“The Cricketer”
by Kate Birrell
In the latter part of 2019 I spent some time in Europe, ostensibly tracing elements of family history. My focus was Eire and Deutschland. Whilst in Deutschland, I focussed on Rostock where my great grandfather, Ferdinand Paul Larsson, 30/3/1883 – 7/2/1970, was born. He left Deutschland in the opening decade of the last century. As a merchant seaman, he decided to ‘jump deck’ whilst in Melbourne just prior to the outbreak of the ‘Great Trade War’ and remained there the rest of his life. I still remember him from my early childhood watching World Championship Wrestling on the old black and white TV, whilst he consumed those ghastly, oily, small fish from the tin. He was the last generation of our family eating those horrid things!
All of this made me wonder how many Australian cricketers have a German family link? Anyhow here’s a handy team of Australian cricketers who can claim a German heritage.
Ken Meuleman played a sole Test, which was also Australia’s first Test against New Zealand, at Wellington in early 1946. Despite a solid first-class carer, firstly with Victoria and then Western Australia, he never received another chance at Test level. His son Robert, and grandson Scott subsequently turned out for Western Australia.
Jack Nitschke was a left-handed batsman who played two Tests, both against South Africa in the 1931-32 season. Despite averaging 42.03 at first-class level, he had to compete with the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Stan McCabe and Archie Jackson for a spot in the batting order. Sounds like wrong place, wrong time.
The South Australian born Test batsmen and former Australian coach Darren Lehmann is another who can trace German heritage. Lehmann would also probably be the last cricketer to work on a factory production line instead of taking up an offer of going to the Australian Cricket Academy. Hmm, was he related to Ernst August Lehmann who was the senior officer on the Hindenburg’s fateful last journey May 6, 1937? When the Zeppelin crashed in a ball of fire, Lehmann was seriously burnt, dying from the injuries.
Now who could be the wicketkeeper? The surname Zoehrer, as in Tim Zoehrer, apparently is of Austrian origin. Tim Zoehrer also played and coached in the Netherlands. Capping off his skill base is that on both his tours of England, 1989 and 1993, he topped the team’s bowling average. Is there a better option as our keeper?
Who’d have considered Shane Warne in this team? Warne’s mother Bridgette was born in Deutschland. At one-point, Warne apparently toyed with the idea of German citizenship to avoid the restrictions on oversea players on the English county circuit.
Ben Hilfenhaus is the most recent Australian Test cricketer I’m aware of for this team. The ‘Hilf’, a modest bricklayer from Ulverstone in Northern Tasmania, had a 27-Test career where he came tantalisingly close to taking 100 wickets with his right arm fast mediums, finishing on 99 wickets. His final Test was in his home state where he turned out for the opening Test against Sri Lanka in December 2012. In Australia’s 137 run victory he only batted once, scoring a duck. In Sri Lanka’s first innings, he picked up the wicket of Dimuth Karanaratne for 14, the first wicket to fall – his 99th Test wicket. Due to injury Hilfenhaus didn’t bowl in the Sri Lankan second innings, then subsequently never wore the baggy green again.
Hans Ebeling has an interesting history. With a Germanic surname, he was a squadron leader with the Royal Australian Air Force in World War 2 as well as a long-time administrator with the Melbourne Cricket Club,where he played a key role in arranging the 1977 Centenary Test. He was a right-hand batsman and a right arm fast medium who toured England in 1934, playing his sole Test in the final match at the Oval where Australia were victorious by 562 runs. Ebeling would have seen teammates Sir Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford score double centuries in their 451 run first innings stand.
In German, Hartkpopf means a stubborn person. Albert Hartkopf was a talented individual. He played for University in the VFL, was a handy track and field competitor who held the Victorian record for the 440 yards, as well as a leg spinner who was handy with the bat. In his sole Test, he scored 80 in Australia’s first innings but only picked up a solitary wicket, the English number 11 and wicket keeper, Herbert Strudwick. He left first class cricket not long after, finding his fame and fortune as a doctor.
Scott Muller, he of the legendary ‘Joe the Cameraman’ sledge, is another of German heritage. Maybe he couldn’t throw, but seven wickets and two catches in his two Tests stands up well against a fair few others who wore the baggy green.
