George Giffen
Encyclopedia
George Giffen was a cricketer
who played for South Australia
and Australia. An all-rounder
who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and take 500 wickets in first-class cricket
. He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
on 26 February 2008.
neighbourhood of Norwood
in 1859 to Richard Giffen, a carpenter
and his wife Elizabeth (née Challand). He played cricket with enthusiasm as a boy and attracted the notice of two brothers, Charles and James Gooden, who coached him. He started his cricket career with Norwood Cricket Club, later moving to the West Adelaide club.
Early in 1877 he played for South Australia against a visiting East Melbourne team making 16 and 14, the highest score in each innings, but South Australian cricket was then much below the standard of the two eastern colonies. In November 1877 he made his first-class cricket
debut against Tasmania
. Giffen made 47 runs and took 4 wickets for 16 runs in the Tasmanian first innings. Tasmania was forced to follow-on
(bat twice in a row) and in the second innings Giffen managed to capture another 2 wickets. It was not until November 1880 that the first regular match between South Australia and Victoria took place at Melbourne
. Giffen made 3 and 63 and took two wickets for 47 in the first innings. In the follow-up match in Adelaide later that season, Giffen took 5 wickets for 59 runs (5/59); Victoria won the match by 151 runs. He became a regular member of the South Australian team and although he took a few seasons to develop his full powers, if he failed as a bat he usually made up for it with a good bowling performance.
. Having just joined the postal service, Giffen was almost hesitant to ask for leave. Giffen made 30 runs before being bowled
by Tom Emmett but was unable to take a wicket. Left out of the side for the Second Test in Sydney
, he returned for the Third Test. Australia won the match by five wickets by Giffen made only two runs and was not given a chance to bowl. In the final Test of the series, Giffen captured his first Test wicket—William Scotton
stumped by Jack Blackham
for 27. He took 2/17 and, with the bat, made 14 in a drawn match. Australia won the series two Tests to nil.
Giffen was selected to tour England with the Australian team in 1882
. He was moderately successful, taking 32 wickets at an average of 21.84 and making 699 runs averaging 19.02. In the celebrated match against England—later designated a Test match—Giffen made 2 runs in the first innings but was dismissed by Ted Peate
for a "duck
" in the second. Australia, through a magnificent bowling effort from Fred Spofforth
and Harry Boyle
, won the match by seven runs. The match was the origin of the term "The Ashes
" for Test series between the two nations. A mock obituary placed in The Sporting Times
lamented "the death of English cricket" and noted that "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."
Ivo Bligh and his English team
arrived in Australia in 1882–83 determined to win back "the Ashes". In the First Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, Giffen made 36 runs, his highest Test score to date. He followed this with his best figures with the ball, capturing 4/38 in the England second innings, helping Australia to a nine wicket victory. In the Second Test, Giffen made a "golden duck", dismissed first ball without scoring but took 4/89 in England's only innings; the English won the Test by an innings and 27 runs. Giffen was promoted to open the batting
for the Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
, where he made 41 and 7 England won the Test by 69 runs, winning the first Ashes series 2–1.
In February 1884, Giffen became the first Australian to take all ten wickets in a first-class match, taking 10/66 for an Australian XI against the Rest. Later that year, he was once again included in the Australian team to tour England
, led by Billy Murdoch
. The Australians lost the three Test series one Test to nil, but had the best of the two drawn matches. In the Second Test at Lord's
, Giffen top-scored in the first innings, making 63 runs;. England won the Test by an innings and 5 runs. Giffen took 81 wickets in England at an average of 19.60, however he "tended to be expensive". His best batting performance for the tour was 118 against Lancashire
; a match in which he also took a "hat-trick".
