Ron Saggers
Harbord, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Role | Wicket-keeper | |||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 182) | 22 July 1948 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 3 March 1950 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||
1939/40–1950/51 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: CricketArchive, 25 February 2008 |
Ronald Arthur Saggers (15 May 1917 – 17 March 1987) was an Australian
As a
In domestic cricket, Saggers twice captained New South Wales in 1948 when the regular captain, Arthur Morris, was playing for Australia, and overall played domestic cricket from 1939 until 1951.[1]
Domestic career
Saggers was born in the
Early career
Saggers played twice for the New South Wales Colts team against Queensland Colts in 1937, before making his
His first full season from 1940 to 1941 saw him play in eight matches, scoring 413 runs with the bat at 29.50 and passing fifty runs in an innings twice.
World War II
Between 1941 and 1942, Saggers' career was interrupted when he enlisted in the
Return
Saggers was in stronger form following his tour to England. On 10 December 1948, Saggers, included in AL Hassett's XI for Test trial matches and benefits, as well as continuing his career at New South Wales,[8] scored 38 for the latter against Queensland.[18] At the same time, he aided Jack Moroney in his own comeback to cricket at New South Wales by suggesting he subtract three years from his age when he submitted his registration form.[19] Overall in the 1948–1949 season he scored 300 runs from nine matches, his highest season total, at 25.00, and taking 21 catches and six stumpings.[10] Following the South Africa tour of 1949–1950 he returned to Australia again for one final season from 1950 to 1951, however played only one match, scoring five runs and taking two catches.[10] Through his entire first-class career of 77 appearances from 1939 until 1951, he was to make one century in a tour match against Essex and eight half-centuries for New South Wales, ending with 1,888 runs at an average of 23.89, together with 146 catches and 75 stumpings.[1]
International career
The Invincibles
Saggers accompanied the 1948 Ashes tour to England as the reserve wicket-keeper behind the first choice, Tallon. During the tour, Saggers had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 10,N-[4] because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of Ray Lindwall, Colin McCool, Ian Johnson and Doug Ring, who were all capable batsmen. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries, one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level.[21] As a result, many of the bowlers batted before he did.
As Australia often won by an innings, and declared in the first innings on many occasions, Saggers only had 12 innings in his 17 first-class fixtures and was not out three times after his remaining partners had been dismissed.
Saggers' Test debut took place at Headingley on 22 July 1948 during the Fourth Test of the Invincibles Ashes tour of England.[1] England made 496 runs in their first innings, with Saggers taking catches to remove Denis Compton for 23 and Jim Laker for four.[31] Australia replied with 458, however Saggers was stumped by England's wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans off the bowling of Laker for only five runs. England's second innings reached 365 with Saggers taking one catch to secure the wicket of Ken Cranston. However, an innings of 182 runs from Arthur Morris and 173 not out from Bradman meant that Saggers was not required to bat again in the second innings; Australia defeating England by seven wickets.[31] Saggers did not play in the remaining international matches of the 1948 Ashes series, and he ended the tour with 209 runs at an average of 23.22, including a career high score of 104 not out against Essex, 23 catches and 20 stumpings, also career records. This compared with the first-choice gloveman Tallon, who scored 283 runs at 25.72.[32] In all his matches on tour, Tallon missed 249 byes as Australia conceded 5,331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%. In contrast, Saggers conceded 221 byes from the 6,190 runs scored against Australia when he was behind the stumps, a percentage of 3.57%.N-[4] In his book, Farewell to Cricket, Bradman said of Saggers following the tour: "[he] had not quite the speed or agility of Tallon but could always be relied on for a solid performance. A most polished and unostentatious player."[33]
South Africa
Saggers' next Test came in the 1949 tour of
The first Test match of the tour, on 24 December 1949 at
The Fifth Test was played at the
Test match performance
Batting[48] | Wicket-keeping[49] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Catches | Stumpings | Dismissals per innings | Most dismissals (Inns) |
England | 1 | 5 | 5.00 | 5 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 1.50 | 2 |
South Africa | 5 | 25 | 12.50 | 14 | 0/0 | 13 | 8 | 2.33 | 4 |
Overall | 6 | 30 | 10.00 | 14 | 0/0 | 16 | 8 | 2.18 | 4 |
See also
- List of Australian wicket-keepers
- List of New South Wales representative cricketers
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Ron Saggers at ESPNcricinfo retrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ a b Alfred, p. 57.
- ^ "Sporting greats – Australia reveres and treasures its sporting heroes". Australian Government – Culture and Recreation Portal. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
The 1948 Australian cricket team captained by Don Bradman, for example, became known as 'The Invincibles' for their unbeaten eight-month tour of England. This team is one of Australia's most cherished sporting legends.
- ^ a b World War II Nominal Roll, Commonwealth of Australia Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 27 December 2007
- ^ New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages – Ronald Arthur Saggers retrieved 30 April 2008
- ^ Pollard, p. 913.
- ^ a b Teams played for by Ron Saggers from Cricket Archive, retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ New South Wales v South Australia, 1939/1940 from Cricket Archive, retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ a b c d e f g h i First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ron Saggers from Cricket Archive, retrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ Queensland v New South Wales 1940/1941 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ New South Wales v Queensland 1940/1941 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ New South Wales v Victoria 1940/1941 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Victoria v New South Wales 1940/1941 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ a b Clowes, p. 221.
- ^ Clowes, p. 228.
- ^ South Australia v New South Wales 1940/1941 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Clowes, p. 234.
- ^ "Jack Moroney: Wisden obituary". Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Player Oracle RA Saggers 1948". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ Cashman, pp. 152, 175, 199, 258.
- ^ Leicestershire v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Cambridge University v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ Oxford University v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Lancashire v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Hampshire v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Yorkshire v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Surrey v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Gloucestershire v Australia 1948 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ "Batting and bowling averages Australia tour of England, Apr-Sep 1948 – First-class matches". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ Bradman, p. 227.
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ Natal v Australia in 1949/1950 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ North Eastern Transvaal v Australia 1949/1950 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ South African XI v Australia 1949/1950 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Orange Free State v Australia 1949/1950 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- ^ Transvaal v Australia 1949/1950 from Cricket Archive retrieved 29 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ RA Saggers Archived 5 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine from Test Cricket Tens, retrieved 28 April 2008
- CricInforetrieved 28 April 2008
- ^ Browning, p. 10.
- Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
References
- Alfred, L. Testing Times: The Story of the Men Who Made SA Cricket, New Africa Books, 2003. ISBN 0-86486-538-4
- ISBN 1-875892-01-X.
- Browning, M. Rod Marsh: A Life in Cricket, Rosenberg Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-877058-23-8
- Clowes, C. 150 Years of NSW First-Class Cricket: A Chronology, Allen & Unwin, 2007. ISBN 1-74175-082-2
- ISBN 0-207-15269-1.
External links
- Media related to Ron Saggers at Wikimedia Commons
- Ron Saggers at ESPNcricinfo