Les Johns, Australian rugby league great, was a more than handy cricketer!
Sutherland District Cricket Club | September 16, 2024
Les Johns and Paul Prichard walking out to bat at North Sydney Oval
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia. The list was released in February 2008 to commemorate the game’s centenary. Among the 100 players was Les Johns. Hailing from Newcastle from where he played for NSW Country Seconds in 1961 and NSW in 1962, Les joined Canterbury-Bankstown in 1963 and went on to play 103 first grade matches for the Berries between 1963 and 1971, including the Grand Final in 1967 when Canterbury lost 10-12 to South Sydney. He also played 19 matches for NSW and 14 Tests for Australia.
In 2018, the National Rugby League announced a new NRL Hall of Fame, with the inaugural 100 inductees being the 100 best rugby league players announced in 2008. There were three great fullbacks of the 1960s included in the Hall of Fame: Les Johns, Graeme Langlands and Ken Thornett. As a mark of the respect that Les commanded as a fullback, in the 14 Tests he played between 1963 and 1969, he was selected as fullback, with Langlands playing centre in 11 of those Tests and winger in another (in which Thornett played centre). Les’ Test teammates included 18 other Hall of Famers: Arthur Beetson, Ron Coote, Peter Gallagher, Reg Gasnier, Brian Hambly, Ken Irvine, Noel Kelly, Johnny King, Graeme Langlands, Eddie Lumsden, Bob McCarthy, Barry Muir, John Raper, John Sattler, Billy Smith, Arthur Summons, Ken Thornett & Ian Walsh. Here is a brief highlights package of Les in action:
Les was also a very well-performed batsman in Sydney first grade cricket over a 21-year career. He played for Bankstown-Canterbury (2 seasons 1965-66 to 1966-67), Petersham-Marrickville (5 seasons 1970-71 to 1974-75), Sutherland (7 seasons 1975-76 to 1979-80 + 1984-85 to 1985-86) and St.George (3 seasons 1980-81 to 1982-83). Over that period, he scored 6,357 runs in 223 innings at an average of 34.36. He scored 8 centuries – his first two were 106 for Bankstown in 1966-67 and 104* for Petersham in 1973-74. In his first stint with Sutherland, he had a highest score of 99 in 1977-78, when he made 721 runs for the season at an average of 45.1, his best season to date. When he returned to Sutherland in 1984-85, he finally scored a century in first grade for the club, going within two runs of Norm O’Neill’s first grade record with 166 (at the age of 42y 91d) against Western Suburbs at Caringbah Oval. He went on to score 103 against Mosman at Rawson Oval a month later. He finished the season with 703 runs at 41.4.
Les’ final season in 1985-86 proved to be the best season of his career. He scored 726 runs at 72.6, with 4 centuries, at the age of 43! His centuries were 164 vs Hawkesbury at Caringbah Oval, 117 vs Fairfield at Fairfield Oval, 111 vs Gordon at Chatswood Oval and 10* vs Northern District at Caringbah Oval. The last two were his final two innings in first grade, the final innings being at the age of 43y 237d – the oldest player to score a century in first grade for Sutherland. Over his career with Sutherland, Les played 91 matches in first grade, scoring 3361 runs at an average of 38.6.
