Jack Massie

Jack Massie

Personal information
Full name	Robert John Allwright Massie
Born	(1890-07-08)8 July 1890 North Sydney, Australia
Died	14 February 1966(1966-02-14) (aged 75) Mosman, Australia
Batting style	Left-handed batsman
Bowling style	Left-arm fast-medium
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1911-1914	New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 16 Runs scored 199 Batting average 10.47 100s/50s 0/1 Top score 50* Balls bowled 3888 Wickets 99 Bowling average 18.42 5 wickets in innings 7 10 wickets in match 4 Best bowling 7-110 Catches/stumpings 15/0
Source: CricketArchive, 6 February 1914

Robert John 'Jack' Allwright Massie DSO (8 July 1890 – 14 February 1966) was an Australian first-class cricketer who played with New South Wales and represented them in the Sheffield Shield.

Massie also served in World War I as an officer in the Australian Imperial Force, seeing action at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in France. Injuries sustained in the war ended his cricket career, but he had a successful business career, principally with British American Tobacco.

Massie was a gifted sportsman, representing New South Wales at numerous sports. As a rugby union footballer he played in the position of second-rower for Sydney University while studying Civil Engineering and represented New South Wales four times. He was picked in the Australian rugby squad to tour New Zealand in 1913 but had to withdraw due to study commitments.

In 1913 he won the NSW Amateur Boxing Heavy Weight Championship and the following year was state champion in the 120 yard hurdles. He also excelled at rifle-shooting and rowing.

A tall left-arm fast bowler, Massie came close to playing Test cricket in 1914 when he was named in the squad to tour South Africa but the series did not go ahead. He had been playing regular first-class cricket for just two seasons but had proved to be a handful for Australian batsmen, taking 59 wickets at 18.66 in the 1912-13 summer and then 37 wickets at 16.32 in 1913-14.

Massie's best performance in a match came in a Sheffield Shield encounter in 1912/13, with New South Wales taking on Victoria. His second innings figures of 7 for 110 gave him 11 wickets for the match and included the scalps of Warwick Armstrong and Jack Ryder.

He was generally an ineffective batsman but did manage a half century against Western Australia in 1912 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. New South Wales declared their second innings at 8/375 once he reached the milestone and went on to win the match.