An English team led by Alfred Shaw
toured Australia in 1884–85 to contest the Ashes. England won the First Test by eight wickets but the match was overshadowed by a dispute between the teams; the Australian team wished a larger share of the match profits. As a result, most of the Australian team, including Giffen, made themselves unavailable for the next two Tests. This action was unpopular with the Australian public. Charles Kingston
, then South Australian Attorney-General, said "the Australian eleven would have the reputation of having sacrificed the cricketing honour of their nation to monetary considerations". Giffen and the others returned for the Fourth Test in Sydney where Australia won by eight wickets; Giffen taking 7/117 in the England first innings. England won the Fifth Test by an innings and 98 runs, retaining the Ashes in a 3–2 series victory.
did not meet with much success, losing all three Tests. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
remarked that "there is nothing to place the [Australians] on any higher standard than would have been attained by any good county team that went playing about the country". Giffen made only 60 runs for in the Tests and took only four wickets. In the other matches, however, Giffen was more successful. He made 1424 runs for the tour—only Sammy Jones
scored more for the Australians—and took 154 wickets, including five wickets in an innings no less than 13 times.
His first class performances include many achievements. Nine times he scored a century and took 10 wickets in the one match. Twice he scored a century and took more than a dozen wickets. No other cricketer in the world has ever done it. He is the only bowler in the world to snare 16 wickets in a match five times. He was the first to take 17. When he was 24 he became the first bowler outside England to get a whole side out with 10-66. He is also the first Australian to take 1000 first-class wickets and score 10000 runs.
Giffen's best figures were 271 runs and 16 wickets (9/96 and 7/70) for the match for South Australia vs. Victoria in 1891. In all he scored 18 first-class centuries, 4 of them doubles.
Giffen also performed well in English conditions. On each of his five tours he topped both the batting and bowling overall tour averages, yet another unique Giffen feat. The great all rounder led Australia in four of the five Tests during 1894 tour. His 34 Test wickets was a series record at that time and he also scored the most runs for that series. Giffen played his last Test in 1896 but remained a force at the first-class level for some time, at the age of 41 he captured 13 English wickets to steer South Australia to a victory over the tourists. Three years later he finished his career with scores of 81, 97 not out and 15 wickets (7/75 and 8/110) against Victoria.
Giffen was a robust batsman noted for his driving he also had a fine cut and glance. A slow to medium pace bowler he was brilliant with his deceptive off spin and the master in flight and changes of pace which he took many wickets.
George though has often been accused of more than a sprinkling of nepotism, using his influence to try and help his brother Walter Giffen
. Walter played Test cricket for Australia despite below average performances for South Australia and when George was named Captain of the 1894 tour Walter having made 11 runs in his three Tests to date and a poor domestic season was also named, many believing because of George's influence over the selection. He has also been accused of causing the demise of cricketer Charlie Turner who was the country's leading wicket taker at the time, and then, in the following test which Australia needed to win, opening the bowling with himself.
George Giffen has a grandstand at the Adelaide Oval
named after him. He died in Parkside, South Australia
. In 2008 he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
at a high level, representing the Norwood Football Club
for whom he is credited as kicking their first ever goal in the South Australian Football Association
. "He would cap brilliant runs that paralysed all opposition with superb kicks, turning in a moment the whole tide of play.", an observer at the time said.
He wrote an autobiography entitled With Bat and Ball.
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played for South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
and Australia. An all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and take 500 wickets in first-class cricket
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...
. He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
on 26 February 2008.
Early life and career
Giffen was born in the AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
neighbourhood of Norwood
Norwood, South Australia
Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, the oldest South Australian local government municipality, with a city population over 34,000.-History:...
in 1859 to Richard Giffen, a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
and his wife Elizabeth (née Challand). He played cricket with enthusiasm as a boy and attracted the notice of two brothers, Charles and James Gooden, who coached him. He started his cricket career with Norwood Cricket Club, later moving to the West Adelaide club.
Early in 1877 he played for South Australia against a visiting East Melbourne team making 16 and 14, the highest score in each innings, but South Australian cricket was then much below the standard of the two eastern colonies. In November 1877 he made his first-class cricket
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...
debut against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
. Giffen made 47 runs and took 4 wickets for 16 runs in the Tasmanian first innings. Tasmania was forced to follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
(bat twice in a row) and in the second innings Giffen managed to capture another 2 wickets. It was not until November 1880 that the first regular match between South Australia and Victoria took place at 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...
