Sam Loxton with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948
Encyclopedia
Sam Loxton
was a member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman’s men went undefeated in their 34 matches; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
A batting all rounder, Loxton played as a right-handed middle-order batsman
and a right-arm fast medium
bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Ray Lindwall
, Keith Miller
and Bill Johnston
. Starting the tour as a fringe player, Loxton was omitted for the pre-Test fixtures against Worcestershire
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
, where Australia traditionally fielded their full-strength team. He was overlooked for the first two Tests; reserve opening batsman Bill Brown
played out of position in the middle-order. However, Brown struggled in the unfamiliar role, and Loxton scored 159 not out
against Gloucestershire to oust the former from his position for the Third Test at Old Trafford. Loxton scored 36 to help Australia avoid the follow on and salvage a draw, before making his most notable contribution in the Fourth Test at Headingley
. He took 3/55 in the first innings and scored a counter-attacking 93 on the third day to keep Australia in the game; they went on to win after a world record-breaking run-chase on the final day. Loxton also played in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 144 runs at a batting average
of 48.00 and three wickets at a bowling average
of 49.33.
In the tour matches, Loxton sometimes opened the bowling when Bradman sought to rest Lindwall and Miller to save their energy for the Tests, and he occasionally batted above the middle-order. Loxton was the most economical, but the least incisive
of the bowlers, and he never took more than three wickets in an innings. He played 22 first-class matches
and scored 973 runs at 57.23 with three centuries
, and took 32 wickets at 21.71. He was eighth in the run-scoring aggregates, but was productive when given an opportunity, ranking fifth in the Australian averages. Loxton was the eighth-leading wicket-taker; all seven frontline bowlers ahead of him took at least 50 wickets. Noted for his energetic and combative approach, Loxton was twice forced out of action for his troubles; he pulled a groin while searching for extra pace with the ball early in the tour, and towards the end of the season, he hit a ball into his face and broke his nose.
, Loxton was demobilised and rose through the cricketing ranks to make his first-class debut in 1946–47. He was an all rounder—a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast bowler. During the 1947–48 Australian season, India toured Australia for five Tests, and the home team dominated, taking an unassailable 3–0 series lead after the first four matches. The Australian selectors then decided to use the Fifth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
to give opportunities to players on the fringes of the national team to show their capabilities ahead of the 1948 tour of England. Loxton was one of several debutants, and he seized his chance. He scored 80 and took three wickets as an all rounder in the Australian victory, and was rewarded with inclusion in the 17-man touring party.
. Bradman and his co-selectors felt that Loxton was not among the 11 strongest players, so he was not selected against Worcestershire. Loxton’s debut had come about because first-choice opener Arthur Morris
had been rested from the Fifth Test so that the selectors could trial potential players for the 1948 tour. Sid Barnes
had opened in that match with Bill Brown
. Morris and Barnes were Bradman's preferred pair and they opened against Worcestershire, while Brown, who was on his third tour of England, was played out of position in the middle-order
, pushing Loxton out of the team. Loxton looked on as Brown made 25 and Australia won by an innings.
In the next match against Leicestershire
, Loxton was given his first chance on English soil. Batting at No. 7, he managed only four before being trapped leg before wicket
by Australian expatriate left arm orthodox spinner Vic Jackson
, as Australia amassed 448. He then opened the bowling and castled
home captain Les Berry
for one to leave the hosts at 1/1 and take his first wicket on English soil. He also took two catches, both from the bowling of fellow Victorian Doug Ring
as the hosts fell for 130. Loxton again opened the bowling in the second innings as Australia enforced the follow on and dismissed the hosts for 147 to seal another innings win. Loxton took 1/11 and 0/12 from six and seven overs
respectively.
The Australians then proceeded to play Yorkshire
, on a damp pitch
that suited slower bowling. Loxton bowled only one over, which was a maiden
, before pulling his groin while trying to attain more pace, as the hosts were bowled out for 71. He was unable to bat or bowl again in the game as Australia replied with 101 and then removed the hosts for 89 to leave themselves a target of 60 for victory. Australia came closest to losing for the whole tour. They fell to 6/31, effectively seven down with Loxton unable to bat, before scraping home without further loss, although both batsmen at the crease survived chances. Due to his injury, Loxton was rested for the next two matches against Surrey
at The Oval
in London
and Cambridge University
. Australia won both matches by an innings.
In the following match against Essex
, Loxton returned as Australia won the toss, batted first and went on to score a world record of 721 first-class runs in one day’s play. Loxton came in at 4/452 and put on 56 with Ron Hamence
and 166 with Ron Saggers
in 65 minutes before falling at 6/664 for 120. Loxton's innings was noted for its hooking and driving and took around 80 minutes. During the innings, Loxton also passed 1,000 first-class career runs. Australia collapsed after Loxton's departure, losing their last five wickets for 57 late on the first day.
Australia then proceeded to victory by an innings and 451 runs, their biggest winning margin for the tour. Loxton was not required to bowl in the first innings as the hosts fell for 83 in 36.5 overs. In the second innings, Loxton was given the new ball and bowled 12 overs without success, conceding 28 runs before Essex were all out for 187.
In the next match against Oxford University
, Loxton came in at 4/206 and anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten
on 79 as Australia were bowled out for 431. He featured in partnerships with Colin McCool
and Doug Ring
, who both made fifties. He then took the new ball
in both innings, taking 1/14 and 1/16 from five and eight overs respectively in another innings victory. When Oxford batted, Philip Whitcombe struck a delivery from Ernie Toshack
to Loxton, and took a few steps out of his crease. Loxton prepared to throw at the Whitcombe's stumps in a run out
attempt, but did not release, while Whitcombe stood his ground outside the crease. In those days, the fielding standards were lower, with weaker and less accurate throws and Whitcombe was only a metre or two outside his crease, while Loxton was around thirty away. The next delivery from Toshack was again hit to Loxton, and Whitcombe again wandered outside his crease. This time Loxton threw the ball and hit the stumps directly, running out the batsman, who was unable to comprehend what had happened and shook his head.
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance for all players to gain a psychological advantage over their opponents for the Tests.
Loxton had scored 203 runs in three innings at an average of 101.50, but was not selected, nor was middle-order batsman Harvey, who had scored a century in the previous Test against India. Harvey struggled to adapt to English conditions at the start of his first tour and made only 83 runs at 16.60 in five innings on tour. Brown, who had scored 527 runs at 75.28 for the season so far, including three centuries in his last three innings, was played out of position in the middle-order, even though he had batted as an opener in every tour match other than against Worcestershire. Due to the rotation policy in the tour matches, only two of the three openers Brown, Morris and Barnes played in any one game while the other rested, except when Bradman tried to fit all three in a full-strength team by having Brown in the middle-order. The team was exactly the same as for the opening fixture against Worcestershire.
