Peter Burge

:"For the rugby footballer of the same name, see Peter Burge (rugby)"Infobox Historic Cricketer

---

nationality = Australian
country = Australia
country abbrev = AUS
name = Peter Burge
picture = Cricket_no_pic.png batting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Right-arm medium
tests = 42
test runs = 2290
test bat avg = 38.16
test 100s/50s = 4/12
test top score = 181
test balls = 0
test wickets = 0
test bowl avg = -
test 5s = 0
test 10s = 0
test best bowling = -
test catches/stumpings = 23/0
FCs = 233
FC runs = 14640
FC bat avg = 47.53
FC 100s/50s = 38/68
FC top score = 283
FC balls = 195
FC wickets = 1
FC bowl avg = 129.00
FC 5s = 0
FC 10s = 0
FC best bowling = 1/0
FC catches/stumpings = 166/4
debut date = 25 February
debut year = 1955
last date = 28 January
last year = 1966
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/4241.html

Peter John Parnell Burge (born May 17, 1932 in Kangaroo Point, Queensland; died October 5, 2001 on the Gold Coast, Queensland) was an Australian cricketer who played in 42 Tests between 1955 and 1966. After retiring as a player he became a highly respected match referee, overseeing another 25 Tests and 63 ODIs.

He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965 and in 1997 was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "for service to cricket as a player, administrator and international referee, and to harness racing."

Early years

Burge was born into a cricketing family. His father Thomas John Burge represented Eastern Suburbs in Brisbane’s grade cricket competition and later became a cricket administrator. The elder Burge served on the Queensland Cricket Association executive from 1945 until his death in 1957. He also represented Queensland on the Australian Board of Control from 1952 until 1957, and was a state selector from 1944 until 1949.cite book | last = Cashman, Franks, Maxwell, Sainsbury, Stoddart, Weaver, Webster | year = 1997 | title = The A-Z of Australian cricketers|pages =pp. 215–216|isbn=0-19-550604-9|publisher= Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne]

First holding a bat at the age of three, Burge infuriated his mother by striking a ball wrapped in a sock and tied to a rope, for hours on end. Aged five, he went to Buranda Boys State School and due to his father’s coaching, was by far the best cricketer at the school. He played his first competitive match when he was eight and a half, and scored his first century at nine. In his final year, playing as an opening batsman and wicketkeeper, he scored a double century, eight centuries, 97 and 0 in 11 innings. cite web| title= Wisden 1965 - Peter Burge |url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/154554.html| year= 1965 |accessdate=2007-05-21| publisher=-Wisden]

Aged thirteen he moved to Anglican Church Grammar School represented Queensland in a schoolboy competition in Sydney, scoring 100 against Victoria. He played in the first XI in his final three years, and made his first grade debut in his final year. He remained a wicketkeeper and batted at number three. When he was considered for state selection, his father had to stand aside from the Queensland selection panel. He studied chartered accountancy, and was selected for the state U-23 side under the coaching of Wally Walmsley.

Shield debut

At the time the Queensland wicket-keeper was Test player Don Tallon, member of Bradman's Invincibles, and the reserve was Wally Grout, later to become one of Australia's finest wicketkeepers. Burge decided to give up wicket-keeping and focus purely on batting. Burge progressed to make his Sheffield Shield debut in the Queensland's last match of the 1952–53 season against South Australia. Batting at seven, the first five wickets fell cheaply in each innings, but Burge made a rearguard 54 and 46 respectively.

In the following 1953–54 season, Burge found a regular place and began the season with 103 against a New South Wales attack which included Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Richie Benaud. His steady progress was rewarded in 1954–55 when he was given his Test debut against England at Sydney in the Fifth Test. Australia had lost the series and this allowed selectors to give younger players a chance. Unseasonal rain mean that play did not start until 2 p.m. on the fourth day.

Sporadic Test appearances

Burge's first touch saw him catch Leonard Hutton at leg slip from the fourth ball of the match. As the players took to the field, Lindwall told him to watch for the fourth ball. Lindwall bowled three outswingers to Hutton, before an inswinger on the fourth. Hutton edged the ball to Burge who just claimed the catch on the second attempt. Burge made 17 and 18 not out, as Australia were made to follow on.

He was then selected for the 1955 tour of the West Indies, on which his father acted as manager of the squad. Burge's highlight was an innings of 177 against British Guiana. He played only the first Test victory, scoring 14 before being dropped for the next Test. Recalled for the tour of England in 1956, he made a successful start with a 99 and century in consecutive tour matches. With the retirement of Arthur Morris after the previous West Indies series, a vacancy had arisen in the Australian batting order, and Burge was recalled. In the first three Tests, he could only manage 84 runs at 16.80, and after single figure scores in the Third Test at Headingley, was dropped for the final two Tests. On the Test tour of India en route back to Australia, Burge was recalled as injuries and illness beset batsmen Ron Archer, Ian Craig and Keith Miller. [Benaud, pp. 119–120.] . He had his first consistent series, with his first half centuries at Test level, scoring 83 and 58 in the Second and Third Tests at Bombay and Calcutta respectively. He compiled 198 runs at 66 as Australia took the series 2–0.