. Giffen made 3 and 63 and took two wickets for 47 in the first innings. In the follow-up match in Adelaide later that season, Giffen took 5 wickets for 59 runs (5/59); Victoria won the match by 151 runs. He became a regular member of the South Australian team and although he took a few seasons to develop his full powers, if he failed as a bat he usually made up for it with a good bowling performance.
Beginning
Giffen, only 22 years old, made his Test debut in Melbourne against England in 1881–82English cricket team in Australia in 1881-82
The 1881-82 Australia v England series was part of a first-class cricket tour of Australia by a combined team from England. The tourists were led by Alfred Shaw. The four matches between Australia and the England team were later classified as Test matches...
. Having just joined the postal service, Giffen was almost hesitant to ask for leave. Giffen made 30 runs before being bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
by Tom Emmett but was unable to take a wicket. Left out of the side for the Second Test 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...
, he returned for the Third Test. Australia won the match by five wickets by Giffen made only two runs and was not given a chance to bowl. In the final Test of the series, Giffen captured his first Test wicket—William Scotton
William Scotton
William Henry Scotton was a cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England. Scotton played his first match at Lord's for Sixteen Colts of England against the Marylebone Cricket Club on the 11th and 12th of May 1874, scoring on that occasion 19 and 0...
stumped by Jack Blackham
Jack Blackham
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.A specialist wicket-keeper, Blackham played in the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the famous Ashes Test match of 1882...
for 27. He took 2/17 and, with the bat, made 14 in a drawn match. Australia won the series two Tests to nil.
Giffen was selected to tour England with the Australian team in 1882
Australian cricket team in England in 1882
The 1882 Australia v England series was at the time considered to be part of another first-class cricket tour of England, by a combined team from the Australian colonies, but the match arranged between the Australians and an England side was later accepted to be a Test match...
. He was moderately successful, taking 32 wickets at an average of 21.84 and making 699 runs averaging 19.02. In the celebrated match against England—later designated a Test match—Giffen made 2 runs in the first innings but was dismissed by Ted Peate
Ted Peate
Edmund Peate was an English professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England.-Overview:...
for a "duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
" in the second. Australia, through a magnificent bowling effort from 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...
and Harry Boyle
Harry Boyle
Henry Frederick Boyle was a leading Australian Test cricketer of the late 1870s and early 1880s....
, won the match by seven runs. The match was the origin of the term "The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
" for Test series between the two nations. A mock obituary placed in The Sporting Times
The Sporting Times
The Sporting Times was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing...
lamented "the death of English cricket" and noted that "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."
Ivo Bligh and his English team
English cricket team in Australia in 1882-83
The England national cricket team toured Australia and Ceylon in 1882-83.The team, captained by Ivo Bligh, was on a quest "to recover those Ashes", a reference to the famous RIP notice that was published in the aftermath of England's defeat by Australia at The Oval during the previous English...
arrived in Australia in 1882–83 determined to win back "the Ashes". In the First Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, Giffen made 36 runs, his highest Test score to date. He followed this with his best figures with the ball, capturing 4/38 in the England second innings, helping Australia to a nine wicket victory. In the Second Test, Giffen made a "golden duck", dismissed first ball without scoring but took 4/89 in England's only innings; the English won the Test by an innings and 27 runs. Giffen was promoted to open the batting
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
for the Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, where he made 41 and 7 England won the Test by 69 runs, winning the first Ashes series 2–1.
In February 1884, Giffen became the first Australian to take all ten wickets in a first-class match, taking 10/66 for an Australian XI against the Rest. Later that year, he was once again included in the Australian team to tour England
Australian cricket team in England in 1884
The Australian cricket team in England in 1884 played 31 first-class matches including three Tests. England won the Test series 1-0 with two matches drawn.-First Test:-Second Test:-Third Test:-External sources:* -Annual reviews:...
, led by 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...
. The Australians lost the three Test series one Test to nil, but had the best of the two drawn matches. In the Second Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, Giffen top-scored in the first innings, making 63 runs;. England won the Test by an innings and 5 runs. Giffen took 81 wickets in England at an average of 19.60, however he "tended to be expensive". His best batting performance for the tour was 118 against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
; a match in which he also took a "hat-trick".
