John Scott (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
John Drake Scott (31 January 1888 – 7 April 1964) was an Australia
n cricketer
and Test match umpire
. Scott played as a right-arm fast bowler and was also a useful lower-order right-handed batsman. He was the first man to dismiss Don Bradman in first-class cricket
, in December 1927. Scott went on to umpire fifty games, including ten Ashes
tests.
Born in Sydney
, Scott's first-class playing career ran for two decades, from the 1908-09 to the 1928-29 Australian seasons. During this time he played 59 matches. The bulk of his career was spent with New South Wales
, but he moved to South Australia
for the 1925-26 season. Scott's best bowling figures were 6-48 against Victoria
, taken in the 1909-10. The 1913-14 season saw him make his only century, exactly 100 against Queensland
.
After his retirement from playing, Scott stood as a first-class umpire on more than 50 occasions, including ten Test matches
between 1936 and 1947. His first match was between Australia
and England
at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
on 4 December to 9 December 1936, a match convincingly won by the visitors. Scott's partner in that match was George Borwick.
Scott and Borwick went on to stand in another nine Ashes
Tests matches
together: a further four as part of the 1936-37 tour and five more on the 1946-47 tour. Scott's last match was at the Sydney Cricket Ground
on 28 February to 5 March 1947.
As a player, Scott was regarded as a "likeable larrikin". In his early career, Johnnie Moyes
compared him to Tibby Cotter
, while Jack Pollard
called him "a fiery, outspoken fast bowler with a long record of defying authority". Indeed, Scott was barred for an entire Sydney grade season after a show of bad temper. As an umpire, he earned a reputation for disciplining fast bowlers for bowling short rising deliveries – the type of bowling for which he had been known.
Scott died at Springback, South Australia at the age of 76.
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"....
and Test match umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. Scott played as a right-arm fast bowler and was also a useful lower-order right-handed batsman. He was the first man to dismiss Don Bradman in first-class cricket
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...
, in December 1927. Scott went on to umpire fifty games, including ten 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...
tests.
Born in 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...
, Scott's first-class playing career ran for two decades, from the 1908-09 to the 1928-29 Australian seasons. During this time he played 59 matches. The bulk of his career was spent with 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...
, but he moved to 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...
for the 1925-26 season. Scott's best bowling figures were 6-48 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...
, taken in the 1909-10. The 1913-14 season saw him make his only century, exactly 100 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...
.
After his retirement from playing, Scott stood as a first-class umpire on more than 50 occasions, including ten 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 1936 and 1947. His first match was between Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and 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...
at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
on 4 December to 9 December 1936, a match convincingly won by the visitors. Scott's partner in that match was George Borwick.
Scott and Borwick went on to stand in another nine 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...
Tests 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...
together: a further four as part of the 1936-37 tour and five more on the 1946-47 tour. Scott's last match was 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...
on 28 February to 5 March 1947.
As a player, Scott was regarded as a "likeable larrikin". In his early career, Johnnie Moyes
Johnnie Moyes
Alban George "Johnny" Moyes MBE MC was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Victoria. Following his brief playing career, Moyes, a professional journalist, he later gained greater fame as a writer and commentator on the game.As a right-hand batsman Moyes scored 883 runs at an average of...
compared him to Tibby Cotter
Tibby Cotter
Albert "Tibby" Cotter was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests between 1904 and 1912....
, while 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...
called him "a fiery, outspoken fast bowler with a long record of defying authority". Indeed, Scott was barred for an entire Sydney grade season after a show of bad temper. As an umpire, he earned a reputation for disciplining fast bowlers for bowling short rising deliveries – the type of bowling for which he had been known.
Scott died at Springback, South Australia at the age of 76.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...