Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

remainder of the Test series (which England won 3-2 largely due to Richardson’s 32 wickets) and had few first-class opportunities to reinforce his claims for selection. In one match in Adelaide against New South Wales in early January between the Second and Third Tests, he took 1 for 112 while Giffen grabbed 16 wickets, and at that point of the summer his 7 wickets had cost 67 runs apiece. By the time Jones returned for South Australia’s Sheffield Shield matches against Victoria and New South Wales in Melbourne and Sydney in February, Australia had levelled the series with a stunning innings victory in the Fourth Test. Jones was certainly the bright spark in his side’s ten-wicket loss to the Victorians in Melbourne. He uprooted the off stump of Jack Worrall, had Billy Bruce caught at third man, and nipped the bails of Albert Trott in taking 5 for 71 and dispelling any ideas of his having lost his deadliness. However, the game is important in Jones’ career for one other reason as he was the first player dismissed in Sheffield Shield history for handling the ball. The unfortunate circumstance occurred near the end of the match with South Australia in its second innings leading Victoria by just 15 runs with one wicket to fall. As Horan reported: F.Jarvis batted capitally for 14 not out and Jones had shaped well for nine. The latter had a rent in his shirt, and the ball got in there and stopped. Jones, forgetting the rule, touched the ball with his hand and [wicket-keeper] Lewis straightaway appealed. The umpire Fisher had, of course, to give the batsman out, but Harry Trott regretted that an appeal was made. Jones had intended handing the ball to Lewis, and Giffen wrote that the spectators were much amused. It was a shame Jones did not have a larger total to bowl at or they might not have been chuckling. Fortunately the law was changed in 1899 to make such a ball ‘dead’ once it had lodged in a batsman’s clothing. Jones bowled serviceably in Sydney where Giffen took another ten wickets, but the game was won by off-spinner Tom McKibbin’s 14 for 189. With the previous Test having been won by the medium-pace and spin of Giffen, Charlie Turner and Harry Trott, and the deciding match to start in Melbourne the following week, there was little likelihood of a forced re-entry into the Test side by Jones. Star Ascending: 1892-1895 16