he made his test debut against England in Sydney in December 1920. final first-class innings. During 1927 he set up practice in Singleton He made 34 and 51 and kept his place for all five tests. The series until he returned to Sydney, where he was employed as a dentist with resulted in five victories for Australia, the first ever 5-0 series result. the Sydney City Council. Taylor’s 20 tests produced 997 runs at 36.5. His record in England Club cricket boundaries changed. Taylor married a widow, Barbara rarely did justice to his talent. In 1926, his health failed, and he Liddle Reid, in July 1930. He moved residence and resumed his did not score a first-class century. The last three tests of his career career with Gordon, then Balmain, finally with Northern District in produced only 13 runs. He had suffered from dysentery in France 1933-34 when, aged 38, his six innings produced only 132 runs. and was hospitalised again in South Africa. His wounds and the He did manage one more stylishly nostalgic innings of 77 against effects of dysentery were to follow him for many years and probably one of his former clubs, Sydney University. affected his test career. From then he became increasingly known as a kindly North Shore Returned soldiers were permitted to enrol at Sydney University dentist. He and his wife produced one son, Hugh Reid Morris Taylor, without matriculating. In 1922, after touring England with Warwick who became a TV director and producer. Armstrong’s victorious Australian side, Taylor became one of the first students in the dentistry faculty. Residing at St Andrew’s College, he Memories of Taylor’s cricket career gradually faded, and his natural threw himself into his studies and sports. He was awarded Blues for modesty meant that he spoke very little about it. He died in May cricket and rugby in 1922. 1971 and his obituary in the Sydney University Cricket Club’s Annual Report of 1971 was written by Dr HO Rock, an old teammate with Taylor’s two rugby tests were in 1922 against the New Zealand Sydney University and the NSW state side. Rock first met Taylor in Maoris, games not recognised as full test matches until 1985. 1912 when Rock was playing for The King’s School and Taylor for Now acknowledged as a dual international, he is in the chronicles Newington. Rock recalled: ‘We all felt very privileged to have a test as Wallaby number 178 and test cricketer number 112. These player in our side. Always polite, unassuming, and modest to a degree.’ numbers mean so much to players. Modern-day players look uncomprehendingly when Taylor’s name is Playing at five-eighth and centre, Taylor scored tries in both games, mentioned. Anniversaries and modern achievement resurrected his the first played at the Sydney Showground where he had enlisted. prodigious feats and impeccable character. On one memorable morning in 1923, he swam for his College in In 1956, he shared a testimonial game at the SCG with Arthur Mailey, various races, changed, had lunch and walked down to the University test spinner of renown and gifted illustrator. In 1924 Taylor and Mailey Oval where he put the pads on after winning the toss against Waverley. had combined in a last wicket stand of 127 against England, the When the first wicket fell early, Taylor observed to his team-mates that Australian Test record that stood for 89 years. he was ‘a bit tired – I think I’ll have to get them quickly’. The Sydney University Cricket Club’s award for the most runs in a University’s second wicket fell at 126. Taylor announced to his new season was named after JM Taylor in 2005. The Club added him to partner, Jim Garner, that a nail in his boot was cutting into his foot. its exclusive Hall of Fame in 2016. At Newington College, the Sports He decided to negate the need for running between wickets by Centre was re-named in 2013 in his honour. searching out boundaries. The result included two Club records that still stand. Taylor and Garner put on 291 for the third wicket. Taylor’s And, throughout his long life, Sir Donald Bradman consistently named majestic innings of 253 in 233 minutes included 158 in boundaries, Johnny Taylor as his boyhood cricket hero. still the Club’s highest score in any grade since the grade competition This is an abridged version of an article first published in the began in 1893 (but equaled by Ed Cowan in 2006-07). His 253 was Southern Highlands Newsletter, number 242, July 2021. part of the 961 runs he scored in first grade that season, including four successive innings that produced 552 runs. Mr James Rodgers As Taylor’s studies progressed (with a prize for orthodontics in 1926), St Ignatius’ College teacher and 1st XI cricket coach he played irregularly. A first ball duck for NSW in 1927 signaled his Johnny Taylor valete portrait in GPS Premiership members and coaches 1911 in The Newingtonian The Newingtonian June 1915. December 1912 – Johnny Taylor is on the left in the back row. Curiosity | News Autumn 2022 | Stanmore 7–12 | 27