Twopenny (also Jarrawuk or Murrumgunarrimin) (c. 1845 – 12 March 1883) is generally acknowledged as the first

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

to play

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

. He was born in

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in ...

. He joined the Australian Aboriginal cricket team on its tour to England in 1868. He was primarily 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''. ...

, and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. His bowling was limited initially over concerns that his bowling action might be

illegal Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body. Illegal may also refer to: Law * Violation of law * Crime, the practice of breaking the ...

, but taking advantage of the recent change in the

Laws of Cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...

to allow

overarm bowling In cricket, overarm bowling refers to a delivery in which the bowler's hand is above shoulder height. When cricket originated all bowlers delivered the ball underarm, where the bowler's hand is below waist height. However, so the story goes, Jo ...

, he took 9/9 and 6/7 against an East Hampshire side at

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

, and then 9/17 and 3/39 against a Hampshire team at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. He played in 46 of the 47 matches on the tour, scoring 589 runs at an average of 8.29, and taking 35 wickets at an average of 6.9 from 704 balls bowled. Playing against a Sheffield team at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

in August 1868, he hit the ball so far and high that the batsmen were able to run nine runs (with no overthrows). He played in a single first-class match 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 ...

against

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 ...

in February 1870, scoring 8 and 0, and taking 0/41 and 0/15. In a timeless match, scores were similar after the first innings, but Victoria scored 337 in their second innings, and won by 265 runs. He died in

West Maitland, New South Wales Maitland () is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. It is on the New England ...

, from

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

References

*
''The Black Lords of Summer: The Story of the 1868 Aboriginal Tour of England and Beyond''
Ashley Alexander Mallett, University of Queensland Press, 2002, , p. 78-79, 163

''Cricinfo'', 12 August 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Twopenny 1845 births 1883 deaths New South Wales cricketers Indigenous Australian cricketers Sportspeople from Bathurst, New South Wales Cricketers from New South Wales

See also

References