Lot 787

Description

Cricketing awards to sport's icon J.J.Giltinan, West Sydney Cricket Club, award for batting, in 9ct gold (9.1g; 43x32mm) with suspension loop, obverse design, cricket bat leaning at each side of wicket with ball at middle stump and superimposed a shield with scroll below, inscribed on shield, West/Sydney/CC' and on scroll, 'Season 1893-4', on reverse on back of bats inscribed, 'Presented to/J.Giltinan.' and '1st Batting Average &/Highest Individual Score.'; W(estern). S(uburbs). C(ricket). C(lub)., bowling award in form of 9ct gold (7g; 39x29mm) fob with scroll mount, design of garter around a shield, inscribed on garter 'W.S.C.C.' and on shield, '1st Bowling/B. Team./Won by/J.Giltinan./1896-7', in individual cases, the second with handwritten paper, '1st Bowling/ B.Team/ Won by/ J.Giltinan'. Extremely fine and rare. (2)

James Joseph Giltinan was born on 30th August 1866. He evolved into a good all round sportsman as evidenced by the cricketing awards offered here for auction. Giltinan was also a cricket umpire officiating in representative cricket matches. He developed an entrepreneurial flair and in this mode he helped to found the sport of rugby league football in Australia.

On 8 August 1907 at Bateman's Crystal Hotel, George Street, Sydney politician Henry Hoyle chaired a meeting of fifty interested persons, including several leading rugby players and officials such as Giltinan's friends, the great cricket player Victor Trumper and Rugby immortal 'Dally' Messenger. The New South Wales Rugby Football League was thus established and J.J.Giltinan was elected its first secretary. The next year he was appointed to lead the first Kangaroo tour to England in 1908. At the beginning of the 1909 NSWRFL season, Giltinan, Victor Trumper and Henry Hoyle, founders of the League, were kicked out. In the same year, Trumper, with Giltinan and others, formed a sports and mercery store in George Street, near Sydney's Wynyard Station.

In 1935, Giltinan formed a breakaway from the established Sydney Flying Squadron to be known as the Australian 18 Footers League. Two years later in 1937, as the League's Secretary, James J. Giltinan planned a world's championship for 18 foot open boats. In 1938 the League inaugurated a trophy, popularly known as the J.J.Giltinan Trophy, to celebrate the event which is regarded as the world championships for the spectacular 18ft Skiff class and is contested each year on Sydney Harbour.

James Giltinan died in 1950 and in his honour the NSWRFL established the J.J.Giltinan Shield. From 1951 to 1996 this rugby league trophy was awarded annually to the winner of the New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final, replacing the Labor Daily Cup. Since 1997 the J.J.Giltinan Shield has been awarded to the competition's minor premiers.