Barring one change in the bowling department, the same team went on to be selected for the First Test, with the top six batsmen in the same position. Brown made only 26 as Australia amassed 552 and won by an innings.
The MCC match was followed by Australia's first non-victory of the tour, which was against Lancashire
. Loxton top-scored with 39 as Australia batted first and were bowled out for 204 after the first day was washed out. He then took 0/18 from eight overs and made 52 in the second innings before being run out
while batting with Harvey as the match ended in a draw. In the second innings, Loxton attempted to attack the bowling of Malcolm Hilton
—who had troubled Bradman in the first innings—in an attempt to throw him off his game. However, Hilton had the last laugh and removed Bradman for the second time.
In the following match against Nottinghamshire
, Loxton took a total of 0/21 from 12 overs and was run out for 16 as Australia played out another draw. In the next fixture against Hampshire
, Australia had another scare. On a drying pitch, Loxton took 1/2, ending the resistance of top-scorer John Arnold
for 48 as Australia removed the hosts for 195. He then made a duck
as Australia suffered a middle-order collapse and were dismissed for 117. It was the first time that Bradman’s men had conceded a first innings lead during the campaign. Loxton then took 0/6 from five overs as Hampshire were bowled out for 103 to leave Australia a victory target of 182 in 175 minutes. He was not required as Australia’s top-order batted steadily to take an eight-wicket win. The final match before the First Test was against Sussex
. Loxton opened the bowling and took 3/13 from 10 overs as the hosts fell for 86 in 46.4 overs. Australia then declared at 5/549 before he could bat. Loxton was not asked to bowl as Sussex were out for 138 to seal another innings victory. Former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
said that Sussex's display was "as depressing a batting performance as the tour knew".
, while Loxton and Harvey watched from the sidelines. There was a chance one of them would receive a last-minute call-up as Barnes was ill with food poisoning in the week leading up to the Test, but the opener recovered. Brown made only 17 as Australia won by eight wickets.
Between Tests, Loxton played in the match against Northamptonshire
, which started the day after Trent Bridge. With pace spearhead Ray Lindwall
injured and Keith Miller
rested following a marathon effort in the opening Test, Loxton opened the bowling and took 2/22 from 15 overs the hosts were dismissed for 119. He made only 17 with the bat and took 0/7, again opening in the second innings as Australia cruised to victory by an innings. Loxton was rested for the second match before the Second Test, against Yorkshire
; Brown scored a century in a drawn match.
The next match was against Surrey
and started the day after the Test. Bradman wanted to allow his leading players a lighter workload after their effort at Lord’s, and Miller had an unauthorised night of partying and did not return to the team hotel until dawn, so Loxton opened the bowling, and he took two quick wickets to leave the hosts at 2/14. Loxton ended with 2/37 from 25 overs, sending down the most deliveries among the Australians, as the hosts were all out for 221. He made eight with the bat and again opened the bowling in the second innings, taking 1/53 from 18 overs. Australia needed 122 in the final innings to win, and Loxton and Harvey were promoted after the latter offered to open. Bradman’s men wanted to finish the run-chase quickly so they could watch the Australian John Bromwich
play in the Wimbledon final
. Harvey and Loxton, who were room-mates during the tour, made the runs in only 58 minutes in 20.1 overs, with Loxton unbeaten on 47, to complete a 10-wicket win.
The following match against Gloucestershire
at Bristol
was the last before the Third Test and Loxton's final chance to push his claims for Test duties. Australia reached 7/774 declared, its highest score of the tour, laying the foundation for a victory by an innings and 363 runs. Loxton came in at 4/466 and put on 63 with Harvey, before his fellow Victorian was out for 95. He then added 104 with Colin McCool
and 105 with Ian Johnson
. Loxton was on 159 when Johnson lost his wicket, which prompted acting captain Lindsay Hassett
to declare the innings closed
. Loxton's innings involved a series of powerful strokes that went for six and he was particularly noted for using his feet to charge and attack the off spin
of Tom Goddard
. The Gloucestershire bowler had been touted as a possible Test selection, because the other England bowlers had failed to contain Australia’s batsman in the first two matches, but his chances of selection were ended with the tourists’ assault at Bristol. Immediately after the declaration, Loxton opened the bowling and ended with 1/22 from as Gloucestershire were all out for 269. Hassett enforced the follow on and Loxton again started proceedings with the ball, but only for two overs. The home side were bowled out for 132 to complete another Australian victory.
had been struggling with a back injury that prevented him from bowling from time to time, Loxton was seen as a necessary reinforcement for the frontline bowlers. England captain Norman Yardley
won the toss and elected to bat, and Loxton bowled first change, sending down seven overs for the loss of 18 runs. The Australians themselves opened with Ray Lindwall
and Bill Johnston
taking the new ball, but Bradman had misjudged the breeze and needed to swap his bowlers' ends. For this purpose, Loxton bowled a solitary over, his first in Ashes cricket. He was erratic in his length and bowled three long hop
s outside leg stump at the debutant George Emmett, who ignored the opportunity to attack and let the balls pass.
On the second morning, English tailender Alec Bedser
had reached 37. His partner Denis Compton
hit a ball into the covers and Bradman and Loxton collided in an attempt to field the ball and prevent a run. Compton called Bedser through for a run on the misfield, but Loxton recovered and threw the ball to the wicket-keeper's end. Bedser was a long way short of the crease
and was run out. The wicket ended an innings of 145 minutes, in which Bedser scored 37 in a 121-run partnership. England then lost their last three wickets for 26 runs to be all out for 363.
On the third day, Loxton and wicket-keeper Don Tallon
both came to the crease with Australia in difficulty at 5/139. Tallon and Loxton added a further 43 before the gloveman was caught behind from Bill Edrich
. Lindwall came to the crease to join Loxton at 6/172 as Australia faced the prospect of being forced to follow on. The pair added a further 36 before Loxton was bowled by Dick Pollard
, leaving Australia 7/208, still five runs behind the follow on mark, which they scraped past to end with 221. Loxton again bowled first change in the second innings, taking 0/29 from eight overs as England reached 3/174 at the end of the third day. Loxton narrowly missed out on a catch when opener Cyril Washbrook
had appeared unsettled by some short-pitched bowling from the Australians. A few uncontrolled hook shots flew in the air, and one of these barely evaded Loxton at fine leg. The fourth day was washed out and England declared without further batting after rain delayed the start on the final day. Play began after the tea break, and Australia needed to score 317 in the last session, while England required ten wickets for victory. Loxton did not bat as Australia reached 1/92 from 61 overs when the match was finally ended by a series of periodic rain interruptions.
