Tony Jose

Anthony Douglas Jose (17 February 1929 – 3 February 1972), known as Tony Jose, was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket for South Australia, Kent, Oxford University, and Free Foresters between 1948 and 1953.^[1]

Anthony Jose

Personal information
Full name	Anthony Douglas Jose
Born	(1929-02-17)17 February 1929 Adelaide, South Australia
Died	3 February 1972(1972-02-03) (aged 42) Los Angeles, California
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1947/48	South Australia
1951-52	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 29 Runs scored 269 Batting average 7.47 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 39 Balls bowled - Wickets 75 Bowling average 30.57 5 wickets in innings 1 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 6/45 Catches/stumpings 11/–
Source: Cricinfo, 11 July 2023

The second son of Gilbert Jose, who also played first-class cricket for South Australia,^[2] and Hazel (nee Brook), who died in 1930,^[3] Jose was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and attended Adelaide's St Peter's College, where he was dux in 1945 and captain in 1946.^[4]

Accepted into the University of Adelaide in 1946 to study Medicine, Jose was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1948,^[4] heading to Oxford University, where he gained a doctorate.^[5]

Sporting career

Jose excelled in a range of sports from an early age, holding the state junior record for long jump and triple jump, representing the South Australian junior team in rugby union, and was a leading junior hurdler.^[4]

He made his senior district cricket debut for Adelaide University Cricket Club in November 1947 and his debut for South Australia came two months later, aged 18, on 9 January 1948^[2] against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground, opening the bowling and taking 2/76 and 2/33, including the wickets of Test players Arthur Morris and Sid Barnes.^[6]

Jose was praised for his debut performance, with onlookers noting that he gave "the ball a disconcertedly late swing" and the Sydney Daily Telegraph thought him to be a Test possibility.^[7]

However, Jose only played twice more for South Australia before moving to England to study at Oxford. While there, Jose played for the university, being awarded blues in 1950 and 1951.^[5] as well as occasionally for Kent in 1951 and 1952^[5][8][9] and Free Foresters in 1953.^[10]

Jose worked as a cardiologist in Sydney and Los Angeles, ^[11] where he committed suicide in 1972, aged 42.^[11]

Family

In addition to his father, Jose's grandfather George Jose was Dean of Adelaide,^[2] his uncle Sir Ivan Bede Jose was awarded the Military Medal during World War I while another uncle, Wilfred Jose, was killed in the war.