Hunter Poon

Who was Hunter Poon?

Hunter Robert George Poon was the first player of Chinese descent to appear in Australian first-class cricket

Hunter Robert George Poon was born near Ballina, New South Wales to a Cantonese man, William Poon, who had migrated to Australia to work on the north Queensland goldfields, and his half Chinese, half Anglo-Australian wife, Elizabeth. Hunter Poon's name appears on his birth certificate as "Ander Leppit" George Poon as the clerk registering his birth could not understand his father's accent. Poon moved with his family to Toowoomba, Queensland and was educated at Toowoomba Grammar School, becoming a school teacher after graduation. A right arm leg spin bowler and right-handed batsman, Poon became a leading cricketer around Toowoomba.

His career was interrupted by World War I, and Poon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5 September 1916, serving as a Lance Corporal with the 15th Battalion in France, where he was injured.

Returning from the war, with shrapnel wounds in his right hand and lower back, Poon continued to star in Toowoomba cricket and was chosen to represent Queensland in a first-class match against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting 21 December 1923. While Poon was unable to take a wicket and scored only 10 and two, his selection caused international headlines.