Description
Johannesburg, Transvaal born all rounder Eric Marx was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace and played only two seasons and less than 12 months of first class cricket after the First World War having been educated at Malvern College in England before the War.
He created a world record that stood for 73 years when he scored 240 on his first-lass debut, for Transvaal against Griqualand West at Johannesburg in December 1920. Opening the batting, he hit 39 fours and a six, and took only 225 minutes. By the end of the first day, 16th December, Transvaal had dismissed Griqualand West for 141 after declaring at 457-9: 598 runs for 19 wickets off 121.3 six-ball overs in a day’s play. In the next three matches he opened both batting and bowling, hitting another century against Orange Free State (on an opening day that yielded 645 runs for 16 wickets) and taking 7 wickets at 25.42.
When the Australians toured South Africa the next season he made 65 (the top score) against them for Transvaal, batting at number six, and was picked for the three Tests, making his debut for South Africa at Durban in 1921. Batting in the middle order and opening the bowling, he was only moderately successful, his best match being the Second Test at Johannesburg, in which he made 36 and 34 and took three wickets for 85, his career best bowling performance.
He played one more match for Transvaal in December 1921. His first class cricket career, which lasted just over 12 months and spanned 9 matches, ended when he went to work on the mines of the East Rand and the mine manager refused to give him time off to play first class cricket, finishing with an average of 41.00 with an aggregate of 656 runs. With his bowling he took 13 wickets at 30.92 apiece from 130 overs.
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