Isaac Alfred Fisher (12 April 1851 – 19 June 1944) 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 str ...
umpire
An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection.
The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
who officiated in one
Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
in Australia in 1884.
Life and career
Fisher was born in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, the youngest son of Thomas Fisher. Before taking up umpiring he played for Hindmarsh (later renamed West Torrens), his fellow players including Affie Jarvis and Frank King.
Fisher began umpiring for the
South Australian Cricket Association
The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association administers the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cri ...
in 1879. He made his debut as a first-class umpire in a match between South Australia and Victoria at Adelaide in February 1884. His second first-class match as umpire was also the only Test match in which he officiated, the Ashes Test played between Australia and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at the
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...
in December 1884, when the Australian captain
Billy Murdoch
William Lloyd Murdoch (18 October 1854 – 18 February 1911) was an Australian cricketer who captained the Australian national side in 16 Test matches between 1880 and 1890. This included four tours of England, one of which, in 1882, gave ri ...
refused to accept the experienced English player and administrator James Lillywhite as umpire. This was also the only Test match umpired by fellow Australian umpire T. N. Cole.
A
timeless Test
A timeless Test is a match of Test cricket played under no limitation of time, which means the match is played until one side wins or the match is tied, with theoretically no possibility of a draw. The format means that it is not possible to play ...
, the match lasted four days, starting on 12 December and ending on 16 December, with 14 December as a rest day. Despite the batting prowess of Australia's
Percy McDonnell
Percy Stanislaus McDonnell (13 November 1858 – 24 September 1896 — ''
Bobby Peel taking 8 wickets in the match (3/68 and 5/51) and
Billy Bates
Willie Bates (19 November 1855 – 8 January 1900), known as Billy Bates, was an English cricketer. Skilled with both bat and ball, Bates scored over 10,000 first-class runs, took more than 870 wickets and was always reliable in the field. A ...
5/51 in Australia's first innings. The Australian side had been weakened by the absence of
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert Spofforth (9 September 1853 – 4 June 1926), also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century. He was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the fi ...
and
Billy Midwinter
William Evans Midwinter (19 June 1851 – 3 December 1890) was a cricketer who played four Test matches for England, sandwiched in between eight Tests that he played for Australia. Midwinter holds a unique place in cricket history as the only ...
;
George Giffen
George Giffen (27 March 1859 – 29 November 1927) was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. An all-rounder who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia ...
played despite suffering from rheumatism, and
Alec Bannerman
Alexander (usually "Alick"; also "Alec") Chalmers Bannerman (21 March 1854 – 19 September 1924) was an Australian cricketer who played in 28 Test matches between 1879 and 1893.
Bannerman made his Test debut at Melbourne in 1879, joining bro ...
damaged his finger attempting to stop a ball in the field and was absent hurt in the Australian second innings.
Fisher continued to umpire first-class matches occasionally in the 1880s and 1890s – all but three in Adelaide – including
Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...
matches in 1894/95, 1895/96 and 1896/97.
Fisher married Elizabeth Jane Whaite (1855 or 1856 – 12 April 1949) of Alberton on 31 January 1877. They both died at their home, 40 Tait Terrace,
Croydon, South Australia
Croydon is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.
History
The land on which the suburb now stands was purchased in 1853 by Alfred Watts and Philip Levi. They laid out the ''Village o ...
. A daughter, Iris Fisher, married Capt.
Gordon Cathcart Campbell
Gordon Cathcart Campbell (4 June 1885 – 13 August 1961) was an Australian cricketer active from 1909 to 1915 who played for South Australia.
Campbell was born in Myrtle Bank, South Australia and died in Woodville South, South Australia. ...
MC and Bar (4 June 1885 – 13 August 1961) on 7 August 1915.
See also
*
List of Australian Test cricket umpires
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of Test umpires
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
* Pollard, Jack, ''Australian Cricket: 1803-1893, The Formative Years''. Sydney, The Book Company, 1995. ()
Wisden Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...