George Hele
Encyclopedia
George Alfred Hele was a cricket Test match umpire.
In 1918 Hele married Matilda Jane Hann in Adelaide. They had a son Raymond George Hele who later became a first-class umpire, making three generations of first-class cricket umpires.
. In 1921 he made his first class debut in a match between South Australia
and a touring MCC team
.
He umpired sixteen Test matches
, between 1928 and 1933. He made his debut in the first Test match played at the Exhibition Ground
in Brisbane
on 30 November 1928. This match, which also saw the debut of Don Bradman
, was won by England
by 675 runs, still the largest victory by runs in Test match history. His last match was played at Sydney
on 23 February to 28 February 1933. This was the last Test of the ‘Bodyline
’ series, and was again won comfortably by England. His colleagues in most of his matches were Dave Elder
and George Borwick.
Johnnie Moyes said that “in the opinion of those qualified to judge, (Hele) was perhaps the finest umpire Australia has produced” up to 1959.
Biography
Hele was born in 1891 to Andrew William Hele and Elizabeth Ann Hele, née Patterson. His father was a cricketer who played for the Bowden Cricket Club as a wicketkeeper before umpiring two first-class cricket matches.In 1918 Hele married Matilda Jane Hann in Adelaide. They had a son Raymond George Hele who later became a first-class umpire, making three generations of first-class cricket umpires.
Umpiring career
Following his father into umpiring, Hele umpired his first district cricket match in 1918 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 1921 he made his first class debut in a match between 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...
and a touring MCC team
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...
.
He umpired sixteen Test matches
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 1928 and 1933. He made his debut in the first Test match played at the Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 30 November 1928. This match, which also saw the debut of Don 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...
, was won by England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
by 675 runs, still the largest victory by runs in Test match history. His last match was played at Sydney
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...
on 23 February to 28 February 1933. This was the last Test of the ‘Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
’ series, and was again won comfortably by England. His colleagues in most of his matches were Dave Elder
Dave Elder
David Alexander Elder – 22 April 1954 at Deepdene, Victoria) was a cricket Test match umpire....
and George Borwick.
Johnnie Moyes said that “in the opinion of those qualified to judge, (Hele) was perhaps the finest umpire Australia has produced” up to 1959.