The Sydney Uni Cricket Club continues its support of Koori kids in cricket!
DATE: Sunday, October 30
TIME: 9am-12pm
LOCATION: Martin Lambert Indoor Cricket Centre
To get involved, be sure to RSVP by 24/10/22.
The session is completely free with drinks and snacks provided!
More info about the Indigenous Academy Appeal here:
SUCC Indigenous Academy — Sydney Uni Cricket (sydneyuniversitycricket.com.au)
The 1941-42 SUCC Annual Report was a sombre account of a club bravely keeping just afloat during the dark days of World War II. Students had enlisted. Some were never to return. Others’ cricket careers were over.
In February 1942, Singapore had fallen. In April 1942, a RAF bomber had been shot down over Northern France. Only one of its crew survived the crash.
The 1941-42 Report’s editor, however, saw a glimmer of hope.
“We were very pleased to hear that Jack Connolly (sic) has been reported to be a prisoner of war after being on the missing list for some time.”
The Mosman Cricket Club Annual of the same season, 1941-42, contained the same news: Jack Connelly was a prisoner of war.
This was Jack Francis Connelly who had been born at Petersham on 7 March 1909, the only son of George (1883-1948) and Florence Christine nee Muldoon (1881-1973) and the older brother of Sheila (1913-2004) and Patricia (1915-1988).
Jack Connelly played for the Mosman Baseball Club from 1927 when he helped set up the club. He had joined the Mosman Cricket Club in 1926. In 1936-37, he coached the Mosman Green Shield (under 16) side.
He was not yet 19 when he took up his first teaching post at Neutral Bay Public School in 1928, as an Assistant Teacher, earning only 145 pounds per year. He then taught at various schools around NSW without formal teaching qualifications before entering Sydney University in 1937 to study Arts. He eventually graduated BA in 1940.
In his first season with SUCC, 1937-38, he batted steadily and bowled medium pace in 2nd Grade and in the Inter varsity games against Queensland and Melbourne before he became SUCC 1st Grader number 286. His three innings in 1st Grade, however, produced only 14 runs. In 1938-39, now a member of the Club’s selection committee, he seems to have volunteered to captain the Club’s ‘District Colts XI’ or 4th Grade side. His 205 runs and 30 wickets were invaluable.
In what was to be his final season with the Club, 1939-40, Jack placed himself in the 5th Grade side playing in the Municipal and Shire competition. He was involved generously in the Club’s administration as Honorary Secretary, delegate to the Sports Union, a member of the selection committee and President-elect of the AUSA for 1940-41. In 5th Grade, his batting flourished, dominated by 125 against Burwood, one of his four scores over 50 during the season, and he was a damaging bowler with 47 wickets including 9 for 51 against Northern District.
He never did take up his position with the AUSA.
By September 1940, Jack had enlisted at Mosman where he was living. He embarked in December, attached to the RAAF (Regimental number 402566) before serving with the RAF in 107 Squadron.
On 12 April 1942, at 12.21 hours, he took off from Great Massingham in a Boston III W8355. The aircraft was hit by flak and was ditched in the English Channel. Three were killed, all Londoners. Sergeant Colin Frank Docherty (wireless operator), Sergeant Thomas Joseph Delaney (air gunner) and the 19 year old pilot, Sergeant Allan Sydney Hatton. Jack was the only survivor and he was taken prisoner (POW 106) and sent to Stalag Luft L5 at Heydekrug.
Jack was a prisoner for three years. He’s briefly mentioned by the 1943-44 Mosman CC Annual Report as being in a POW camp in East Prussia. Somehow, the 1944 edition of Wisden had a story of an extraordinary cricket game played by the prisoners.
“Stalag Luft Prison Camp in East Prussia. Australia won a ‘Test’ match by 3 runs, the last English wicket falling to a wonderful catch off the last ball of the final over…that catch gave JE Connolly (sic), who was cricket secretary of Sydney University before the war, a match record of 13 wickets for 60 runs.”
Jack recorded his thoughts from Stalag 357-6 in January 1945:
“As part of the alleged reprisal measure, they [the German authorities] stopped all organised entertainment and closed the library…Before that, we had put on a good many plays, arranged symphony concerts with gramophone records.”
He wrote about books that he had read as part of his keeping mentally alert by studying works such as Harold Laski’s Grammar of Politics.
