Charles George Macartney (1886 - 1958)

Ancestors

Biography

Charles "Charlie" Macartney was an Australian cricketer who played in 35 Tests between 1907 and 1926. He was known as "The Governor-General" in reference to his authoritative batting style and his flamboyant strokeplay, which drew comparisons with his close friend and role model Victor Trumper, regarded as one of the most elegant batsmen in cricketing history. Sir Donald Bradman—generally regarded as the greatest batsman in history—cited Macartney's dynamic batting as an inspiration in his cricket career.

"a law to himself - an individual genius, but not in any way to be copied" ^[1]

" Charlie Macartney in his Australian blazer and 'baggy green'.

Born Charles George Macartney on 27th June 1886 at Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, he was the younger son of Joseph Belton Macartney and Mary Anne Moore.^[2] He was taught to play cricket as a child by his maternal grandfather George Moore, a slow roundarm bowler who represented New South Wales in three first-class matches against Victoria. The equipment consisted of small hand-crafted bat made from cedar, and apples from the family orchard used as balls. In 1898, Macartney and his family moved from Maitland to Sydney. Macartney asserted that he learned more about cricket during informal summer cricket games with his brother Harold at the local park, with their dog acting as a fielder. He was noticed by incumbent Australian captain Monty Noble in a school game and lauded as a player of the future.

After leaving school, Macartney worked for a fruit and vegetable merchant near Sydney's Sussex Street docks, honing his batting skills by practising without pads on a wooden wharf during his lunch break. In 1902, Macartney joined North Sydney Cricket Club in the first division of Sydney Grade Cricket and then moved to the Gordon club in the outer northern suburbs when it was formed during the 1905-06 season. He played regularly for Gordon until 1933-34 when he was 47, amassing 7,648 runs at an average of 54.62.

Macartney made his first class debut for New South Wales against Queensland at the start of the 1905–06 season. He made his Test debut in 1907, primarily as a left arm orthodox spinner who was considered to be a useful lower-middle order right-hand batsman. As Macartney was initially selected for his flexibility, his position in the batting order was frequently shuffled and he was largely ineffective. His most noteworthy Test contribution in his early career was a match-winning ten wicket haul at Headingley in 1909, before being dropped in the 1910-11 Australian season. During this season he transformed himself from a bowler who batted in a defensive and technically correct manner, into an audacious attacking batsman. He reclaimed his Test position and made his maiden Test century in the same season, before establishing himself as the leading batsman in the team.

In 1914, he left his job on the Sydney wharves and joined the staff of New South Wales Railways & Tramways in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office at Redfern.

Charlie served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War; enlisted 4th January 1916, returned to Australia 21st March 1919.^[3] He was a Warrant Officer Class 1 in 3rd Division Artillery.^[4]

Upon resumption of cricket following the war, Macartney stamped himself as one of the leading batsmen in the world with his performances during the 1921 Ashes tour. He produced an Australian record score in England of 345 against Nottinghamshire. The innings was the fastest triple century in first-class cricket and the highest score made by a batsman in a single day of play.

He married school teacher, Anna Bruce, in 1922 in the Presbyterian Church, Chatswood.^[5] They had no children.

Macartney retired from international cricket at the peak of his powers on the 1926 tour of England. He continued to play club cricket. At the start of the 1926-27 season, he captained a combined Sydney City team against a New South Wales country team, which included the then 18-year-old Bradman. Macartney scored 126 and Bradman 98 in a match viewed as a generational transition in Australian batting. Macartneys career statistics, from 249 first grade matches, are:

• Batting: 15,019 runs at an average 45.78; scoring 49 centuries; top score 345.
• Bowling: 419 wickets at 20.95; best bowling 7 wickets for 58 runs.
• Catches: 102.

Age certainly did not deter Charlie from serving his country once more during the Second World War. He was one of the first to enlist in the Australian Army, on 18th November 1939. He was posted to the Australian Army Amenities Unit where he was commissioned Lieutenant. He was discharged from the military on 7th November 1946.^[6]

He passed away of coronary occlusion (heart attack) while at work on 9th September 1958 at Little Bay, New South Wales.^[7]

Charlie's memorial is in Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, North Ryde.^[8]

Charlie Macartney was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in February 2007, along with Richie Benaud.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Obituary. Charles Macartney. (ESPN Cricinfo, accessed 23 Mar 2022)
2. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #25898/1886
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 18330 Warrant Officer Class 1 Charles George Macartney; accessed 10 Sep 2018
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 3rd Division Artillery; accessed 10 Sep 2018
5. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #2262/1922
6. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: N65531 Lieutenant Charles George Macartney; accessed 10 Sep 2018
7. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #18842/1958; registered at Chatswood
8. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 30 December 2019), memorial page for Charles George “Gov General” Macartney (27 Jun 1886–9 Sep 1958), Find A Grave: Memorial #139278490, citing Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, North Ryde, Ryde City, New South Wales, Australia.
9. ↑ Australian Cricket Hall of Fame; accessed 10 Sep 2018

See also

• Andrews, B G. Macartney, Charles George (Charlie) (1886–1958). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1986; accessed online 10 Sep 2018.

• Wikipedia: Charlie Macartney; accessed 10 Sep 2018.

• AUSTRALIAN ELEVEN CARICATURES, No. 3-C. G. MACARTNEY from the Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939) of Wednesday 25 January 1922, Page 12. first accessed on TROVE on the 30th of May, 2022 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127926769/13774538