by Arunabha Sengupta
He served in the First Australian Imperial Forces on the Western Front.
Then, as his regiment stopped in Salisbury, England, he won the 120-yards hurdle the 100-yard sprint, as also the tennis cup in his squadron.
The Australian Imperial Services romped through England in a series of festive cricket matches celebrating the end of the Great War. Running in quick and hurling down thunderbolts Jack Gregory captured 131 wickets at 18.19 in 25 matches with 10 five-wicket hauls. He also hit hard, scored 942 runs with a hundred averaging just under 30.
The side pipped Yorkshire by one wicket at Bramall Lane, a team that included Hirst, Rhodes, Sutcliffe, Kilner, Holmes, Robinson … all the men. Gregory picked up 6/91 and 7/79, scored 30 and 41 not out, adding the victorious 54 with the last man.
Gregory bowled with raw, instinctive pace, hitting the deck from his great height, and swung it away from batsmen. When he batted, left-handed and— note this—without any gloves in any form of cricket, he hit it hard and often. It was not long before he rose meteorically, finding himself half of a scary fast-bowling partnership with Ted McDonald.
In his first Test series, at home he captured 23 wickets at 24.17 and scored 442 runs at 73.66. England blown away 5-0.
The hundred he at Johannesburg in November 1921 was scored in 70 minutes. With time the measure of quickness, the record still stands. But, he did not know that it was a record until many years later when his son informed him.
He overstayed a bit. Halfway through his career he had 744 runs at 49.60 and 57 wickets at 23.71 In the end it did not remain that sparkling, but was still impressive. 1146 runs at 37 batting in all positions from No 1 to No 9, and 85 wickets at 31. All that in 24 Tests.
But he remained modest about all his sporting achievements. When asked by McDonald about his proficiency in billiards and snooker—for he excelled in those games as well—he answered, “I just pot the straight ones, Mac.”
He never spoke to the media in his later years because of an unfortunate incident with the press in 1926. Asked why Charles Kelleway had been omitted, he had said, “Blowed if I know.” The line had been, in standard journalistic manner, converted into “Gregory can’t understand why Kelleway was omitted.”
When David Frith did catch up with him in 1971, Gregory seemed more interested in discussing the excellent returns of his fishing trip the previous day. He admitted to loving limited overs cricket. “I loved the game and liked to hit hard, and also I tried to amuse the public, who like to see bright cricket.”
Jack Gregory was born on 14 August 1895.
In the picture you can see him batting without a cap and without gloves. He batted that way in Test matches.