Barnett Ben Image 4 Victoria 1938

Description

Auburn, Victoria, Australia born wicket keeper and left handed batsman Ben Barnett played cricket for Hawthorn-East Melbourne and Victoria during the 1920’s and 1930’s, first playing cricket for Victoria in the 1930-31 season. He toured England as reserve wicket-keeper for the 1934 Australian Test team, when he played in 18 tour matches and averaged 33.57 with a top score of 92, and South Africa as reserve in 1935-36, and his subsequent selection as principal wicket-keeper for the 1938 team attracted some controversy, other contenders being the ageing Bert Oldfield and the younger Don Tallon. Barnett played in all four Tests in the series, making his debut at Trent Bridge in June and playing his final Test match at The Oval in August. He scored 195 runs in the series at an average of 27.85 with a best score of 57 in the first innings at Headingley, also taking 3 catches and making 2 stumpings. His batting was described as “of the punishing type, although he often stops a collapse by strong defensive play”.

Barnett’s cricket career was interrupted by the Second World War, when he volunteered for the Army and served with The 8th Divisional Signals in Singapore. When Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942, Barnett was incarcerated first in Changi Prison and subsequently in Thailand on the railway. Acting as adjutant for 8th Div Sigs, Barnett maintained records which are now held in the Australian War Memorial (Canberra) and also the Signals Museum in Wantirna, Melbourne.

After the War, Barnett settled in England with his wife Mollie and sons Ian and Ross. Working at the time for the Australian pharmaceutical firm Aspro-Nicholas, he played Minor Counties cricket for Buckinghamshire. At the age of 45, he captained the Commonwealth XI team that toured India in 1953-54. He played in 16 of the 21 first class matches spread over four months, and played in all five of the matches against India. He played numerous matches for Commonwealth XI teams in England between 1950 and his last first class match in 1961, when he was 53.

In 173 first class matches he scored 5,531 runs at an average of 27.51 with a top score of 131 among 4 centuries, with 31 half centuries. As a wicket keeper he made 357 dismissals, 216 caught and 141 stumped. He also bowled 24 balls in first class cricket with a single wicket and figures of 1-3 in so taking it.

As an administrator he represented Australia in the UK for both cricket and tennis and was voted President of the International Lawn Tennis Federation in 1964, a position he held for a number of years. He retired in 1974, and returned to Australia. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1977 for service to sport.

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