Jack Daniel (9 December 1923 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian sportsman who played both

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 ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

at high levels. Born in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, England, Daniel emigrated to

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 ...

at an early age with his family. Having attended Hampton High School, he made his first-grade debut for the

Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground ...

in the VCA district competition during the 1940–41 season, aged 16. Daniel enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

in September 1942, and served overseas, attaining the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

before his discharge in 1946. After his return to Australia, he continued to play for Melbourne at grade cricket level, and good form saw him selected to play for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

at state level against

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

during the 1947–48 season.First-Class Matches played by Jack Daniel (7)
– CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 December 2012. Although Daniel went wicketless during the match, he was again selected to play against Tasmania in two first-class matches the following season. In the first match, a rain-ruined game held at the

TCA Ground The TCA Ground, or Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground, is one of two first-class standard cricket grounds in Hobart, Tasmania. It is located on the Queens Domain less than one kilometre from the CBD. The TCA Ground is a picturesque ground ...

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, he recorded first-innings figures of 6/37, dismissing Tasmania's first four batsman, and then hit 44 runs in Victoria's only innings. In the next match, held at the

NTCA Ground The North Tasmania Cricket Association Ground, better known as the NTCA Ground, is the oldest first-class cricket ground in Australia. It is a multi-use sports venue situated in Launceston, Australia. In 1851, the ground hosted Australia's fi ...

in Launceston, he took figures of 6/20 in Tasmania's first innings, helping to dismiss the side for only 65 runs. During the same season, Daniel played a match for the Victorian Second XI against the equivalent New South Wales team, and hit future Australian captain

Richie Benaud Richard Benaud (; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who, after his retirement from international cricket in 1964, became a highly regarded commentator on the game. Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending l ...

over the eye with a

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or m ...

, causing him to miss several matches with a fractured skull. He made his

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 ...

debut in the 1949–50 season, but failed to take a wicket in his two matches.Sheffield Shield Matches played by Jack Daniel (2)
– CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 December 2012. Daniel would play two further first-class matches, both against Tasmania during the 1950–51 season, but did not play at state level after that season. Forming a successful opening bowling partnership with

Clive Fairbairn Clive Lindsay Fairbairn (25 August 1919 – 12 May 2010) was an Australian cricketer. He played one first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricke ...

at grade cricket level, he finally retired from Melbourne at the end of the 1957–58 season, having played 203 games for a club record 485 wickets at an average of 19.49, as well as scoring 4399 runs at an average of 25.13. Daniel worked at a shoe company in later life, and was also a noted baseball player, playing first grade for the

Melbourne Baseball Club The Melbourne Baseball Club, nicknamed the ''Demons'', is a baseball club based in the inner Melbourne suburb of Box Hill. The club is part of the MCC and is affiliated as the Baseball Section of the MCC. Having been established as the baseb ...

. In retirement, he lived on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

, dying there at the age of 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Jack 1923 births 2002 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian baseball players Australian cricketers Australian Army personnel of World War II English emigrants to Australia Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers Cricketers from Leeds Victoria cricketers