Alan Thomson (1945-2022) *76

was an Australian cricketer, Australian rules football umpire and school teacher. Thomson, who "bowled off his front leg like a frog in a windmill" (hence his nickname) played in four Tests and one ODI in the 1970–71 season. Thomson played District cricket with the Fitzroy Cricket Club, and took 5/39 against Richmond in their first innings, in his first ever first XI match for the club, on Saturday, 27 March 1965 (he had scored 10 runs for Fitzroy in their first innings on the previous Saturday). Six feet two inches tall, he was a right-arm fast-medium bowler who delivered the ball with a front-on windmill-like action. The flailing of his left arm, a split second before the delivery gave some people the impression that he'd bowled off the "wrong foot" but a slow motion replay shows that the delivery stride was conventional.

Thomson made his first-class debut for Victoria against New South Wales in Sydney in January 1969, taking 6 for 114 in the first innings. In his next match, against the touring West Indians in Melbourne, he took 5 for 76 and 6 for 84. In 1969–70, with the Test team away in India and South Africa, he was the outstanding player of the season, with 55 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.74. Against New South Wales in Melbourne he took 5 for 54 and 8 for 87, which remained his best innings and match figures. A number 11 batsman who seldom reached double figures, he hit his top first-class score of 34 not out against Tasmania in Melbourne in January 1970. He toured New Zealand with an Australian team at the end of the season, opening the bowling in the first match against a Test-strength New Zealand team in Auckland and taking five wickets.