Frank Allan

ALLAN, MR. FRANK ERSKINE ( The Bowler of a Century,) born at Warrambool (Victoria) December 2, 1849. Height 6ft. 1in. Died at Melbourne February 9.

Frank Allan was the first of the long line of great Australian bowlers. There were good men before his day-- Sam Cosstick and others--but he was the first to develop those special qualities that made Australian bowling--when the first team came to England in 1878--the talk of the cricket world. Apart from everything else, the medium-pace bowlers were found capable of getting an amount of work on the ball that in England had only been possible to slow bowlers. Allan, who bowled left-handed and batted right, and abundant spin, but his distinctive gift was a remarkable swerve, or as it was then called a curl in the air. Batsmen who met him for the first time were bewildered by the course of the ball. Allan was a born bowler, if ever there was one. He played in his first Inter-Colonial match at Melbourne on Boxing Day, 1867, within a month of completing his eighteenth year, and became famous at once, taking eight wickets--five for 59 runs and three for 43--and helping Victoria to beat New South Wales by seven wickets. Thenceforward he was for years the mainstay of the Victorian eleven, and the terror of New South Wales batsmen. Midwinter, who played a great deal with Allan when both were young, said to me once: When I began to bowl I could scarcely hit a haystack, but Allan was a bowler from the day he first took a ball in his hand.

Allan was at the height of his fame when he came to England with the famous team of 1878 and though he had not done half so well as Spofforth during the preliminary tour in the Colonies he was one of the great hopes of the side. In England, however, he did not do himself justice. Unfortunately for him the summer of 1878 was for the most part extremely cold and wet. At home no day was too hot for him, and he found our climate very trying. The result was that he failed whereas Harry Boyle--immeasurably his inferior in Australia--made a big reputation, and shared with Spofforth the triumph of the tour. Once, however Allan revealed his powers. In the match with Middlesex at Lord's played in glorious weather, he took three wickets for 27 runs and six for 76. Bob Thoms, who was umpiring, told me that what he did with the ball was wonderful. It was in that match that Edward Lyttelton got his famous 113--the innings of his life. Allan never paid a second visit to England, but he continued to play in Inter-Colonial matches for some time. Soon, however, his old position as Victoria's crack bowler was taken by George Palmer. Like Allan, Palmer came out when very young and jumped at once to the top of the tree, establishing his reputation in a match against Lord Harris's team in March, 1879. In comparing Allan's deeds with those of later Australian bowlers it must be remembered that in his time Australian batting was very far below the standard it has since reached, and that the wickets did not approach their present perfection. Still he was great in his day. As a batsman he played by the light of nature in a style peculiarly his own. His comrades of 1878 used to call him the crouching panther. He was first-class as a shot, an angler, at bowls, and as a poker player.

Took all 10 wickets in an innings for 10 runs for Warrambool v. Coranderrk Aboriginals, at Warrambool, in January, 1884