An English team led by Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw was an eminent Victorian cricketer and rugby footballer, who bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in a Test innings . He who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888...
toured Australia in 1884–85 to contest the Ashes. England won the First Test by eight wickets but the match was overshadowed by a dispute between the teams; the Australian team wished a larger share of the match profits. As a result, most of the Australian team, including Giffen, made themselves unavailable for the next two Tests. This action was unpopular with the Australian public. Charles Kingston
Charles Kingston
Charles Cameron Kingston, Australian politician, was an early liberal Premier of South Australia serving from 1893 to 1899 with the support of Labor led by John McPherson from 1893 and Lee Batchelor from 1897 in the House of Assembly, winning the 1893, 1896, and 1899 state elections against the...
, then South Australian Attorney-General, said "the Australian eleven would have the reputation of having sacrificed the cricketing honour of their nation to monetary considerations". Giffen and the others returned for the Fourth Test in Sydney where Australia won by eight wickets; Giffen taking 7/117 in the England first innings. England won the Fifth Test by an innings and 98 runs, retaining the Ashes in a 3–2 series victory.
Record breaker
Giffen, in a sign of things to come, made a remarkable double for South Australia against Victoria in March 1886. He captured 17 wickets for the match—including 9/91 in the first innings—and made over 100 runs. This was the first time anyone had take over ten wickets and make 100 runs in a match. The Australian team touring England in 1886Australian cricket team in England in 1886
The Australian cricket team in England in 1886 played 27 first-class matches including 3 Tests which were all won by England:* – England won by 4 wickets* – England won by an innings and 106 runs...
did not meet with much success, losing all three Tests. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
remarked that "there is nothing to place the [Australians] on any higher standard than would have been attained by any good county team that went playing about the country". Giffen made only 60 runs for in the Tests and took only four wickets. In the other matches, however, Giffen was more successful. He made 1424 runs for the tour—only Sammy Jones
Sammy Jones
Samuel Percy "Sammy" Jones was an Australian cricketer who played twelve Tests between 1882 and 1888....
scored more for the Australians—and took 154 wickets, including five wickets in an innings no less than 13 times.
Style and legacy
Giffen's best figures were 271 runs and 16 wickets (9/96 and 7/70) for the match for South Australia vs. Victoria in 1891. In all he scored 18 first-class centuries, 4 of them doubles.
Giffen also performed well in English conditions. On each of his five tours he topped both the batting and bowling overall tour averages, yet another unique Giffen feat. The great all rounder led Australia in four of the five Tests during 1894 tour. His 34 Test wickets was a series record at that time and he also scored the most runs for that series. Giffen played his last Test in 1896 but remained a force at the first-class level for some time, at the age of 41 he captured 13 English wickets to steer South Australia to a victory over the tourists. Three years later he finished his career with scores of 81, 97 not out and 15 wickets (7/75 and 8/110) against Victoria.
Giffen was a robust batsman noted for his driving he also had a fine cut and glance. A slow to medium pace bowler he was brilliant with his deceptive off spin and the master in flight and changes of pace which he took many wickets.
Walter Giffen
Walter Frank Giffen was an Australian cricketer who played in 3 Tests between 1887 and 1892...
. Walter played Test cricket for Australia despite below average performances for South Australia and when George was named Captain of the 1894 tour Walter having made 11 runs in his three Tests to date and a poor domestic season was also named, many believing because of George's influence over the selection. He has also been accused of causing the demise of cricketer Charlie Turner who was the country's leading wicket taker at the time, and then, in the following test which Australia needed to win, opening the bowling with himself.
George Giffen has a grandstand at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
named after him. He died in Parkside, South Australia
Parkside, South Australia
Parkside is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Unley.-History:The suburb was once home to the mental health campus of the Royal Adelaide Hospital...
. In 2008 he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
Personal life
Giffen also played Australian rules footballAustralian 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...
at a high level, representing 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...
for whom he is credited as kicking their first ever goal in the South Australian Football Association
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
. "He would cap brilliant runs that paralysed all opposition with superb kicks, turning in a moment the whole tide of play.", an observer at the time said.
He wrote an autobiography entitled With Bat and Ball.