AJ Melbourne
1974-75 to 1997-98 · 215 matches for the club · also printed as Melbourne
Debut v Essendon, 1974-75 (14 Dec 1974)Last game v Northcote, 1997-98 (7 Mar 1998)Player no. 398 to appear for the club
- Premiers 1993-94
- Doug Rumble Trophy — Best Clubman 1993-94
- 1st XI Bowling 1995-96
- Five-for 1981-82
- 38 wickets 1993-94
- Five-for 1995-96
- 32 wickets 1995-96
On this dayin 1979: 3 and 0/53 v Richmond in 1990: 11* and 1/37 v University
215
Matches
1,641
Runs
15.63
Average
70
Highest
0 / 3
100s / 50s
250
Wickets
31.31
Bowling avg
5/53
Best
62
Catches
Season by season
| Season | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Overs | Wkts | Best | Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 2.25 | 9 (8) | 1 | 1/26 | 4 |
| 1975-76 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 10* | 15.00 | 20 (8) | 3 | 2/17 | 2 |
| 1976-77 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 6* | 5.33 | 38.4 (8) | 4 | 1/3 | 2 |
| 1977-78 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 47 | 26.67 | 36 (8) | 5 | 4/27 | 2 |
| 1978-79 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 126 | 34* | 25.20 | 136 (8) | 17 | 4/81 | 4 |
| 1979-80 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 148 | 58* | 18.50 | 137 | 9 | 3/34 | 4 |
| 1980-81 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 123 | 52* | 17.57 | 70 | 1 | 1/30 | 1 |
| 1981-82 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 72 | 20* | 10.29 | 82.4 | 12 | 5/66 | 3 |
| 1982-83 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 133 | 46 | 13.30 | 127 | 6 | 2/29 | 5 |
| 1983-84 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3* | – | 14 | 0 | 0/2 | |
| 1985-86 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 24* | 32.00 | 6 | 1 | 1/25 | 1 |
| 1986-87 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 17 | 16.00 | 29 | 0 | 0/37 | 1 |
| 1988-89 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 62 | 28 | 20.67 | 30 | 4 | 2/35 | |
| 1989-90 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 14* | 10.50 | 116 | 7 | 3/60 | 2 |
| 1990-91 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 147 | 48 | 18.38 | 270 | 19 | 4/42 | 3 |
| 1991-92 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 74 | 35 | 9.25 | 205.1 | 16 | 3/32 | 3 |
| 1992-93 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 129 | 25 | 25.80 | 186.2 | 15 | 4/46 | 3 |
| 1993-94 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 85 | 33 | 28.33 | 426 | 38 | 4/56 | 4 |
| 1994-95 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 45 | 13* | 5.63 | 277.2 | 15 | 4/89 | 4 |
| 1995-96 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 61 | 34* | 12.20 | 369.3 | 32 | 5/53 | 2 |
| 1996-97 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 203 | 70 | 29.00 | 325.5 | 20 | 3/30 | 6 |
| 1997-98 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 9* | 4.60 | 228.4 | 25 | 4/12 | 6 |
| Career | 215 | 165 | 60 | 1,641 | 70 | 15.63 | 2900.3 + 239.4 (8-ball) | 250 | 5/53 | 62 |
Milestones
- DebutFirst matchv Essendon, 1974-75
- First fifty58*v Melbourne, 1979-80
- First five-for5/66v Waverley, 1981-82
- Highest score70v Prahran, 1996-97
- Best bowling5/53v South Melbourne, 1995-96
- Last matchMatch 215v Northcote, 1997-98
Runs by season
Wickets by season
Every innings, in order
Lighter bars are not-out innings. Hover a bar for the match.
