Arunabha Sengupta with Sumit Gangopadhyay
He was already known as the King of Collingwood.
Later, in the 1940s, it was said that if any Melbourne schoolboy was to sum up the inner suburb of Collingwood in a dozen words, they would have included bootmakers, working-class, poverty, outstanding footballers and Jack Ryder. Impoverished, neglected and mainly known for factories, Collingwood hankered for sportsmen. In Ryder they had found one of the greatest.
Ryder himself loved Collingwood sportsmen. And he claimed that the admiration was not limited to Collingwood men alone.
In England in 1921, during a function, King George V became involved in a long conversation with Ryder. When his teammates asked him what His Highness was so excited about, Ryder replied, “Oh, he was very interested to know if Dickie Lee’s (full-forward) knee would stand up to another season with Collingwood.”
On 16 January 1925, at the Adelaide Oval, Ryder achieved his greatest feat.
He came in with the side reeling against Kilner and Tate, the score 118 for 5. It became 119 for 6 with the dismissal of Vic Richardson. Now Tommy Andrews and Ryder turned the tide. Aided by injuries to Gilligan and Tate, they added 134 in 112 minutes. At stumps, Ryder was 72, Australia 275 for 7.
Of course, he was a hero in Collingwood.
The next morning as his score increased telegrams flowed in. Former Collingwood footballer Ted Rowell, celebrated coach Jim McHale sent a joint one, asking him to get a century.
He did. Till 145 his knock was chanceless. Then Freeman dropped him at mid-on off Kilner, hurt his wrist and fainted on reaching the dressing room. Three substitutes and two regular bowlers in operation. Ryder added 108 for the ninth wicket with Oldfield. When Mailey came in as No 11, a cat followed on his heels. Tea at 426 for 9. Ryder 165. Could ‘The King’ get his double hundred?
Mailey batted brilliantly. And Ryder slammed a boundary off Hendren to get to 197. He stepped out off the next ball and was stranded, but Strudwick missed the stumping. He was stuck on 199 for a while as Hendren cut off drive after drive. He finally got there, remaining unbeaten on 201 when Mailey was stumped. By then telegrams had come in from Syd Gregory, Jimmy Matthews, Vernon Ransford and others, apart from every notable and not so notable name of Collingwood.
When Australia batted, Ryder dismissed Sutcliffe.
And when Australia batted again, he hit 88 from No 3.
What was the value of all those runs? It becomes clear when we learn that the margin of victory was 11.
And that was further helped by a brilliant Ryder catch at point to dismiss Chapman in the second innings when he threatened to run away with the match.
Ryder scored 1394 runs in 20 Tests at a splendid average of 51, the first Australian batsman to average over 50 playing more than 20 Test innings. His medium pace, used much more in first-class and grade cricket, got him 17 Test wickets.
His 10,501 first-class runs included a highest score of 295, in the very match that saw Victoria score a world-record 1108 runs.
Ryder was also the captain when Australia saw the debut of a 20-year-old lad from Bowral who answered to the name Don Bradman.
The Collingwood hero also had a couple of peculiar accomplishments. He was run out in both innings of his Test debut, for paltry scores of 5 and 6. It was said that because he played off the front foot and had a long reach it confused the non-strikers who thought he was setting out for a run when he was actually completing a stroke.
Later, in 1977, he was the oldest Ashes captain alive during the Centenary Test.
In the Victoria Cricket Association Premier League, Ryder played for 33 of the 35 consecutive years from for Collingwood.
Ryder with the Yuvraj of Patiala
After his Test career, there was another enthralling chapter in Ryder’s cricketing lore. In 1935-36, at the invitation of the Maharaja of Patiala and organisation of Frank Tarrant, an Australian team visited India on an unofficial ‘Test’ tour. Ryder, at 46, was the captain of the side, the 49-year-old Charlie Macartney his deputy. He scored a hundred in the first ‘Test’ and another hundred against Southern Punjab, and managed 843 runs in the first-class games on the tour.
During the tour he struck up excellent rapport with the Maharaja of Patiala. Since the closeness in their relationship was well known, Ryder used it to play an elaborate practical prank. When the vessel docked in Fremantle after the return journey, Ryder brought out a bunch of imitation jewellery that he had purchased. “The Maharaja gave me these, but I hardly think it’s fair for me to keep the lot.” So saying he threw the jewels into the water, and the cricketers stood dumbfounded, some even contemplating diving in to retrieve them.
Ryder spent 26 years as a Test selector and 39 as a selector for Victoria. He was lean, fit and sprightly to his last days.
Jack Ryder was born on 8 August 1889.
Ryder is ecstatic that Collingwood has won the 1970-71 VCA premiership …. He was the only member of the previous winning team of 1912-13