Alan Fairfax

Biography

Fairfax's uncle was a top grade player, BW Fairfax.

Fairfax was a child prodigy as a player, breaking records for Kogarah School. he was soon playing for St George in grade cricket. However over the next few summers his form suffered and it seemed he would not live up to his initial promise.

His form improved over the 1927-28 summer, scoring a century against Cumberland.

Good form early in 1928-29 saw him selected for NSW Colts in October 1928. He scored 107 against Queensland Colts. He made his first class debut shortly afterwards, playing Victoria for NSW, opening the batting with Archie Jackson and taking four wickets. He made his first 50 against Queensland then took seven wickets against South Australia. He followed this with his debut first class century, 104 against Victoria</ref>(in a game where Bradman scored 304).

According to a contemporary report:

A bowler of his years able to make runs in this way is well worthy of keen consideration. Fairfax is a hard-driving batsman, and a medium-pace bowler. With his club at first, he was inclined to bowl too fast. He has dropped to medium pace, and, as a result, lias a good change of pace in. the fast ball, and is able to spin the ball at his normal pace. Besides, he is not above sending down a yorker — a ball most bowlers these days have quite forgotten.

Another writer of the time said:

Fairfax has cricket in him.- He would probably be at his best going in seventh or eighth in a crack side... He has been doing .something useful with bat and ball in each representative game he has played. He has height and reach, and drives well... He... needs to tone up his running between wickets.

He impressed in a rain-shortened game against the touring English side for NSW, top scoring with 40 and taking three wickets. He scored over 50 runs and took four wickets against South Australia.

These consistent performances led to his selection in the fifth test against the English side. It had been a rapid rise, selected for a test only a few weeks after his first class debut, but the selectors were keen to trial new players following the loss of the Ashes at home that summer; Percy Hornibrook and Tim Wall were also selected. One writer described him as:

Over six feet, straight as a ramrod, for one his size he is remarkably quick on his feet. Fairfax has a taking style of bowling, with a free swinging high over-arm delivery. If he cultivates some of the subtleties such as characterised H. Trumble, G. Giffen, and M. A. Noble, he may become a top-sawyer. His height and high delivery alone are deadly assets on wickets affected by rain. He is a keen field, as befits a good baseballer. As batsman, Fairfax has the fundamental of defence. On top of that, he can hit the ball as hard as any man in the game this season. And he is good at the pinch.

International debut

Fairfax had a strong debut test. He scored 65 in his first innings, taking part in a 183 partnership with Don Bradman. He also took two wickets and two catches, in a match Australia won by five wickets.

He later got a job in a sports store.

1929-30

Fairfax's domestic performances were solid the following summer. He scored over 50 runs and took six wickets against Queensland, took four wickets against the MCC, 5-104 in an innings against Victoria (his first five-for), seven wickets against South Australia, and 64 against Victoria. Fairfax was selected in the Australian squad that toured England in 1930, despite his underwhelming batting that summer. It was thought his bowling would be effective on English pitches.

1930 Ashes Tour

In warm up games, Fairfax took eight wickets against Tasmania

His first-class debut on English soil was a tour game against Worcestershire, where he took four wickets. He made 53 against Essex, and took 6-54 against the MCC.

He was picked in the first test against England, with he and Stan McCabe as all rounders in tandem. Fairfax opened the bowling with Tim Wall. He took two wickets but failed both times with the bat.

He took four wickets and made 63 against Lancashire. This helped him keep his spot for the second test. Fairfax took six wickets in the game and scored 20 not out, a match best remembered for Don Bradman's score of 254. Australia won the match to even the series.

He fell ill and missed the third test. He returned for the fourth, scoring 49 in the first innings and helping salvage Australia's position in what proved to be a drawn game. In the fifth test he took 4 wickets and made 53 not out, helping Australia win the match and the series.

Fairfax scored 150 test runs at a healthy average of 50 (helped by two not outs) and 536 first class runs at an average of 25.52. He took 12 test wickets at 27 and 41 wickets at 29.70. Don Bradman praised Fairfax as the best all rounder in Australia and said he always saved his best for the test matches.

1930-31 vs West Indies

In 1930-31 he scored 62 and took 4 wickets against South Australia.

He kept his place in the test side for the first test against the West Indies. He made 41 not out in the first innings. In the second he took three wickets; in the third he made 9 and took no wickets; in the fourth he took 4-31 in the second innings; in the fifth, which Australia lost, he top scored in both innings for Australia, with 54 and 60.

Move to England

His last first class game in Australia was for NSW against the touring South Africans in 1931-32.

Fairfax had been unable to find a job in the Depression. In 1932 he returned to England to play as a professional for Accrington in the Lancashire League. This ended his Australian career.

Fairfax played in the Lancashire League for two summers. In 1932 he made 738 runs at 32.08 and took 43 wickets at 20.11. In 1933 he made 952 runs at 52.88 and took 51 wickets at 16.45.

Post playing career

In 1934 Fairfax set up an indoor cricket school in London which he run until 1937 when it shut down.

In 1937 he coached at Eton school. He worked for Sir Julius Cahn's private team and was a critic of Don Bradman's captaincy.

In 1939 he coached Notts county.

In World War Two he was a pilot officer in the RAF. He wound up a patient in a sanitorium, where he met the King.

After the war he worked for a London Sunday newspaper and continued to coach.