Hunter Poon
Encyclopedia
Hunter Robert George Poon (14 May 1894 - 25 January 1980) was the first player of Chinese descent to appear in Australian
first-class cricket
Born Ander Leppit George Poon near Ballina, New South Wales
to a Cantonese
man who had migrated to Australia
to work on the north Queensland
goldfields, and his Anglo-Australian wife, Ander Leppit George Poon became Hunter Robert George Poon when the clerk registering his birth could not understand Poon's father's accent. Poon moved with his family to Toowoomba, Queensland
and was educated at Toowoomba Grammar School, becoming a school teacher after graduation. A right arm leg spin
bowler and right-handed batsman, Poon became a leading cricketer around Toowoomba.
His career was interrupted by World War I
, and Poon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
on 5 September 1916, serving as a Lance Corporal with the 15th Battalion in France
, where he was injured.
Returning from the war, Poon continued to star in Toowoomba cricket and was chosen to represent Queensland
in a first-class match against Victoria
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
starting 21 December 1923. While Poon was unable to take a wicket and scored only 10 and two, his selection caused international headlines.
Although Poon never again played first-class cricket, he did play against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
twice. Representing Toowoomba, Poon played against MCC in December 1924, taking 0/19 and, batting at number four, scoring 11 and 0. In February 1933, during the Bodyline series, Poon represented Queensland Country against MCC in Toowoomba, taking 2/123 and 0/23 and scoring one with the bat. Poon took the Wickets of Herbert Sutcliffe
, stumped by future Test wicket keeper Don Tallon
, and Gubby Allen
.
Poon died in Greenslopes
, Brisbane
in 1980, aged 85. The second cricketer of Chinese background to play first-class cricket in Australia, Richard Chee Quee
, would not make his first-class debut until 1993.
Cricket in Australia
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia, at international, domestic and local levels. Unlike most other sports played in Australia, cricket generates equal interest in all states of the nation. In 2007, a survey by Sweeney Sports found that 52% of the Australian public have an...
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...
Born Ander Leppit George Poon near Ballina, New South Wales
Ballina, New South Wales
Ballina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...
to a Cantonese
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
man who had migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to work on the north Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
goldfields, and his Anglo-Australian wife, Ander Leppit George Poon became Hunter Robert George Poon when the clerk registering his birth could not understand Poon's father's accent. Poon moved with his family to Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
and was educated at Toowoomba Grammar School, becoming a school teacher after graduation. A right arm leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
bowler and right-handed batsman, Poon became a leading cricketer around Toowoomba.
His career was interrupted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and Poon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
on 5 September 1916, serving as a Lance Corporal with the 15th Battalion in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he was injured.
Returning from the war, Poon continued to star in Toowoomba cricket and was chosen to represent Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
in a first-class match against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The 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...
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...
starting 21 December 1923. While Poon was unable to take a wicket and scored only 10 and two, his selection caused international headlines.
Although Poon never again played first-class cricket, he did play against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
twice. Representing Toowoomba, Poon played against MCC in December 1924, taking 0/19 and, batting at number four, scoring 11 and 0. In February 1933, during the Bodyline series, Poon represented Queensland Country against MCC in Toowoomba, taking 2/123 and 0/23 and scoring one with the bat. Poon took the Wickets of Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
, stumped by future Test wicket keeper Don Tallon
Don Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
, and Gubby Allen
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches...
.
Poon died in Greenslopes
Greenslopes, Queensland
Greenslopes is a moderately sized suburb of the city of Brisbane, state capital of Queensland, Australia."Greenslopes" is also the name of a Queensland state electorate. The electorate contains only a small fraction of the suburb of the same name...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1980, aged 85. The second cricketer of Chinese background to play first-class cricket in Australia, Richard Chee Quee
Richard Chee Quee
Richard Chee Quee is a former first-class cricketer.Chee Quee is notable for being the second player of Chinese origin to play first-class cricket in Australia after Hunter Poon in 1923...
, would not make his first-class debut until 1993.