Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

freaks and strong men in circuses and exhibitions, the popularity of wrestling and boxing, and the revival of the modern Olympics. The motto of that event, Citius, Altius, Fortius , meant Swifter, Higher, Stronger and was borrowed by Baron de Coubertin from Father Henri Martin Dideon, headmaster of Arceuil College in Paris, who had used it to describe the athletic achievements of his students. Six feet tall and fit as a mallee bull, Jones also expressed his strength in other ways. Although as a batsman his methods were agricultural he could be a huge hitter and in a second-class game in Edinburgh in 1902 one of his hits was measured at 152 yards, 2 feet and 3 inches, a great example of late Victorian precision. Less precise, but still revealing evidence of his strength, was his ability in a football match, for Orroroo against Pekina, to kick goals from the centre of the ground. Football memories, like those of cricket, were no doubt important, and in his sixties Jones recalled that he felt he was a better footballer than a cricketer without getting the credit for it. Off the field an even taller tale is told of Jones in the late 1920s being bet by a fellow worker on the wharves at Port Adelaide that he could not carry two bags of wheat at the one time and walk the plank to the top of the stack of wheat. Although his lumping days were far behind him, he is supposed to have put a bag of wheat under each arm – each weighing 180 lb – and performed the task without effort. A forgotten element about Jones’ cricket was his fielding. At mid-off he was superb. With either hand he would stop the most powerful drives, pick up cleanly, and return in the one action. He covered an enormous amount of ground and saved hundreds of runs because batsmen dared not take liberties whenever he was near the ball. To give some idea of the power and accuracy of the Jones throw we have the supposed eye-witness account of Leslie Poidevin writing of a game between the Australians and MCC at Lord’s in 1902. Poidevin’s piece appeared in the Sydney sporting newspaper, the Referee : One never hears his delivery questioned now, but that ‘Jonah’ can throw was amply demonstrated at Lord’s. He was returning from the boundary, whither he had chased a ball (that some people thought he might have caught) when espying a venturesome sparrow, he waited until it was in line with the bowler, and then threw the ball. The bird was hit, and fell fluttering to the ground. The crowd became concerned at its 84 The Legend