After the Test, Loxton bowled first change in the first innings against Middlesex
. He took 3/33 from 21 overs as the hosts were bowled out for 203. Loxton removed Leslie Compton
, his younger brother and England Test batsman Denis
, and Jim Sims
in the space of five runs to reduce Middlesex from 5/182 to 8/188. He had a heavier workload than normal in the first innings, as leading paceman Lindwall had turned up inebriated on the first morning and therefore lacked energy and penetration. Loxton then joined Morris at the crease, with Australia in difficulty at 3/53. They put on 172 in 115 minutes before Morris was out for 109, and Loxton followed him at 5/271 for the top-score of 123, having punished the bowlers in a hard-hitting display. Australia then collapsed to be all out for 317. Loxton took 1/15 in the second innings to help seal victory by ten wickets in Australia's only county match before the Fourth Test.
in Leeds
for the Fourth Test. Harvey came in for the injured Barnes, joining Loxton in the middle-order. Brown was not recalled to join Morris at the top of the order; instead, Hassett was promoted as a makeshift opener.
England won the toss and elected to bat on an ideal batting pitch that was expected to be unhelpful for fast bowling
. Opener Len Hutton
was dropped by Hassett on 25, after flicking the ball behind square leg from Loxton’s bowling. This proved to be costly, as Hutton reached 81 before falling at 1/168. England were 2/268 at the end of the first day. Former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
said that Australia's day went "progressively downhill" and said that it was the country’s worst day of bowling since World War II, citing the proliferation of full toss
es.
On the second morning, the nightwatchman Alec Bedser
was attacking Australia. He took 14 from one Ernie Toshack
over, before taking another 14 from an Ian Johnson
over soon after to reach 47. Loxton was brought on and Bedser hit a ball back near his grasp, but it narrowly evaded him. Bedser reached 79 and England 2/423 when he finally fell, triggering a collapse. At 6/486, Loxton bowled Ken Cranston
for 10 to take his first Ashes wicket. Cranston opted to not play at a ball that went straight into his leg stump. Loxton then removed Godfrey Evans
and Jim Laker
in quick succession as England fell to 496/9. Evans fell meekly, prodding a ball straight to Hassett at silly mid-on, prompting O'Reilly to say that Loxton was "lucky to be on deck when the English tail were falling over themselves in their nervous speed to commit hara-kiri". In contrast, Laker edged Loxton down the leg side and it took a diving, low catch from Saggers to complete the dismissal. Umpire Baldwin asked his colleague Chester at square leg to confirm that the ball had carried on the full before sending Laker back to the pavilion. Miller then took the final wicket without further addition to the score. Loxton ended with 3/55 from 26 overs, the second best economy rate among the Australians.
On the third morning, Loxton came to the crease to join Harvey with the score at 4/189. Australia had been in trouble after losing two quick wickets to be 3/68, but Miller and Harvey counterattacked, adding 121 runs in 90 minutes, their batting likened by Wisden
to a "hurricane". Fingleton said that he had never "known a more enjoyable hour" of "delectable cricket". Harvey was unperturbed by Miller's departure, hitting 11 from three consecutive balls. Australia went to lunch at 4/204, with Harvey on 70.
After lunch, Australia scored slowly as Loxton struggled to come to grips with the bowling. Yardley took the new ball in an attempt to trouble the batsmen, but instead, Loxton began to settle in as the ball came onto the bat more quickly. He lofted Pollard to the leg side
, almost for six, and then hit three boundaries
off another over from the same bowler. Harvey accelerated as well, and 80 minutes into the session, reached his century to a loud reception as Australia passed 250. On each occasion, umpire Frank Chester
walked to the edge of the playing field and tried to inspect where the ball landed amongst the crowd, trying to see if the point of impact was beyond the original playing arena. They were ruled as sixes in any case and some thought Chester’s actions to be more for theatrical than umpiring purposes. Loxton then dominated the scoring with a display of power hitting. He brought up his 50 by hitting Cranston into the pavilion for six, eliciting spontaneous applause from the English players. It also brought up a century stand, which yielded 105 in only 95 minutes. Harvey was out for 112 from 183 balls, but not before the high run rate
during the partnership had helped to swing the match back from England's firm control.
Harvey's departure at 5/294 meant that the first of the bowlers, Johnson, entered the ground. This did not deter Loxton, who was particularly severe on Laker, lifting him into the crowd for four more sixes. Loxton hit two over the leg side followed by consecutive off drives into the gallery. Johnson scored 10 before falling with the score at 6/329. Fifteen runs later, Yardley bowled Loxton for 93. Loxton appeared disappointed at playing such a wild cross-batted swing with a maiden Test century beckoning. Lindwall then made 77 to propel Australia to 458 on the fourth day, just 38 runs in arrears.
In the second innings, Loxton took 0/29 from ten overs, and England batted on for five minutes on the final morning, adding three runs in two overs before Yardley declared at 8/365. Batting into the final day allowed Yardley to ask the groundsman to use a heavy roller
. This would help to break up the wicket and make the surface more likely to spin, therefore making life more difficult for Australia’s batsmen.
Yardley’s declaration left Australia to chase 404 runs for victory. At the time, this would have been the highest ever fourth innings score to result in a Test victory for the batting side. Australia had only 345 minutes to reach the target, but they completed their task with 15 minutes to spare and seven wickets in hand to seal the series 3–0, with Loxton not required to bat.
After the Headingley Test, Loxton came in at 5/344 and made an attacking 51 as Australia batted first and made 456 against Derbyshire
. He then took 1/27 from 17.4 overs in the first innings. Australia enforced the follow on and Loxton took the first wicket before returning to take two tail-end wickets and end with 3/16 from 13.4 overs as Australia won by an innings. Loxton was the most economical of the Australian wicket-takers. After six consecutive matches, Loxton was rested for the rain-affected draw against Glamorgan
, which did not reach the second innings. The hosts were bowled out for 197 and Australia reached 3/215 when inclement weather ended the match.