Whilst we’re on fast medium bowlers from the ‘Deep North’, the injury prone and former Bob Katter’s Australia Party candidate, Carl Rackemann is another whose origins are German. During Carl’s 12-Test career, one of the highlights would be in the 1989 Test against New Zealand in Perth when he bowled 31 overs, including 21 maidens, to finish with figure of 1-23. He didn’t seem to mind playing in Perth as, during the 1983-84 Test against Pakistan, he recorded his best bowling figures with 11-118 for the match. 5-32 in the first innings followed by 6-86 in the second innings helped spear Australia to a victory by an innings and 9 runs. However, his performance on the same ground against the West Indies 12 months later is probably best forgotten.
David Renneberg was a fast-medium bowler from New South Wales. He played eight Tests for Australia in the late 1960s, touring South Africa in the 1966-67 season, then appeared at home the following summer against India. He also toured England in 1968 but didn’t play a Test in that series. Batting was not a prowess of David as a first-class average of 7.06 after ninety first class matches would attest. His Test average of 3.66 was barely half of his first-class average.
Well, where to next? Do I compile team of Germanic Footballers, such as Wolfgang Dietrich and Carl Ditterich, or do I look at my other family links, such as a team of Irish cricketers? Bill O’Reilly and Kerry O’Keefe would get the ball rolling – literally!
Watch this space.
Glen!
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Glen! – My distant cousin Andy Bichel also has German background, so he’d make a handy addition to your pace attack. He played 19 Tests and was 12th man a further 19 times! A great team man.
Coincidentally, I was in Rostock a few years ago helping my wife trace her ancestry to the nearby villages of Kropelin and Detershagen. We loved the seaside area of Warnemunde. Is that where Warney might have had links?
Good research into background information Glen!
Harry Frei is possibly the only German born sportsman to play VFL and play first class cricket.
Sorry, I meant “OTHER German born sportsman”.
Harry Frei and Dennis Schuller both missed Test selection, unfortunately for this team.
Top marks for the research Glen!
Some further digging might be required to test the qualification or otherwise of Bollinger, Hauritz, Hilditch and Voges. Julien Wiener has Polish/Austrian parents (both having escaped WWII concentration camps)
Glen ! Terrific team. You’ve set the bar high for 2020. Great work !
Great idea Glen.
Megan Schutt springs to mind.
What about a team of all Australian first class cricketers with Germanic names?
Very relieved you didn’t have someone named ADOLPH as the umpire.
Wundebar: Ist Gut.
Good point Ian, Andy Bichel escaped. Did Warney’s mum come from Warnemunde. I don’t know. Been to the area but that question has me stumped.
Tony the third game of VFL footy i attended was Harry Frei’s third VFL game. This was at Kardinia Park in 1973. The first three games i attended, Geelong lost all three. I was no talisman for them. Harry Frei’s best game of cricket was when he hit four 6’s for Queensland against the touring English in 1982-83.
Swish i thought about the two H’s, did some reading on them. Hauritz is apparently Danish, Hilditch ye olde English. Yep Voges i forgot, Bollinger i’m unsure about. I’ve always seen Weiner as Jewish: Austrian Jewish?
Phil, the Germanic footy side is developing side by side with the Irish-Australian cricketers team. All will be revealed. What project are you working on ?
JTH i’ve not forgotten, though not called you, re the Cheese’n’Kisses computer. It’s on the Saturday to do list.
Prost,
Glen!
Late to this Glen, but would nominate Otto Nothling, the only man The Don was ever dropped for.
I learnt about Nothling for the first time in my early teens, reading “Tangled Up in White”, a collection of Peter Roebuck’s best articles, published in 1990.
Roebuck goes into great detail into the Otto Nothling story, starting with his German parents who fled to Australia in 1870 after supporting the wrong side in the Franco-Prussian War. An all-rounder, Nothling took 5/78 for Queensland against England in 1928/29, and scored 121 against NSW in 1929/30. Earlier he had played for the Waratahs against South Africa and NZ Maoris as a full-back.
Bradman made 18 and 1 in his debut in the first Test of 1928/29 and was dropped, his spot taken by Nothling.
In his only Test, Nothling took 0/60 off 42 overs and made 8 & 44. Bradman came back for the 3rd Test.
