Maxwell Charles Puckett (3 June 1935 – 25 August 1991) was an Australian baseball (West Torrens Baseball Club) and

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 ...

player.

Biography

The son of Charlie Puckett, who also played both sports at interstate level, Puckett 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, but moved interstate twice as a result of his father's sporting career—firstly, 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 ...

, and then to

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 ...

, Western Australia, where he spent most of his early life. He played both baseball and cricket growing up, playing as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the Nedlands Baseball Club and as a

fast bowler Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', or ''pacemen''. T ...

for West Perth in the WACA district cricket competition. Puckett had made his First Grade cricket debut for West Perth at the age of 17, during the 1952–53 season. In both sports, he often played alongside his father, with the pair either opening the bowling for West Perth or serving as Nedlands'

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

. Puckett was selected as the pitcher for the Western Australian state team at the 1954

Claxton Shield The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team. From the summer of 1989–90 until 2001–02, and again since 2010� ...

, with his father serving as the side's

captain-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. He was subsequently forced to miss portions of seasons of both sports due to mandatory national service. Puckett later returned to South Australia with his father, and took up playing for the

West Torrens Baseball Club West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

in the South Australian Baseball League. At the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

, held in Melbourne, he represented the

Australian national baseball team The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand wi ...

at the baseball tournament, a demonstration event. Puckett went to play for Australia in 1957, 1961, 1964, and 1965. Also continuing to play cricket, he played one first-class match for

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 ...

during the 1964–65

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 ...

season, taking two wickets. Puckett died in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

in 1991, aged 56, predeceasing his father by eleven years. A number of awards in South Australian baseball are named after him, including the Max Puckett Memorial Award, the Max Puckett Medal, and the Max Puckett Junior Scholarship.Max Puckett Junior Scholarship
– West Torrens Baseball Club. Retrieved 16 November 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puckett, Charlie 1935 births 1991 deaths Australian baseball players Australian cricketers Australian people of English descent Baseball people from Western Australia Olympic baseball players for Australia Baseball players at the 1956 Summer Olympics South Australia cricketers Cricketers from Adelaide Sportsmen from South Australia