Ron Archer
Encyclopedia
This article is about the cricket player. For Ron Archer (pseudonym) see Ted White
Ronald Graham Archer (25 October 1933 – 27 May 2007) was an Australia
n Test
cricket
er who was born in Highgate Hill, Queensland
. He played in 19 Tests
from 1953 to 1956.
He was the younger brother of Ken Archer
, who also played Test cricket for Australia.
A highly gifted all rounder, Archer's career was cruelly cut short by a serious knee injury in the one-off Test against Pakistan in Karachi
in 1956when he was just 23. A permanent fixture in the team from his debut against South Africa at Melbourne
in 1952-53 until stricken by injury in 1956 Archer was a stylish middle order batsman and robust opening bowler. When England toured Australia in 1954-55 he topped the Australian bowling averages with 13 wickets (16.53). In the 2nd Test at Sybney he took 3-12 and 3-53 and his 49 was the highest score in the Australian first innings. After a slow start he excelled on the West Indian tour of 1955, recording 84 in Trinidad
, 98 at Bridgetown
and a maiden test hundred at Kingston
to finish the series with 364 runs at 60.66. Showcasing his all round talent he took 18 wickets at 25.05 in England in 1956 but fell injured in Pakistan
on the way home. He played in 1958-59 as a specialist batsmen but though he averaged over 40 for Queensland
his knee would not allow him to continue in the game. After retiring from the playing field he worked as a TV executive, became Cricket Australia
's Code of Behaviour Commissioner and officiated as an International Cricket Council
match referee. He was made a life member of the Queensland Cricket Association for his services to cricket.
Cricket Australia
Chairman Creagh O'Connor paid the following tribute "Ron Archer had a brief and very successful Test career which was tragically cut short by an injury of the type that modern sports medicine would today probably have overcome...But while his international playing career was too short, he still devoted an energetic and cheerful lifetime of support to the game that he loved, contributing right up until his final summer."
Ted White (author)
Ted White is a Hugo Award-winning American writer, known as a science fiction author and editor and fan, as well as a music critic...
Ronald Graham Archer (25 October 1933 – 27 May 2007) was an Australia
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 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...
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 was born in Highgate Hill, Queensland
Highgate Hill, Queensland
Highgate Hill is suburb of inner Brisbane, Australia and is located 2 km south of the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River. The topography of the suburb is undulating hills no more than above sea level....
. He played in 19 Tests
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...
from 1953 to 1956.
He was the younger brother of Ken Archer
Ken Archer
Kenneth Alan Archer is an Australian cricketer. An opening batsman, he played domestic first-class cricket for Queensland for 10 years, from 1946-7 to 1956-7. He played in 5 Tests for the Australian cricket team in 1950 and 1951...
, who also played Test cricket for Australia.
A highly gifted all rounder, Archer's career was cruelly cut short by a serious knee injury in the one-off Test against Pakistan in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in 1956when he was just 23. A permanent fixture in the team from his debut against South Africa at Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1952-53 until stricken by injury in 1956 Archer was a stylish middle order batsman and robust opening bowler. When England toured Australia in 1954-55 he topped the Australian bowling averages with 13 wickets (16.53). In the 2nd Test at Sybney he took 3-12 and 3-53 and his 49 was the highest score in the Australian first innings. After a slow start he excelled on the West Indian tour of 1955, recording 84 in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, 98 at Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
and a maiden test hundred at Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
to finish the series with 364 runs at 60.66. Showcasing his all round talent he took 18 wickets at 25.05 in England in 1956 but fell injured in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on the way home. He played in 1958-59 as a specialist batsmen but though he averaged over 40 for Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
his knee would not allow him to continue in the game. After retiring from the playing field he worked as a TV executive, became Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
's Code of Behaviour Commissioner and officiated as an International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
match referee. He was made a life member of the Queensland Cricket Association for his services to cricket.
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
Chairman Creagh O'Connor paid the following tribute "Ron Archer had a brief and very successful Test career which was tragically cut short by an injury of the type that modern sports medicine would today probably have overcome...But while his international playing career was too short, he still devoted an energetic and cheerful lifetime of support to the game that he loved, contributing right up until his final summer."