James Mackay (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
James Rainey Munro Mackay, better known as "Sunny Jim" Mackay, (9 September 1880 – 13 June 1953) was an Australia
n cricket
er. He was a right-handed opening batsman
who was likened in his youth to Victor Trumper
, and was considered unlucky to miss the 1905 Australian tour to England.
Mackay was born in Armidale, New South Wales
. He scored 203, 90, 194, 105, 102* and 136 for New South Wales
in the 1905/06 season. He also scored 6 other centuries for his club side. A country boy, he inadvisedly signed a disapproved contract with Melbourne C.C. in company with others and was suspended. He moved to South Africa
where he dominated again for Transvaal but his eyesight was damaged when a motorbike knocked him down and his brief, but dazzling career, was cut short.
Mackay moved back to Sydney
and tried to regain his place in the New South Wales side but his injury was too debilitating and he was forced to retire. In just 20 first class matches from 1902/03 to 1906/07, he had scored 1556 runs at 50.19 with six hundreds and 7 fifties. He died in Walcha
.
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. He was a right-handed opening batsman
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...
who was likened in his youth to 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...
, and was considered unlucky to miss the 1905 Australian tour to England.
Mackay was born in Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
. He scored 203, 90, 194, 105, 102* and 136 for New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in the 1905/06 season. He also scored 6 other centuries for his club side. A country boy, he inadvisedly signed a disapproved contract with Melbourne C.C. in company with others and was suspended. He moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he dominated again for Transvaal but his eyesight was damaged when a motorbike knocked him down and his brief, but dazzling career, was cut short.
Mackay moved back 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...
and tried to regain his place in the New South Wales side but his injury was too debilitating and he was forced to retire. In just 20 first class matches from 1902/03 to 1906/07, he had scored 1556 runs at 50.19 with six hundreds and 7 fifties. He died in Walcha
Walcha, New South Wales
Walcha is a parish and town at the south-eastern edge of the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia.The town serves as the seat of Walcha Shire. Walcha is located 425 kilometres by road from Sydney at the intersection of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way...
.