Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-western suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located southwest of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region.
Glebe is surrounded by Blackwattle Bay ...
– 2 May 1952 in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
) 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 striki ...
er who played 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)
...
against
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 ...
in 1887.
Allen played for
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and was top scorer in the first innings of the state match against the England team – under the name "A. Shaw's XI" – that immediately preceded the second Test.
He batted at number three in his only Test, scored 14 and 30, and took two
catches
Catch may refer to:
In sports
* Catch (game), children's game
* Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball
* Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket
* Catch or reception (gridiron football)
* Catch, part of a rowing stroke
In music
* Cat ...
. In his second innings, he was caught by one of his own side, Charlie Turner, who was fielding as a substitute for England. His obituary in
Wisden
''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 ...
in 1953 says that he turned down the opportunity to tour England in 1888 under the captaincy of
Percy McDonnell
Percy Stanislaus McDonnell (13 November 1858 – 24 September 1896 — ''
Sydney Grammar School
(Praise be to God)
, established =
, type = Independent, day school
, gender = Boys
, religious_affiliation = None
, slogan =
, headmaster = R. B. Malpass
, founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran
, chairman = ...
, was a successful scholar. He attained the highest mark in the New South Wales Public Examinations in his final year at school, and was later awarded the University Medal at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
. Although he was not athletic in build, he was also a successful all-round sportsman, representing Sydney University's First Grade Rugby Union team, and playing in the
New South Wales Open
The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, is a professional tennis tournament i ...
Tennis Championship (which was then entirely amateur). He became an enthusiastic and moderately successful breeder and owner of racehorses.
His father was
George Wigram Allen
Sir George Wigram Allen (16 May 1824 – 23 July 1885) was an Australian politician and philanthropist. He was Speaker in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 1875–1883. Allen was held in high esteem. As speaker he showed dignity, courte ...
, a lawyer and politician. After graduating from university, Allen joined his father's law firm (now known as Allens), of which he remained a partner for several decades. He was the uncle of the England Test captain
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen CBE (31 July 190229 November 1989) was a cricketer who captained England in eleven Test matches. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. A fast bowler and hard-hittin ...
, who was born in Australia. Reginald Allen married Edith Muriel Grubb in
Franklin, Tasmania
Franklin is a small township on the western side of the Huon River in the south-east of Tasmania, between Huonville and Geeveston. At the 2011 census, Franklin had a population of 337.
It was named after Sir John Franklin and his wife Lady Ja ...
, in April 1906. He died in 1952 and his funeral proceeded from St Stephen's Church in Macquarie Street to the
Northern Suburbs Crematorium
The Northern Suburbs Crematorium, officially Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, is a crematorium in North Ryde, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It was officially opened on 28 October 1933, and the first cremation t ...