Sunny Jim Mackay - Western Suburbs batting genius from the bush
Western Suburbs District Cricket Club Sydney | February 09, 2023
Western Suburbs Cricket Club has a very proud history on connecting with young cricketers making their way from the country regions to the big smoke of Sydney.
Since the 1970’s Gary Gilmour, Steve Rixon, Peter Toohey and the late Phillip Hughes have journeyed from the regional townships of NSW to join Western Suburbs and ultimately go onto the wear the Baggy Green and play Test Cricket for Australia.
There have also been several players go on to represent New South Wales and James Rainey Munro Mackay may well have been the first.
James, known as Sunny Jim Mackay because of his charming disposition and happy temperament was born in Northern NSW in Armidale in September 1880.
At a very early age, he built quite the reputation as an outstanding batsman and in 1900/01 season before moving to Sydney his scores included 104*, 128*, 108*, 200* and 65* - 605 runs without losing his wicket.
Sunny Jim was selected to play for Combined Country against Paddington, a highly regarded Grade club in Sydney who included Victor Trumper and Monty Noble. Sunny Jim duly impressed by scoring 106.
On arriving in Sydney Sunny Jim played for Burwood Cricket club which was soon to became Western Suburbs.
In the 1904/05 Grade Season, Sunny Jim scored 800 runs and followed it up with 1,041 runs in 1905/06.
He made his debut for New South Wales in season 1902/03 and went on to play 20 First-Class matches from 1902-03 to 1906-07, scoring 1,556 runs with a highest of 203 and an average of 50.19. He scored 6 centuries and 7 fifties.
In the 1905/06 season, Sunny Jim's first-class scores included 203, 90, 194, 105, 102 and 136. The innings of 105 and 102 were in the first and second’s innings of the Sheffield Shield game against South Australian in Sydney. It was the first time a batsman had scored centuries in both innings in a first-class game in Australia.
After such a season the Baggy Green beckoned for the prolific run maker.
Cricket author wrote of Sunny Jim Mackay in 2013, “Most agreed that he did now possess the magic of Trumper, but then again nobody could match such beauty or genius. But — in another echo of Bradman — his orthodoxy and sound defence allowed him to reach big scores consistently. After such a golden season Mackay’s test debut appeared but a matter of time. Alas there were no international fixtures scheduled during the 1905-06 season, or the following English summer; ultimately the baggy greens was not worn again until the English played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in December 1907.”
Keen to play as much cricket as possible Sunny Jim accepted an offer and opportunity presented by a mining millionaire in South Africa. He made his first-class debut for Transvaal in 1906 and played four games scoring 247 runs at 35.28. His highest score was 90.
We can only assume Sunny Jim playing first-class cricket in South Africa did not please the Cricket Administrators at the time in Australia.
Unfortunately Sunny Jim, whilst walking along the street with a mate, was hit and knocked down by a motorcycle and remained unconscious for about 10 days. He suffered a brain concussion and later it was revealed his right eye had been knocked out of focus.
It was the end of Sunny Jim first-class career. He returned to Australia and despite attempted comebacks, he was never the same player.
Sunny Jim returned to a farming life in the New England region of New South Wales. He passed away in Walcha 13 June 1953 at the age of 73.
The late and highly respected Cricket author Christopher Martin-Jenkins quotes former Australian Test Cricketer Clem Hill’s assessment of the batting capabilities of Sunny Jim Mackay: “he was undoubtedly the best player that Australia produced who never reached a Test match. He was a batsman after the Trumper type and it is just possible that if he had gone home with the Australian Eleven and toured England he might have proved in time as marvellous as the illustrious Victor.”
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