In the course of the club's history, the club has been the cricketing home of many players who have come to be known as greats of the game.The first of those that we wish to recognise is W. J. (John) Scholes. His record in cricket is as follows. 

W J (John) SCHOLES

b: 5.1.1950

d:14.7.2003

1965/6 - 1987/8            Played 278 First XI games            Elected Life Member


John Scholes played the second highest number of First XI games for Carlton Cricket Club (278). He holds the Club run aggregate record with 10,569 runs, and shares the Club Honour of playing in the most official First XI premierships with Fred Lalor – 4 each. Fred played in our first four, while John played in the next four.

John also shares two of our 1XI batting partnership records  -  

Players (Scores)

John Scholes came to particular prominence in a record-breaking Australian U/15 Carnival held in Sydney. In this event he captained the Victorian State Schools team and chalked up 2 centuries. Moreover, in one game in which he scored a century also took 10 wickets! By virtue of this record, John became the only schoolboy ever, in Australian cricket, to achieve the feat. John joined Carlton’s senior teams in 1964 on the recommendation of his University High School Sportsmaster, George Murray. In 1964 he commenced in the Third XI, and was quickly promoted to the Second XI under the astute leadership of Bert “Tracker” Numa. The Second XI won the premiership in 1964/5 and John, at 14 years of age, scored a brilliant 95 before his run-out dismissal!
 
His First XI debut at 15 years of age was in Rd 1 October 1965 against North Melbourne at Arden Street (current Clubmen, Gary Schickerling and Lindsay Knox also played in that game), and he made his Victorian debut in 1968/9 at 18 years of age. Just three years later he was appointed Victorian Captain - one of the youngest players to receive this honour.
 
He captained our Club for 9 seasons, and would selflessly stand aside as Captain to allow the Club to recruit players such as Peter Bedford, Keith Stackpole and Brendan McArdle to the Club - and then he would resume the captaincy when each of them left or retired! He was also Club coach for several seasons.
He won the Club batting trophy on 10 occasions, and was Club Champion on 5 occasions.
John also headed the VCA competition’s run aggregates on four occasions. It was an absolute joy to watch John Scholes in the field – he was a brilliant fieldsman who could field anywhere be it slip, gully, cover, or outfield where his strong returns ran out many batsmen. It will not surprise cricket followers that John was the competition’s leading fieldsman on 3 occasions in 1978/9 (15 catches), 1982/3 (20 catches), and 1984/5 (16 catches).
 
John played in a record 9 VCA finals (shared with Don Blackie, Bert Ironmonger and Bill Ponsford) for 5 premierships – 4 with Carlton and 1 with Fitzroy-Doncaster - scoring an amazing 620 runs @ 77.50 in these finals matches.
 
He made 62 first class appearances, successfully coached the State team from 1996-October 2001, and was such a great finals player that, in 2003/4 at Carlton’s suggestion, Cricket Victoria struck the “John Scholes Medal” for the Premier  “Player of the Final”, in his honour and memory.
 
First Class statistics –

 Matches / Innings / [Not Out]

Off the field, John was also a conscientious committeeman for a number of years.
He is one  of a handful of exceptional Carlton CC people to have received the honour of a Club Testimonial Year, and was an inaugural inductee in 1982 into Carlton’s Hall of Fame.
 
He also played VFL football for North Melbourne FC, and VFA football for Coburg FC and Sandringham FC but, unfortunately, his dual sporting careers at the elite levels were to be prematurely cut short due to a debilitating arthritic hip condition.
 
John passed away on July 14, 2003 at 53 years of age, after having returned to Carlton for one season to coach the Club where it had all started for him in the early sixties. John Scholes was one of Carlton’s, and Victoria’s, favourite cricketing sons.

In addition to family and personal friends, the huge funeral service was also attended by an impressive cross-section of sports-people, and the hospitality for the wake was provided by the Carlton Cricket Club. John was survived by his wife Dianne, son Adam, and daughter Shannen.