He was released in April 1945, almost three years to the day of the crash and he reported to the Brighton Reception Camp. Within a few weeks, his weight had increased from 10 stone 8 pounds to 12 stone 4 pounds. He was gracious, writing:
“No one could praise too highly the service authorities and the Red Cross for what they were doing for us ex-prisoners.”
Mosman’s 1944-45 Annual Report gives details of three Mosman CC cricketers who had been released:
Jack Connelly, Keith Carmody and Peter Pearson. Ten Mosman players died on active service, including Dr Llondha Holland who had also played for SUCC and who had been killed in May 1943 just off the Queensland coast when his Hospital Ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, resulting in 278 Australians being lost at sea.
Jack arrived back in Australia. He resumed his teaching career at Yanco Agricultural High School and then at North Sydney Boys’ High in 1952 as a French Master. Ian Craig, the future Australian Test captain and Mosman player, wrote to Mr Connelly during the 1953 tour of England to reassure him that his French had improved.
Jack resumed his cricket career with Mosman. Aged 45, he captained the 4th Grade side of 1953-54 for whom he took a hat trick during the season. By 1963 he was at Surry Hills. He married and spent some time overseas before returning to Australia where he died in Perth aged 76 in 1986, 43 years after the crash.
In the SUCC Annual Reports, however, the last mention made of the former SUCC Honorary Secretary and lower grade captain was in the 1941-42 Report which managed to spell his surname incorrectly.
Nevertheless, he had been given another chance of life.
If any of our readers knows any other details of Jack’s life, I would be most grateful to hear from them.
Gracious thanks to cricket historians, Ric Sissons and Alf James and to Hartley Anderson, Max Bonnell and Pat Rodgers for uncovering details of JF Connelly’s life.
JF CONNELLY. SUCC 1937-40
BATTING BOWLING
1st Grade 3-0-?-14 -
2nd Grade 9-3-49no-96 13-332
4th Grade 15-2-37-205 30-466
5th Grade 12-2-125-382 47-557
ALL GRADES 39-7-125-697-21.8 90-1355-15.1
James Rodgers
Review by Martin Chandler 04 September 2022:
It is our pleasure to introduce our new Club Captain for the 2022/23 Season – Rex Greaves.
On the Field
Rex is a promising fast bowler who has taken more than 80 wickets in his three seasons with the SUCC. He joined the club in the 2019/20 Season, where he was a valued member of our Fourth Grade and PGs sides. Rex had a great first year. He won the Fourth Grade Minor/Major Premiership and during the season, he picked up his Club Best bowling figures of 6/45 off 17 overs. By the end of the 2020/21 Season, he had moved up through the grades and was an integral part of our Second Grade side, thanks to his consistent form with the ball. Unfortunately, last season Rex had to endure an injury prone season and was unable to play at least 50% of the matches. However, in the 9 matches he did play, he claimed 18 crucial wickets.
Rex is excited and ready to go for the 2022/23 Season, with his sights set on earning his First Grade Cap.
Off the Field
Rex is studying a Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Studies where he Majors in International Studies and Political Economics. He is a driven student who is nearing the end of his studies, expecting to Graduate in December this year. He is currently seeking internships and work opportunities in his study area, actively trying to get experience in his industry.
Rex has been a part of the Elite Athlete Program since the 2020/21 Season and is very grateful he was selected in this squad. He has mentioned being part of the program has helped him get the most out of both the SUCC and University experience.
Part of his role as Club Captain involves holding an important position on the Sydney University Cricket Club Board, where he is the conduit between the playing members and club management. Working closely with the General Manager, Rex will have an active role in event planning throughout the season.
Congratulations Rex!
Good luck for the season ahead.
The former Sydney and NSW umpire Dick Burgess died earlier in August aged 102 years.
Dick Burgess took up umpiring in 1952 and was a popular Sydney umpire during the 1950’s and 1960’s. He stood in seven Sheffield Shield matches and also in matches against English and West Indian touring teams. At the time all Sheffield Shield umpires came from the home state.
Dick Burgess had served with the Second AIF in World War II and was probably the last surviving member of the Australian-led garrison known as The Rats of Tobruk. The garrison held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps in a siege that started on 11 April 1941, and was relieved on 10 September 1941. The port continued to be held by the Allies until its surrender on 21 June 1942.
The photograph below shows Dick Burgess [left] going out to umpire with his good friend Ted Wykes in early 1965 in the SUCC re-enactment Centenary Match held at University Oval.
Hartley Anderson
SUCC Centenary 1965
