Harry Houston "Bull" Alexander (9 June 1905 – 15 April 1993) 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 str ...

er who played in one

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match, the fifth of the 1932-33 "

bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's leading batsman ...

series" against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as a fast, right-arm opening bowler. He played 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 ...

in 27 first-class matches between 1929 and 1933, and toured India with the unofficial Australian team in 1935-36. His best first-class figures were 7 for 95 for Victoria against New South Wales in the 1932-33

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 ...

. He also played 89 matches for Essendon and 4 matches for North Melbourne in Melbourne local competition cricket between 1924–25 and 1936–37. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Alexander served as a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal 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 (CA), wh ...

from 1940 to 1945. He served in Malta, the Middle East and the Pacific. Alexander later moved to

Euroa Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Euroa's population was 3,275. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning 'joyful'. History Major T ...

in central Victoria, where he worked as a

wool classer Wool classing is the production of uniform, predictable, low-risk lines of wool, carried out by examining the characteristics of the wool in its raw state and classing (grading) it accordingly. Wool classing is done by a wool classer. Basis for ...

and became a municipal councillor. He oversaw the reconstruction of the local Euroa Memorial Oval to the precise dimensions of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He was responsible for organising touring teams to play at the oval, including MCC touring teams during the 1950s and 1960s.

David Frith David Edward John Frith (born 16 March 1937) is a cricket writer and historian. Cricinfo describes him as "an author, historian, and founding editor of ''Wisden Cricket Monthly''". Life and career David Frith was born in Gloucester Place in Lo ...

, ''Bodyline Autopsy'', ABC Books, Sydney, 2002, p. 425–26. He was also a past president of the

Euroa Football Club The Euroa Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Magpies'', is an Australian rules football and netball club sited in the town of Euroa, in the north-east of Victoria. The club teams has competed in the Goulburn Valley Football League since ...

. Social rooms at the Memorial Oval are named in his honour and he is listed in the Alexandra, Euroa & District Cricket Association Hall of Fame.

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Harry 1905 births 1993 deaths Australia Test cricketers Victoria cricketers Australian cricketers Cricketers from Melbourne Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers Military personnel from Melbourne People from Ascot Vale, Victoria