Victor Trumper

Victor Thomas Trumper (2 November 1877^{[note 1]} – 28 June 1915) was an Australian professional cricketer. A right-handed batter and a right arm medium pace bowler, Trumper is generally regarded as one of the greatest batters in cricket history. He played for New South Wales from 1894/95 to 1913/14, and represented Australia in 48 Test matches.

Trumper is lauded as the most stylish and versatile batsman of cricket's so-called Golden Age (c. 1890–1914), capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets which his contemporaries found unplayable. An action photograph of Trumper, taken by George Beldam in 1905, is often considered to be the greatest cricketing photograph ever taken.

Trumper was also a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia.

Trumper was born in Sydney, probably on 2 November 1877;^[1] no definite record of his birth exists.^{[note 1]} Despite that, it is accepted that his parents were Charles Thomas Trumper and his wife Louise, née Coghlan, who were married on 15 May 1883. Charles Trumper was a footwear manufacturer.^[1]

Trumper was educated at Crown Street Superior Public School, and showed early ability as a cricketer. When he was 16, he joined the South Sydney Cricket Club, where he was mentored by Syd Gregory. Trumper was selected to play for New South Wales Juniors against the touring England team on 22 December 1894. Despite a bad cold, he scored 67 runs. That impressed the New South Wales Cricket Association, and Trumper was selected to play for New South Wales against South Australia in January 1895.^[1]

The match against South Australia took place at the Adelaide Oval from 5 to 9 January 1895. It was 17-year old Trumper's debut in both first-class cricket and the Sheffield Shield. He batted sixth in New South Wales' first innings, and was run out for 11. In the second innings, he batted ninth, and was out without scoring. South Australia won the match by 4 wickets.^[2]

1902 in England was one of the wettest summers on record.^[3] Nevertheless, Trumper in 53 first-class innings scored 2,570 runs, and without a single not out had an average of 48.49 with eleven centuries and eleven half-centuries.^[4] Australia won a memorable Test series 2–1 with victories at Bramall Lane (3rd Test) and Old Trafford (4th). England won the final Test at The Oval.^[5] In the Old Trafford match, Trumper was outstanding and became the first player to score a century on the first morning of a Test match, scoring 103 before lunch.^[6] Alan Gibson quotes Harry Altham saying: "From start to finish of the season, on every sort of wicket, against every sort of bowling, Trumper entranced the eye, inspired his side, demoralized his enemies, and made run-getting appear the easiest thing in the world".^[7]

George Beldam's image of Trumper (see right) leaping out to drive, arguably the most famous of all cricketing photographs, has been described as a "classic picture",^[8] and as the "essence" of the Golden Age of batting.^[9]

In the mid-1900s, Trumper's health declined to the point where he missed the 1908/09 season due to illness.^[1]

Trumper's innings of 293, for an Australian XI against Canterbury at Lancaster Park in 1913–14, was scored in a little over three hours.^[10] It was made in partnership with Arthur Sims (184 not out), and their stand of 433 remains the world record for the eighth wicket in first-class cricket. Trumper's innings remains the highest score by a number nine batsman.^[11]

In August 1904, Trumper, with Hanson Carter, opened a sports store in Market Street, Sydney. In 1909, with other associates, he opened a sports and mercery store in George Street, Sydney which, in 1912, became Victor Trumper and Dodge Ltd.^[1]

Although he is best known for his prowess as a cricketer, Trumper was also a competent rugby league player, and could lay claim to being one of the prime movers in the development of rugby league in Australia.^[12]

He hosted meetings at his store during 1907 as players became increasingly discontented about the game's administration. On 8 August 1907 at Bateman's Crystal Hotel, George Street, Sydney independent politician Henry Hoyle chaired a meeting of fifty, comprising several leading rugby players and officials. The New South Wales Rugby Football League, the body that would go on to conduct the major national rugby league premiership of Australia, was founded and Trumper was elected its first treasurer.^[13][14]

Trumper's health declined rapidly in 1914, and he died as a result of Bright's disease in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on 28 June 1915, aged 37. He was buried in Waverley Cemetery, and was survived by his wife Sarah, his daughter Nancy (aged 9), and his son Victor junior (aged 1).^[1] It has been estimated that some 20,000 mourners lined the route of his funeral.^[15]

Trumper was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1903.^[16] In the 1963 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, he was selected by Neville Cardus as one of the Six Giants of the Wisden Century.^[17] This was a special commemorative selection requested by Wisden for its 100th edition. The other five players chosen were Sydney Barnes, Don Bradman, W. G. Grace, Jack Hobbs, and Tom Richardson.^[17]

In 1981, Trumper was honoured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post, depicting a cartoon image by Tony Rafty.^[18] In 1996, he was one of the ten inaugural inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the others being Fred Spofforth, Jack Blackham, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman, Bill O'Reilly, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, and Dennis Lillee.^[19]

Trumper Park Oval in Paddington, New South Wales is named in his honour,^[20] as is the Trumper Pavilion at Chatswood Oval.^[21]

In a CricketArchive profile, writer Dave Livermore says: "in the judgement of all who saw him, Trumper stands amongst the greats, as much for the style and grace with which he batted as much as the number of runs he scored".^[9]

• Barclays (1986). Swanton, E. W.; Plumptre, George; Woodcock, John (eds.). Barclays World of Cricket. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-00-02181-93-8.
• Gibson, Alan (1989). The Cricket Captains of England. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-03-04297-79-5.

• Haigh, Gideon (7 November 2009). "The man who was the Golden Age". CricInfo. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
• Haigh, Gideon (2016). Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot that Changed Cricket. Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 978-1471146800.
• FitzSimons, Peter (2006). Great Australian Sports Champions. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-7322-8517-8.
• Sharpham, Peter (1986). Trumper: The Definitive Biography. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340374474.
• Serle, Percival (1949). "Trumper, Victor Thomas". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.

• Victor Trumper at ESPNcricinfo
• Victor Trumper's death registration
• Online collection of Victor Trumper Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, State Library of New South Wales