Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

Acknowledgements A number of people need to be thanked in connection with this project. First and foremost are Peter and Susan Lutley (who died suddenly in early 2006) of City Beach, in Perth, Western Australia. Peter is Ernie’s great great nephew on his mother’s side and, like Ernie, has worked for WA Customs. Peter and Susan had begun family history research and work to assist the WA Customs Museum when they discovered me. We swapped family, work and sporting information in connection with Broken Hill, Adelaide, the Western Australian goldfields and Perth in what has enriched both our stories. Sports history colleagues gave me strong support. Former Wisden Australia editor Warwick Franks wrote a splendid short essay on Ernie for a special edition of Inside Edge magazine, proof read the text and offered helpful advice. Adelaide cricket historian Geoff Sando, who has an unmatched knowledge of minor cricket in South Australia checked detail at the local level as well as uncovering an important source on the ball through the beard controversy regarding W.G.Grace. South Adelaide Football Club historian John Althorp answered queries concerning Jones’ early football history. Others who assisted with information were Western Australian Cricket Association historian Tony Barker, Perth cricket historian Bill Reynolds, Melbourne cricket historian Ken Williams and Melbourne cricket card collector Lawrie Wordsworth. Much of the raw material was drawn from newspaper sources. I wish to acknowledge staff from the State Library of South Australia who got me out of trouble when microfilm copiers occasionally failed to function. Finally I wish to thank Penelope Curtin for her customary first-rate editing. My thanks too, to Roger Mann for his help with photographs. Cover design is by Zahra Ridge, proof-reading by Ric Finlay and the series general editor is David Jeater. 87