Alexander Harry Image 1 Victoria 1933

Description

Ascot Vale, Victoria born right-arm fast bowler Harry “Bull” Alexander played for Victoria in 27 first class matches between 1929 and 1933, and toured India with the unofficial Australian team in 1935-36, but is best known for playing in his only Test match, the fifth of the 1932-33 “Bodyline Series” against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 1933, when he took 1-154 in the match. Earlier in his career, Alexander had furthered his reputation by dismissing Bradman twice. Alexander had first encountered Douglas Jardine when he played his second match for Victoria four years earlier. He took 4 for 98 against MCC but Jardine complained that he was running on the pitch and forced him to bowl round the wicket; Jardine scored 115. No one had forgotten the incident when Alexander came to play for Australia. In the second innings, with England needing just 164 to win, Jardine again accused him of roughing up the pitch whereupon he bowled bouncer after bouncer, scoring several direct hits. A disgraceful exhibition, said Wisden. It was not bodyline bowling, as he did not have a packed leg-side field, but it was the nearest Australia had come to retaliation and the Hill roared with delight. It did not last long: England won easily and Alexander’s match figures were 1 for 129 and 0 for 25.

He played his last first class match against Queensland that December. His best first-class figures were 7 for 95 for Victoria against New South Wales in the 1932-33 Sheffield Shield, in total taking 95 first class wickets at 33.91 apiece in 41 first class matches. With the bat he scored 228 runs at an average of 6.16 with a high of 23 not out, but this included 17 not out in his only Test match. He also played 89 matches for Essendon and 4 matches for North Melbourne in Melbourne local competition cricket between 1924-25 and 1936-37.

He served as a warrant officer in the Australian Army from 1940 to 1945 in Crete, Malta, the Middle East and the Pacific in the Second World War before settling in Euroa, the birthplace of Merv Hughes. He oversaw the reconstruction of the local Euroa Memorial Oval to the precise dimensions of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He was partly responsible for organising a number of touring teams to play at the Oval, including MCC touring teams in 1950-51 and 1965-66. He was also a past president of the Euroa Football Club. Social rooms at the Memorial Oval are named in his honour and he is listed in the Alexandra, Euroa & District Cricket Association Hall of Fame.

In later years, he admitted that Jardine had a ton of guts. But he insisted: “It’s part of a fast bowler’s trade to give ’em a few in the ribs occasionally. Keeps ’em honest.” Alexander was Australia’s oldest living Test cricketer, a distinction which passed to Keith Rigg on his death in 1993.

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