Nothling went on to captain Queensland 3 times before taking his doctors practice to Maryborough in Qld.
In Maryborough he took up golf, quickly playing off scratch. He served in WWII in Egypt & Greece. Later upon returning to Brisbane he became president of the Queensland Cricket Association.
Roebuck’s piece is a great read and the only reason I know about Otto Nothling!
Carl Rackemann, Kepler Wessels, and Michael Klinger, even though the latter played twenty twenty cricket for Australia, not Test cricket.
Paul Reiffel
Does Justin Langer have German origins? What about former Australian One Day International bowler Shaun Graf?
Can l ask what has happened to the team of Irish origin… Have l missed it or is it still to come
Terry
No Terry it’s not been missed. This old bloke needs to motivate himself/create time between scribbling other articles.
Slainte,
Glen!
Hi Glen,
Dave Renneberg’s ultimate forebears were actually Norwegian. His father Alexander was born in Ireland, his grandfather Alexander in Australia, and his great grandfather John (name changed from Johan) in Norway. From there it was great grandfathers all the way back to a Tiernan Isachsen Renneberg who was married in 1733.
For many generations the Renneberg family lived in Bergen and the town of Selje to the north-west of Oslo.
Of course, Tiernan Renneberg’s forebears may well have been from Germany, but I think that we will never know if that is so.
Ta John.
Yes my Larsson’s originate from somewhere in Sweden. Sweden is not far to the north of German, the harbour towns, are not a long way: will I ever go there again? I remember my great grandfather who retained that strong Germanic accent until the end. As a little kid it was hard to understand what he’d be saying!
There were his sisters in Rostock, Hamburg,and one other forgotten place who remained in touch by letter until the last one passe away in the early 90’s.
Glen!
Und Mathew Hayden?
What about Andrew Strauss? Am sure Strauss is a German name.
Then there’s Jason Behrendorff and the New Zealander Tim Seifert as we’ll. Also the umpire Simon Taufel and the fast-bowler Neil Wagner. All are of German-origin I suppose.
Moin Sourodip.
Andrew Strauss was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. One would surmise he’d be of Afrikaans origins.
Yes, the name Strauss is Germanic in its origins, as those baptised with this name also include people in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Re Neil Wagner he is also born in South Africa, coming from an Afrikaans family.
Prost,
Glen!
Yes Glen, the Morkel brothers, also you’ll say Afrikaners and David Wiese as well. But these are German names. Their ancestors surely came from mainland Germany and assimilated themselves to the Dutch/Afrikaaner culture. But still they are German.
Shane Watson also has a German mother.
I am sure Justin Langer is of
German origin.
Jeff Stollmeyer
Mervyn Grell
Ashley Noffke has a German surname. I thought Jason Arnberger’s surname was German but it’s most common in Austria.
Floyd Reifer
Since this article was written, Mathew Kuhnemann who played 3 Tests for Australia in 2023, has a German surname.
Growing up, French cricket was reasonably popular, which made think of cricketers who have a French surname origin or it can be a French surname, even if they don’t actually have French heritage.
The criteria is that each cricketer doesn’t need to have played Test cricket. First class cricket or Big Bash cricket is enough. The surname can only be used once.
Here is the World XI Cricket team of French surnames:
1. Phil Jacques (11 Tests Australia 2005-08)
2. Josh Philippe
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. Faf Du Plessis (capt)
5. AB de Villiers
6. Jim de Courcy (3 Tests Australia 1953)
7. Graham Manou (wk) (1 Test Australia 2009)
8. Colin de Grandhomme (29 Tests New Zealand 2016-22)
9. Richie Benaud
10. Garth Le Roux
11. Beau Casson (1 Test Australia 2008)
This team will play a match against the Test cricketers with German origin.
The venue will be Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany.
The umpire will be Dick French.
Entertainment will be both the German and French National Anthems, as well as songs from Boney M and highlights of actor Marcel Marceau.
Transport will be Lufthansa Airlines.
Let’s hope for a good game of cricket with a German and French flavour.
