James Mary Magee (4 September 1872 – 18 January 1949) was an Irish

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 ...

er and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player. Magee was capped in both sports, playing cricket for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and in 1896 he was part of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

team that toured South Africa.

Cricket career

Magee was born in Dublin in 1872 and was educated at

Clongowes Wood College Clongowes Wood College SJ is a voluntary boarding school for boys near Clane, County Kildare, Ireland, founded by the Jesuits in 1814, which features prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Yo ...

in County Kildare. Clongowes produced several outstanding Irish cricketers during this period, but Magee found it difficult to gain representation above club level. He originally played for Phoenix Cricket Club, a team based in Dublin, and it wasn't until 1899 that he made his international cricketing debut for

, against I Zingari. Magee was not a first choice player for the team, and only got his chance when several players, feeling that their club was under-represented, pulled out before the match. Magee was hurriedly called upon and entered an Irish team depleted of their most promising talent. Ireland lost by an innings with the team losing most of their wickets to Bernard Bosanquet. Magee opened for Ireland on both innings but was caught for six in the first innings, and then caught for 14 in the second; both off the bowling of Bosanquet. In 1902 and 1903, Magee played in trial matches, but was not chosen for international duty. He next represented Ireland in 1905 against

H. D. G. Leveson Gower Sir Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson Gower ( ; 8 May 1873 – 1 February 1954) was an English cricketer from the Leveson-Gower family. He played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Surrey and captained England in Test cricket. His school n ...

XI, and in 1907 against

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Yorkshire. Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing hi ...

. In both games he was chosen on his own merits. His last set of international games were part of a 1909 tour of North America. Magee was not an originally selected member of the tour, but after only five of the first selection made the trip. The Irish team were expected to score heavily against, what was perceived to be, weak opposition; but many of the team struggled to achieve any sort of potential. His last international game came in September 1909 against

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Three of his games for Ireland had first-class status.

Rugby career

Magee came from a sporting family, and he and two of his brothers were capped at international level. Louis Magee was the most notable player and was capped for the Ireland national rugby union team on 27 occasions. Joseph Magee also played for Ireland, winning only two caps, but continued his rugby career as an international referee. Magee never represented Ireland, but in 1896 joined his brother Louis on the British Isles tour of South Africa. There is general confusion in many publications regarding which brother went on the South Africa tour, with many archives stating Joseph travelled with Louis; but it has now been accepted that Magee undertook the trip. He played in thirteen matches of the South Africa tour, including eleven against club and regional teams, before being selected to face

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in the Second Test. Magee, who normally played on the wing, was placed at full back for the match, which the tourists won comfortably. Magee was replaced for the Third Test, but was back in the squad for the Final Test, played in Cape Town. This time Magee was played in his preferred position in the three-quarters, but the game ended in defeat for the British team. At club level, Magee represented Bective Rangers, and it is recorded that at a club meeting in 1903 that he suggested the team should change strip colours to rose, green and white; the colours that the team still play in. Magee is also mentioned in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

's semi-autobiographical novel, ''

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the first novel of Irish writer James Joyce. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's fictional al ...

'' when the central character recalls watching a Bective rugby game.Bective Rangers – James Joyce
bectiverangers.com

References

External links

CricketEurope Stats Zone profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magee, James 1872 births 1949 deaths Cricketers from Dublin (city) Irish cricketers Irish rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Bective Rangers players People educated at Clongowes Wood College Rugby union players from Dublin (city) Gentlemen of Ireland cricketers Rugby union wings

Cricket career

Rugby career

See also

References

External links