Loxton returned in the next match and claimed both openers to end with 2/27 from 19 overs as Warwickshire
were bowled out for 138 in their first innings. He then made a duck as Australia struggled to 254 in reply. Loxton bowled six overs and took 0/15 in the second innings before Australia won by nine wickets. Australia then faced and drew with Lancashire for the second time on the tour. Loxton did little, scoring two in his only innings and taking a match total of 1/32, his victim being Test batsman Jack Ikin
. In the non-first-class game against Durham
, a rain-affected draw that did not reach the second innings, Loxton made 15 in Australia's 282 and then took 1/8 from six overs as the hosts reached 5/73 before rain washed out the match after the first day.
for the Fifth Test. Yardley won the toss and elected to bat on a rain-affected pitch. England were dismissed for 52 in 42.1 overs on the first afternoon; Loxton bowled only two overs for one run as the frontline pacemen made light work of the hosts. His other notable action in the field occurred when Len Hutton
the first runs of the match, a single in the first over. This had almost turned into a five when Loxton fired in a wide return, but Barnes managed to prevent from going for four overthrows. Loxton came in on the second day with the score at 5/265 and accompanied the centurion Morris for 39 further runs before Edrich had him caught behind for 15. He appeared uncomfortable with the outswingers and leg cutter
s of Bedser, and was beaten several times, before Edrich dismissed him. Australia ended at 389. Loxton was economical in the second innings, taking 0/16 from 10 overs as Australia dismissed the hosts for 188 to seal the series 4–0 with another innings victory.
. He came on late in the first innings and took three of the last four wickets as the hosts fell for 51 in just 23 overs. Loxton bowled all of his victims as the hosts fell from 5/48 to 51 all out. It was a similar tale in the second innings, as Loxton removed opener Jack Davies
for a duck and ended with 1/12 from six overs as the hosts fell for 124 in only 32.5 overs. Australia had won the match by an innings within two days. In the next fixture against the Gentlemen of England, Loxton made only 17 as Australia eventually declared at 5/610 against a team that featured eight Test players. Loxton then took a match total of 0/37 from 21 overs as Australia completed another innings victory. Loxton was rested for the next match against Somerset
, which the tourists won by an innings. Loxton then returned against the South of England
. He came in at 5/427 and struck an unbeaten 67 in 75 minutes, before Australia declared at 7/522. He took 1/17 from 11 overs, removing Charlie Barnett
as the hosts were bowled out for 298 in their first innings when rain ended the match.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last Australian campaign in 1938, this team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted that only six current England Test players be allowed to play. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test line-up being the inclusion of Johnson at the expense of Doug Ring
. The bowlers skittled the hosts for 177, with Loxton taking 0/12. Loxton came in at 2/327 and made 12, before sweeping
a ball from Freddie Brown into his own face and breaking his nose. He retired hurt and took no further part in the match. Australia declared at 8/469 and the hosts were 2/75 when the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. Following his injury, Loxton played in neither; Australia won both by an innings. While in Scotland, Loxton's nose was operated on in Edinburgh
. Following his injury, Loxton eschewed the sweep shot and advised students to do the same, exhorting them to move onto the front foot to drive instead.
A batting all rounder, Loxton played as a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast medium
bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Lindwall, Miller and Bill Johnston
. When fit, the trio all bowled before Loxton in the Tests. With medium pacer Ernie Toshack
and off spin
ner Ian Johnson
also playing in the Third and Fourth Tests, Loxton was the sixth bowler. In the Fifth Test, Johnson was replaced by leg spin
ner Ring and the injured Toshack was replaced by a batsman, so Loxton became the fifth bowler. Of the seven regular bowlers, Loxton was the only one who was not a frontline bowler, and as such he had worst average, the second-worst economy rate and the third worst strike rate
. Loxton ended the Test series with 144 runs at 48.00 and three wickets at 49.33, having bowled 63 overs. Loxton batted at No. 6 or No. 7 during the Tests, and was the last batsman in the batting order before the wicket-keeper
and the bowlers.
In the tour matches, Loxton sometimes opened the bowling when Bradman sought to rest Lindwall and Miller in order to conserve their energy for the Tests, such as in both innings of the match against Northamptonshire and the second match against Surrey. In his 22 first-class innings, he batted twice at No. 4 and opened in one innings, but he was otherwise invariably in the middle-order between No. 5 and No. 7.N- Loxton was the most economical of those who bowled more than 70 overs, but also the least incisive, taking a wicket every 67.75 balls, and he never took more than three wickets in an innings, which he managed on three occasions. He played 22 first-class matches and scored 973 runs at 57.23 with three centuries and took 32 wickets at 21.71. Loxton was eighth in the run-scoring aggregates, but was given less opportunities than the other frontline batsmen who scored more heavily; whereas he had 22 innings, they all had at least 26 innings and tended to bat higher in the order. However, Loxton was productive when given a chance, ranking fifth in the averages. Loxton was the eighth-leading wicket-taker; all seven ahead of him took at least 50 wickets.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
summed up his contribution thus:
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
was a member of Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman’s men went undefeated in their 34 matches; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
A batting all rounder, Loxton played as a right-handed middle-order batsman
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...
and a right-arm fast medium
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
, Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
and Bill Johnston
Bill Johnston (cricketer)
William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
. Starting the tour as a fringe player, Loxton was omitted for the pre-Test fixtures against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
and the 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...
, where Australia traditionally fielded their full-strength team. He was overlooked for the first two Tests; reserve opening batsman Bill Brown
Bill Brown (cricketer)
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
played out of position in the middle-order. However, Brown struggled in the unfamiliar role, and Loxton scored 159 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Gloucestershire to oust the former from his position for the Third Test at Old Trafford. Loxton scored 36 to help Australia avoid the follow on and salvage a draw, before making his most notable contribution in the Fourth Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
. He took 3/55 in the first innings and scored a counter-attacking 93 on the third day to keep Australia in the game; they went on to win after a world record-breaking run-chase on the final day. Loxton also played in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 144 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 48.00 and three wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 49.33.
In the tour matches, Loxton sometimes opened the bowling when Bradman sought to rest Lindwall and Miller to save their energy for the Tests, and he occasionally batted above the middle-order. Loxton was the most economical, but the least incisive
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
of the bowlers, and he never took more than three wickets in an innings. He played 22 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...
and scored 973 runs at 57.23 with three centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
, and took 32 wickets at 21.71. He was eighth in the run-scoring aggregates, but was productive when given an opportunity, ranking fifth in the Australian averages. Loxton was the eighth-leading wicket-taker; all seven frontline bowlers ahead of him took at least 50 wickets. Noted for his energetic and combative approach, Loxton was twice forced out of action for his troubles; he pulled a groin while searching for extra pace with the ball early in the tour, and towards the end of the season, he hit a ball into his face and broke his nose.
