John Power

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack obituary

POWER, JOHN FRANCIS, died on April 6, 2005, aged 73. "Strawberry" Power (he had red hair) was a useful fast out-swing bowler from Victoria with a pronounced drag, real pace and a taste for bowling bumpers who was close to being picked for the 1956 Ashes tour. Bill Lawry described him as "a wild tearaway fast bowler - he didn't have much respect for anybody". That apparently included Sam Loxton, his club captain at Prahran and a state selector. Power was dropped from the Victorian side for three years until Loxton was away in 1959-60, managing Australia on the subcontinent. Power returned to the Victorian team, more mature both as a man and a bowler. Having mastered swing and cut, he took 35 wickets, the second-most in the country, and again came close to Test selection, before fading away. Once in a district match, he discovered the umpire had forgotten to bring out a bowling marker. "It's all right," said Power. "I'll use my false teeth."