Eddie Gilbert (cricketer)

In 2015 Gilbert's son Barney unveiled the sign at the dedication of the Eddie Gilbert Memorial Field near the hospital, with folk singer Dermot Dorgan offering his tribute song "Eddie Gilbert" about the life and struggles of the iconic fast bowler.

In his first season with Queensland Gilbert played five of their six Sheffield Shield games, racking up fifteen wickets in the process. Gilbert had bowled upward of 141 overs and had a bowling average of 33.46. His best performance was 4–44. Overall, in his first season with the team, Gilbert had finished with the 13th best bowling average amongst bowlers whom had bowled more than 15 overs.

In 2007 Queensland Cricket erected a bronze statue of Gilbert in Greg Chappell Street, outside Allan Border Field, Albion. Designed by Pauline Clayton, the statue shows Gilbert in full flight. The monument was dedicated in November 2008. In 2007, Indigenous Sport Queensland established the Eddie Gilbert Medal to recognise Queensland's best indigenous sports person.

Gilbert retired from the game in 1936 due to poor form, whereupon officials in the Queensland Cricket Board and the Aboriginal Protectorate arranged for his return to an Aboriginal settlement. Gilbert died at the Wolston Park Hospital near Brisbane on 9 January 1978, aged 72 after many years of ill health due to alcoholism and mental illness. It was thought by some people that his health issues stemmed from the racism he suffered: he was not being allowed to room with the team and made to sleep in a tent on the practice pitch. In addition, he was forced out of the game and labelled a cheat because of his suspect bowling action.

In Gilbert's third season in the Sheffield Shield (1932–33), he played only two games for Queensland, whom finished last losing all six games. The first was against Victoria in late October and the first of the season. In Victoria's first innings, Gilbert, whom only bowled eight overs, finished 0–58. Teammate and Australia bowler Ron Oxenham finished 4–95. Victoria's first and only innings was impressive finishing on 552. Victoria won by an innings and 329 runs, the biggest of the season. In the second game of the season, against South Australia (27–31 January), Gilbert entered for Queensland's first innings as a tail-ender, finishing the innings 1*, helping Queensland finish their first innings on 129 runs. Gilbert's bowling proved to be vital for Queensland in South Australia's first innings. Indeed, it was his best performance of the season. With Herbert Gamble and Francis Brew dismissing the opening two batsman (caught), Gilbert bowled out top-order batsman Roy Lonergan for 31. Brew then took another and Cassie Andrews took his first via lbw. Gilbert then took three wickets in a row to finish the innings 4–58. South Australia's second innings remained steady (76/1), however and Gilbert's second innings was unsuccessful having not taken any wickets. Queensland lost by 9 wickets.

Gilbert played against Bradman on two more occasions, as well as Douglas Jardine during the infamous 1932/33 Bodyline tour.

Following on from his first season with Queensland, Gilbert played five of Queensland's six matches in 1931–32. With the team having had better results than the previous season, Queensland saw Gilbert bowl less and take more wickets (21). Both of those factors also greatly improved Gilbert's bowling average. At seasons-end Gilbert had taken the fifth most wickets in the competition and had earned his first five-wicket haul against Victoria (5–67).

As an Aboriginal man living in Queensland in 1931, Eddie Gilbert was bound by the restrictions of the Protection of Aboriginals Act 1897. This meant that he needed written permission to travel from his Aboriginal settlement each time he played in a first-class match. Reference to his correspondence survives in the Queensland State Archives. (QSA A/4736, Home Secretary, Register of Letters Received, 1931, Extracts - Aborigines General).

On 6 November 1931 in a match against NSW at the recently opened Brisbane Cricket Ground (the "Gabba") in Brisbane, he dismissed opener Wendell Bill for a duck with his first ball. The incoming batsman was Don Bradman.

Though he had a controversial action he was called only once for throwing and that for jerking his wrist. Importantly the straightness of his arm was never contradicted by umpires. The occasion of him being called was the match between Victoria and Queensland at the MCG in 1931. The umpire Andrew Barlow, no-balled him 13 times for his action.

After playing with the State Colts in 1930, Gilbert was selected in the Queensland Sheffield Shield team for 1930/31. Gilbert was probably only the fifth Aboriginal Australian to play first-class cricket in Australia, after Twopenny in 1870, Johnny Mullagh in 1879, Jack Marsh in 1900, and Albert Henry in 1902. (Note that the 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England was not considered first-class.)

Harold Edward Gilbert (1 August 1905 – 9 January 1978), known as Eddie Gilbert, was an Australian Aboriginal cricketer who represented Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. He was described as an exceptionally fast bowler. He competed for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield between 1930 and 1936. Described by Don Bradman as the fastest bowler he ever faced, Bradman said he was “faster than anything seen from (England fast bowler) Harold Larwood or anyone else.”