Against each club
 Kingston Hawthorn | 20 | 101 | 24 | 7.77 | 15 | 47.07 | 5/66 | 1 | |
 Footscray | 16 | 149 | 52* | 16.56 | 1 | 20 | 36.55 | 3/26 | |
 Camberwell Magpies | 15 | 123 | 47 | 13.67 | 15 | 26.40 | 4/27 | ||
 Ringwood | 15 | 102 | 46 | 25.50 | 19 | 22.00 | 4/46 | ||
 Northcote | 15 | 90 | 25 | 10.00 | 15 | 21.60 | 3/31 | ||
 St Kilda | 15 | 77 | 28 | 11.00 | 17 | 27.24 | 3/42 | ||
 Melbourne University | 14 | 95 | 25 | 11.88 | 18 | 27.94 | 3/37 | ||
 Essendon | 14 | 92 | 33* | 13.14 | 15 | 28.80 | 4/56 | ||
 Carlton | 14 | 67 | 17* | 7.44 | 18 | 29.89 | 3/79 | ||
 Melbourne | 13 | 164 | 58* | 27.33 | 1 | 12 | 57.67 | 4/98 | |
 Prahran | 12 | 151 | 70 | 25.17 | 1 | 10 | 43.00 | 3/98 | |
 Casey South Melbourne | 12 | 128 | 34* | 21.33 | 25 | 18.96 | 5/53 | 1 | |
 Greenvale Kanagaroos | 12 | 123 | 39 | 24.60 | 18 | 27.94 | 4/81 | ||
 Richmond | 11 | 51 | 22* | 10.20 | 7 | 76.43 | 2/17 | ||
 Dandenong | 7 | 65 | 30* | 32.50 | 10 | 36.70 | 4/49 | ||
 Frankston Peninsula | 5 | 40 | 34* | – | 6 | 28.67 | 4/66 | ||
 Geelong | 5 | 23 | 13* | – | 10 | 14.40 | 4/12 |
Clubs that merged are counted as one, under today's name. Tap a heading to sort; open a club for every match against it.
Splits
By batting position
| Pos | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 0s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2* | – | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 37 | 33 | 37.00 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3.00 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5.00 | ||
| 6 | 13 | 5 | 132 | 52* | 16.50 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 28 | 7 | 197 | 25 | 9.38 | 5 | |
| 8 | 60 | 20 | 674 | 58* | 16.85 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | 46 | 17 | 484 | 70 | 16.69 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 12 | 8 | 107 | 25 | 26.75 |
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top order (1–3) | 3 | 2 | 39 | 33 | 39.00 | ||
| Middle order (4–7) | 44 | 13 | 337 | 52* | 10.87 | 1 | 6 |
| Lower order (8–11) | 118 | 45 | 1,265 | 70 | 17.33 | 2 | 10 |
Batted most often at 8th.
Scores and consistency
- Ducks16
- 1–987
- 10–1928
- 20–2916
- 30–4910
- 50–993
- 100+0
Turned 0 of 3 fifty-plus scores into hundreds. 5.3% of the side's runs in the innings batted. Top-scored for the side 7 times.
Dismissals
- Caught61 · 58%
- Bowled19 · 18%
- LBW10 · 10%
- Run out8 · 8%
- Caught & bowled5 · 5%
- Stumped2 · 2%
Most often dismissed by: Smith (3), Gill (3), Dodemaide (3), Corbett (3), Gott (2).
In wins and losses
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In wins | 55 | 28 | 642 | 70 | 23.78 | 2 | 2 |
| In losses | 92 | 25 | 828 | 58* | 12.36 | 1 | 11 |
| In draws | 15 | 5 | 147 | 24 | 14.70 | 3 | |
| In ties | 3 | 2 | 24 | 14* | 24.00 |
| M | Wkts | Avg | Wkts / match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In wins | 80 | 123 | 23.93 | 1.5 |
| In losses | 83 | 98 | 36.19 | 1.2 |
| In draws | 26 | 27 | 47.22 | 1.0 |
| In ties | 3 | 2 | 31.00 | 0.7 |
- Scored 50+: the side won 2 of 3 (67%), lost 1.
- Took 5+ in an innings: the side won 1 of 2 (50%), lost 1.
- Every other match: the side won 87 of 210 (41%), lost 90.
