Tom McKibbin
McKibbin in about 1895
Personal information
Full name
Thomas Robert McKibbin
Born(1870-12-10)10 December 1870
Raglan, Bathurst, New South Wales
Died15 December 1939(1939-12-15) (aged 69)
Bathurst, New South Wales
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingRight-arm slow-medium
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 72)1 March 1895 v England
Last Test1 January 1898 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1894/95–1898/99New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 5 57
Runs scored 88 682
Batting average 14.66 10.02
100s/50s 0/0 0/1
Top score 28* 75
Balls bowled 1,032 12,726
Wickets 17 320
Bowling average 29.17 19.67
5 wickets in innings 0 28
10 wickets in match 0 11
Best bowling 3/35 9/68
Catches/stumpings 4/– 46/–
Source: Cricinfo, 18 November 2019

Thomas Robert McKibbin (10 December 1870 – 15 December 1939) was an Australian cricketer who played in five Test matches from 1895 to 1898.

Early life

McKibbin was born in Raglan, on the outskirts of Bathurst, New South Wales. He was educated at All Saints' College, an Anglican school in Bathurst.[1]

Cricket career

McKibbin came to attention when he visited Sydney to play in the annual Country Week carnival in 1894. He was so successful that, despite being called for throwing, he was immediately included in the New South Wales team.[2] A right-arm bowler who imparted tremendous spin to the ball and was able to bowl both off-breaks and leg-breaks, he played for New South Wales from 1894–95 to 1898–99. In his third first-class match, he took 5 for 19 and 9 for 68 against Queensland,[3] followed by 6 for 123 and 8 for 66 in the Sheffield Shield against South Australia.[4] He made his Test debut for Australia a few days later in the last match of the 1894–95 series against England.[2]

McKibbin was enabled to achieve exceptional spin by his unusually flexible wrist. A contemporary report noted: "Placing his arm upon a table, with the hand palm down, he can, keeping the forearm rigid, twist his hand around from the wrist until his palm faces upward."[5] He sometimes had his action questioned, but he was never called for throwing in first-class cricket.[6]

McKibbin pictured 2nd left (Middle row) with the 1896 Australia national cricket team

McKibbin took 101 first-class wickets at an average of 14.26 on the Australians' tour of England in 1896.[7] In the match against Lancashire he took 6 for 27 and 7 for 11, including a hat-trick.[2] After the tour, Wisden commented, "In a long experience of first-class cricket we have never seen any bowler get on such a break both ways as he did at The Oval in the first match against Surrey."[8] He played in two of the Tests, taking 11 wickets at an average of 14.72.[9]

In 1896-97 McKibbin set a record for the Sheffield Shield when he took 44 wickets in the season, in four matches, a record which stood until 1934–35, when Chuck Fleetwood-Smith took 60 wickets in six matches.[10] McKibbin's figures that season included 7 for 51 and 8 for 74 against South Australia in Adelaide.[11]

Later life

After his cricketing career ended, McKibbin was employed by an engineering firm and travelled the Australian states installing shearing machines.[8] He also spent some time prospecting for gold in Western Australia.[2] Later he was in partnership with his brother who had pastoral interests in the Bathurst district. After suffering ill-health for nearly 10 years, McKibbin died in December 1939, leaving a widow.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Great Cricketer Dead: Mr. T. R. McKibbin Passes". Daily News: 3. 16 December 1939.
  2. 1 2 3 4 The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, pp. 147–48.
  3. ↑ "Queensland v New South Wales, 1894-95". Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "New South Wales v South Australia, 1894-95". Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Dark Blue (16 March 1895). "Cricket Chat". Press: 4.
  6. ↑ Williamson, Martin. "Tom McKibbin". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "First-class Bowling in Each Season by Tom McKibbin". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "T. R. McKibbin: Dead at Bathurst". Sydney Morning Herald: 21. 16 December 1939.
  9. ↑ "Test Bowling for Australia". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bathurstian's Record". National Advocate: 4. 11 February 1935.
  11. ↑ "South Australia v New South Wales 1896-97". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
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