Jack O' Connor

A very exceptional country cricketer, Jack O'Connor played in four test matches from 1929 to 1930. This right handed batsman was a mainstay of the Essex team between the wars and had scored 1,000 runs at one season 16 times. After his retirement, he was a coach at Eton.

Though he was of a diminutive stature, Jack had a capacity to drive quickly and pull at the pitch and was suspect against fast bowling.He was good on his feet movement. With occasional fallow spells in the county games, Jack achieved 72 centuries including the one against every other university and county side.

Also a leg and off spinner, Jack took 557 wickets which included 93 wickets in 1926. He was simple to look but was deceptive with his flight.In 1929, at a test match against South Africa, he showed tremendous improvement and played three more matches that winter, during the team tour in the West Indies. During that point of time, Wisden called the matches as the Representative matches. However, they were not included in the test records.

It was a modest start for O’Connor in 1921, when he gained a regular place the following year and scored his first 100 runs, though he gained more popularity in 1923. In four consecutive matches that he played, Jack scored 111 runs not out, followed by 128,93 and 99 runs in later three matches. Till 1939, he remained as one of the mainstay players of the side.

=== Career Highlights ===

In all of the first class cricket matches that he played, Jack scored 28,575 runs with an average of 34.95 scoring 72 centuries including one against every other county team and both Universities. He reached his 1,000 mark on 16 occasions and by 1926, he took 93 wickets, narrowly missing the doubles.