Batting first or second
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting first | 79 | 21 | 769 | 58* | 13.26 | 1 | 6 |
| Batting second | 77 | 32 | 810 | 70 | 18.00 | 2 | 9 |
| Second innings of the match | 9 | 7 | 62 | 20* | 31.00 | 1 |
By ground
| Ground | M | Inn | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schramms Reserve | 65 | 39 | 508 | 70 | 18.14 | 91 | 32.69 | 4/12 |
| Fitzroy Cricket Ground | 40 | 38 | 372 | 52* | 16.17 | 24 | 36.13 | 4/27 |
| Central Reserve South Oval | 10 | 7 | 34 | 15 | 5.67 | 12 | 33.17 | 5/66 |
| Bill Lawry Oval, Northcote | 9 | 8 | 55 | 25 | 9.17 | 10 | 15.70 | 3/31 |
| Russell Lucas Oval | 8 | 5 | 92 | 46 | 30.67 | 10 | 20.90 | 4/46 |
| Toorak Park | 8 | 5 | 79 | 48 | 19.75 | 9 | 29.78 | 3/98 |
| Western Oval | 7 | 7 | 52 | 21 | 13.00 | 11 | 21.45 | 3/26 |
| St Kilda Cricket Ground | 7 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 10.33 | 6 | 47.50 | 3/51 |
| South Melbourne Cricket Ground | 6 | 7 | 94 | 34* | 23.50 | 12 | 21.25 | 4/42 |
| Richmond Cricket Ground | 6 | 6 | 29 | 13 | 7.25 | 3 | 98.00 | 2/17 |
| University Oval | 6 | 5 | 29 | 12* | 9.67 | 8 | 26.50 | 3/60 |
| Victoria Park | 6 | 4 | 30 | 10* | 15.00 | 3 | 57.67 | 2/85 |
| Essendon Cricket Ground | 6 | 3 | 20 | 13 | 6.67 | 7 | 20.86 | 4/56 |
| Carlton Cricket Ground | 5 | 6 | 19 | 7 | 3.80 | 3 | 66.33 | 1/20 |
| Shepley Oval | 5 | 4 | 35 | 15* | 17.50 | 8 | 29.63 | 4/49 |
| North Melbourne Cricket Ground | 5 | 3 | 9 | 5* | 9.00 | 9 | 26.56 | 4/81 |
| Albert Ground | 4 | 4 | 99 | 58* | 99.00 | 5 | 45.40 | 2/38 |
| Hedges Oval | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 11.00 | 3 | 19.33 | 2/23 |
| Kardinia Oval | 2 | 2 | 23 | 13* | – | 2 | 30.50 | 2/37 |
| Glenferrie Oval | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8* | 12.00 | – | – | 0/15 |
| AH Butler Oval | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6* | – | – | – | 0/17 |
| Xavier College | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 24.50 | 4/98 |
| Leckie Park Oval | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2* | – | 3 | 26.33 | 3/79 |
| Harry Trott Oval (new) | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 10.60 | 5/53 |
| Camberwell Sports Ground | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 24.50 | 2/49 |
Wickets taken
- Caught158 · 63%
- Bowled47 · 19%
- Stumped18 · 7%
- Caught & bowled14 · 6%
- LBW13 · 5%
Batters dismissed
- Top order (1–3)79 · 32%
- Middle order (4–7)130 · 52%
- Lower order (8–11)41 · 16%
2 five-wicket hauls. Best in a match: 5/30 v Collingwood, 1977-78. Wicket types count only matches where the card's dismissals add up to the bowling figures.
At the club
In the record book
- 57th of 488 run-scorers
- 13th of 298 wicket-takers
- 10th of 525 for matches played
- 36th of 431 for catches
- 139th of 203 for batting average (20+ innings)
Among players of 1974-75 to 1997-98: 16th of 111 for runs, 3rd of 77 for wickets, 5th of 115 for matches, 13th of 99 for catches, 41st of 58 for batting average.
Under Fitzroy-Doncaster: 36th of 184 for runs, 7th of 135 for wickets, 14th of 197 for matches, 25th of 167 for catches, 60th of 81 for batting average.
