Joe Darling

Joe Darling

Darling in about 1905
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Darling
Born	(1870-11-21)21 November 1870 Glen Osmond, South Australia
Died	2 January 1946(1946-01-02) (aged 75) Hobart, Tasmania
Nickname	Paddy[1]
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 64)	14 December 1894 v England
Last Test	14 August 1905 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1893/94–1907/08	South Australia
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 34 202 Runs scored 1657 10,635 Batting average 28.56 34.52 100s/50s 3/8 19/55 Top score 178 210 Balls bowled – 68 Wickets – 1 Bowling average – 55.00 5 wickets in innings – 0 10 wickets in match – 0 Best bowling – 1/5 Catches/stumpings 27/– 148/–
Source: CricketArchive, 10 February 2008

Joseph Darling CBE (21 November 1870 – 2 January 1946) was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1,657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including three centuries. Darling toured England four times with the Australian team—in 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1905; the last three tours as captain. He was captain of the Australian cricket team in England in 1902, widely recognised as one of the best teams in Australian cricket history.

He was a stocky, compact man and a strong driver of the ball, playing most of his cricket as an opening batsman. He was a patient batsman and was known for his solid defence, but he was able to score quickly when required. In Sydney in 1897–98, he scored 160 in 165 minutes, including 30 boundaries to assist his team in defeating the English. He was the first man to score 500 runs in a Test series and also the first to score three centuries in a series. His captaincy was disciplinarian in nature but his teammates respected his broad cricket knowledge. Even tempered with a strong personality, he was a stickler for fair play on the field. His teammates gave him the nickname "Paddy" due to a supposed resemblance to the Australian boxer, Frank "Paddy" Slavin.

His cricket career was interrupted several times due to his obligations as a farmer, first growing wheat in South Australia, and later as a wool-grower in Tasmania. He was a member of several bodies dedicated to agriculture in Tasmania, including the responsible authority for the Royal Hobart Show. He was a pioneer in activities such as rabbit eradication and pasture improvement. He entered politics in 1921, standing as an independent in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, where he was a forceful speaker. He retained his seat in the Tasmanian Parliament until his death following a gall bladder operation in 1946.