George Coulthard
Encyclopedia
George Coulthard was a star Australian rules football
er who played for Carlton
. He was also a notable cricket
er who played for the Melbourne Cricket Club
and briefly for Australia. As a cricketer he played only six first-class
matches, five for Victoria and a Test
match for Australia
. Coulthard played in the first match between Victoria and South Australia, taking 3 wickets for 29. He was also a prominent umpire
of the time, standing in two Tests.
Off the field, Coulthard was a shopkeeper. He died at Lygon Street
in 1883, at the age of 27 years, of tuberculosis
after an illness of 16 months. He was married with a baby daughter.
(VFA) in 1876. During a short seven-season career he became one of the Association's outstanding players. He was a crucial member of the Carlton team that won the inaugural VFA premiership in 1877.
He was said to have speed, grace and near-perfect balance. 'He is the grandest player of the day. It is doubtful if, for general excellence, his equal has ever been seen.' said The Australasian newspaper of the day.
On 1 July 1880 Coulthard was the umpire for an inter-colonial match between Melbourne and the Norwood Football Club
from South Australia
. He chose to wear all white and is thus football's first "man in white" (the traditional colour of umpires attire in Australian rules football).
Coulthard was vice-captain of Carlton in 1882 when events conspired to finish his career. He clashed with Joey Tankard of Hotham (later North Melbourne
) and both were suspended. When they next played they came to blows again and the VFA suspended them both for the remainder of the season. It was to be his last game for Carlton.
In 1990 Coulthard was inducted to the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame and in 1996 Coulthard was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
.
in 1901.
Coulthard played in the first first-class match between the colonies, representing Victoria against South Australia in November 1880.
Tests
Only Test: vs England
, Sydney
, 1881–1882
Umpire
At the age of 22 Coulthard umpired the third Test cricket
match played between Australia
and England
in Melbourne
on 2 January to 4 January 1879. The match, which was won by Australia by 10 wickets, was notable for the first Test match hat-trick
, achieved by Fred Spofforth
of Australia. Coulthard's colleague was P. Coady
.
As an umpire he was at the centre of an ugly incident that turned into a riot in Sydney in 1879
when he was officiating in a match between Lord Harris's England side and New South Wales
at the Association Ground in Sydney
. On the second day of the match, he called star NSW batsman Billy Murdoch
run out
. Independent witnesses said the decision was "close but fair", and was supported by the other umpire Edmund Barton
, later to become Australia's first Prime Minister
. However, NSW captain Dave Gregory
demanded his replacement, claiming he was incompetent. The crowd subsequently invaded the pitch and play was suspended for the remainder of the day. When it resumed the following Monday – with the rioters back at work – Coulthard remained as umpire.
In 1882 Coulthard umpired his second Test match, a drawn match in Melbourne, noted mainly for George Ulyett
scoring England's first Test hundred in Australia. His colleague in this match was James Lillywhite
who had captained England in the first ever Test match in 1877.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
. He was also a notable cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for the Melbourne Cricket Club
Melbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
and briefly for Australia. As a cricketer he played only six first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches, five for Victoria and a Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
match for Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. Coulthard played in the first match between Victoria and South Australia, taking 3 wickets for 29. He was also a prominent umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
of the time, standing in two Tests.
Off the field, Coulthard was a shopkeeper. He died at Lygon Street
Lygon Street, Melbourne
Lygon Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, Australia running through the suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North, Princes Hill and Brunswick East. Lygon Street's name has become synonymous with Italian restaurants and cafés located in the Carlton part of the street...
in 1883, at the age of 27 years, of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
after an illness of 16 months. He was married with a baby daughter.
Football career
Coulthard commenced with the Carlton club in the (then) Victorian Football AssociationVictorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
(VFA) in 1876. During a short seven-season career he became one of the Association's outstanding players. He was a crucial member of the Carlton team that won the inaugural VFA premiership in 1877.
He was said to have speed, grace and near-perfect balance. 'He is the grandest player of the day. It is doubtful if, for general excellence, his equal has ever been seen.' said The Australasian newspaper of the day.
