Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

When South Australia visited Perth and Fremantle in January and February 1906, the Western Australian selectors determined that they would stand or fall as a genuine Western Australian team. As a result neither Jones, nor former Australian off-spinner Tom McKibbin, nor the 50-year-old ex-New South Wales batsman Hugh Hiddleston were invited to play, principally because they had not been closely identified with local matches. Ernie and Eliza’s family had stabilised with three children, but then further tragedy struck. While two of his children had not reached the new century as we have seen, a third did not long survive it. Their youngest daughter, Doris, died of tubercular-meningitis exhaustion in Kalgoorlie in September, 1906 at the age of seven, after having contracted the disease eleven days before. Jones continued his cricket in 1906/07 and, along with other Goldfields players Arthur Christian and Clement Wellington, appeared against New South Wales in March. However, the Western Australian selectors were criticised for forcing them to make the long journey to the city and show form at practice before being chosen. For his part, Jones had success in each game. He made a crunching 48 in the first innings of the game at the WACA ground in just twenty minutes. Two hits went out of the ground and 43 runs came off the left-arm orthodox spin of Charlie Macartney. He followed this with 23 in the second innings, as well as dismissing the first three New South Wales batsmen. In the second match, at Fremantle Oval, Jones’ six wickets were crucial in his side’s exciting win by five runs, the last victory by Western Australia over New South Wales until December, 1959. Last Days near the Top: 1903-1912 68 Jones in distinctly uncomfortable neckwear in about 1906.