Sydney Deane

Sydney Deane

Sydney Deane (center) in The Last of the Mohicans (1920)
Personal information
Full name	Sydney Leslie Deane
Born	(1863-03-01)1 March 1863 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	20 March 1934(1934-03-20) (aged 71) New York, US
Batting style	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1890	New South Wales
First-class debut	25 January 1890 New South Wales v Victoria
Last First-class	14 February 1890 New South Wales v South Australia
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 2 Runs scored 26 Batting average 26.00 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 23* Balls bowled 0 Wickets – Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling – Catches/stumpings 7/0
Source: CricketArchive, 21 September 2008

Sydney Leslie Deane (1 March 1863 – 20 March 1934) was a first-class cricketer and entertainer, and the first Australian to appear in a Hollywood movie.

Born in Balmain, Sydney, to Edward and Sophia, Deane was a promising junior Rugby Union player and represented New South Wales against Queensland. Along with his cousins, Australian Test captain Billy Murdoch and Norman Deane, who played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Deane also excelled in cricket, and made his first-class debut for New South Wales, against Victoria, at the Association Ground, Sydney on 25 January 1890. A wicket-keeper, Deane held six catches, at that time an Australian first-class record and caught the attention of the selectors for the Australian squad for the upcoming Ashes tour of Britain. In the next match, against South Australia, Deane also performed well, and starred in a non-first-class match against a Queensland XV.

On 19 February 1890, Deane was selected in the Australian cricket squad. However, the Victorian members of the squad protested against Deane's inclusion, arguing that it was favouritism towards New South Wales. Victorian wicket keeper Jack Blackham, a key member of the Australian side, went as far as to threaten to boycott the tour if Deane was selected ahead of fellow Victorian Jack Harry. Eventually a compromise wicket keeper, Tasmanian Kenneth Burn was selected, although Burn had never kept wicket in his life.