John ‘Jack’ Rutherford died on April 21, 2022, aged 91. He played his only Test match against India in 1956/57, and was remembered in the 2023 Wisden Almanack.
John Walter Rutherford, who died on April 21 at the age of 92, was the first player from Western Australia to play for the national team. He was called up for the tour of England in 1956, but did not play in the Ashes Test, but soon afterwards in Bombay Australia won 523-7, sharing an opening stand of 57 with Jim Burke and making only 30. won an international match. p>
Rutherford was born in Bruce Rock, a small wheatbelt town 260 miles east of Perth, and earned degrees in science and mathematics. He also has solid batting skills and served as the university team’s opening pitcher at the Perth tournament. Although he was never flashy and was primarily a backfoot player, adept at scoring at the back of the field on both sides of the wicket, he was also able to play an effective attack. He has also developed into a player who can also play as a leg-spinner and slip fielder.
Rutherford noticed right away. In the 1954/55 season, he withstood the pace attack of the British tourists, scoring 39 points, his only double-digit score, as his total of 11 points dropped to 86 points. The state only played two Shield games this season, but Rutherford scored 100 points in both games, including a career-best 167 points against South Australia in Adelaide. His experienced teammate Ken Mulman, another capped wonder, was a clear supporter: “He’s a crack cricketer. Everything he’s achieved he’s done the hard way. That’s what I accomplished.” In my opinion Rutherford is Australia’s best opening batsman. But he will never play Test cricket unless he moves to South Australia or Victoria. ”
In anticipation of the Ashes tour, a joint testimonial match between former New South Wales Test players Arthur Maley and Johnny Taylor in Sydney in January 1956 was the starting point for selection. Rutherford’s experience reinforced the feeling that Western cricketers were considered inferior. After a long flight across the country, he had to find his way to the SCG on his own, but had just finished training there when he was given the chance to score. He was due to play against Ray Lindwall the next day, but his preparations resulted in “second wicketkeeper Len Maddox throwing his ass at me”. Rutherford’s response was 288 minutes of caution, scoring 113 points in a second wicket stand of 244 with Ken McKay, securing both their places.
Although this tour was a personal disappointment, he stood with the MCC at Lord’s for nearly five hours and scored 98 points, reaching 282 points, alongside Neil Harvey who reached 225 points. there was. Otherwise, he struggled in wet conditions, averaging barely 20 points. However, he was given a nickname. During his voyage to England, Rutherford used his knowledge of mathematics to answer Keith Miller’s boring question about how far away the horizon was. Miller was impressed by his quick calculations and said, “We have Pythagoras!”
On the way home, Australia played their first Test in India, and Rutherford got his chance in the second Test. After Australia posted a high total, India escaped with a draw and survived in 137 overs. Rutherford was given just five overs to Lindwall, the only time he was captain, but he deceived a persistent Vijay Manjrekar. “He tried to cut it straight,” recalled Dickie Rutnagle, who was watching.
Rutherford continued to perform well. In 1957/58, at the age of 50, he scored 650 runs, including his 160 against New South Wales and new fast bowler Gordon Rourke at Perth. In 1959, he played one season in the Lancashire League as a professional for Rishton, collecting 831 runs and 52 wickets. However, during the opening match of West Indies’ landmark tour of Australia in 1960-1961, Rutherford felt dizzy and left the field. He suffered a minor stroke and announced his immediate retirement at the age of 31. A few months later he returned to teaching, this time in another wheat belt town, Merredin, where he took local cricket to a high level and was appointed as a local councilor.
In 1965, Rutherford scored 211 points in six hours during the Perth Country Week Carnival. And he will always remember the moments spent in the sun. “As soon as I say I have baggy greens, people pay attention to me. It helped me in many ways. And I ended up playing for the Australian team for eight months with Miller, Lindwall and others. I’m very lucky to have been able to do that. I’m proud to be the first Western Australian to play Test cricket – I’m really proud.”
Jack Rutherford was the first cricketer from Western Australia to play Test cricket.
