Aubrey Faulkner

For other people named Faulkner, see Faulkner (surname).

Aubrey Faulkner

Personal information

Full name

George Aubrey Faulkner

Born

17 December 1881
Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony

Died

10 September 1930 (aged 48)
Fulham, London, England

Batting style

Right-handed

Bowling style

Right-arm legbreak googly

International information

National side

South Africa

Test debut (cap 58)

2 January 1906 v England

Last Test

28 June 1924 v England

Domestic team information

Years

Team

1902–1910

Transvaal

1912–1920

MCC

Career statistics

Competition	Test	FC
Matches	25	118
Runs scored	1754	6366
Batting average	40.79	36.58
100s/50s	4/8	13/32
Top score	204	204
Balls bowled	4227	16624
Wickets	82	449
Bowling average	26.58	17.42
5 wickets in innings	4	33
10 wickets in match	0	8
Best bowling	7/84	7/26
Catches/stumpings	20/–	94/–

Source: CricketArchive, 6 November 2009

George Aubrey Faulkner (17 December 1881 in Port Elizabeth – 10 September 1930 in Walham Green, London) was a leading cricketer for South Africa for two decades.

Early life

Faulkner endured the violence of an alcoholic father before enlisting in the Imperial Light Horse in 1900 to fight in the Anglo-Boer War. After the cessation of hostilities, Faulkner moved to Johannesburg and made his first-class cricketing debut for Transvaal in the 1902/03 Currie Cup Tournament.

Early career

After playing in the Currie Cup without distinction, Faulkner came to the notice of the South African selectors when he scored a half century and took six wickets with his googlies to lead Transvaal to a surprise win over the touring 1905/06 MCC side. He was promptly selected for his Test debut in the first Test of the series against England at Johannesburg and his match figures of 6/61 helped South Africa record their maiden Test victory. Faulkner retained his place throughout the whole series and was a significant contributor to South Africa's 4-1 series victory.

Faulkner was selected for the South African tour of the United Kingdom in 1907 and his mastery of googly bowling, along with that of his team mates Reginald Schwarz, Bert Vogler and Gordon White, had a significant effect on the acceptance of wrist spin as an effective bowling weapon. The highlight of the tour for Faulkner being his spell at the Leeds Test match where he took 6/17 in eleven overs.

The return of the English side to South Africa in 1909/10 for a five Test series saw Faulkner at the height of his skills and had many, including Wisden, calling him the best all-rounder in the world, as he was the leading run scorer from either team, scoring 545 runs at 60.55 and the second highest wicket taker with 29 at 21.89. Faulkner then carried this form into his next series, against Australia in Australia in 1910/11. In the five Test series, Faulkner scored 732 runs at 73.20, including a highest score of 204 in the second Test at Melbourne and took 10 wickets at 51.40.

Following the Australian tour, Faulkner married and moved to England, settling in Nottingham, with the intention of playing county cricket. However this did not come to be and Faulkner instead limited his appearances to South African matches in England and the occasional festival match. He never played in South Africa again.

South Africa toured England again in 1912 for the triangular series with England and Australia and Faulkner made himself available for South Africa, playing in six Test matches and scoring 194 runs at 19.40 and taking 17 wickets at 26.70.

During World War I

Following the outbreak of World War I, Faulkner enlisted in the British Army, joining the Royal Field Artillery and served on the Western Front, Macedonia and Palestine, helping to capture Jerusalem. Promoted to Major, Faulkner received the DSO and the Order of the Nile for his bravery and contracted a case of malaria for his troubles.

Post-war career and life

Faulkner's marriage had disintegrated during his war enforced absence and he divorced in 1920. Tall, muscular and handsome, Faulkner was considered a cricketing sex symbol and was never short of female admirers, one of whom he married in 1928.

Faulkner had retired from cricket in 1921 to go into coaching but was coerced into returning to Test cricket in 1924 by the touring South Africans, who were suffering from a long injury list. His return to Test cricket was less than spectacular however and after one poor performance at Lord's, Faulkner retired for good after 25 Test matches that reaped 1,754 runs at 40.79 and 82 wickets at 26.58 with 7/58 his best figures.

Faulkner started a cricket school in London, the first of its type in the world and was credited with shaping some future Test players, including Doug Wright, Ian Peebles and Denis Tomlinson. The school however was not a financial success and Faulkner began to suffer from extended periods of depression, possibly exacerbated from the malaria he contracted during the war. On 10 September 1930, in a small store room at his cricket school, Faulkner gassed himself. He was 48. His suicide note read "Dear Mackenzie, I am off to another sphere via the small bat-drying room. Better call in a policeman to do investigating." ^[1]

In 1926 his book Cricket: Can it be Taught? was published. ^[2]

Obituaries for Faulkner tiptoed around the manner of his death but all were fervent in their praise of the elegant batsman, the bowler who could trouble all of the leading batsman and the great fielder, either in the deep or in the slips.

References

↑ Frith, D. "Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides"
↑ Frith, D. "Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides"

Cricinfo. "Aubrey Faulkner" . Accessed 20 November 2005

Sources

Bassano, B. Aubrey Faulkner - His Record Innings-By-Innings, ACS Publications, Nottingham (UK) 2002. ISBN 1-902171-43-8
Frith, D. Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides, Mainstream Publishing, London, 2001. ISBN 1-84018-406-X

External links

Australian first-class cricket season leading run-scorers (1900–01 to 1949–50)

1900–01: Hill 1901–02: Hill 1902–03: Duff 1903–04: Trumper 1904–05: Armstrong 1905–06: Mackay 1906–07: Hopkins 1907–08: Hardstaff 1908–09: Ransford 1909–10: Kortlang 1910–11: Faulkner 1911–12: Rhodes 1912–13: Trumper 1913–14: Macartney 1914–15: Ryder 1915–16: – 1916–17: – 1917–18: no games played 1918–19: Armstrong 1919–20: Park 1920–21: Hendren 1921–22: O'Keeffe 1922–23: Chapman 1923–24: Ponsford 1924–25: Sutcliffe 1925–26: Richardson 1926–27: Ponsford 1927–28: Ponsford 1928–29: Bradman 1929–30: Bradman 1930–31: Bradman 1931–32: Bradman 1932–33: Sutcliffe 1933–34: Bradman 1934–35: Fingleton 1935–36: Bradman 1936–37: Bradman 1937–38: Bradman 1938–39: Brown 1939–40: Bradman 1940–41: S. Barnes 1941–42: Raymer 1942–43: – 1943–44: – 1944–45: – 1945–46: S. Barnes 1946–47: Compton 1947–48: Bradman 1948–49: Morris

Leading run-scorers: 1850–51 to 1899–00 1900–01 to 1949–50 1950–51 to 1999–00 2000–01 onwards Leading wicket-takers: 1850–51 to 1899–00 1900–01 to 1949–50 1950–51 to 1999–00 2000–01 onwards

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