Background
After serving in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Loxton was demobilised and rose through the cricketing ranks to make his first-class debut in 1946–47. He was an all rounder—a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast bowler. During the 1947–48 Australian season, India toured Australia for five Tests, and the home team dominated, taking an unassailable 3–0 series lead after the first four matches. The Australian selectors then decided to use the Fifth 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...
to give opportunities to players on the fringes of the national team to show their capabilities ahead of the 1948 tour of England. Loxton was one of several debutants, and he seized his chance. He scored 80 and took three wickets as an all rounder in the Australian victory, and was rewarded with inclusion in the 17-man touring party.
Early tour
Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice team in the tour opener, which was usually against WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
. Bradman and his co-selectors felt that Loxton was not among the 11 strongest players, so he was not selected against Worcestershire. Loxton’s debut had come about because first-choice opener Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
had been rested from the Fifth Test so that the selectors could trial potential players for the 1948 tour. Sid Barnes
Sid Barnes
Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
had opened in that match with Bill Brown
Bill Brown (cricketer)
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
. Morris and Barnes were Bradman's preferred pair and they opened against Worcestershire, while Brown, who was on his third tour of England, was played out of position in the middle-order
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...
, pushing Loxton out of the team. Loxton looked on as Brown made 25 and Australia won by an innings.
In the next match against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, Loxton was given his first chance on English soil. Batting at No. 7, he managed only four before being trapped leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
by Australian expatriate left arm orthodox spinner Vic Jackson
Vic Jackson
Victor Edward Jackson was an Australian first class cricketer who played for New South Wales and Leicestershire.- From Australia to Cahn's XI :...
, as Australia amassed 448. He then opened the bowling and castled
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...
home captain Les Berry
Les Berry
George Leslie "Les" Berry, born at Dorking, Surrey on 28 April 1906 and died at Great Glen, Leicestershire on 5 February 1985, was a cricketer who played for Leicestershire and holds many of the county's first-class batting records....
for one to leave the hosts at 1/1 and take his first wicket on English soil. He also took two catches, both from the bowling of fellow Victorian Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
as the hosts fell for 130. Loxton again opened the bowling in the second innings as Australia enforced the follow on and dismissed the hosts for 147 to seal another innings win. Loxton took 1/11 and 0/12 from six and seven overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
respectively.
The Australians then proceeded to play Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, on a damp pitch
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
that suited slower bowling. Loxton bowled only one over, which was a maiden
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
, before pulling his groin while trying to attain more pace, as the hosts were bowled out for 71. He was unable to bat or bowl again in the game as Australia replied with 101 and then removed the hosts for 89 to leave themselves a target of 60 for victory. Australia came closest to losing for the whole tour. They fell to 6/31, effectively seven down with Loxton unable to bat, before scraping home without further loss, although both batsmen at the crease survived chances. Due to his injury, Loxton was rested for the next two matches against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. Australia won both matches by an innings.
In the following match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Loxton returned as Australia won the toss, batted first and went on to score a world record of 721 first-class runs in one day’s play. Loxton came in at 4/452 and put on 56 with Ron Hamence
Ron Hamence
Ronald Arthur Hamence was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A short and compact right-handed batsman, Hamence excelled in getting forward to drive and had an array of attractive back foot strokes...
and 166 with Ron Saggers
Ron Saggers
Ronald Arthur Saggers was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales. He played briefly for the Australian team, playing six Tests between 1948 and 1950...
in 65 minutes before falling at 6/664 for 120. Loxton's innings was noted for its hooking and driving and took around 80 minutes. During the innings, Loxton also passed 1,000 first-class career runs. Australia collapsed after Loxton's departure, losing their last five wickets for 57 late on the first day.
Australia then proceeded to victory by an innings and 451 runs, their biggest winning margin for the tour. Loxton was not required to bowl in the first innings as the hosts fell for 83 in 36.5 overs. In the second innings, Loxton was given the new ball and bowled 12 overs without success, conceding 28 runs before Essex were all out for 187.
In the next match against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, Loxton came in at 4/206 and anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
on 79 as Australia were bowled out for 431. He featured in partnerships with Colin McCool
Colin McCool
Colin Leslie McCool was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1946 to 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with a round arm action and as a lower order batsman was regarded as effective square of the wicket and against...
and Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
, who both made fifties. He then took the new ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
in both innings, taking 1/14 and 1/16 from five and eight overs respectively in another innings victory. When Oxford batted, Philip Whitcombe struck a delivery from Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
to Loxton, and took a few steps out of his crease. Loxton prepared to throw at the Whitcombe's stumps in a 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...
attempt, but did not release, while Whitcombe stood his ground outside the crease. In those days, the fielding standards were lower, with weaker and less accurate throws and Whitcombe was only a metre or two outside his crease, while Loxton was around thirty away. The next delivery from Toshack was again hit to Loxton, and Whitcombe again wandered outside his crease. This time Loxton threw the ball and hit the stumps directly, running out the batsman, who was unable to comprehend what had happened and shook his head.
The next match was against the 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...
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance for all players to gain a psychological advantage over their opponents for the Tests.
Loxton had scored 203 runs in three innings at an average of 101.50, but was not selected, nor was middle-order batsman Harvey, who had scored a century in the previous Test against India. Harvey struggled to adapt to English conditions at the start of his first tour and made only 83 runs at 16.60 in five innings on tour. Brown, who had scored 527 runs at 75.28 for the season so far, including three centuries in his last three innings, was played out of position in the middle-order, even though he had batted as an opener in every tour match other than against Worcestershire. Due to the rotation policy in the tour matches, only two of the three openers Brown, Morris and Barnes played in any one game while the other rested, except when Bradman tried to fit all three in a full-strength team by having Brown in the middle-order. The team was exactly the same as for the opening fixture against Worcestershire.
Barring one change in the bowling department, the same team went on to be selected for the First Test, with the top six batsmen in the same position. Brown made only 26 as Australia amassed 552 and won by an innings.
The MCC match was followed by Australia's first non-victory of the tour, which was 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...
. Loxton top-scored with 39 as Australia batted first and were bowled out for 204 after the first day was washed out. He then took 0/18 from eight overs and made 52 in the second innings before being 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...
while batting with Harvey as the match ended in a draw. In the second innings, Loxton attempted to attack the bowling of Malcolm Hilton
Malcolm Hilton
Malcolm Jameson Hilton was an English left-arm spin bowler, who played for Lancashire and in four Test matches for England....
—who had troubled Bradman in the first innings—in an attempt to throw him off his game. However, Hilton had the last laugh and removed Bradman for the second time.
