A’Beckett Ted Image 1 Victoria 1930

East St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria born right-hand batsman and right arm fast-medium bowler Ted a’Beckett won his colours at cricket, athletics and Australian Rules football at Melbourne Grammar School and then studied law at the University of Melbourne, entering Trinity College in 1927, where he excelled at sports, and represented the University in both cricket and Australian rules football before being seriously injured, fracturing his skull. Having recovered he made his debut in State cricket for Victoria in 1927-28, taking his career best return of 6-119 against New South Wales and A’Beckett’s best batting performance, 113 and 95 against New South Wales came over Christmas 1928, although it was somewhat overshadowed by the world record tenth wicket stand of 307 by New South Wales batsmen Alan Kippax and Hal Hooker. Not only did he come within a stroke of making twin centuries in that extraordinary Melbourne match, but he ended the amazing last wicket resistance by having Hooker, the No. 11 caught for 62.

After only six first class matches, he was drafted into the Australian Test team soon after Jack Gregory’s breakdown against England, making his Test match debut at Melbourne in December 1928 aged 21. He distinguished himself on the second day of his Melbourne debut by scoring a confident 41 and adding 86 for the seventh wicket with 20 year-old Don Bradman who made 79, and then dismissing 45-year-old Jack Hobbs, who snicked a widish ball, before close of play. It was a’Beckett’s only wicket, and he took only Herbert Sutcliffe’s at Adelaide, where England went four up after four. His two Tests brought him 2-216 and 104 runs  in four innings (some of them `crude’, according to P. G. H. Fender), though his catches to remove Patsy Hendren and Wally Hammond for 200 at Melbourne were brilliant, the first at mid-wicket from a full-blooded pull, the second at mid-on, flinging himself to his left as Hammond rounded a ball from off-spinner Blackie. He lost his place for the fifth Test, won by a resurgent Australia, but secured a berth to England with Woodfull’s youngsters in 1930, having been first in the national bowling averages in 1929-30, not only alphabetically but statistically, taking 28 wickets at 14.71. He was also 15th in the batting, helped by an innings of 152 for Victoria at Adelaide.

He played in only one Test in England, the Third at Headingley. While Bradman scored in 334, A’Beckett was at the wicket when The Don was caught behind to make Australia 508-6, and went on to make 29. But his fast-medium bowling, if hard to get away, was unpenetrative. He managed only Duckworth’s wicket for 66 off 39 overs in the match, but again attracted praise for his fielding, again catching Hobbs at silly mid-on. On the entire tour he scored 454 runs at 25.22 and took 23 wickets at 28.96 apiece having missed a month through illness.

He played in one more Test, against South Africa at Melbourne in 1931-32, before his legal pursuits took him away from big cricket. He made no mark on that match, and finished with 143 runs, averaging 20.43 in his four Tests, his three wickets costing 317 runs. In all first class cricket he scored 1636 runs in 47 matches at 29.21 and took 105 wickets at 29.16 apiece, taking five wickets in an innings three times.

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