Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

Adelaide, but that was probably because his side won by 57 runs. Jones and Giffen delivered three times as many overs as any of their colleagues but they also took 16 wickets! Jones became the first bowler to take 150 Sheffield Shield wickets, and the game was also marked by his highest first-class score, a pulverising 82 in a ninth wicket partnership of 111 with John McKenzie compiled in just 65 minutes. The return match against Victoria at the MCG saw the game begin in high temperatures with a north wind blowing. As the wind dropped the sun beat down, struck Jones with heat exhaustion about a half an hour before stumps, and rendered him ill for some time afterwards. In such conditions Darling had him bowl the bulk of his 49 overs in Victoria’s only innings. He backed that up with 67 overs (and match figures of 9 for 223) in New South Wales’s win in Sydney which began three days later. Jones was one of the nine original players chosen for the coming English tour by selectors Darling, Trumble and Gregory on 4 January, with three representatives from each of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. An additional four players were added after the second match between an Australian Eleven and the Rest of Australia on 13 March, and a final tour place was offered to Victor Trumper, after the third match on 22 March. Jones had moderate success in these games but performed brilliantly for North Adelaide, with 24 wickets at 13.20, plus one blazing innings of 70 (in 35 minutes) against Sturt when opening the batting. The tenth Australian side, under the management of Major Ben Wardill, left Largs Bay on the steamer Ormuz on 30 March, 1899. As on the previous tour there were a number of South Australian cricket officials to see them off, although in addition there was a gathering of the Hill clan, not only father John, but also five of Clem’s brothers. A dense and pressing crowd clustered at the Adelaide Railway Station and it was with difficulty that the cricketers made their way to the compartments of the train which was to take them to their ship. There was a hearty cheer for Giffen when he stepped into a carriage, and the train left amid mixed cheering and hooting, although in the end the cheering predominated. Giffen supporters were doing the hooting in protest against the old warrior being merely a passenger and member of the farewell brigade and not part of the tour party. The The Great Fast Bowler: 1896-1899 42