Double Headers

93 Australia: First home of the geographical double-header Here are the usual highlights associated with the double-header matches in Australia: •Among the well-known or Test cricketers who made their first-class debuts in these matches were Warwick Armstrong, E.F. ‘Mick’ Waddy (later of Warwickshire, who played against Derbyshire in their 1919 double-header), ‘Sunny Jim’ Mackay, Ranji Hordern, Bill Whitty, Ted a’Beckett, Ben Barnett, Ernie McCormick, Leo O’Brien, Jack Badcock, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, Ian Johnson and Neil Harvey. Badcock was still two months short of his 16th birthday when he made his debut for Tasmania v Victoria in February 1930; he was dismissed ‘stumped’ in both innings. •Future commentator Alan McGilvray and future Test cricketer Doug Ring were among those making their first-class debuts in the more senior match of a pair of double headers – McGilvray for NSW v Victoria in December 1933, and Ring for Victoria v NSW in December 1938. •Charles Eady was Tasmania’s star performer in some of the earlier matches in the list. In January 1895 he scored 116 and 112* in the match against Victoria – the first instance of a player scoring two centuries in a first-class match in Australia. A year later his bowling came to the fore, with figures of 8-34 and 4-29, and in the same fixture two years later he took 7-57 and 5-104. A year later still (January 1899) he scored 92 and 31 and took 7-66 and 5-63, to record the ‘match double’ - a feat previously achieved in Australia only by George Giffen. •The only double-century made for a ‘junior’ side in the 43 pairs of double-headers was an innings of 274 by Jack Badcock, now aged 19, for Tasmania against Victoria in December 1933; he also made 71* in Tasmania’s second innings. Badcock went one step further when playing Outstanding performances with bat and ball for Tasmania in the 1890s earned Charlie Eady (left) two Test appearances, but like Jack Badcock (right) he could not reproduce his domestic form at international level. In 12 Test innings, Badcock made one century and 11 single-figure scores.