Ranji Hordern
Encyclopedia
Dr. Herbert Vivian "Ranji" Hordern (10 February 1883 - 17 June 1938) was an Australia
n cricket
er who played in 7 Tests
from 1911 to 1912. He was the first major leg-spin and googly
bowler to play for Australia. His nickname, "Ranji", came from his dark complexion, and is a reference to the famous Indian (but played for England) cricketer K S Ranjitsinhji
.
and made his debut in first-class cricket
by taking 8 for 81 for New South Wales
—and 11 wickets in the match—against Queensland
in December 1905. He then moved to the United States
to pursue his studies. While a student of dentistry
at the University of Pennsylvania
, he toured England in 1908 and Jamaica in 1908-09
with the Philadelphian cricket team
. He played 17 first class
matches for Philadelphians, and it was during his time in America that he perfected his googly.
Hordern returned to Australia in 1910. Owing to the foresight of Warren Bardsley
, he found his way back into the state side immediately. After picking up 43 wickets in six matches in the 1910-11 season, he convinced the Australian selectors to follow Bardsley's lead. Chosen for the Fourth Test of the 1910/11 series against South Africa
, he took fourteen wickets at an average of 21.07 in his two Tests in this series and 32 wickets at 24.37 against England
in the following season. In the England series, he had match figures of 12 for 135 in the first Test at Sydney
, assisting Australia to their only win of the series. In the final game, also at Sydney, he took 10 for 161. By this time, he was being called the best bowler of his type in the world.
Hordern's priority in life was his medical career. This, along with the controversy surrounding the selection of the team to tour England in 1912, restricted his career. He participated in only 35 first-class matches
between 1905 and 1913. He died at age 55 in Darlinghurst, New South Wales
.
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 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 in 7 Tests
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...
from 1911 to 1912. He was the first major leg-spin and googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
bowler to play for Australia. His nickname, "Ranji", came from his dark complexion, and is a reference to the famous Indian (but played for England) cricketer K S Ranjitsinhji
K S Ranjitsinhji
Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar was an Indian prince and Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team...
.
Career
Hordern was born in North Sydney, New South WalesNorth Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
and made his debut 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...
by taking 8 for 81 for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
—and 11 wickets in the match—against 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 December 1905. He then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to pursue his studies. While a student of dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, he toured England in 1908 and Jamaica in 1908-09
Philadelphian cricket team in Jamaica in 1908-09
The Philadelphian cricket team made a tour of Jamaica in February 1909. The Philadelphians played 3 first-class matches against the Jamaicans winning two and losing one. This was one of the last first-class tours for the Philadelphian team...
with the Philadelphian cricket team
Philadelphian cricket team
The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. Even with the United States having played the first ever international cricket match against Canada in 1844, the sport began a slow decline in the country. This decline was...
. He played 17 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 for Philadelphians, and it was during his time in America that he perfected his googly.
Hordern returned to Australia in 1910. Owing to the foresight of Warren Bardsley
Warren Bardsley
Warren "Curly" Bardsley was an Australian Test cricketer. An opening batsman, Bardsley played 41 Tests between 1909 and 1926 and over 200 first-class games for New South Wales...
, he found his way back into the state side immediately. After picking up 43 wickets in six matches in the 1910-11 season, he convinced the Australian selectors to follow Bardsley's lead. Chosen for the Fourth Test of the 1910/11 series against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, he took fourteen wickets at an average of 21.07 in his two Tests in this series and 32 wickets at 24.37 against 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 the following season. In the England series, he had match figures of 12 for 135 in the first Test at Sydney
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...
, assisting Australia to their only win of the series. In the final game, also at Sydney, he took 10 for 161. By this time, he was being called the best bowler of his type in the world.
Hordern's priority in life was his medical career. This, along with the controversy surrounding the selection of the team to tour England in 1912, restricted his career. He participated in only 35 first-class matches
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...
between 1905 and 1913. He died at age 55 in Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
.
Publications
- Googlies: Coals from a Test-Cricketer's Fireplace (Angus & Robertson: Sydney, 1932).
Further reading
- Rick Smith, Googlyman: The Story of HV 'Ranji' Hordern, Apple Books, 2005, ISBN 0975779907.