On 1 July 1880 Coulthard was the umpire for an inter-colonial match between Melbourne and the Norwood Football Club
Norwood Football Club
Norwood Football Club, nicknamed, Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club belonging to the South Australian National Football League in the state of South Australia...
from South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He chose to wear all white and is thus football's first "man in white" (the traditional colour of umpires attire in Australian rules football).
Coulthard was vice-captain of Carlton in 1882 when events conspired to finish his career. He clashed with Joey Tankard of Hotham (later North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
) and both were suspended. When they next played they came to blows again and the VFA suspended them both for the remainder of the season. It was to be his last game for Carlton.
In 1990 Coulthard was inducted to the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame and in 1996 Coulthard was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
.
Australian colony
Pre State-based competition, which preceded Federation of AustraliaFederation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
in 1901.
- VictoriaVictorian BushrangersThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
Highlights
ColonyCoulthard played in the first first-class match between the colonies, representing Victoria against South Australia in November 1880.
Tests
Only Test: vs England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, 1881–1882
- His only Test batting score of 6 not out was made in this match. Although selected as a bowler, he did not bowl in the match.
Umpire
At the age of 22 Coulthard umpired the third Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
match played between Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 2 January to 4 January 1879. The match, which was won by Australia by 10 wickets, was notable for the first Test match hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
, achieved by Fred Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
of Australia. Coulthard's colleague was P. Coady
P. Coady
P. Coady umpired one Test cricket match played between Australia and England in Melbourne on 2–4 January 1879. The match, which was won by Australia by 10 wickets, was notable for the first Test match hat-trick, achieved by Fred Spofforth of Australia. Coady's colleague was George Coulthard....
.
As an umpire he was at the centre of an ugly incident that turned into a riot in Sydney in 1879
Sydney Riot of 1879
The Sydney Riot of 1879 was a civil disorder that occurred at an early international cricket match. It took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, at the Association Ground, Moore Park, now known as the Sydney Cricket Ground, during a match between a touring English team captained by Lord...
when he was officiating in a match between Lord Harris's England side and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
at the Association Ground in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. On the second day of the match, he called star NSW batsman Billy Murdoch
Billy Murdoch
William Lloyd Murdoch was an Australian cricketer, who captained the Australian team on tours to England in 1880, 1882 , 1884 and 1890...
run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
. Independent witnesses said the decision was "close but fair", and was supported by the other umpire Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
, later to become Australia's first Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
. However, NSW captain Dave Gregory
Dave Gregory (cricketer)
David William Gregory was an Australian cricketer of the 19th century. A right-handed batsman, Gregory was the first Australian national cricket captain, leading the side for the first three recognised Test matches between England and Australia in March and April 1877 and January 1879...
demanded his replacement, claiming he was incompetent. The crowd subsequently invaded the pitch and play was suspended for the remainder of the day. When it resumed the following Monday – with the rioters back at work – Coulthard remained as umpire.
In 1882 Coulthard umpired his second Test match, a drawn match in Melbourne, noted mainly for George Ulyett
George Ulyett
George Ulyett was an English all-round cricketer, noted particularly for his very-aggressive batsmanship. A well-liked man , Ulyett was popularly known as "Happy Jack", once musing memorably that Yorkshire played him only for his good behaviour and his whistling...
scoring England's first Test hundred in Australia. His colleague in this match was James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite was a first-class and Test cricketer and umpire. He was the first ever captain of the English cricket team in a Test match, captaining 2 Tests against Australia in 1876-77, losing the first, but winning the second.Lillywhite was born in Westhampnett in Sussex, the son of a...
who had captained England in the first ever Test match in 1877.
See also
- History of Test cricket (to 1883)History of Test cricket (to 1883)Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international cricket matches today. The teams were rarely representative, and the boat trip between Australia and England, which usually lasted about 48 days, was one that many cricketers were unable or unwilling to...
- Australian Test cricket umpires
- List of Test umpires