Played like…
- E Alavi2011-12 to 2026-27 · 244 m · 2,361 runs · 344 wkts
- BJ Waterman2000-01 to 2010-11 · 161 m · 1,658 runs · 284 wkts
- HJ Plant1927-28 to 1947-48 · 192 m · 3,335 runs · 317 wkts
- JP Fagg2002-03 to 2013-14 · 159 m · 267 runs · 235 wkts
The careers nearest Melbourne’s in length, runs and wickets a match, average and the balance of batting to bowling.
Most often alongside
- GM Watts · 170
- LJ Watts · 140
- BA Joyce · 107
- WJ Scholes · 94
- RW Watts · 91
- DR Hampton · 78
- DP Rumble · 74
- SK Smith · 62
- AB Dyer · 59
- IL Dunne · 55
Matches in the same side, from the published cards.
The shape of the career
Season by season
Runs, up Wickets, downPremiership Honour in his name Season away
1987-88: Doug Rumble Trophy — Best Clubman · 1993-94: premiership, Doug Rumble Trophy — Best Clubman · 1995-96: 1st XI Bowling
The arc
Alan Melbourne's best season with the bat was 1996-97: 203 runs from 14 innings at 29.00. The best ten-innings patch came in 1979-80 to 1980-81: 148 runs at 29.60. The leanest, 1993-94 to 1994-95: 34 runs at 4.25.
Batting average over the last ten innings, at each innings of the career.
Milestones
| Milestone | When | Match |
|---|---|---|
| First fifty58* | 23 Feb 1980 | v Melbourne, 1979-80 |
| 50th match7, 0/31 | 15 Nov 1980 | v Prahran, 1980-81 |
| First five-for5/66 | 10 Oct 1981 | v Waverley, 1981-82 |
| 50th wicket1/45 took him to 50 | 6 Dec 1981 | v Carlton, 1981-82 |
| 100th match2/31 | 15 Dec 1990 | v Ringwood, 1990-91 |
| 1,000th run22* took him to 1,006 | 9 Feb 1991 | v Richmond, 1990-91 |
| 100th wicket1/2 took him to 100 | 25 Jan 1992 | v Collingwood, 1991-92 |
| 150th wicket3/43 took him to 151 | 19 Feb 1994 | v Dandenong-Waverley, 1993-94 |
| 150th match0/78 | 25 Mar 1994 | v Melbourne, 1993-94 |
| 200th wicket4/98 took him to 202 | 9 Mar 1996 | v Melbourne, 1995-96 |
| 200th match2/18 | 4 Oct 1997 | v Frankston Peninsula, 1997-98 |
| 250th wicket2/27 took him to 250 | 7 Mar 1998 | v Northcote, 1997-98 |
Streaks
- Consecutive scores of 25 or more: 2 innings
- from v University, 1988-89 to v St Kilda, 1988-89 · first · last
- Consecutive matches played: 47 matches
- from v Footscray, 1993-94 to v Geelong, 1995-96 · first · last
- Consecutive matches with a wicket: 11 matches
- from v Northcote, 1992-93 to v Northcote, 1993-94 · first · last
Best innings
| Score | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | v Prahran, 1996-97 | Won |
| 58* | v Melbourne, 1979-80 | Lost |
| 52* | v Footscray, 1980-81 | Won |
| 48 | v Prahran, 1990-91 | Lost |
| 47 | v Collingwood, 1977-78 | Won |
Best bowling
| Figures | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 5/53 | v South Melbourne, 1995-96 | Won |
| 5/66 | v Waverley, 1981-82 | Lost |
| 4/12 | v Geelong, 1997-98 | Won |
| 4/27 | v Collingwood, 1977-78 | Won |
| 4/42 | v South Melbourne, 1990-91 | Lost |
More splits
Batting position over the years
Moved about the order across 22 seasons: at 8th in 9, at 9th in 6, at 7th in 4, at 6th in 2, at 10th in 1.
