Cuffe John Image 1 Worcestershire 1907

Description

Toowoomba, New South Wales born John Cuffe made his first class debut for New South Wales against Queensland at Sydney on Boxing Day 1902. He made 5 and 25 with the bat, and took the single wicket of Charles Patrick. This was the only time Cuffe played in a first class match outside of England.

Cuffe then came to England, making his Worcestershire debut against Oxford University at The Parks in May 1903. He was not yet qualified to appear in the County Championship, but also played against Cambridge University and the Philadelphians that season, scoring 91 against the latter. He again turned out three times in 1904, playing once each against the Universities and appearing also against the touring South Africans, claiming 5-58 in an innings defeat of Oxford.

For the ten seasons from 1905 to 1914, Cuffe was a regular part of the Worcestershire side, and he made a career best 145 against Hampshire in the first of those years. On three occasions, 1906, 1908 and 1911, he passed 1,000 first class runs in a season, while in 1907 and 1911 he obtained his hundred wickets. His double in 1911 consisted of 1,054 runs at 25.70 (even though he made no score greater than 78) and 110 wickets at 23.56. His best bowling figures (9-38) were achieved against Yorkshire at Bradford in 1907, but in a minor game against Glamorgan at Cardiff Arms Park in 1910 he returned a first innings analysis of 8.1-4-5-9. Also in 1910, he took a hat-trick against Hampshire at Dean Park, Bournemouth.

In what turned out to be the last three years of his first class career, 1912 to 1914, his bowling continued to be quite productive with at least 50 wickets in each summer. Indeed, he took 11-163 in the match against Gloucestershire as late as July 1914. His batting, however, declined, and in 99 first class innings he made only three half centuries. Cuffe’s final first class game came against Sussex at Eastbourne in late August 1914. In a two day innings defeat he scored 10 and did not bowl a ball; his career ended when he was absent hurt in the second innings.

After the First World War, Cuffe played in the Lancashire League with Todmorden and Lowerhouse Cuffe and retired from playing in 1924. Cuffe stood as an umpire in 66 first-class matches between 1925 and 1927 and later took a position as coach at Repton School.

Cuffe also played professional football, where he was a left back, starting his career with Talbot Villa in 1904 before joining Second Division Glossop in August 1905, initially as an amateur, making his Football League debut against Burnley that December. In ten seasons until peacetime football was suspended due to the onset of the First World War, Cuffe scored 5 goals in 299 appearances for Glossop, and after the War he returned to play for Glossop, by then no longer a League club, in 1923 having played non league football for Eccles United from 1919. Cuffe is recognised as being the first Australian to play in the Football League