With respect to the French:
BJT Bosanquet
Jeff Dujon
Chris Tavare
Andy Ganteaume (test average 112)
Mikyle Louis
Bruce Pairaudeau
Eldine Baptiste
Clarence Passailaigue
It has been brought to my attention that a cricket team of Greek heritage or Greek surnames has never been done previously in the Footy Almanac.
The criteria is that the surname can only be used once. The player need not have played Test cricket. First class cricket or Big Bash cricket is enough.
Here is the World XI Cricket team of players with Greek heritage or Greek surnames:
1. Sam Konstas (10 FC NSW)
2. Marcus Stoinis (71 FC WA/VIC 2008-present)
3. Jacques Kallis (c) (166 Tests South Africa 1995-2013, no known Greek heritage but has a Greek surname)
4. Xenophon Balaskas (9 Tests South Africa 1930-38)
5. Theo Doropoulos (10 FC WA/SA 2006-13)
6. Nic Pothas (wk) (3 ODIs South Africa 2000)
7. Jason Gillespie (71 Tests Australia 1996-2006, mother has Greek heritage)
8. Peter Hatzacoglou (MelbRenegades/Perth Scorchers 2021/22-present)
9. John Traicos (7 Tests South Africa/Zimbabwe 1970-93)
10. Ari Karvelas (27 FC Sussex 2022-present & 1 T20 Greece 2022)
11. Steve Nikitaras (4 FC NSW/WA 1996-2000)
This team will play an exhibition T20 match against the Italian cricket team named in the Footy Almanac on December 14, 2014.
The venue will be the Lakeside Stadium, where South Melbourne Hellas FC played.
Entertainment will be provided by songs from Nana Mouskouri and Andrea Bocelli.
The after match meal will include souvlaki, gyros, pasta and pizza.
Let’s hope for a good game of cricket, with a Greek and Italian flavour.
Test Playing Spanish Surname 11
Steve Camacho
Jeremy Solozano
Brian Lara
Darren Bravo
Dwayne Bravo
Gerry Gomez
Willie Rodriguez
Sammy Guillen
Nelson Betancourt
Jack Noreiga
Jo Angel
Afternoon break will be 2 hours
All these teams got me thinking about doing an Australian cricket team, where all the players are of Asian heritage.
It doesn’t matter if the player has played Test cricket for Australia, One Day Internationals for Australia or First Class cricket in Australia.
This is the Australian Cricket Team of Asian Heritage:
Richard Chee Quee (wk) (21 FC NSW 1992/93-1997/98/Chinese Origin)
Ashley Chandrasinghe (9 FC Vic 2002/23-present/Sri Lankan descent)
Dav Whatmore (7 Tests Australia 1979/Sri Lankan born)
Jason Sangha (42 FC NSW 2028/19-2023/24/Indian descent
Usman Khawaja (c) (79 Tests Australia 2011-present/Pakistani born)
Param Upal (2 FC NSW 2017-present/Indian born)
Arjun Nair (5 FC NSW 2015/16-present/Indian descent)
Gurinder Sandhu (2 ODIs Australia 2015/Indian descent)
Fahwad Ahmed (3 ODIs Australia 2013/Pakistani born)
Tanveer Sangha (3 ODIs Australia 2023-present/Indian descent)
Hunter Poon (1 FC QLD 1923/Chinese descent)
As there’s no wicketkeeper in this team, Richard Chee Quee will be the wicketkeeper.
This team will play an exhibition match against the Test Playing Spanish Surname 11.
The match will be played at the Asian Cricket Ground in Jaipur, India.
The game will be shown live on SBS and the commentators will be Harsha Bhogle, Isa Guha, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar.
Entertainment will be provided by Julio Iglesias and highlights of the best Bollywood movies.
Transport will be Indian Airlines.
The after match meal will be a selection of Indian, Sri Lankan, Chinese and Spanish food.
Let’s hope for a good game of cricket with an Asian and Spanish flavour!
Rex Sellers, was born in Gujurat, India. This was in the time of the British Empire. His family emigrated here during the time of Indian independence, and the bloody, partitioning.
He was a leg spin bowler who played for South Australia in the early, mid 1960’s.
Rex Sellers was part of the 1964 touring squad that won 1-0 in England, prior to stop over tests in India & Pakistan. He played a solitary test, that being in the land of his birth. Though he didn’t take a wicket, or score a run, he’s recorded in test statistics for taking a catch.
