By James Rodgers

(image courtesy of AWM)

MILFORD JAMES CUSICK

Milford (‘Mick’) Cusick was one of the very few cricketers educated at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill

who played 1 st Grade for SUCC in the early 20 th century.

He is SUCC 1 st Grade cap no.163.

He initially studied Medicine after boarding at St Joseph’s with his older brother, Alton, from 1913 until

1916 on a half bursary. At the time, his parents lived at the Moorefield Hotel Kogarah.

On the cricket fields of St Joseph’s, he had captained the 1916 1 st XI side. He “batted well, bowled in a

very tricky fashion and fielded in excellent style.” He was said to have been a “bosie bowler”, a rare left

hand wrist spinner who enjoyed prolific success in the various junior teams, probably because his style

of bowling was so little known at that time. His 6-35 and 7-24 in an internal ‘colour’ match in 1913 and

his 6-8 in another game ensured selection in the 2 nd XI and then in the 1 st XI. He could also bat as his

unbeaten 113 in 1913 confirmed. He played in the same 1 st XI side as Bill Gissane who eventually went to

Riverview and who was also to play just once for SUCC.

Going to University in 1916 after passing the Senior Examinations and after winning the University

Medal for Inorganic Chemistry, he found himself in the 1916-17 University sides that had been severely

depleted because of enlistments for the Great War from 1914. That season, the 1 st Grade side was still

able to call on players of quality such as Mick Bardsley, Jim Bogle, Les Best and LC Donovan. But three of

the sixteen who played 1 st Grade that season played their solitary game at that level: Bill Bee, FV

McAdam (who had also attended St Joseph’s before the war) and Milford Cusick (whose surname was

consistently and incorrectly spelled as ‘Cusack’).

Tragedy followed these undergraduates. ENC Leggo,

who bowled left arm medium pace in 1916-17, was killed in France on 18 October 1917.

Cusick scored 11 and 1 in his only game and never appeared in 1 st Grade again.

He set up dental surgery in Bellevue Hill and, in 1923, married Sylvia Somes. They lived for a time in

Wagga when Milford was in partnership in a dental practice with University’s Test player of the time,

Johnnie Taylor. Milford captained the Wagga side and during the 1932-33 ‘Bodyline’ tour he captained

‘Southern NSW’ at Wagga in their two-day game against Jardine’s English side. The MCC side consisted

largely of those who played little part in the acrimonious Test series. Cusick was bowled by Tommy

Mitchell for 12 in the 1 st innings and then stumped to give Pataudi a rare wicket in the 2 nd innings.

He returned to Sydney during the 1930s and turned out in the Dentists vs Undergraduates games at the

SCG.

The son of Milford and Sylvia, also named Milford James Cusick, also attended St Joseph’s College. He

was one of 841 from St Joseph’s to enlist in World War II and one of 74 to be killed. On the evening of

24/25 March 1943, piloting a Lancaster bomber, Flight Lieutenant MJ Cusick was killed in action. His

body was interred at the parish cemetery Wusten I West Germany.