Sinclair the Striker by Jay
One of the greatest cricketers from
South Africa during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was Jimmy
Sinclair. Tall and naturally athletic,
Sinclair was a powerful batsman. He is
often given credit for hitting the first test century ever for South Africa and
is known for whacking some of the most powerful sixes ever witnessed. Indeed, it is possible he hit the longest six
in cricket history when he belted one out of the Old Wanderers cricket ground
where it landed on an outgoing train! He
also became the first South African to make over 300 (301) in 1897 for G.
Beve’s XI against Roodeport. Sinclair
wasn’t just a good batsman however, he was also a notable bowler – an all-rounder,
who could be phenomenal on the right day.
As a teenager he had trounced Lord Hawke’s English team practically all
by himself, scoring 157 points and taking all the wickets. He was definitely the man to watch whenever
the English or the Australians had to face South Africa. In the first decade of the twentieth century,
he would be joined by more talent on the South African team including Aubrey
Faulkner and C.B. Llewellyn, and this would set the stage for some of the great
matchups between these countries. In
1910, the South Africans, with Sinclair leading the way, toured Australia for
the first time. Sinclair can actually be
seen in some very rare footage from one of the tests on this tour. The clip is very clear for its age. It is a sunny day, and Sinclair is bowling
against Warren Bardsley. The non-striker
is the legendary Australian batsmen, Victor Trumper. Bardsley hits the ball and begins to
run. Trumper then runs past Sinclair in
a mad dash to get to the other end of the pitch but is thrown out by one of the
players who is out of frame (probably Llewellyn). Ignominiously, Trumper falls as he is
extending his bat and is then seen rising quickly to his feet where he seems to
hitch up his pants before calmly turning around and walking off the field. In the meantime, Sinclair is seen striding
forward, perfectly composed and commending his fellow teammates by clapping,
obviously pleased in this great moment of triumph by ridding themselves of
Australia’s biggest threat. It is
unfortunate that this is the only known footage of Trumper in action (though
some posed footage of him does exist).
However, here we see Sinclair, South Africa’s answer to Trumper,
glorying in the moment, forever immortalized on this bright summer day so long
ago in December, 1910. It is interesting
to note that when this footage was shot, Sinclair was past his prime though he
still from time to time exhibited some of the form that had made him such a
feared presence a decade before.
Below are two pictures of
Sinclair. One is from my collection of
tobacco cards, which dates from the same year as the Australian tour
(1910). The other is taken from Roland
Bowen’s informative book on the history of cricket called Cricket: A History
of its Growth and Development throughout the World. I believe this picture is really
representative of the man and his performance on the field. In a way, it almost seems contemporary though
it is well over 100 years old. Sinclair
looks formidable and intimidating as he
holds his bat high and leans over on his toes, almost as if he is about to
topple onto the crease. There is no
question that he is not just protecting the wicket, but is fiercely determined
to launch one of his thunderous sixes deep into the cosmos. It is a picture full of undisciplined energy
and raw strength. Sinclair the striker is
life captured at the pinnacle of one’s power.
It is brief, and it is momentary; however, for an instant, the scene
captures an ephemeral glimpse of something immortal that transcends this single
act of a man. Sinclair stands out from
everything else around him - the subdued, hazy background of buildings,
phantom-like in appearance and seeming to want to melt into an obscure and
forgotten past – the lone wicket, a three pronged fork planted in the ground as
stark as the cricketer himself and yet remote, lonely and isolated within the
scene - people in the dimness, but whose images are so deeply blurred that they
may as well be antique shingles or posts
rather than breathing, thinking things that were once living and loved by
relatives long dead. The most startling
image in the picture however, is Sinclair’s shadow. As he leans over and prepares to wallop the
ball out of the grounds, it almost seems to be rising up to consume him. It is a grim irony indeed, that Sinclair
would die young at the age of 36 on February 23, 1913. And
yet… the picture defies this end of a
man. He seems to be struggling to burst
forth from the diminishing scene, from the blurs and shadows of mortality and
into something that strikes into the very core of the sun itself.
