Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

Oval Number 2. However, when Adelaide scored 5 for 202 chasing 284, it was felt that earnest entreaties would be made to the fast bowler to return the next Saturday. They were and he did, but after coming on as the seventh bowler, his 3 for 29 failed to prevent a one-wicket win by Adelaide. Not only was a holiday truncated, but Jones and his team were immediately thrust into a new match against Norwood on the adjacent main oval. With his club out of the running for the premiership, Jones might have rested his weary feet but instead he kept hitting the crease hard in his final two matches by taking 6 for 90 in the Norwood game, and 8 for 44 against North Adelaide. At the end of the season Jones still did not stop. Instead, he undertook a promotional tour of Western Australia with an eleven led by George Giffen and managed by South Australian administrator Mostyn Evan for a reported fee for the team of £1,000. The team consisted of Australian players Joe Darling, Clem Hill, Jim Kelly, Syd Gregory, Jack Lyons, Harry Graham, Harry Trott, Tom McKibbin and Giffen’s Norwood team-mate Albert Green who made a handful of appearances for South Australia. The programme comprised six matches, all against odds (eighteens or twenty-twos), at Fremantle, Perth (twice), the gold-mining towns of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, and Northam on the edge of the wheat belt, which resulted in two wins, one loss and three draws, and the local promoters clearing their expenses. The games were mostly played on asphalt wickets covered by matting and Jones led the bowling averages with 54 wickets at 4.38 runs apiece ahead of McKibbin with 73 wickets at 5.77. In these second-class games Jones’ best innings performances were 11 for 29 and 11 for 45 against Western Australian Eighteens at Fremantle and Perth. Jones and McKibbin enjoyed their visit so much that they both subsequently returned to settle in Kalgoorlie. ***** In his labouring work for the SACA, Jones has been described as ‘fairly useless’ but he showed greater willingness to bowl to all and sundry at the nets. Maybe the combination of a relaxed winter away from football and cricket workouts had him bursting with energy at the new season’s start. Jones also had another bouncing baby on his lap with Eliza producing the couple’s fourth child, and second daughter, Thelma Dorothy, in October. The Great Fast Bowler: 1896-1899 31