Ray Jordon
| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond Clarence Jordon | |||
| Born | 17 February 1937 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
|||
| Batting style | Right-handed batsman | |||
| Role | Wicket-keeper | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1960–1971 | Victoria | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | First-class | List A | ||
| Matches | 90 | 1 | ||
| Runs scored | 2414 | 27 | ||
| Batting average | 25.95 | – | ||
| 100s/50s | 1/9 | 0/0 | ||
| Top score | 134 | 27* | ||
| Balls bowled | – | – | ||
| Wickets | – | – | ||
| Bowling average | – | – | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | – | – | ||
| 10 wickets in match | – | – | ||
| Best bowling | – | – | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 238/45 | 2/0 | ||
| Source: CricketArchive, | ||||
Raymond Clarence Jordon (born 17 February 1937 in Melbourne) is a former Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and toured with the Australian national cricket team. He was also a successful Australian rules football coach and acted as both reserves and under-19s coach at various clubs in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Contents |
[edit] Career
Jordon took a total of 230 dismissals in the Sheffield Shield and 283 for all first-class matches. His tally at both Shield and first-class level remained a Victorian record until surpassed by his replacement Richie Robinson, who himself was later bettered by Darren Berry.[1] In 1970/71 he managed a career best ten dismissals in a match against South Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[2]
His only first-class hundred was an innings of 134, also against South Australia, in the 1963/64 Sheffield Shield. The South Australian bowling attack was led by Gary Sobers and while he ran through Victoria's batting lineup with six second innings wickets, Jordon resisted with a century before falling LBW to Neil Hawke.[3]
The wicket-keeper captained Victoria in five Sheffield Shield matches during his career, three of them in the 1968/69 season.[4]
Jordon came close to playing Test cricket, touring both India and South Africa in 1969/70 as a standby for Brian Taber. Although he appeared in four of Australia's first-class warm up matches in India and six in South Africa, Jordon wasn't required for any of the Tests.[5][6]
[edit] Cheating allegations
According to Ashley Mallett's biography of Ian Chappell, Chappelli Speaks Out, Bill Lawry was considering selecting Jordon to play in the fourth test instead of Taber because of the former's superior batting. Chappell said he would not play in the side if Jordon was picked because the wicketkeeper was a cheat. This was based on an incident during a game on the recent Indian tour when Australia was playing South Zone.[7] E.A.S. Prasanna was facing Alan Connolly with Jordon standing up to the stumps – he appeared to miss the ball and his off stump was knocked forward. Jordon appealed and Prasanna eventually walked but Chappell believed the ball had missed Prasanna's stumps and rebounded off Jordon's pads to break the wicket – and that Jordon knew this.[8]
[edit] Football
As a football coach Jordon led clubs at under-19 and reserve level and is credited as having coached eleven premiership teams. Nicknamed "The Slug" and known for his colourful language, Jordon had particular success with Melbourne and Richmond's under-19s. While he was in charge of the reserves at North Melbourne he was called up to coach the seniors for a Victorian Football League game in 1976 because Ron Barassi was unavailable. During his early sporting years, Jordon was himself a player at Coburg and appeared in 96 Victorian Football Association matches before retiring in 1962 to concentrate on cricket.
A parody of Gordon, named Jay "Grub" Gordon appears in the Specky Magee series of novels written by former Melbourne player Garry Lyon and author Felice Arena.
[edit] References
- ^ "Most Victims in a Career for Victoria". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/Australia/Firstclass/Victoria/WicketKeeping_Records/Most_Victims_In_Career.html.
- ^ "Victoria v South Australia 1970/71". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/31/31283.html.
- ^ "South Australia v Victoria 1963/64". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/26/26601.html.
- ^ "Sheffield Shield 1968/69". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/AUS/1968-69_AUS_Sheffield_Shield_1968-69.html.
- ^ "Australia in South Africa 1969/70". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/RSA/1969-70_RSA_Australia_in_South_Africa_1969-70.html.
- ^ "Australia in India 1969/70". CricketArchive. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/IND/1969-70_IND_Australia_in_India_1969-70.html.
- ^ South Zone v Australia Bangalore 20–22 December 1969 (3-day match)
- ^ Ashley Mallett, Chappelli Speaks Out, Allen and Unwin, 2005 p 38, 50
