Jack Potter
Encyclopedia
Jack Potter is a former Australia
n cricket
er who played 81 matches for Victoria
. He also represented Australia although never in a Test
.
Potter made his first-class
debut in January 1957 against Tasmania
making only 6, he made his Sheffield Shield
debut in the final game of the season against Western Australia
scoring 21. The following season he scored two centuries, 115 and 110, both coming against South Australia
as he cemented his place in the state side.
Potter scored two more centuries during 1959 and toured New Zealand with Australia B in February 1960. In 1960-61 he scored two centuries and shared in 252 and 237 run parnerships with Bill Lawry
. After a patchy 1961-62 season, he was the third highest runscorer in the Sheffield Shield 1962/63 season, he also scored a century against the touring MCC
.
In December 1963 he scored 123* for a Combined XI against the touring South Africans, it earned him a place in the 12 man squad for the second Test however Tom Veivers
was selected ahead of him. Potter once again finished the season with two centuries and an average of 55.50 and earned a place on the tour of England in 1964.
In the first Test of the 1964 Ashes
Potter was once again twelfth man, towards the end of the tour Potter fractured his skull during a one-day match in the Netherlands. He was therefore unable to tour India and Pakistan along with the rest of the team where he was likely to make his Test debut.
Potter was dropped half way through the 1964-65 season after poor form but the following season he scored his best first-class score of 221 against New South Wales
, however he passed 50 only once more during the season.
In 1966-67 Potter was made captain of Victoria and led them to the Sheffield Shield title, averaging 53.50 during the season. Halfway through the 1967-68 season he retired from cricket at the age of 29, he scored 82 and 105* in his final match passing 5,000 runs for Victoria during his final innings.
Throughout his first-class career he also played, and captained, Fitzroy Cricket Club. Between 1987 and 1989 he was the inaugural head coach of the Australian Cricket Academy helping in the development of Shane Warne
.
Potter's notable achievements include holding the record for being 12th man for Australia the most times without winning a cap (thrice) and being the first prominent spinner to bowl a 'doosra' (a leg-break bowled with an off-break action).
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 81 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...
. He also represented Australia although never in a Test
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...
.
Potter made 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...
debut in January 1957 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...
making only 6, he made his Sheffield Shield
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
debut in the final game of the season against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
scoring 21. The following season he scored two centuries, 115 and 110, both coming 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...
as he cemented his place in the state side.
Potter scored two more centuries during 1959 and toured New Zealand with Australia B in February 1960. In 1960-61 he scored two centuries and shared in 252 and 237 run parnerships with 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...
. After a patchy 1961-62 season, he was the third highest runscorer in the Sheffield Shield 1962/63 season, he also scored a century against the touring MCC
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 December 1963 he scored 123* for a Combined XI against the touring South Africans, it earned him a place in the 12 man squad for the second Test however Tom Veivers
Tom Veivers
Thomas Robert Veivers is a former Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests from 1963 to 1967. He was an all-rounder who bowled right arm off-spin bowler and batted left-handed. He later had a brief political career, holding the seat of Ashgrove in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1983...
was selected ahead of him. Potter once again finished the season with two centuries and an average of 55.50 and earned a place on the tour of England in 1964.
In the first Test of the 1964 Ashes
Australian cricket team in England in 1964
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1964 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.Australia won the series 1-0 with 4 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes.-Test series summary:...
Potter was once again twelfth man, towards the end of the tour Potter fractured his skull during a one-day match in the Netherlands. He was therefore unable to tour India and Pakistan along with the rest of the team where he was likely to make his Test debut.
Potter was dropped half way through the 1964-65 season after poor form but the following season he scored his best first-class score of 221 against 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...
, however he passed 50 only once more during the season.
In 1966-67 Potter was made captain of Victoria and led them to the Sheffield Shield title, averaging 53.50 during the season. Halfway through the 1967-68 season he retired from cricket at the age of 29, he scored 82 and 105* in his final match passing 5,000 runs for Victoria during his final innings.
Throughout his first-class career he also played, and captained, Fitzroy Cricket Club. Between 1987 and 1989 he was the inaugural head coach of the Australian Cricket Academy helping in the development of Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
.
Potter's notable achievements include holding the record for being 12th man for Australia the most times without winning a cap (thrice) and being the first prominent spinner to bowl a 'doosra' (a leg-break bowled with an off-break action).