Glen!
Good pick up Glen.
Bransby Cooper, who played 1 Test for Australia in 1877, was an occasional wicketkeeper. He was born in Dacca in what was then British India in 1844.
Therefore, Barnaby Cooper can bat at number 7 in The Australian Cricket Team of Asian Heritage and will be the wicketkeeper. Arjun Nair can bat at number 6 and Param Upal can be omitted.
Rex Sellers can replace Hunter Poon at number 11, as preference will now be given to Australian Test players of Asian heritage, regardless of their Test record.
Hunter Poon can now be the 12th man and Arjun Nair can now be the Concussion sub, due to him being more flexible to bat in the batting order, compared to Hunter Poon.
Sorry, I. meant to type that Param Upal will now be the Concussion sub, as Arjun Nair will now be batting at number 6.
It’s been brought to my attention that Stuart Clark (24 Tests Australia 2006-2009) is the son of Anglo-Indian parents; his father Bruce Clark is from Chennai and his mother Mary (née Boosey) is from Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F).
Therefore, as he has Indian heritage, Clark can bat at number 6 for this team and Tanveer Sangha has been dropped for team balance, so there are two paceman and two spinners and to give preference to players who have played Test cricket. Tanveer Sangha can now be the 12th man and Param Upal will remain as the Concussion sub.
This is the amended Australian Cricket Team of Asian Heritage:
Richard Chee Quee (21 FC NSW 1992/93-1997/98/Chinese Origin)
Ashley Chandrasinghe (9 FC Vic 2022-23-present/Sri Lankan descent)
Dav Whatmore (7 Tests Australia 1979/Sri Lankan born)
Jason Sangha (42 FC NSW 2018/19-2023/24/Indian descent)
Usman Khawaja (c) (79 Tests Australia 2011-present/Pakistani born)
Arjun Nair (5 FC NSW 2015/16-present/Indian descent)
Bransby Cooper (wk) (1 Test Australia 1877/born in Dacca, British India)
Gurinder Sandhu (2 ODIs Australia 2015/Indian descent)
Stuart Clark (24 Tests Australia 2005-09/Anglo-Indian parents)
Fawad Ahmed (3 ODIs Australia 2013/Pakistani born)
Rex Sellers (1 Test Australia 1964/Anglo-Indian descent)
12th man: Tanveer Sangha (3 ODIs Australia 2023-present/Indian descent)
Concussion sub: Param Upal (2 FC NSW 2017-present/Indian born)
Coach: Neil D’Costa (Played first grade (Premier cricket) in Sydney/Australian Cricket Coach of Indian descent/born in Sydney to Anglo-Indian parents/coached the first full-time cricket academy in Vidarbha, India/Head Coach at NSW U19 and District Level/his proteges have included Michael Clarke, Phil Hughes and Marnus Labuschagne)
Sorry, I meant to type that Stuart Clark can bat at number 9, not number 6 for the Australian Cricket Team of Asian Heritage.
Clark will also be mic’d up for the exhibition match between the Australian Cricket Team of Asian Heritage and the Test Playing Spanish Surname 11, to provide special comments.
Michael Neser was born in South Africa and came to Australia when he was 10 years old. The surname of Neser can be of several origins including German, Dutch, Hebrew and Eastern European (Slavic).
Although Julien Wiener has Polish and Austrian Jewish parents, the surname Wiener primarily originates from German and Ashkenaziac Jewish families, meaning “from Vienna” (Wien in German), indicating someone who lived in or came from Vienna, Austria. It can also be a variant of Weiner, which in German is an occupational name for a Cartwright (like Wagner) or, more commonly in Jewish context, an occupational name from Yiddish meaning “wine merchant” (from Wein, meaning wine). So, Wiener often means “Viennese”, while Weiner can mean mean “wine merchant, though they are sometimes interchanged.
Although David Warner is not known to be of German descent, the Warner surname has a Germanic origin, stemming from the personal name “Werner”, or “Warinheri”, which combines the elements warin (“guard” or “protection”) and heri (“army”). The name is also a cognate of the German name Werner and other similar names in different languages. Warner is also an English surname which was bought from the Norman French Warner, and derived from the Old Norse Vernier or Waern.