Joseph Plant
Encyclopedia
Hugh Joseph Plant was an Australian first-class cricket
er who represented Victoria
in the Sheffield Shield during the 1930s.
An Old Xaverian
, Plant was initially an Australian rules football
er and played a senior match for Victorian Football League
club Richmond
in the 1925 VFL season
. Richmond lost the fixture, which took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, to Melbourne
by 39 points. He couldn't break into Richmond's team again and instead continued his football career at Coburg, where he played as a centre half back in their 1928 premiership side.
When Plant made his first-class cricket debut in 1932, it was as a specialist off spinner. Playing against Tasmania at Launceston, Plant took career best figures of 6-43 as the island state collapsed from 2 for 128 to 171 all out. He then took perhaps the two biggest scalps of his career, Herbert Sutcliffe
and Eddie Paynter
, when Victoria played against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
at the MCG the following year.
An all-rounder, Plant's batting peaked in the 1935/36 season when he made 395 runs at 39.50, including three of his four first-class half centuries. He put on a couple of notable performances early in the summer, starting with an innings of 64 against the Marylebone Cricket Club, who were touring Australia once more. Aside from reaching his then highest first-class score he also chipped in with a couple of wickets. His other memorable effort came against New South Wales at the MCG, where he scored 76 in his first innings and followed it up by having a hand in six dismissals when it was their opponent's turn to bat, two of them wickets and the other four catches.
In 1936/37, his final season, Plant was a member of Victoria's Sheffield Shield winning team, having taken part in three matches during their campaign.
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...
er who represented Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
in the Sheffield Shield during the 1930s.
An Old Xaverian
Old Xaverians Football Club
The Old Xaverians Football Club was established in 1923 by alumni of Jesuit school Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia. The club is one of Australia's most successful in the Victorian Amateur Football Association....
, Plant was initially an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er and played a senior match for Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
club Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
in the 1925 VFL season
1925 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1925.-New Teams:In 1915, and from 1919 to 1924, there were nine teams in the VFL competition...
. Richmond lost the fixture, which took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, to Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
by 39 points. He couldn't break into Richmond's team again and instead continued his football career at Coburg, where he played as a centre half back in their 1928 premiership side.
When Plant made his first-class cricket debut in 1932, it was as a specialist off spinner. Playing against Tasmania at Launceston, Plant took career best figures of 6-43 as the island state collapsed from 2 for 128 to 171 all out. He then took perhaps the two biggest scalps of his career, Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
and Eddie Paynter
Eddie Paynter
Edward "Eddie" Paynter was an English cricketer: an attacking batsman and excellent fielder. His Test batting average of 59.23 is the fifth highest of all time, and second only to Herbert Sutcliffe amongst Englishmen; against Australia alone Paynter averaged an extraordinary 84.42.Born in...
, when Victoria played against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
at the MCG the following year.
An all-rounder, Plant's batting peaked in the 1935/36 season when he made 395 runs at 39.50, including three of his four first-class half centuries. He put on a couple of notable performances early in the summer, starting with an innings of 64 against the Marylebone Cricket Club, who were touring Australia once more. Aside from reaching his then highest first-class score he also chipped in with a couple of wickets. His other memorable effort came against New South Wales at the MCG, where he scored 76 in his first innings and followed it up by having a hand in six dismissals when it was their opponent's turn to bat, two of them wickets and the other four catches.
In 1936/37, his final season, Plant was a member of Victoria's Sheffield Shield winning team, having taken part in three matches during their campaign.