Samuel Morris (cricketer)

Samuel Morris (22 June 1855 in Hobart – 20 September 1931 in Albert Park, Victoria) was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1885. He was the first black man to represent Australia and, along with Andrew Symonds, is one of only two people of West Indian heritage to do so.

Morris was one of nine Australian Test players to make his debut in the second Test of the 1884–85 series against England. Selectors were forced to choose an entirely new team after the eleven of the first Test refused to play over a dispute concerning payment of players. Morris took two wickets in the match, including English captain Arthur Shrewsbury, and made just fourteen runs (4 as an opener in the first innings, 10 not out in the second batting at number ten) as Australia lost by ten wickets.

His mother Elizabeth McGuiness was Tasmanian of West Indian descent and his father Isaac Morris was from Barbados had traveled to Australia in the gold-rush years of the 1840s. He was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1855, Samuel initially played cricket in Daylesford before being enticed to play cricket in Melbourne. Played his club cricket in Victoria for Melbourne's St Kilda club where he later became the groundsman at Richmond (Punt Road Oval), Melbourne University and South Melbourne before suffering from blindness in his later years.

Sam Morris has been a true and faithful follower of the game. He had an excellent record as a cricketer and had troops of friends who would never see him in want

— Donald Mackinnon, on presenting the proceeds of a benefit in Morris' honour in 1909^[1]

See also

• List of Victoria first-class cricketers

Notes

References

• Smith, Rick (2000), Australian Test Cricketers. Sydney. ABC Books. ISBN 0-7333-0321-8.

External links

• Cricinfo article on Samuel Morris
• "Sam Morris: The first black man to play Test cricket" by Arunabha Sengupta