Thomas Andrew Carlton (7 December 1890 – 17 December 1973) was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket in New Zealand and Australia from 1909 to 1932.[1]

Tom Carlton
Personal information
Full name
Thomas Andrew Carlton
Born(1890-12-07)7 December 1890
Footscray, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died17 December 1973(1973-12-17) (aged 83)
Moreland, Victoria
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingLeft-arm medium
RelationsWilliam Carlton (uncle)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1909/10–1914/15Canterbury
1919/20Victoria
1920/21–1921/22Otago
1922/23–1923/24Victoria
1928/29–1931/32South Australia
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 60
Runs scored 1,153
Batting average 15.37
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 63
Balls bowled 11,469
Wickets 185
Bowling average 24.61
5 wickets in innings 7
10 wickets in match 2
Best bowling 6/42
Catches/stumpings 48/0
Source: CricketArchive, 11 May 2014

Cricket career

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Canterbury, 1909–10 to 1914–15

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Born in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray in 1890, Tom Carlton was a tall left-arm pace bowler and useful tail-end batsman who bowled "an impeccable length" and moved the ball away from right-hand batsmen.[2] He moved to New Zealand in late 1909 and settled in Christchurch, where he played alongside his uncle, William Carlton, who had been appointed coach of the Canterbury Cricket Association.[3]

Carlton made his first-class debut for Canterbury in a friendly match against Otago in December 1909, a few days after his 19th birthday. Opening the bowling, he took 4 for 58 and 6 for 42 in Canterbury's four-wicket victory.[4] He thus achieved his career-best innings and match figures in his first match. A few weeks later he made his highest first-class score of 63 against the touring Australians, adding 167 for the seventh wicket with Dan Reese after coming to the wicket when Canterbury were 80 for 6.[5]

He was part of Canterbury's Plunket Shield-winning team in 1910–11 and 1912–13, and was selected to tour Australia with the New Zealand team in 1913–14, although he took only one wicket in the two first-class matches he played on the tour. When he returned to New Zealand he played for Canterbury against the touring Australian team, taking 6 for 142 in the innings in which Victor Trumper and Arthur Sims set the world record eighth-wicket partnership of 433 in 181 minutes.[6]

In the deciding match of the 1914–15 Plunket Shield Carlton top-scored for Canterbury in the second innings with 50 made at number five, and took 5 for 65 and 4 for 38 in the team's victory over Wellington.[7] It was his last match for Canterbury.

Victoria, 1919–20

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Carlton played three matches for Victoria in the 1919–20 season, including one Sheffield Shield match, with moderate success.

Otago, 1920–21 to 1921–22

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He returned to New Zealand, making his debut for Otago (and captaining the side) late in the 1920–21 season against his old side, Canterbury. He took 5 for 39 and 5 for 76 in a 94-run victory.[8] He captained Otago in 1921–22 when they lost all three matches in the Plunket Shield. He was the team's leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an average of 27.78,[9] and made a few useful runs in the middle order. At the end of the season he was also the leading wicket-taker, with six wickets, for South Island in a match against North Island.[10]

Victoria, 1922–23 to 1923–24

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Carlton returned to play in Australia in 1922–23, taking 5 for 67 for Victoria in a victory over South Australia in his first match.[11] He played one more match that season and two in 1923–24 but made only modest contributions.

South Australia, 1928–29 to 1931–32

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After a gap of five years Carlton appeared for South Australia in the second half of the 1928–29 season at the age of 38. In his second match he took 5 for 64 off 31 eight-ball overs against Marylebone Cricket Club, including the wickets of Jack Hobbs, Patsy Hendren, Maurice Leyland and Les Ames.[12]

He played throughout the next three seasons. In all he played 27 matches for South Australia, taking 77 wickets at an average of 28.22.[13] He had his most successful season of all in 1930–31, when he took 31 wickets at 21.38. He played his last first-class game at the end of the 1931–32 season at the age of 41.

Carlton returned to live in Victoria in 1932.[14]

References

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  1. ^ McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 30. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2
  2. ^ R.T. Brittenden, Great Days in New Zealand Cricket, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1958, p. 40.
  3. ^ Longslip (23 December 1909). "Cricket". Otago Daily Times: 10.
  4. ^ Canterbury v Otago 1909–10
  5. ^ Canterbury v Australians 1909–10
  6. ^ Canterbury v Australians 1913–14
  7. ^ Wellington v Canterbury 1914–15
  8. ^ Otago v Canterbury 1920–21
  9. ^ Otago bowling, Plunket Shield 1921–22
  10. ^ South Island v North Island 1921–22
  11. ^ South Australia v Victoria 1922–23
  12. ^ "South Australia v MCC 1928–29". Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  13. ^ Tom Carlton bowling by team
  14. ^ "Notes on the Game". Advertiser: 10. 14 October 1932.
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