Fred Baring

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Fred Baring

| image = Fred Baring.jpg

| image_size = 100

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Frederick Albert Baring

| birth_date = 15 December 1890

| birth_place = Hotham East, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|1961|12|10|1890|12|15|df=yes}}

| death_place = Doncaster, Victoria

| originalteam = East Melbourne

| height = 185 cm

| weight = 90 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1924

| years1 = 1910–1924

| club1 = Essendon

| games_goals1 = 154 (92)

| careerhighlights =

}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name =

| image =

| caption =

| country =

| fullname =

| nickname =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

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| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm off-spin

| family =

| club1 = Victoria

| year1 = {{nowrap|1911/12–1928/29}}

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 30

| runs1 = 1846

| bat avg1 = 32.96

| 100s/50s1 = 2/11

| top score1 = 131

| deliveries1 = 538

| wickets1 = 5

| bowl avg1 = 57.00

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 2/23

| catches/stumpings1 = 21/–

| date = 14 August

| year = 2022

| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/frederick-baring-4323 Cricinfo

}}

Frederick Albert Baring (15 December 1890 – 10 December 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1900s. In 1997 he was named at fullback in Essendon's official Team of the Century. He also played first-class cricket for Victoria.

Family

The son of Frederick John Baring (1857–1917),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1618409 Deaths: Baring, The Argus, (Thursday, 17 May 1917), p. 1.] and Annie Baring (−1935), née Riley,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203843932 Deaths: Baring, The Age, (Thursday, 26 September 1935), p. 1.] Frederick Albert Baring was born in North Melbourne (then known as "East Hotham") on 15 December 1890.

He married Minnie Sybil Horne (−1940) in 1916,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12452580 Deaths: Baring, The Argus, (Saturday, 27 April 1940), p. 4.] and Edith Lillian Ackary in February 1944.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11823319 Baring—Ackary, The Argus, (Monday, 21 February 1944), p. 6.]

Football

A four-times premiership player with Essendon (1911, 1912, 1923, 1924), Baring started his career as a ruckman and ended it as a fullback.

He kicked the winning goal in the 1912 Grand Final and captained Essendon for eight matches in the 1918 VFL season.Maplestone (1996), p. 368 (he was unavailable for the second, third, and fourth matches of the season through injury, and for the last three matches of the season through illness (ibid., p. 459)).

In 1913 he won the Essendon Best and Fairest award. He was a VFL interstate representative at the 1911 Adelaide Carnival. During his career Baring played under the pseudonym "Adamson", when he was unable to get approved leave to play in the VFL from his employer.{{cite book|last=Rodgers|first=Stephen|title=100 Years of AFL players – Volume 1|year=1996|publisher=East-Side Printing|location=Melbourne|isbn=0646300164|page=2}}

Cricket

Baring was also a successful cricketer and played Sheffield Shield matches for Victoria.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129478548 Brilliant as a Batsman and Follower, The Weekly Times, (Saturday 17 August 1918), p. 20.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129478513 'Rover', "Champion Footballer and Cricketer: Fred. Baring's Deeds", The Weekly Times, (Saturday 17 August 1918), p. 20.] A right-handed batsman, he managed a total of 30 first-class matches between 1911–12 and 1928–29, scoring 1846 runs at 32.96.

Following the death of Victor Trumper, Baring was recognised, as the best batsman in Australia on poor pitches.Atkinson, p. 181. He made his highest score of 131 opening the batting for Victoria against New South Wales in December 1918.{{cite web |title=Victoria v New South Wales 1918-19 |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9515.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=14 August 2022}}

He was on the verge of playing Test cricket for Australia after being selected for their squad to tour South Africa in 1914–15;[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242137913 Baring in a Quandary, The Herald, (Monday, 22 June 1914), p10.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242133680 Information Wanted, The Herald, (Friday, 26 June 1914), p. 3.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105628057 "Baring" Accidents: Cricketer Insures Himself in Order to Play Football, The (Adelaide) Daily Herald, (Monday, 6 July 1914), p. 5.] however, the series was canceled due to World War I.[http://test-cricket-tours.co.uk/page_1641171.html Test Cricket Tours – Australia to South Africa 1914–15 (Tour Cancelled), Test Cricket Tours.]

Death

Baring died in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster on 10 December 1961.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xqsUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HbQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4289%2C1893054 Deaths: Baring, The Age, (Tuesday, 12 December 1961), p. 16.]

Champions of Essendon

In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked Baring at 24 in their Champions of Essendon list of the 25 greatest players ever to have played for Essendon.[https://www.essendonfc.com.au/club/history/champions-of-essendon Champions of Essendon, Essendon Football Club, 30 August 2002.]

Footnotes

References

Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. {{ISBN|0 86788 009 0}}.
Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. {{ISBN|0-9591740-2-8}}
Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. {{ISBN|0-670-86814-0}}

External links

{{AFL Tables | F/Fred_Baring }}
{{AustralianFootball | fred+baring/2676 }}
[http://www.boylesfootballphotos.net.au/Fred+Baring Fred Baring], at Boules Football Photos.
[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/4323.html Cricinfo profile]