Badcock Jack Image 3 South Australia 1938

Description

Exton, Tasmania born right handed batsman Clayvel Lindsay “Jack” Badcock was the second youngest player for Tasmania in first-class cricket, making his debut in 1929-30 at the age of 15. He played nineteen matches for Tasmania. Opening the batting, he top-scored in each innings for Tasmania against the MCC at Launceston in 1932-33, making 57 and 43 not out. In 1933-34 he played five first class matches and scored 803 runs at 89.22. In three matches against Victoria he scored 25, 107, 274, his highest score for Tasmania, 71 not out, 104 and 40, and in two matches against the Australians before their tour of England he scored 105, 24, 47 and 6. In all cricket that season he made 1,970 runs at an average of 98.50. On the advice of Clarrie Grimmett he moved to South Australia in June 1934.

Playing for South Australia against Victoria at Adelaide in 1936 he made 325, his highest score. In 1935-36 he headed South Australia’s batting averages with 124.40, just ahead of Don Bradman’s 123. He also scored 271 not out for South Australia against New South Wales in 1938-39 and 236 against Queensland in 1939-40. Badcock was sturdily built and a punishing driver. He was also a fine cutter of the ball, especially square of the wicket.

For such a prolific scorer in Sheffield Shield cricket Badcock had a disappointing Test record, scoring only 160 runs in twelve innings, despite making 118 against England in only his third Test at Melbourne in February 1937, having made his debut in the first Test at Brisbane in December 1936. His century was the only innings in which he reached double figures in Tests. He toured England in 1938 and enjoyed considerable success outside the Test matches, his aggregate of 1,604 runs (average 45.82) being inferior only to those of Bradman and Brown. Self-effacing and immensely popular, he scored 7,371 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 51.54 and hit 26 centuries.

Donald Bradman described Badcock as “a lovable and completely unspoiled personality – a great cricketer whose failures in the Tests in England in 1938 detract somewhat from an otherwise splendid record”. Badcock played for South Australia until his early retirement, owing to lumbago, in 1941.

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