In the following match against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, Loxton took a total of 0/21 from 12 overs and was run out for 16 as Australia played out another draw. In the next fixture against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, Australia had another scare. On a drying pitch, Loxton took 1/2, ending the resistance of top-scorer John Arnold
John Arnold (cricketer)
John Arnold was an English cricketer who played in one Test in 1931.-Cricket career:...
for 48 as Australia removed the hosts for 195. He then made 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...
as Australia suffered a middle-order collapse and were dismissed for 117. It was the first time that Bradman’s men had conceded a first innings lead during the campaign. Loxton then took 0/6 from five overs as Hampshire were bowled out for 103 to leave Australia a victory target of 182 in 175 minutes. He was not required as Australia’s top-order batted steadily to take an eight-wicket win. The final match before the First Test was against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Loxton opened the bowling and took 3/13 from 10 overs as the hosts fell for 86 in 46.4 overs. Australia then declared at 5/549 before he could bat. Loxton was not asked to bowl as Sussex were out for 138 to seal another innings victory. Former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
said that Sussex's display was "as depressing a batting performance as the tour knew".
First Test
Up to this point, Brown had scored 800 runs on tour at an average of 72.72, while Loxton had made 310 runs at 51.66. Harvey had scored only 296 runs at 42.29. The other five places in the top six were firmly entrenched in the hands of Barnes, Morris, Bradman, Hassett and Miller, who had all played in those positions regularly since the end of World War II. Brown gained selection out of position in the middle order in the First Test at Trent BridgeTrent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, while Loxton and Harvey watched from the sidelines. There was a chance one of them would receive a last-minute call-up as Barnes was ill with food poisoning in the week leading up to the Test, but the opener recovered. Brown made only 17 as Australia won by eight wickets.
Between Tests, Loxton played in the match against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, which started the day after Trent Bridge. With pace spearhead Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
injured and Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
rested following a marathon effort in the opening Test, Loxton opened the bowling and took 2/22 from 15 overs the hosts were dismissed for 119. He made only 17 with the bat and took 0/7, again opening in the second innings as Australia cruised to victory by an innings. Loxton was rested for the second match before the Second Test, against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
; Brown scored a century in a drawn match.
Second Test
Australia opted to field an unchanged line-up for the Second Test at Lord's. Brown managed only 24 and 32 in the middle order as Australia won by 409 runs. Including the matches against Worcestershire and the MCC, he had totalled 123 runs at 24.60 in his five innings in the middle-order. O'Reilly criticised the selection of Brown, who was noticeably uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role. He said that although Brown had made an unbeaten double century on his previous Test at Lord's in 1938, Loxton and Harvey had better claims to selection.The next match was against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and started the day after the Test. Bradman wanted to allow his leading players a lighter workload after their effort at Lord’s, and Miller had an unauthorised night of partying and did not return to the team hotel until dawn, so Loxton opened the bowling, and he took two quick wickets to leave the hosts at 2/14. Loxton ended with 2/37 from 25 overs, sending down the most deliveries among the Australians, as the hosts were all out for 221. He made eight with the bat and again opened the bowling in the second innings, taking 1/53 from 18 overs. Australia needed 122 in the final innings to win, and Loxton and Harvey were promoted after the latter offered to open. Bradman’s men wanted to finish the run-chase quickly so they could watch the Australian John Bromwich
John Bromwich
John Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed forehand....
play in the Wimbledon final
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
. Harvey and Loxton, who were room-mates during the tour, made the runs in only 58 minutes in 20.1 overs, with Loxton unbeaten on 47, to complete a 10-wicket win.
The following match against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
was the last before the Third Test and Loxton's final chance to push his claims for Test duties. Australia reached 7/774 declared, its highest score of the tour, laying the foundation for a victory by an innings and 363 runs. Loxton came in at 4/466 and put on 63 with Harvey, before his fellow Victorian was out for 95. He then added 104 with Colin McCool
Colin McCool
Colin Leslie McCool was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1946 to 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with a round arm action and as a lower order batsman was regarded as effective square of the wicket and against...
and 105 with Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
. Loxton was on 159 when Johnson lost his wicket, which prompted acting captain Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
to declare the innings closed
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
. Loxton's innings involved a series of powerful strokes that went for six and he was particularly noted for using his feet to charge and attack the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of Tom Goddard
Tom Goddard
Tom Goddard was the fifth highest wicket taker in first-class cricket....
. The Gloucestershire bowler had been touted as a possible Test selection, because the other England bowlers had failed to contain Australia’s batsman in the first two matches, but his chances of selection were ended with the tourists’ assault at Bristol. Immediately after the declaration, Loxton opened the bowling and ended with 1/22 from as Gloucestershire were all out for 269. Hassett enforced the follow on and Loxton again started proceedings with the ball, but only for two overs. The home side were bowled out for 132 to complete another Australian victory.
Third Test
Australia and England reassembled at Old Trafford for the Third Test. Following his unbeaten 159 in the previous match and Brown's struggles when playing in the middle-order, Loxton took Brown's position. Brown had scored 25, 26, 17, 24 and 32 in the middle-order in the matches against Worcestershire, the MCC and the first two Tests. As fast bowling all rounder Keith MillerKeith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
had been struggling with a back injury that prevented him from bowling from time to time, Loxton was seen as a necessary reinforcement for the frontline bowlers. England captain Norman Yardley
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...
won the toss and elected to bat, and Loxton bowled first change, sending down seven overs for the loss of 18 runs. The Australians themselves opened with Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
and Bill Johnston
Bill Johnston (cricketer)
William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
taking the new ball, but Bradman had misjudged the breeze and needed to swap his bowlers' ends. For this purpose, Loxton bowled a solitary over, his first in Ashes cricket. He was erratic in his length and bowled three long hop
Long hop
A long hop is a type of inadvertent delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes a short delivery which is not especially fast, which is thus easy for the batsman to hit because he has plenty of time to observe the speed and direction of the ball after the bounce and choose his shot accordingly...
s outside leg stump at the debutant George Emmett, who ignored the opportunity to attack and let the balls pass.
On the second morning, English tailender Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
had reached 37. His partner Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
hit a ball into the covers and Bradman and Loxton collided in an attempt to field the ball and prevent a run. Compton called Bedser through for a run on the misfield, but Loxton recovered and threw the ball to the wicket-keeper's end. Bedser was a long way short of the crease
Crease (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...
and was run out. The wicket ended an innings of 145 minutes, in which Bedser scored 37 in a 121-run partnership. England then lost their last three wickets for 26 runs to be all out for 363.
On the third day, Loxton and 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...
both came to the crease with Australia in difficulty at 5/139. Tallon and Loxton added a further 43 before the gloveman was caught behind from Bill Edrich
Bill Edrich
William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
. Lindwall came to the crease to join Loxton at 6/172 as Australia faced the prospect of being forced to follow on. The pair added a further 36 before Loxton was bowled by Dick Pollard
Dick Pollard
Richard "Dick" Pollard was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Tests between 1946 and 1948...
