» Jack Marsh History Prize

The Jack Marsh History Prize has been established by the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust to promote original scholarly research and interpretation of the history of Trust lands. The Prize is part of the Trust’s enduring efforts to know, celebrate and preserve its heritage and chronicle its physical, cultural and sporting history. It has been made possible by a financial donation by friends of the Trust. Jack Marsh

To encourage curiosity-driven historical research, the topics to be considered for the award of the Jack Marsh History Prize are not specified. Topics could include any aspect of the social, economic, political and sporting history of the lands formerly or currently under the control of the Trust. The focus of works submitted could include, but is not limited to work covering:

· a particular subject;

· historical events (sporting and non-sporting);

· historical figures (including biographies); or

· Member, public or visitor experience

Works submitted for the Prize may take the form of print or non-print media (such as audio or visual media) or any combination of these media.

The Trust’s History Prize takes its name from Jack Marsh, a Bundjalung man. He was born at Yulgilbar on the Clarence River in northern New South Wales around 1874. His initial sporting talent was in professional athletics. In 1894 it was reported that he ran the hundred yards in 9.8 seconds, equalling the world record and becoming the fastest man in Australia. Three years later a cricket official saw him throwing a boomerang at La Perouse and recruited him as a fast bowler.

Marsh became a first-class cricketer who represented New South Wales in six Sheffield Shield matches from 1900–01 to 1902–03 and was considered one of the fastest bowlers of his time. When he played for a Colts XV against the New South Wales state team in a trial match in 1900, he took the wickets of Test players Victor Trumper (for one run), Frank Iredale, Monty Noble and Syd Gregory and of future Test player, Bert Hopkins on the first day. He made his first class debut in December 1900 when he was selected for the NSW team to play South Australia at Adelaide Oval. In a high scoring match, he took 5/181, all clean bowled.

However, almost from the beginning of his cricket career, his bowling action was a source of controversy. He was no-balled multiple times for throwing by some (but certainly not all) umpires. In Marsh’s fourth Sheffield Shield game on Australia Day 1901, Victoria’s Bob Crockett called Marsh 17 times for throwing in Victoria’s first innings – still a record for a single first class innings in Australia. Crockett was widely criticised by the then highly critical press, because umpire Sammy Jones, who officiated at the other end, did not once ‘call’ Marsh. Several press critics pointed out that Crockett was a full-time employee of the Melbourne Cricket Club, which organised English tours of Australia and may well have been bowing to strong English pressure to stamp out ‘chuckers’.

While there were calls for Marsh to be selected to play for Australia, Monty Noble, the New South Wales selector refused citing his controversial action. His first-class career amounted to just six matches in which he took 34 wickets for 21.47.

Historical research since the mid 1980s makes a strong case that his race was a significant factor in his exclusion from national and state representation. Les Poidevin, who batted for both NSW and Lancashire commented that he would not be picked for Australia ’because the absurd white Australia policy has touched or tainted the hearts of the rulers of cricket, as it has the political rulers’. The legendary batsman and Australian captain Warren Bardsley went on record as saying he rated Marsh the equal of great fast bowlers Fred Spofforth and Sydney Barnes, and demanded that he be quoted as saying the only reason Marsh was kept out of Test cricket….’was his colour.’

Marsh played out his cricketing days in the Sydney grade competition, topping the bowling averages from 1901 to 1904. His cricket career ended in 1905 and he returned to professional athletics. Well past his prime, he mainly competed in exhibitions and then travelled around Victoria and South Australia giving exhibitions of boomerang throwing and bowling under the Big Top. By this time he had become a heavy drinker and in 1909 was jailed for 14 days in Melbourne for assault.

His life after this remains unclear, but it is assumed he worked casually on Victorian farm properties before returning to NSW, apparently drifting between Bathurst and Orange and obtaining employment as an itinerant farm worker.

He died outside a pool room in Orange on May 25, 1916 after being bashed by two white men when fleeing from them. Both were charged with manslaughter, but acquitted after the judge ruled they had been provoked by Marsh’s ‘drunken behaviour.’ Marsh, then aged around 42, was buried in an unmarked grave. The Bulletin wrote in Marsh's obituary that he was ‘… a darky troubled with manners which white brothers found impossible to put up with.’

The Prize is named in honour of Jack Marsh for a number of reasons: he had a strong association with Trust lands, initially playing cricket in the Moore Park competition, then with South Sydney (1897-98) and (following a merger) with the Sydney District Club, and playing Sheffield Shield at the SCG; it is only through the efforts of dedicated historians that his story has been recorded for posterity; and his life as an Aboriginal sports person is symbolic of the lives of many other gifted Aboriginal sports people of the past who were not able to achieve their full potential because of political, cultural and racial forces bearing down on them.

The Trust has made extensive inquiries as to whether Jack Marsh has any kin still living to seek their familial blessing for the naming of the Prize after him, but found none. If there are indeed kin, we hope they will regard the Prize as a way of honouring his life and his achievements. The Prize will be presented to the winner in the M. A. Noble Stand of the SCG.

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