| Season | Usual spot | Inn | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | 6 | 4 | 2.25 |
| 1975-76 | 7 | 4 | 15.00 |
| 1976-77 | 7 | 4 | 5.33 |
| 1977-78 | 6 | 3 | 26.67 |
| 1978-79 | 9 | 12 | 25.20 |
| 1979-80 | 8 | 12 | 18.50 |
| 1980-81 | 7 | 13 | 17.57 |
| 1981-82 | 8 | 11 | 10.29 |
| 1982-83 | 8 | 11 | 13.30 |
| 1983-84 | 8 | 2 | – |
| 1985-86 | 7 | 3 | 32.00 |
| 1986-87 | 8 | 2 | 16.00 |
| 1988-89 | 8 | 3 | 20.67 |
| 1989-90 | 9 | 5 | 10.50 |
| 1990-91 | 8 | 12 | 18.38 |
| 1991-92 | 8 | 9 | 9.25 |
| 1992-93 | 9 | 6 | 25.80 |
| 1993-94 | 9 | 8 | 28.33 |
| 1994-95 | 9 | 10 | 5.63 |
| 1995-96 | 8 | 9 | 12.20 |
| 1996-97 | 9 | 14 | 29.00 |
| 1997-98 | 10 | 8 | 4.60 |
Home and away
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 105 | 77 | 26 | 880 | 70 | 17.25 | 115 | 33.41 |
| Away | 110 | 88 | 34 | 761 | 58* | 14.09 | 135 | 29.53 |
Home taken as the ground the club played at most in each season: Fitzroy Cricket Ground, Schramms Reserve.
By day
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 192 | 149 | 53 | 1,539 | 70 | 16.03 | 229 | 31.66 |
| Sunday | 8 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 9 | 7.33 | 5 | 25.80 |
| Weekday | 15 | 11 | 5 | 80 | 25 | 13.33 | 16 | 28.13 |
Format
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-day | 203 | 157 | 54 | 1,578 | 70 | 15.32 | 233 | 32.33 |
| Unknown format | 12 | 8 | 6 | 63 | 12* | 31.50 | 17 | 17.35 |
Two-day when a side batted twice, the game was drawn or the card says so; one-day when the card says so.
Month by month
| Month | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | 32 | 21 | 8 | 137 | 23 | 10.54 | 26 | 36.73 |
| Nov | 44 | 35 | 15 | 450 | 52* | 22.50 | 51 | 27.65 |
| Dec | 24 | 23 | 7 | 171 | 33* | 10.69 | 27 | 33.93 |
| Jan | 45 | 32 | 13 | 242 | 34* | 12.74 | 55 | 28.09 |
| Feb | 45 | 35 | 10 | 420 | 58* | 16.80 | 50 | 38.24 |
| Mar | 25 | 19 | 7 | 221 | 70 | 18.42 | 41 | 26.59 |
Finals
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home and away | 213 | 164 | 59 | 1,639 | 70 | 15.61 | 248 | 30.91 |
| Finals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2* | – | 2 | 81.50 |
Favourite victims
- RP Larkin × 4
- CI Sheedy × 3
- CM McKenzie × 3
- GJ Allardice × 3
- KJ Neville × 3
- MJ Hansen × 3
- NR Strong × 3
- RI Templeton × 3
Fielding
| Season | M | Ct |
|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | 4 | 4 |
| 1975-76 | 4 | 2 |
| 1976-77 | 5 | 2 |
| 1977-78 | 3 | 2 |
| 1978-79 | 15 | 4 |
| 1979-80 | 14 | 4 |
| 1980-81 | 14 | 1 |
| 1981-82 | 10 | 3 |
| 1982-83 | 11 | 5 |
| 1983-84 | 3 | |
| 1985-86 | 2 | 1 |
| 1986-87 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988-89 | 4 | |
| 1989-90 | 5 | 2 |
| 1990-91 | 12 | 3 |
| 1991-92 | 11 | 3 |
| 1992-93 | 13 | 3 |
| 1993-94 | 18 | 4 |
| 1994-95 | 17 | 4 |
| 1995-96 | 16 | 2 |
| 1996-97 | 16 | 6 |
| 1997-98 | 16 | 6 |
Caught most off
- AJ Melbourne × 14
- SK Smith × 8
- MW Ridgway × 5
- DR Hampton × 4
- AL Thomson × 3
- EP Illingworth × 2
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