, leaving Australia 7/208, still five runs behind the follow on mark, which they scraped past to end with 221. Loxton again bowled first change in the second innings, taking 0/29 from eight overs as England reached 3/174 at the end of the third day. Loxton narrowly missed out on a catch when opener Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...
had appeared unsettled by some short-pitched bowling from the Australians. A few uncontrolled hook shots flew in the air, and one of these barely evaded Loxton at fine leg. The fourth day was washed out and England declared without further batting after rain delayed the start on the final day. Play began after the tea break, and Australia needed to score 317 in the last session, while England required ten wickets for victory. Loxton did not bat as Australia reached 1/92 from 61 overs when the match was finally ended by a series of periodic rain interruptions.
After the Test, Loxton bowled first change in the first innings against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. He took 3/33 from 21 overs as the hosts were bowled out for 203. Loxton removed Leslie Compton
Leslie Compton
Leslie Harry Compton was an English footballer and cricketer who played for Arsenal and Middlesex respectively...
, his younger brother and England Test batsman Denis
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, and Jim Sims
Jim Sims
James Morton Sims was an English cricketer.Jim Sims represented Middlesex in 381 first-class matches matches between 1929 and 1952 as a right-handed batsman and off-break bowler who scored 7173 runs and took 1,257 wickets...
in the space of five runs to reduce Middlesex from 5/182 to 8/188. He had a heavier workload than normal in the first innings, as leading paceman Lindwall had turned up inebriated on the first morning and therefore lacked energy and penetration. Loxton then joined Morris at the crease, with Australia in difficulty at 3/53. They put on 172 in 115 minutes before Morris was out for 109, and Loxton followed him at 5/271 for the top-score of 123, having punished the bowlers in a hard-hitting display. Australia then collapsed to be all out for 317. Loxton took 1/15 in the second innings to help seal victory by ten wickets in Australia's only county match before the Fourth Test.
Fourth Test
The teams headed to HeadingleyHeadingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
for the Fourth Test. Harvey came in for the injured Barnes, joining Loxton in the middle-order. Brown was not recalled to join Morris at the top of the order; instead, Hassett was promoted as a makeshift opener.
England won the toss and elected to bat on an ideal batting pitch that was expected to be unhelpful for fast bowling
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
. Opener Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
was dropped by Hassett on 25, after flicking the ball behind square leg from Loxton’s bowling. This proved to be costly, as Hutton reached 81 before falling at 1/168. England were 2/268 at the end of the first day. Former Australian Test batsman Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
said that Australia's day went "progressively downhill" and said that it was the country’s worst day of bowling since World War II, citing the proliferation of full toss
Full toss
A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....
es.
On the second morning, the nightwatchman Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
was attacking Australia. He took 14 from one Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
over, before taking another 14 from an Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
over soon after to reach 47. Loxton was brought on and Bedser hit a ball back near his grasp, but it narrowly evaded him. Bedser reached 79 and England 2/423 when he finally fell, triggering a collapse. At 6/486, Loxton bowled Ken Cranston
Ken Cranston
Kenneth "Ken" Cranston was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist....
for 10 to take his first Ashes wicket. Cranston opted to not play at a ball that went straight into his leg stump. Loxton then removed Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
and Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
in quick succession as England fell to 496/9. Evans fell meekly, prodding a ball straight to Hassett at silly mid-on, prompting O'Reilly to say that Loxton was "lucky to be on deck when the English tail were falling over themselves in their nervous speed to commit hara-kiri". In contrast, Laker edged Loxton down the leg side and it took a diving, low catch from Saggers to complete the dismissal. Umpire Baldwin asked his colleague Chester at square leg to confirm that the ball had carried on the full before sending Laker back to the pavilion. Miller then took the final wicket without further addition to the score. Loxton ended with 3/55 from 26 overs, the second best economy rate among the Australians.
On the third morning, Loxton came to the crease to join Harvey with the score at 4/189. Australia had been in trouble after losing two quick wickets to be 3/68, but Miller and Harvey counterattacked, adding 121 runs in 90 minutes, their batting likened by Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
to a "hurricane". Fingleton said that he had never "known a more enjoyable hour" of "delectable cricket". Harvey was unperturbed by Miller's departure, hitting 11 from three consecutive balls. Australia went to lunch at 4/204, with Harvey on 70.
After lunch, Australia scored slowly as Loxton struggled to come to grips with the bowling. Yardley took the new ball in an attempt to trouble the batsmen, but instead, Loxton began to settle in as the ball came onto the bat more quickly. He lofted Pollard to the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
, almost for six, and then hit three boundaries
Boundary (cricket)
Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...
off another over from the same bowler. Harvey accelerated as well, and 80 minutes into the session, reached his century to a loud reception as Australia passed 250. On each occasion, umpire Frank Chester
Frank Chester (umpire)
Frank Chester was an English first-class cricketer and notable international cricket umpire.Chester was an all-rounder, a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, who played 55 first-class matches for county side Worcestershire as a teenager from 1912 to 1914...
walked to the edge of the playing field and tried to inspect where the ball landed amongst the crowd, trying to see if the point of impact was beyond the original playing arena. They were ruled as sixes in any case and some thought Chester’s actions to be more for theatrical than umpiring purposes. Loxton then dominated the scoring with a display of power hitting. He brought up his 50 by hitting Cranston into the pavilion for six, eliciting spontaneous applause from the English players. It also brought up a century stand, which yielded 105 in only 95 minutes. Harvey was out for 112 from 183 balls, but not before the high run rate
Run rate
In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as...
during the partnership had helped to swing the match back from England's firm control.
Harvey's departure at 5/294 meant that the first of the bowlers, Johnson, entered the ground. This did not deter Loxton, who was particularly severe on Laker, lifting him into the crowd for four more sixes. Loxton hit two over the leg side followed by consecutive off drives into the gallery. Johnson scored 10 before falling with the score at 6/329. Fifteen runs later, Yardley bowled Loxton for 93. Loxton appeared disappointed at playing such a wild cross-batted swing with a maiden Test century beckoning. Lindwall then made 77 to propel Australia to 458 on the fourth day, just 38 runs in arrears.
In the second innings, Loxton took 0/29 from ten overs, and England batted on for five minutes on the final morning, adding three runs in two overs before Yardley declared at 8/365. Batting into the final day allowed Yardley to ask the groundsman to use a heavy roller
Road roller
A road roller is a compactor type engineering vehicle used to compact soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the construction of roads and foundations, similar rollers are used also at landfills or in agriculture.In some parts of the world, road rollers are still known colloquially as steam...
