James Albert "Darky" Banks (10 December 1883 – 5 July 1930), the son of a former American slave, was an Australian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er. He played two
first-class matches for
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
between 1908/09 and 1920/21.
Family
The son of Jordan Henry Banks (1832-1887), and Sarah Jane (1849-1940), née McMullen, James Albert Banks was born on the
Maryborough goldfields on 10 December 1883. His father, Jordan Henry Banks, was once an American slave:
::Mr. Banks's father
ordan Henry Banks (1832–1887) a giant of about 6ft. 3in., and built proportionately, and who commanded the respect and good will of all sections in Maryborough, was a slave before the civil war. Such was his great strength that the log cabins, in which runaways were confined on the plantations, were not strong enough to hold him. He was chased and run down by hounds; but ultimately made his escape to freedom via Canada, coming to Australia and settling in Maryborough, where all the family were born. — ''The Australasian'', 29 November 1919.
His brother
Thomas Banks (1867-1919) played Australian rules football for
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
.
Football
He played in the
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...
for
South Fremantle (148 games) and
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
(39 games), captaining South Fremantle in 1909, 1912 and 1914.
Death
He died at Perth on 5 July 1930.
Funeral Notices: Banks, ''The West Australian'', (Monday, 7 July 1930), p.1.
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See also
* List of Western Australia first-class cricketers
References
External links
James Albert Banks, at ''WAFL Footy Facts''.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Albert
1883 births
1930 deaths
Australian cricketers
Western Australia cricketers
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
South Fremantle Football Club players
Perth Football Club players
Australian people of African-American descent
20th-century African-American people