Charlie Walker (Australian cricketer)

Charles William Walker (19 February 1909 – 18 December 1942) was a cricketer who played for South Australia. A specialist wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman, Walker was born in Brompton, an inner-suburb of Adelaide.

Charlie Walker
Personal information
Full name
Charles William Walker
Born(1909-02-19)19 February 1909
Brompton Park, South Australia
Died18 December 1942(1942-12-18) (aged 33)
Soltau, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1928/29–1941/42South Australia
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 109
Runs scored 1,754
Batting average 14.99
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 71
Catches/stumpings 171/149
Source: Cricinfo, 15 January 2007

Nicknamed "Chilla",[1] Walker started his cricket career for the local Coglin Street Mission Cricket Club before making his Adelaide Grade cricket debut for West Torrens Cricket Club and later transferring to Prospect Cricket Club.[2]

Walker made his first-class debut for South Australia at the end of the 1928/29 season, making eights dismissals (three caught and five stumped),[1] and his form in the 1929/30 season, including four stumpings and three catches in a match against the touring English side, led to his inclusion in the 1930 Australian tour of England.[1]

Unfortunately for Walker, a succession of finger injuries hampered his chances during the tour[1] and he missed the 1934 England tour. Chosen for the 1938 Ashes tour of England, Walker again suffered a succession of injuries and did not play in a Test.[1]

Military service and death

Walker enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 3 February 1941 and gained the rank of Flying Officer.[3] Assigned to the 14 Operational Training Unit, Walker served as an air gunner. On 17 December 1942, the Avro Lancaster that Walker was serving on was shot down in the area of Soltau, killing Walker and everybody else aboard.[4]

Personal life

Walker's sister May represented South Australia in netball while May's husband Bob Quinn was a leading Australian rules footballer with Port Adelaide Football Club.[5] Walker's cousin Ron Hamence was a member of Don Bradman's Invincibles.[6]

The South Australian Cricket Association now presents the Charlie Walker Trophy to the best wicket-keeper in Adelaide Grade Cricket. Walker's nephew Greg Quinn won the award seven times.[5]

References
  1. Pollard, J. (1988) Australian Cricket: The Game and its Players, Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney.
  2. West Torrens District Cricket Club "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved 15 January 2008.
  3. World War II Nominal Roll, Commonwealth of Australia, 2002. http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?ServiceId=R&VeteranId=1066602 Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  4. "WALKER Charles William". highgate-rsl.org. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. Porter, A. (2008) "Bob Quinn - A Legend who Stuck by his Mates", The Independent Weekely, 28 April 2008
  6. ed. Cashman, R. et al. (1997)The A-Z of Australian cricketers, Oxford University Press: Melbourne.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.