Sam Loxton - Invincibles Tour

Invincibles Tour

Main article: Sam Loxton with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948 See also: Australian cricket team in England in 1948 and 1948 Ashes series

Loxton started his English campaign slowly. Australia typically selected their strongest team for the tour opener against Worcestershire, and the all-rounder was omitted as the visitors won by an innings. As the Australians often played six days a week, they employed a rotation policy in the county matches, and in the second game against Leicestershire, Loxton made his debut on English soil. He made only four, before opening the bowling in both innings and taking a total of 1/23 in an innings victory. His attempts to break into the first-choice team were hampered by a groin strain he suffered in the third match against Yorkshire when he was striving for extra pace in his only over in the first innings. As a result he played no further part in the match. One man down, Australia came closest to losing for the whole tour. They fell to 6/31 in pursuit of 60—effectively seven down with Loxton unable to bat—before scraping home without further loss after Yorkshire dropped both batsmen.

The injured all-rounder missed two matches to recuperate before reappearing in mid-May, hitting 120 as the Australians posted a total of 721 against Essex in a single day at Southend, still the highest single day's total in first-class cricket. He put on 166 in 65 minutes with Ron Saggers, who, with Bill Brown and Donald Bradman, also scored centuries. Loxton's rapid innings was noted for its hooking and driving and took around 80 minutes. He followed up with an unbeaten 79 and two wickets in the match against Oxford University, but that failed to win him a place in the first set-piece battle of the summer, against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full-strength Test outfit, while Australia fielded their strongest XI, so the fixture was effectively a dress rehearsal for the Tests. Bradman opted to play Brown out of the position in the middle-order, and Loxton missed out; Australia went on to win by an innings.

Loxton then played in each of Australia’s four remaining tour games before the Tests, but was unable to do enough to force his way into the first-choice team. He made 39 and 52 against Lancashire, and 16 against Nottinghamshire, squandering his starts in the latter two innings to run outs. In the match against Hampshire, he made one in his only innings after Australia were caught on a damp pitch and took a solitary wicket. The Australian team's batting depth did not help Loxton’s cause; in the final pre-Test match against Sussex, a match won by an innings and 325 runs, he was slated to bat at No. 9, but Australia’s earlier batsmen were largely untroubled so Bradman declared at 5/549. The all-rounder’s 3/13 in the first innings had the effect of removing him from the bowling line-up for the rest of the match, as Doug Ring, Ernie Toshack, Ron Hamence and Ian Johnson helped Ray Lindwall to bowl the touring team to an easy victory. Loxton had limited opportunities as those ahead of him tended to finish off the opposition before his turn, and did not score heavily enough when he had a chance, so he was overlooked for the First Test at Trent Bridge. Bradman again opted to use Brown out of position in the middle-order as Australia took an eight-wicket win.

There were only two matches between the First and Second Tests. Loxton took a total of 2/29 and scored only 17 against Northamptonshire, and was rested against Yorkshire. Brown made a century in the latter match, and Australia fielded an unchanged team for the Second Test at Lord's and completed another victory. As the tour reached its halfway point, the Victorian began to make an impression. In the next county game, his opening partnership with Neil Harvey scored the 122 runs needed to beat Surrey in only 58 minutes, Loxton making 47. He also took a total 3/90 for the match, bowling 43 overs as Bradman allowed his main bowlers to recuperate after the previous Test. In the following match against Gloucestershire he contributed an unbeaten 159 including four sixes, as Australia made their highest score for the summer, 7/774 declared. The all-rounder's innings involved a series of powerful strokes and he was particularly noted for using his feet to charge and attack the off spin of Tom Goddard. The Gloucestershire bowler had been touted as a possible Test selection, because the other England bowlers had failed to contain Australia’s batsman in the first two matches, but his chances of selection were ended by the tourists’ assault at Bristol.

These performances won Loxton selection for the Third Test, played at Old Trafford, where he replaced Brown, who had struggled in the middle-order, averaging less than 25 in the unfamiliar environment. The match was the most evenly contested Test of the series, with England in control before four sessions were lost to rain on the last two days, resulting in a draw. Loxton bowled 15 overs in all without success, and made 36 runs batting at No. 7 in the first innings, helping Australia to avoid the follow on. In the first innings, he ran out Alec Bedser, ending a 121-run partnership between Bedser and Denis Compton.

The Victorian all-rounder then top-scored with 123 and took a total of 4/48 in a nine-wicket win in the intervening county match against Middlesex at Lord’s, and he retained his place in the side for the Fourth Test at Leeds. Loxton was not involved in the second inning effort in which the Australians scored 3/404 on the final day, a world record for a successful Test run-chase, but he had taken three of the last four wickets in England’s first innings of 496 and scored a hard-hitting 93 in the first innings, putting on 105 in 95 minutes with Harvey. Their counterattacking partnership helped Australia to halt the English momentum after an early collapse; the score was still 4/189 when Loxton came in to bat. He was particularly severe on Jim Laker, lifting his off breaks into the crowd for four of his five sixes, mostly from lofted drives. With a maiden Test century beckoning, the Victorian swung wildly at a Norman Yardley ball and was bowled. In the dressing room, Sir Robert Menzies, a Prime Minister of Australia well known as a cricket-lover, upbraided him, saying "That was a pretty stupid thing to do. You could have made a century", to which the fallen batsman retorted, "Haven’t you made a few mistakes in your time, too?" Nevertheless, Australia eventually proceeded from 6/329 at the time of Loxton’s departure to end on 458, almost nullifying the effect of England’s strong first innings total.

Immediately after the Fourth Test, Loxton scored 51 and took a total of 4/43 in an innings victory over Derbyshire, but was less productive in his remaining three matches before the Fifth Test, totaling only four wickets and 17 runs in three completed innings. He retained his position for the final Test of the series, but had little to do in an innings victory. He was only required to bowl two overs in the first innings as the frontline pacemen cut down the hosts for only 52, and then scored 15 in Australia's reply of 389. In the second innings he bowled ten overs without taking a wicket. The Victorian all-rounder was not prominent in his four matches after the Tests, totaling only 112 runs and five wickets. His most successful returns were four wickets for the match in an innings victory over Kent, and a quickfire 67 not out in 75 minutes against the South of England. In the final match of the England leg of the tour—there were two matches in Scotland afterwards—he hit a ball from Freddie Brown into his face, breaking his nose, thus forcing him to miss the final two matches in Scotland.

On the tour as a whole, Loxton scored 973 runs at an average of 57.23 and took 32 wickets at 21.71. Such was the strength of the team he was only fifth in the batting averages and eighth among the bowlers. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack summed up his contribution thus:

A fine driving batsman with a fierce square cut, Loxton achieved little as a bowler, but he played his part as an all-rounder, one of many in the team; in addition to his batting feats, he kept the game alive by his unlimited enthusiasm. Whether in stopping the ball or hurling down the wicket from almost any angle, he won the admiration of all who appreciated keenness in the field.