. This would help to break up the wicket and make the surface more likely to spin, therefore making life more difficult for Australia’s batsmen.
Yardley’s declaration left Australia to chase 404 runs for victory. At the time, this would have been the highest ever fourth innings score to result in a Test victory for the batting side. Australia had only 345 minutes to reach the target, but they completed their task with 15 minutes to spare and seven wickets in hand to seal the series 3–0, with Loxton not required to bat.
After the Headingley Test, Loxton came in at 5/344 and made an attacking 51 as Australia batted first and made 456 against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
. He then took 1/27 from 17.4 overs in the first innings. Australia enforced the follow on and Loxton took the first wicket before returning to take two tail-end wickets and end with 3/16 from 13.4 overs as Australia won by an innings. Loxton was the most economical of the Australian wicket-takers. After six consecutive matches, Loxton was rested for the rain-affected draw against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, which did not reach the second innings. The hosts were bowled out for 197 and Australia reached 3/215 when inclement weather ended the match.
Loxton returned in the next match and claimed both openers to end with 2/27 from 19 overs as Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
were bowled out for 138 in their first innings. He then made a duck as Australia struggled to 254 in reply. Loxton bowled six overs and took 0/15 in the second innings before Australia won by nine wickets. Australia then faced and drew with Lancashire for the second time on the tour. Loxton did little, scoring two in his only innings and taking a match total of 1/32, his victim being Test batsman Jack Ikin
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin, known as Jack Ikin was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Tests from 1946 to 1955...
. In the non-first-class game against Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
, a rain-affected draw that did not reach the second innings, Loxton made 15 in Australia's 282 and then took 1/8 from six overs as the hosts reached 5/73 before rain washed out the match after the first day.
Fifth Test
Australia then headed to The OvalThe Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
for the Fifth Test. Yardley won the toss and elected to bat on a rain-affected pitch. England were dismissed for 52 in 42.1 overs on the first afternoon; Loxton bowled only two overs for one run as the frontline pacemen made light work of the hosts. His other notable action in the field occurred when Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
the first runs of the match, a single in the first over. This had almost turned into a five when Loxton fired in a wide return, but Barnes managed to prevent from going for four overthrows. Loxton came in on the second day with the score at 5/265 and accompanied the centurion Morris for 39 further runs before Edrich had him caught behind for 15. He appeared uncomfortable with the outswingers and leg cutter
Leg cutter
A leg cutter is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by fast bowlers.A bowler releases a normal fast delivery with the wrist locked in position and the first two fingers positioned on top of the cricket ball, giving it spin about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of...
s of Bedser, and was beaten several times, before Edrich dismissed him. Australia ended at 389. Loxton was economical in the second innings, taking 0/16 from 10 overs as Australia dismissed the hosts for 188 to seal the series 4–0 with another innings victory.
Later tour matches
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Loxton made 16 of 361 as Australia batted first against KentKent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
. He came on late in the first innings and took three of the last four wickets as the hosts fell for 51 in just 23 overs. Loxton bowled all of his victims as the hosts fell from 5/48 to 51 all out. It was a similar tale in the second innings, as Loxton removed opener Jack Davies
Jack Davies (cricketer)
Jack Gale Wilmot Davies was an English cricketer, rugby union player and psychologist....
for a duck and ended with 1/12 from six overs as the hosts fell for 124 in only 32.5 overs. Australia had won the match by an innings within two days. In the next fixture against the Gentlemen of England, Loxton made only 17 as Australia eventually declared at 5/610 against a team that featured eight Test players. Loxton then took a match total of 0/37 from 21 overs as Australia completed another innings victory. Loxton was rested for the next match against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, which the tourists won by an innings. Loxton then returned against the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
. He came in at 5/427 and struck an unbeaten 67 in 75 minutes, before Australia declared at 7/522. He took 1/17 from 11 overs, removing Charlie Barnett
Charlie Barnett (cricketer)
Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...
as the hosts were bowled out for 298 in their first innings when rain ended the match.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last Australian campaign in 1938, this team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted that only six current England Test players be allowed to play. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test line-up being the inclusion of Johnson at the expense of Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. The bowlers skittled the hosts for 177, with Loxton taking 0/12. Loxton came in at 2/327 and made 12, before sweeping
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
a ball from Freddie Brown into his own face and breaking his nose. He retired hurt and took no further part in the match. Australia declared at 8/469 and the hosts were 2/75 when the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. Following his injury, Loxton played in neither; Australia won both by an innings. While in Scotland, Loxton's nose was operated on in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Following his injury, Loxton eschewed the sweep shot and advised students to do the same, exhorting them to move onto the front foot to drive instead.
Role
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Lindwall, Miller and Bill Johnston
Bill Johnston (cricketer)
William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
. When fit, the trio all bowled before Loxton in the Tests. With medium pacer Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
and off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
ner Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
also playing in the Third and Fourth Tests, Loxton was the sixth bowler. In the Fifth Test, Johnson was replaced by 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...
ner Ring and the injured Toshack was replaced by a batsman, so Loxton became the fifth bowler. Of the seven regular bowlers, Loxton was the only one who was not a frontline bowler, and as such he had worst average, the second-worst economy rate and the third worst strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
. Loxton ended the Test series with 144 runs at 48.00 and three wickets at 49.33, having bowled 63 overs. Loxton batted at No. 6 or No. 7 during the Tests, and was the last batsman in the batting order before the 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 the bowlers.
In the tour matches, Loxton sometimes opened the bowling when Bradman sought to rest Lindwall and Miller in order to conserve their energy for the Tests, such as in both innings of the match against Northamptonshire and the second match against Surrey. In his 22 first-class innings, he batted twice at No. 4 and opened in one innings, but he was otherwise invariably in the middle-order between No. 5 and No. 7.N- Loxton was the most economical of those who bowled more than 70 overs, but also the least incisive, taking a wicket every 67.75 balls, and he never took more than three wickets in an innings, which he managed on three occasions. He played 22 first-class matches and scored 973 runs at 57.23 with three centuries and took 32 wickets at 21.71. Loxton was eighth in the run-scoring aggregates, but was given less opportunities than the other frontline batsmen who scored more heavily; whereas he had 22 innings, they all had at least 26 innings and tended to bat higher in the order. However, Loxton was productive when given a chance, ranking fifth in the averages. Loxton was the eighth-leading wicket-taker; all seven ahead of him took at least 50 wickets.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
summed up his contribution thus:
General notes
- References using CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
or Wisden may require free registration for access.