John Hodges
Encyclopedia
John Robart Hodges, an Australian cricketer, was born in Knightsbridge
, London
on 11 August 1855 and is believed to have died on 17 January 1933 in Melbourne
, Victoria
in his adopted country. The exact details of his death remain unconfirmed but this date is generally accepted by the sport's historians. He is one of the least known Australian players, so meteoric and short was his career. He had the unusual distinction of playing in a Test match
(and not just any Test match, the first ever given such status) before playing for his colony. Therefore, the historic international, played at Melbourne in 1877 between Australia
and England
, was Hodges' first-class
debut.
A left-handed batsman and fast-medium, round-arm bowler, Hodges started playing cricket for the famous Capulets club in the Collingwood
district of Victoria. Following some good performances in club cricket, he soon appeared for the Richmond Cricket Club
(1876/77), and later played for Victoria.
His bowling had both pace and movement and occasionally he could swing the ball sharply. But it also lacked consistency and all the good work he showed previously rarely came to the fore in his two representative matches. He bowled too short and was hit about the ground by some of the English batsmen. Hodges got his chance to play in the inaugural Test when the more widely recognised bowler, Frank Allen, refused to travel to Melbourne from Warrnambool for the match. Allen could not spare the time and thus Hodges bowled the very first ball for Australia in Test history and was unlucky not to take a wicket with it. Newspaper reports suggested that an umpiring error saved the English batsman, Henry Jupp, after he dislodged the bails whilst attempting to play the ball. Umpire Ben Terry, standing at square leg, did not see the incident and therefore Jupp survived.
Hodges took three wickets in his first Test, including John Selby
twice, and did enough to earn selection for the second Test two weeks later. He claimed another three wickets in the second Test and this time it was Andrew Greenwood
that fell to him in both innings
. In both matches he scored just ten runs (with two ducks and a highest score of 8) and his play in the field was considered casual bordering on slipshod.
Nine months after his representative matches, in December 1877, Hodges made his debut for Victoria and played a second and last time for the state in February the following year. From then on his form deserted him and he was soon out of first-class cricket
and back playing for the Capulet team.
A bootmaker by trade, Hodges appeared before a Richmond court in February 1884, charged with indecent exposure. The charges were dismissed and from thereon he faded into relative obscurity. One of the last references to Hodges came in January 1911 when Tom Horan
, a former teammate in that inaugural Test side, reported that he believed Hodges had moved to South Africa
. But further details about his life are sparse. Despite his early cricketing ability Hodges spent most of his life living in poverty.
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 11 August 1855 and is believed to have died on 17 January 1933 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in his adopted country. The exact details of his death remain unconfirmed but this date is generally accepted by the sport's historians. He is one of the least known Australian players, so meteoric and short was his career. He had the unusual distinction of playing in a Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
(and not just any Test match, the first ever given such status) before playing for his colony. Therefore, the historic international, played at Melbourne in 1877 between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was Hodges' first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut.
A left-handed batsman and fast-medium, round-arm bowler, Hodges started playing cricket for the famous Capulets club in the Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
district of Victoria. Following some good performances in club cricket, he soon appeared for the Richmond Cricket Club
Richmond Cricket Club
This article concerns the Richmond club in Australia. For the English club of the same name, see Richmond Cricket Club, SurreyThe Richmond Cricket Club is an Australian cricket club based in Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria....
(1876/77), and later played for Victoria.
His bowling had both pace and movement and occasionally he could swing the ball sharply. But it also lacked consistency and all the good work he showed previously rarely came to the fore in his two representative matches. He bowled too short and was hit about the ground by some of the English batsmen. Hodges got his chance to play in the inaugural Test when the more widely recognised bowler, Frank Allen, refused to travel to Melbourne from Warrnambool for the match. Allen could not spare the time and thus Hodges bowled the very first ball for Australia in Test history and was unlucky not to take a wicket with it. Newspaper reports suggested that an umpiring error saved the English batsman, Henry Jupp, after he dislodged the bails whilst attempting to play the ball. Umpire Ben Terry, standing at square leg, did not see the incident and therefore Jupp survived.
Hodges took three wickets in his first Test, including John Selby
John Selby
John Selby played cricket professionally for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club between 1870 and 1887...
twice, and did enough to earn selection for the second Test two weeks later. He claimed another three wickets in the second Test and this time it was Andrew Greenwood
Andrew Greenwood
Andrew Greenwood was an English cricketer, who played in the first two cricket Tests. Greenwood was small in height, but a gutsy batsman, who was also noted for his fielding in the deep....
that fell to him in both innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
. In both matches he scored just ten runs (with two ducks and a highest score of 8) and his play in the field was considered casual bordering on slipshod.
Nine months after his representative matches, in December 1877, Hodges made his debut for Victoria and played a second and last time for the state in February the following year. From then on his form deserted him and he was soon out of first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
and back playing for the Capulet team.
A bootmaker by trade, Hodges appeared before a Richmond court in February 1884, charged with indecent exposure. The charges were dismissed and from thereon he faded into relative obscurity. One of the last references to Hodges came in January 1911 when Tom Horan
Tom Horan
Thomas Patrick Horan was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia, and later became an esteemed cricket journalist under the pen name "Felix". The first of only two Irish-born players to play Test cricket for Australia, Horan was the leading batsman in the colony of Victoria...
, a former teammate in that inaugural Test side, reported that he believed Hodges had moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. But further details about his life are sparse. Despite his early cricketing ability Hodges spent most of his life living in poverty.