RIP Neil Marks - Unbowlable
John Rogers | January 28, 2024
Neil Marks’s “hole-in the-heart” issues back in 1959, was big news in Australia.
That the new "young Bradman" from the previous season - after 7 innings for NSW he was averaging 98 - would be flying to the famed Mayo Clinic in America for an operation, drew a widespread, collective, outpouring of concern - including from me as a kid growing up in the (then) country town of Gosford.
So too did the news that the operation was a success, but that first class cricket for Neil, let alone playing for Australia, was out of the question.
The year before, In early December 1958 in Brisbane, a new-look Australian team was facing off against Ashes' holder England - and. cricket was dominating the air-waves. Australia had a new young captain in Richie Benaud and Australia’s newest sporting superstar Norm O’Neill was making his test debut.
Back in Sydney a NSW side - missing 5 test stars playing in Brisbane - was taking on South Australia and had chosen two 20-year-olds, Grahame Thomas (playing his 2nd game) and Neil Marks, who was on debut. Brought together in something of a crisis, the two would add a record 332. While “Tonker" Thomas’s 189 was wonderful innings, it was Neil’s 180 not out that somehow stood out and captured headlines, even alongside Norm O’Neill up in Brisbane thundering an unbeaten 71 that brought home victory for Australia.
What made Australians sit up and watch, was that runs kept flowing from the Marks’ bat. An innings of 103 followed in his next match and then 54, 88 &1, and then 65 to take his average to 98. A couple of low scores to finish reduced that to 69 but took no light off a phenomenal debut season.
Expectations were huge for next season, but it was soon apparent that things were not quite right - and in December came the announcement that Neil was seriously ill, would need operations, and eventually that his career at the top was effectively over. Some years later it was announced he intended playing grade cricket again, but by then his star had faded as others had famed.
Almost ten years on from Neil bursting onto the scene, near the end of season 1967-68, I saw the legendary batsman that Neil Marks was - on-field, close-up.
I’d found my way into the St George 1st grade team that would face up to Northern Districts on its home ground at Waitara in a semi-final clash.
My St George team contained 3 test players and a further 6 state players - and beginning the next season, would win 3 premierships in a row. Yet I’m inclined to think that in this season and for this match we were at our strongest - and were beaten essentially by the innings of one man, Neil Marks.
A line in our annual report says that batting conditions were difficult when we batted on Day 1, and a fair bit of playing time had been lost. The upshot was that we declared on Day 2 at 6 wickets down for 311. In ND’s reply, we’d captured two wickets for around 60 by the time Neil had arrived at the crease and another two wickets by the time the score had reached the hundred mark. 311 was a long way off and we had the scent of victory. Our bowlers included the competition’s most feared pace attack of John Martin and Peter Leslie (who took the prized wicket of cricket legend and NDs’ captain Neil Harvey), and it was a breakout season for our 18-year-old spinner Kerry O’Keeffe, who’d taken the competition by storm in capturing 64 wickets to date.
Joining Neil at the crease was the last batsman of any note in the NDs’ team, and a teenager finding his way in his first season, Kerry Mackay.
Essentially Neil took Kerry under his wing and told him that he, Neil, would do the scoring, while Kerry should defend with a straight bat - something that would later become Kerry’s trademark.
Neil was simply unbowlable. No matter what our bowlers tried he had the answer. His bat seemed as broad as two. His stumps never seemed visible. Whenever a delivery strayed towards leg-stump it would be speared through the field. As Kerry O'Keeffe spun the ball both ways, as had mesmerised every other batsman that season, Neil simply advanced, nullified him initially and then began to whack him wide of mid-on. Our bowlers were rotated, different fields tried, but on and on went Neil. We hoped he’d tire, as he never looked particularly well, nor particularly fit, and hadn't his doctors told him never to play cricket again? What was clear to us was that Neil had the light of battle in his eyes. Eventually we got him out - for 118 - and soon after young Mackay for 74, but it was too late, and they passed us with 7 down.
Test legends O’Neill, Walters and Benaud all played great innings against us. So too did Neil’s great mate “Tonker' Thomas. But Neil’s innings that day had all the hallmarks of a top test player: in the way he fashioned it; that he gave no semblance of a chance; and that eventually it became inevitable he would get a century.
Well played then and well-played in life, Harpo, ever unbowlable, and a much-treasured friend.