In the 1956–57 Australian season, he registered his first first class double century, 210 against Victoria, having been dropped first ball. He toured New Zealand at the season's end and due to his keeping ability, Australia did not send a reserve for Barry Jarman. At this stage of his career, Burge was unable to command a regular Test place, appearing in only the First Test on the tour of South Africa in 1957–58. After scoring a duck and 14, it was Burge who was dropped when vice-captain Neil Harvey returned from injury. In 1958–59, captain Ian Craig was ruled out due to hepatitis, allowing Burge a recall for the First Test against England in his home town of Brisbane. He made two in his only innings and was dropped again. [Benaud, pp. 128–136.] Afterwards, his accountancy firm declined to grant him further leave for cricket, but Burge backed his ability and quit his job, accepting the invitation to tour India and Pakistan in 1959–60. He was in and out of the team throughout the tour. After making a duck in the First Test against Pakistan in Dacca, he was dropped before returning and scoring 12 in the Third Test in Karachi. He was overlooked for the first three Tests in India, but after illness struck as it did on the previous tour, he was recalled for the final two Tests in Madras and Calcutta, scoring 35 and 60 respectively.

Burge had a productive Shield season in 1960-61 and led the Australian batting averages at 53.75. He told his new employers he would retire if he did not make runs when recalled for the Fourth Test against the West Indies. He made 45 and 49 and before scoring 68 and 53 in the Fifth Test as Australia won to take the series 2–1.

Career consolidated

The 1961 Ashes tour to England was the first series in which Burge played in all five Tests. He rewarded the selectors by finishing second to Bill Lawry in the Test averages. In the Second Test at Lord's, known as the "Battle of the Ridge" he made 37 not out against the hostile pace of Fred Trueman and Brian Statham after Australia had slumped to 4/19 in pursuit of 69 on an erratic surface. He had earlier made 46 in difficult conditions in the first innings. After manging only 43 in the next two Tests, he finished the series on a high. In the Fifth Test at The Oval he made his maiden Test ton with a 181. It was an innings marked by his persistent use of the sweep, taking balls from outside off stump through the leg side to disperse the packed off side field of Jim Laker and Tony Lock.cite book|last=Pollard|first=Jack|title=Cricket the Australian Way|year=1969|pages=pp. 51–52] He ended with 332 runs at 47.42.cite web|title=Statsguru - PJP Burge - Tests - Innings by innings list| url=http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1004;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1955-02-25;start=1955-02-25;enddefault=1966-02-01;end=1966-02-01;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype|accessdate=2007-06-08|publisher=Cricinfo]

Against England in 1962–63, Burge was dropped again after the first two Tests, before returing in the Fifth Test in Sydney with 103 and 52 not out, to ensure a draw and a series victory. He headed the Australian averages with 245 runs at 61.25.

In 1963–64 he began the Shield scores of 283, 205 not out and 129, ending the season with 1144 runs at 76.26. The 283, made against New South Wales was a Queensland record. This, along with the retirement of Australian vice-captain and most prolific batsmen since the Second World War, Neil Harvey, secured Burge's place in all five Tests against South Africa, despite a foot injury during the season that required an operation on his left foot. He had a steady if unspectacular series with 317 runs at 39.63 with two half centuries, the highest being 91 in the Fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval.

The foot injury made him doubtful for the tour of England in 1964. He was selected, but was restricted in his running during the early weeks of the tour. Despite this he contributed 59 at Lord's in the Second Test.

His most notable innings was at Headingley in the Third Test. In reply to England's 268, Australia slumped to 7/178. Batting with the tail, Burge's sustained aggression saw Australia reach 389 on the back of his 160. It set up an Australian win, and in the only match of the series that was not drawn, secured Australia's series victory. Wisden described it as the innings that decided the series, and described it as "one of the best for many years". As a result, he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1965. He ended the series with 322 runs at 46.00.

On the return leg of the tour, he played consistently in three and one Tests against India and Pakistan respectively on a tour of the Indian subcontinent, scoring 266 runs at 44.33 with three half centuries.

Retirement

He was unavailable for the 1965 tour of the West Indies, but returned for the 1965–66 home series against England . His series was unremarkable apart from his fourth and final Test century of 120 in the Second Test in Melbourne. On the eve of the Fifth Test in 1965–66, he announced that he would not make the 1966-67 tour to South Africa and was subsequently relegated to 12th man, ending his Test career. He had made 159 runs at 26.50 for the series. At the end of the 1966–67 season, he toured New Zealand with Australia's second team. He retired at the end of the 1967–68 Australian season, making a century in his final match against Western Australia.

A heavily built man, Burge was a combative player who was regarded as quiet and genial off the field. An attacking player, he was known for his penchance for the hook shot and his ability against fast bowling. Burge is one of the few cricketers to be given out handled the ball. In a Shield match against New South Wales in 1958–59, he was struck on the pad and went up in the air. Unconsciously, he put up a hand and the ball landed in his palm.

Burge was a state selector from 1968 to 1979, and QCA vice president from 1990 to 1994, when he became a board member. He was a match referee for the International Cricket Council. During this time he was involved in a controversial issue in 1994 when England captain Mike Atherton was accused of ball tampering by rubbing it with dirt from his pocket during a match against a newly returned South Africa at The Oval.

Notes

References

*cite book|first=Richie |last=Benaud |authorlink=Richie Benaud| year=1998| title=Anything But |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=0-340-69641-6

External links

* [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wcm/content/player/4241.html Cricinfo article on Peter Burge]