–58 season. He was to represent them for 20 years, playing a total of 233 matches.
In December 1959, Illingworth was selected for the Victoria Colts, a youth team, to play against the New South Wales Colts. Illingworth scored a pair and opened the bowling, taking 1/51 as New South Wales made 278 in their only innings of a drawn match.
Two years later, in November 1961, Illingworth was selected for Jack Potter
Jack Potter
Jack Potter is a former Australian cricketer who played 81 matches for Victoria. He also represented Australia although never in a Test....
's XI in an invitational one-day single innings match against Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
's XI at Junction Oval
Junction Oval
The Junction Oval is an historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its location near the St Kilda Junction gave rise to its nickname...
. Both sides featured current Test players, including Lawry, Ian Meckiff
Ian Meckiff
Ian Meckiff is a former cricketer who represented Australia in 18 Tests between 1957 and 1963...
and Lindsay Kline
Lindsay Kline
Lindsay Francis Kline is former Australian and Victorian cricketer. He played in 13 Tests for Australia and 88 first-class matches between 1955/56 and 1961/1962...
. Illingworth made 17 as Potter's men were bowled out for 125, before bowling nine wicketless overs for 34 runs as Lawry's side made 9/279, having reached the target with eight wickets intact.
First-class debut
Illingworth was selected to make his first-class début for Victoria against TasmaniaTasmanian 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...
at Kardinia Park
Kardinia Park
Kardinia Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in South Geelong, Victoria. The stadium is the home ground of the Geelong Football Club. It is nicknamed "The Cattery" by the club's supporters...
in Geelong in February 1962. His selection had generated controversy since he had twice been no-balled for throwing by two different umpires in Melbourne district cricket in the two seasons prior to his selection. One of the occasions in district cricket, he had been no-balled three times in one over
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....
. At the time, Tasmania were not in the Sheffield Shield competition, so it was a one-off match.
Victoria won the toss and elected to bat. Illingworth came to the crease at 7/109 and scored 22 before being dismissed at 8/154 his team were bowled out for 214. He then took 3/43, all of his victims being top seven batsmen, as the hosts bowled Tasmania out for 119 to take a 95-run lead. He then made four as Victoria made 8/286 declared, leaving Tasmania with a target of 392. Illingworth took his career best figures of 4/28, removing Tasmania's first four batsmen, as his team took a 190-run win.
Despite this performance, Illingworth was overlooked for further state selection for over two years. Returning to play for Fitzroy in district cricket, he took 63 wickets at 13.76 in the 1963–64 season, making him the leading wicket-taker for the season across the entire competition. He finally returned to the state team in late-1964, during the 1964–65 season. In a trial match at the start of the season against Sunraysia Cricket Association
Sunraysia
Sunraysia is an area of northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia, known for its sunshine, grapes and oranges. Its main centre is Mildura....
in the regional town of Mildura, Illingworth opened the bowling and took 1/15 from eight overs as Victoria took a 117-run win in the one-day match.
He was then selected to make his Sheffield Shield debut a week later, against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
at the WACA Ground
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Illingworth came in at 6/168 and made 25 before being 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 his team's 208. Bowling first change, he dismissed both openers to leave the hosts at 2/60, before they recovered to take a 183-run lead. Illingworth ended with 2/53. He then scored 14 as Victoria set a target of 180. Illingworth then took 0/20 from ten overs before time ran out with Western Australia on 1/50.
No ball for throwing
Illingworth's best performance in a Sheffield Shield match was against South Australia at the Adelaide OvalAdelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
in the following week of November 1964, which was the same match in which he was called. The home side won the toss and elected to bat first.
Illingworth took 4/92 in South Australia's first innings but was no-balled a total of three times by Egar and Ryan. Illingworth was called on each of the occasions by the umpire standing at square leg. He was called twice by Egar on the second and fourth deliveries of his eleventh over, and once by Ryan on the sixth ball of his fourteenth over. In the same fourteenth over, Illingworth had dismissed former Pakistani Test batsman Duncan Sharpe
Duncan Sharpe
Duncan Albert Sharpe is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in three Tests in 1959. Sharpe was an Anglo-Pakistani, therefore he was one of the few Christian players to play for Pakistan....
and Australian Test wicket-keeper Barry Jarman
Barry Jarman
Barrington Noel Jarman OAM is a former Australian Test cricketer and International Cricket Council Match Referee....
from the first and fourth deliveries respectively. This broke a 97-run stand between Sharpe and Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
, before Jarman was removed for a duck. After 17 more runs were added, Illingworth had Chappell caught behind for 127. South Australia eventually finished at 392.
Victoria then batted. Illingworth made 22 of his team's 144 after they fell to 6/100. They were forced to follow on, having conceded a 248-run lead in their first innings. Victoria had to try to stave off defeat and they were in trouble when Illingworth came in to bat, partnering captain Bill Lawry after wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Ray Jordon
Ray Jordon
Raymond Clarence Jordon is a former Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and toured with the Australian national cricket team...
was out with the score at 6/193. Illingworth scored his highest first-class score of 47, putting on a partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 87 runs with Lawry before he was dismissed with the score at 7/280. Victoria were 8/286 at the end of play, just 38 runs ahead, as the match ended in a draw.
Career end
Illingworth played in two further matches, but only took two wickets. In the following match against Western Australia at the Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, he took 1/56, taking the wicket of Test player Keith Slater
Keith Slater
Keith Nichol Slater is a former Western Australian and Australian cricketer and WAFL player....
as Western Australia made 455. He made 10 as Victoris responded with 318, before bowling two overs for the concession of two runs as Western Australia reached 3/72 when time ran out.
Illingworth's final match was against Queensland in December 1964. He took 0/34 as Queensland batted first and made 270. After scoring seven of his team's 341, he took 1/86 as Queensland declared at 5/332. Chasing 261 for victory, Illingworth made four as his team lost by 40 runs. Illingworth ended his career with 15 wickets at an average of 27.60, and 155 runs at 17.22. The state selectors were reluctant to pick him for Victoria because of the throwing allegations that surrounded him.
Illingworth returned to district cricket and played another 13 seasons with Fitzroy until finishing his career after the 1977–78 season, having played 233 matches. He took 599 wickets at 18.60 for Fitzroy, placing him eighth on the all-time wicket-takers list in Victorian Premier Cricket. His best bowling figures in an innings was 8/18 and he took five wickets in an innings 26 times, and ten wickets in a match three times. He also amassed 2666 runs at 14.03 and took 91 catches. He was part of two premierships in his career, with Fitzroy winning in 1960–61 and 1966–67. Illingworth was voted the club champion three times, winning the Arthur Liddicut Medal in 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1976–77. He is an honorary life member of the club.
From 1970–71 to 1977–78, Illingworth served as Fitzroy's delegate on the Victorian Cricket Association's board of directors.