Leyland Sanders
Encyclopedia
Leyland Arthur "Ley" Sanders (17 October 1927 - 3 January 2005) was an Australia
n sportsman who represented Queensland
in both Australian rules football
and Sheffield Shield cricket.
Sanders had a quick rise in Queensland football, becoming a regular interstate player after his first representative match in 1946. Although mainly a backman, Sanders was often used with success as a forward. He was club captain of Queensland Australian National Football League
(QANFL) club Yeronga
and then of Coorparoo-Yeronga
, a merged outfit which competed in the 1953 and 1954 seasons. He was voted the Best and Fairest
QANFL player in 1954.
He started his cricket career as a wicket-keeper
and had been a promising junior cricketer, captaining the Queensland Colts in 1949 and 1950. With Queenslander Don Tallon
keeping wicket for Australia and future Test player Wally Grout
the new state gloveman, Sanders was at best the third choice wicket-keeper for Queensland
. As a result he gave up the glovework and tried to get state selection as a specialist batsman.
It was as an opening batsman that Sanders was most often used by Queensland. He made his first-class cricket
debut in the 1950/51 Shield season and was never able to become a regular fixture in the side, instead he was used more as a reserve batsman for Queensland, who filled a spot when a player was injured. His best effort with the bat came in the 1951/52 season, against Victoria, when he opened the batting and made 49. He missed out on his half century when he edged a ball from John Cordner
to the keeper. After an absence of two years, Sanders played his 10th and final first-class match when he was called up as a middle order batsman for a Shield fixture against New South Wales. He suffered the indignity of scoring a pair and his dismissal in the second innings put debutant spinner John Treanor on a hattrick, which he completed with the wicket of Peter Burge.
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...
n sportsman who represented 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...
in both Australian rules football
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...
and Sheffield Shield cricket.
Sanders had a quick rise in Queensland football, becoming a regular interstate player after his first representative match in 1946. Although mainly a backman, Sanders was often used with success as a forward. He was club captain of Queensland Australian National Football League
Queensland Australian Football League
The Queensland Australian Football League was an Australian rules football competition for clubs from South East Queensland.Up until 2010, the QAFL was the premier semi-professional competition in Queensland, with salary cap rules and regulations in place.It was previously known as the Queensland...
(QANFL) club Yeronga
Yeronga Football Club
Yeronga Football Club are an Australian rules football club which play in the AFLQ State Association. They are nicknamed the Devils. Previously, the club competed in the Queensland Australian National Football League ....
and then of Coorparoo-Yeronga
Coorparoo Australian Football Club
Coorparoo Football Club were an Australian rules football club based in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo. Their club colours were navy blue and white and they were nicknamed the Roos.-History:...
, a merged outfit which competed in the 1953 and 1954 seasons. He was voted the Best and Fairest
Grogan Medal
The Grogan Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the best and fairest player in home and away rounds of each season's QAFL/Queensland State League competition. It was first awarded in 1946, previously the league's best player won the De Little Medal.-Winners:-External links:*...
QANFL player in 1954.
He started his cricket career as a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
and had been a promising junior cricketer, captaining the Queensland Colts in 1949 and 1950. With Queenslander Don Tallon
Don Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
keeping wicket for Australia and future Test player Wally Grout
Wally Grout
Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
the new state gloveman, Sanders was at best the third choice wicket-keeper for 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...
. As a result he gave up the glovework and tried to get state selection as a specialist batsman.
It was as an opening batsman that Sanders was most often used by Queensland. 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 in the 1950/51 Shield season and was never able to become a regular fixture in the side, instead he was used more as a reserve batsman for Queensland, who filled a spot when a player was injured. His best effort with the bat came in the 1951/52 season, against Victoria, when he opened the batting and made 49. He missed out on his half century when he edged a ball from John Cordner
John Cordner (sportsman)
John Pruen Cordner is a former Australian sportsman who played first-class cricket for Victoria and Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League with Melbourne....
to the keeper. After an absence of two years, Sanders played his 10th and final first-class match when he was called up as a middle order batsman for a Shield fixture against New South Wales. He suffered the indignity of scoring a pair and his dismissal in the second innings put debutant spinner John Treanor on a hattrick, which he completed with the wicket of Peter Burge.