Archie Jackson

Archibald Jackson (5 September 1909 – 16 February 1933), occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian international cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931.

A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17.

Jackson, the first son and third child of Alexander and Margaret Jackson, was born in 1909 at Rutherglen, a small town near Glasgow in Scotland.

His father had spent part of his childhood in Australia and returned with his family to settle in Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, in 1913.

Raised as a Methodist, Jackson was a lifelong teetotaller and non-smoker.

He attended Birchgrove Public and Rozelle Junior Technical schools and represented New South Wales Schoolboys at football and cricket.

Football talent ran in the family: his uncles Andrew and Jimmy and cousins Archie, Andy and James were professional footballers in Scotland and England, the latter captaining Liverpool.

Growing up near the home ground of Balmain District Cricket Club, Jackson joined the club in his mid-teens where he quickly came to the attention of the captain, Test bowler Arthur Mailey.

The Labor politician "Doc" Evatt, a noted benefactor of young cricketers, helped Jackson's career by purchasing suitable cricket equipment for him.

At the age of 15 years and one month, he made his first grade début for Balmain; cricket historian David Frith believes that Jackson is the youngest cricketer to play at this level.

Jackson left school at this time and worked for a warehouse firm called Jackson & McDonald (unrelated) until the demands of cricket compelled him to resign.

The Test batsman Alan Kippax employed Jackson in his sporting goods store and became his mentor.

In 1925–26, his second season with Balmain, Jackson led the grade cricket competition's batting averages and won selection for the New South Wales Second XI to play Victoria.

Jackson began the 1926–27 season with scores of 111 against St George, 198 against Western Suburbs and 106 against Mosman.

As a result, he made his first-class début for New South Wales (NSW) against Queensland at Brisbane and scored 86 in the second innings.

He posted a century in the return match against the Queenslanders at the SCG.

On NSW's tour of the southern states, Jackson made a century in a non first-class fixture against Northern Tasmania and then hit 104 not out against South Australia.

These performances prompted the former Australian captain Clem Hill to describe Jackson as "... the biggest find since Ponsford."

No Test matches were scheduled for 1927–28, although the New Zealand team briefly toured Australia on their return journey from playing in England.

Jackson scored 104 against the visiting side and shared a century partnership with Kippax, scored in just over 30 minutes.

After a brief run of low scores, a boil on Jackson's knee forced his withdrawal from the match against South Australia at Adelaide.

His replacement was another rising teenage batsman, Donald Bradman, who made his first-class début in the match.

On his return to the team, Jackson was promoted to open the batting and scored a century in both innings in the return match against South Australia.

At the end of the season, he toured New Zealand with an Australian second XI, while Bradman missed out.

The side consisted of a few established Test players mixed with promising youngsters.

Australia were unbeaten on the tour and Jackson scored 198 runs in four matches at an average of 49.50.

During the 1928–29 season, a strong England team captained by Percy Chapman toured Australia for a five-Test Ashes series.

Seeking selection in the Australian Test side, Jackson failed twice in a match designated as a Test trial in Melbourne.

In the next match, against the English for New South Wales, he scored 4 and 40 while his teammates Bradman and Kippax both made centuries.

In 1929, aged 19, Jackson made his Test debut against England, scoring 164 runs in the first innings to become the youngest player to score a Test century.

Renowned for his elegant batting style, he played in a manner similar to the great Australian batsmen Victor Trumper, and Alan Kippax, Jackson's friend and mentor.

His Test and first-class career coincided with the early playing years of Don Bradman, with whom he was often compared.

Before the two departed for England as part of the 1930 Australian team, some observers considered Jackson the better batsman, capable of opening the batting or coming in down the order.

Jackson's career was dogged by poor health; illness and his unfamiliarity with local conditions hampered his tour of England, only playing two of the five Test matches.

Later in the year, in the series against the West Indies, Jackson was successful in the first Test in Adelaide, scoring 70 not out before a poor run of form led to his omission from the fifth Test.

Early in the 1931–32 season, Jackson coughed blood and collapsed before the start of play in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland.

Subsequently, admitted to a sanatorium in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Jackson was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

In an attempt to improve his health and to be closer to his girlfriend, Jackson moved to Brisbane.

Ignoring medical advice, Jackson returned to cricket with a local team; however, his health continued to deteriorate and he died at the age of just 23.

It is speculated that, had he lived, he may have rivalled Don Bradman as a batsman.