Arthur Coningham ( 14 July 1863 – 13 June 1939) was an Australian cricketer who played in one Ashes Test match at

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1894 in which he took a wicket with his very first ball. He took 2 for 17 in England's first innings but failed to add to that tally in the second.

Biography

Coningham was born at

Emerald Hill, Victoria South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government ...

in 1863. He was renowned as something of a joker. In an effort to stay warm while fielding in a tour match in 1893 at a frigid

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

he gathered straw and twigs and started a fire on the outfield. He found life difficult after he retired from the game, serving time in

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

for fraud, and he died in an asylum. Coningham was involved in a famous scandal in 1899 when he sued his wife for divorce on the basis of her adultery with a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest, Fr Denis O'Haran, personal secretary to Cardinal Moran. The jury found against Coningham and the couple emigrated to New Zealand; in 1912, his wife divorced him for adultery. His son was the World War I

air ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

and World War II commander Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. Coningham died in 1939 and was buried in the

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest List of necropolises, necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coningham, Arthur 1863 births 1939 deaths Australia Test cricketers Queensland cricketers New South Wales cricketers Australian cricketers Australian fraudsters Australian people of Scottish descent Cricketers from Melbourne People from South Melbourne Deaths in mental institutions Burials at Rookwood Cemetery