Frank Iredale - One of Gordons most influential cricketers
Gordon District Cricket Club | October 23, 2024
[Author: Paul Stephenson]
It was the last weekend in October 1905 and the fledgling Gordon First Grade side were playing their 4th match since their entry into the competition against North Sydney at Chatswood Oval.
If there was a reason why Gordon and North Sydney have had a strong (but friendly) rivalry for nearly 120 years it is probably because with the acceptance of Gordon into the competition and the changing of the electoral boundaries meant that several players from all of the grades within the North Sydney club were required to play for Gordon. This was because you could only play cricket in 1905 and for many years after, for the district in which you lived. Norths had won the first grade premiership the year before and were ready to take on the new club and show them who was the premier club.
Joining the Gordon team for the first time in this match was the former Test cricketer Frank Iredale who at the age of 38 had come over to Gordon from Norths along with the 19 year old Charlie Macartney. North Sydney scored 136 with Charlie taking 6 for 36 and Dr. Gother Clarke, who tragically died 12 years later in the Battle of Passchendaele in World War 1, taking 3 for 43. Gordon replied with 187 with Robert Hickson scoring 77. All three players and the rivalry had begun.
Frank Iredale, had played his first match for NSW at the age of 21 and played his first Test match six years later in the 1894-95 series against England. Frank didn’t take long to establish himself in Test cricket with 81 in his first Test, 68 in his second and his highest score of 140 in his third. Overall, Frank scored 807 runs at 36.68 in 14 tests and continued playing for NSW until 1901, scoring 6,795 runs at 33.64 in first -class cricket.
It was fortunate that Frank joined the club from Norths as he moved the motion to form the club at the inaugural meeting. Frank played 10 more seasons for Gordon up to 1914 before retiring at age 47. However, as was the case for many of the older players, Frank volunteered to play during the war years and retired at age 51 in 1918. It probably goes without saying that Frank was the oldest player to have donned a first grade cap for Gordon.
Frank also played a major role scoring 525 runs in the 1910-11 season in just 10 innings to lead Gordon to their first Premiership. Needless to say, he had a little help from two reasonable players with Vic Trumper opening the batting with him and Charlie Macartney coming in at No. 3. Vic scored 482 runs in 9 innings and Charlie 433 also in 9 innings.
Frank was a member of the General Committee during the Club’s first six seasons and joined the committee again in 1915 at the start of the war. He continued until 1926 when he died from pneumonia at the early age of 58. He had also served as the Secretary of the NSW Cricket Association for 11 years and was the NSW delegate to the Australian Board of Control for many years and an Australian selector in the 1911-12 season.
The importance of Frank Iredale to Gordon cricket cannot be underestimated as he was directly involved with the club both as a player and administrator from 1905 to 1926. He was a Test cricketer for 5 years, played for NSW for 13 seasons and had 25 years in grade cricket. In the end he scored 2,910 runs for Gordon after starting at age 38, but it was his calm leadership both as a cricketer and administrator that places him on the highest rung of Gordon members. It was people like Frank Iredale that were the backbone of the club and helped make it the great club it is today.
