Eric Stockdale : A Tribute
Eric Stockdale was born on 16 August 1927 and died on 7 August 2021, aged 93.
He was the fifth oldest of those who had played for the Sydney University Cricket Club and who are still living.
Kendal Binns was 98 in March; Greg Scahill was 97 in June; Bert Alderson will be 97 in December 2021; Ken Alderson was 94 in June; and Eric Stockdale died just eleven days short of his ninety fourth birthday.
Throughout his long life, he was inquisitive, curious, always willing to explore, unfailingly buoyant. He took an intense interest in others for whom he was mentor and friend but he never took himself too seriously despite his strong views. Donald Scott-Orr, who played cricket and baseball with him at University, remembers him as “roughly handsome, lanky, a somewhat awkward looking sportsman but very effective.”
Eric was born to Alma and Alec (Alexander) Stockdale at Sans Souci and was educated at Sans Souci Primary, Kogarah Intermediate and Canterbury Boys’ High (where he played in the 1st XV) before he gained his electrical contracting licence, joining his father who was Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union. A Commonwealth Scholarship, however, enabled him to change direction and to enter Sydney University in 1951 and to commence studies for a Bachelor of Arts.
He had learned to play cricket on a home-made wicket in his grandfather’s market garden in Sans Souci. His grandfather had emigrated from the north of England with a love of cricket which he passed on to young Eric who supplemented this practical knowledge with an intellectual study of the game, relying on Sir Donald Bradman’s magisterial ‘The Art of Cricket’. Eric could have written an instructional book on cricket himself. He became an admired technical batting coach whom his players respected implicitly for his depth of knowledge.
At University, he was a fine baseballer and an agile fieldsman on the cricket field who won the Club’s inaugural ‘FE McElhone Fielding Award’ in 1955-56. He often opened the batting and in his first season, 1951-52, in 3rd Grade, he went in first with Donald Noble Scott-Orr who had been named after two Australian Test captains, Donald Bradman and MA Noble, his uncle. That 3rd Grade side lost only to Petersham in the final round to finish runners up. Stockdale’s 416 runs for the season included his only century in Grade Cricket. Scott-Orr’s 411 runs included productive partnerships with his older teammate.
It took two seasons before he was summoned to 1st Grade (1st Grade cap no399) for the new year’s game against Gordon at the SCG in January 1954. His 1st Grade career was to remain strangely unfulfilled during ten years. He scored runs here and there; his bowling was hardly used until much later; his fielding was as sharp as ever; he spent more time in the lower grade than he did in 1st Grade. All the while, however, he was accumulating experiences and knowledge which he was then to pass on as a coach to so many younger cricketers and he persevered with reslience. He immersed himself in undergraduate life, playing Inter-Varsity games (memorably by recording a ‘pair’ in his first game in 1951-52 against Melbourne University), serving on the Committee of the Club, and making friends across the grades. Graham Reed remembers him as someone “we all liked. He hung around a lot, went to practices regularly, was a good club man who tried hard without a good deal of success.” He enjoyed Friday nights at ‘The Trots’ down the hill at Harold Park with numbers of the Club’s players.
His off spinners were hardly used until 1958-59 in 2nd Grade when he took 31 wickets (he had taken only 13 wickets in his previous seven seasons). Even in that 2nd Grade side he could have had many more had ‘countless catches” not been dropped.
He played two seasons with Waverley (1st Grade cap no347) and, aged 35, he finished his Grade career with Paddington. By that stage, his batting had deteriorated but his off spinners were increasingly productive.
He gained teaching qualifications from Sydney Teachers’ College and the University of New England and embarked on a teaching career which took him to a number of Independent Schools, Cranbrook, Newington, Kings and Kogarah Marist Brothers, where he taught English, Economics, French and History and coached cricket, rugby and hockey. He was entrusted with positions of authority at a number of schools as he was variously Master in Charge of Cricket, 1st XI coach, 2nd XV coach, and Housemaster. When he was at Newington, he was the GPS Convenor of Cricket and coach of the GPS 1st XI.
Perhaps his own struggles as a cricketer made him an even better coach as he had a sound intellectual and technical grasp of the game and an ability to explain and encourage. He also understood the necessity to play the game to the highest level of sportsmanship.
He was also innovative as a coach and as a teacher. He coached the 1st XI at Newington with imaginative drills and tactics. Batting, in particular, improved considerably in his sides. When he was Housemaster of Macquarie House at Kings, he reorganized the House structures, instituting a fathers’ committee and a mothers’ committee for the House.
When he was 1st XI coach at Newington and Kings, he restructured their training regimen and introduced coaching clinics within the nascent NSW Cricket coaching structure and games against senior grade cricketers.
In more recent years, Eric attended the Club’s sesquicentenary dinner at the SCG where he was much sought after by his dwindling band of teammates and by those whom he had coached before they themselves played for the Club.
Then, in 2015, he was named as one of the ‘Living Luminaries’ of the Club at the SUSF cricket lunch.
He was an inspiration to younger cricketers and he had that endearing, whimsical ability, according to Donald Scott-Orr, of “regarding more traditional people as taking themselves too seriously.”
The Club’s deepest sympathies and respect are expressed to Eric’s wife, Bev, and to their two daughters, Liani and Erika.
Matches Inns NO HS Runs Ave Wkts Runs Ave
SUCC 1ST Grade 1953-59 19 22 3 56 279 14.6 1 108 108.0
Waverley 1st Grade 1959-60 2 2 0 8 9 4.5 1 54 54.0
Paddington 1st Grade 1961-63 26 13 21 155 11.9 29 747 25.8
SUCC all grades 1951-59 125 10 100 1940 16.0 44 999 22.6.
Acknowledgements:
Liani Stockdale (daughter), Hartley Anderson (SUCC), John Baird (ex TKS), Lawrie Bott (ex NC), Colin Clowes (CNSW Librarian) John Osborne (ex NC), Jenny Pearce (TKS Archivist), Michael Punch (former SIC 1st XI coach), Graham Reed (SUCC), David Roberts (NC Archivist), Donald Scott-Orr (SUCC).
CNSW: Cricket New South Wales.
NC: Newington College.
SIC: St Ignatius’ College.
SUCC: Sydney University Cricket Club.
TKS: The Kings School.
JAMES RODGERS