A FAMOUS BOWLER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 938, 12 February 1917, Page 2

A FAMOUS BOWLER.

THE LATE FRANK ALLAN. Though lie was one of the famous of the early Australian cricketers, Frank E. Allan, whose death was announced by a I'ress Association cable message from Melbourne on Saturday, was known to modern cricketers by little more than his nickname, "The Howler of a Century," and the fact that he was a memfcer of the first Australian team which visited England. Ha played :-u long ago that even George (iiffen, in his chapters ou "Celebrated Contemporary Amtralians" gives u* no information about his career or his style of bowling. In hi* later years in intercolonial cricket such great bowlers as Spofforth, Boyle, and Garrett were contemporaneous with Allan,and almost immediately after he. dropped out of first-class rrieket there followed C. T. B. Turner and J. J. Ferris. Possil ly it was be* ause these bowlers, l>eir.g olose to the vision of tLe ehonielcrs of early days in Australian cricket, overshadowed him that we have been left with so little knowledge of his bowling aud batting, apart from mere figures. Frank Allan was born on Dwember 2, and so he was just over C 7 year* of age at the time of his death. lie a left-banded liowler, and a tall, slight man, so that his bowling came down from a good height. Writing of him close on .10 years ago, Harry W. Fiedler, a well-known Victorian cricket journalist, described him as oueof the phenomenal eri<-keter« who ever represented Victoria. Hedlcy went on to say, referring to contests 1 etween Victoria and New South Wales:— "Starting in 1867,' the bowler of a century' played in 11 matches, remaining on the scene of intercolonial contents (with, however, occasional intervals) until ISS2. During that j-erind of 15 years, his left arm was responsible for many a brilliant win. and, "with the exception of Cosstick, Elliott, and Wills, who, however, had the advantage of bowling on wickets much less favourable to the batsman, his bowling record stands out in prominent superiority to that of any of the other celebrated Victorian bowlers, 7.1 wickets having fallen to hhn at an average cost of 10.52 runs, while his usefulness with the bat is shown by bis average of 16.53 ]»as per innings. During his intercolonial career, in different innings he secured such remarkable records as eight wickets for 20. eight for .15, five for 25, nve for 23, six for 27. and six for 37." Mr Hedley forgot to mention that the averages of for .15 and fi.*e for 25 were secured by Allan in one match a±rainst New S?outh Wales, in l!-72, and that of the Vietorians who had bowled over 1000 balls in intercolonial matches Allan was second only to Cosstick. In his very first intercolonial match Allan took five for 59 and throe for 43. The English climate did not suit Allan, and he did not do nearly as well in tie first Australian team's tour as Spofforth, Boyle, and Garrett did, his 26 wickets costing an average of 23.26 runs each. Constitutionally he was not strong, and the great amount of travelling which the team hail to do and the vagaries of the English climate militated against his giving of his best for the Australian team. However, he certainly had a very fine record in Victorian cricket. He gave up cricket altogether, in 1*4)1, and for 10 years afterwards obtained his recreation at bowls. He was a man of fine personality. A.L.C.