Ken Archer

{{short description|Australian cricketer (1928–2023)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{use Australian English|date=September 2016}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Ken Archer

| honorific_suffix = AM

| image = Ken Archer.png

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = Kenneth Alan Archer

| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|1|17|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Yeerongpilly, Queensland, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2023|4|14|1928|1|17}}

| death_place =

| family = Ron Archer (brother)

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm offbreak

| international = true

| internationalspan = 1950–1951

| country = Australia

| testdebutdate = 22 December

| testdebutyear = 1950

| testdebutagainst = England

| testcap = 186

| lasttestdate = 30 November

| lasttestyear = 1951

| lasttestagainst = West Indies

| club1 = Queensland

| year1 = {{nowrap|1946/47–1956/57}}

| columns = 2

| column1 = Test

| matches1 = 5

| runs1 = 234

| bat avg1 = 26.00

| 100s/50s1 = 0/0

| top score1 = 48

| deliveries1 = –

| wickets1 = –

| bowl avg1 = –

| fivefor1 = –

| tenfor1 = –

| best bowling1 = –

| catches/stumpings1= 0/–

| column2 = First-class

| matches2 = 82

| runs2 = 3,774

| bat avg2 = 29.95

| 100s/50s2 = 3/25

| top score2 = 134

| deliveries2 = 1,500

| wickets2 = 13

| bowl avg2 = 53.69

| fivefor2 = 0

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 2/16

| catches/stumpings2= 56/1

| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/881/881.html CricketArchive

| date = 18 December

| year = 2017

}}

Kenneth Alan Archer {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AM}} (17 January 1928 – 14 April 2023) was an Australian cricketer and broadcaster. He was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School.{{cite book|last=Mason|first=James|title=Churchie: The Centenary Register|year=2011|publisher=The Anglican Church Grammar School|location=Brisbane, Australia|isbn=978-0-646-55807-3}} An opening batsman, he played domestic first-class cricket for Queensland for ten years, from 1946–7 to 1956–7. He played in five Tests for the Australian cricket team in 1950 and 1951. His younger brother Ron Archer played 19 Tests for Australia between 1953 and 1956.

Archer toured to South Africa in 1949-50, but was not selected for the Test team. He made his Test debut in the second test (after a 6th consecutive 12th man pick) of the 1950–51 Ashes series against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Despite moderate scores in that match, and the third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the fourth test at the Adelaide Oval, he was then dropped from the team. He returned for the first two tests against West Indies in 1951-2, but did not play Test cricket again.

Archer initially worked as a science teacher during his playing career,{{cite web|url=http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1120358/archer-s-other-arrows|title=Archer's other arrows|first=Brydon|last=Coverdale|publisher=The Cricket Monthly|date=13 September 2017}} but switched to broadcasting in 1954 when he was recruited by Bob Hynes for the Brisbane radio station 4BC. He later became Hynes's right-hand man in the Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation and succeeded him as its chief executive.{{Cite book|chapter-url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hynes-sir-lincoln-carruthers-10585|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography|chapter=Hynes, Sir Lincoln Carruthers (1912–1977)|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University}} In the 1980 Australia Day Honours, Archer was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of services to the media.{{cite web|title=Ken Archer AM|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/883130|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|accessdate=3 January 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050320/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=883130&search_type=advanced&showInd=true|url-status=live}} On 14 July 2000, Archer was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his cricketing achievements.{{cite web|title=Ken Archer|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/985076|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|accessdate=3 January 2012}}

Following the death of Len Maddocks in September 2016, Archer became Australia's oldest living male Test cricketer.{{cite news |title=Former Australia wicketkeeper Len Maddocks dies at 90 |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/1053191.html |work=ESPNcricinfo |publisher=ESPN Sports Media |date=2 September 2016 |accessdate=2 September 2016 }} Archer died of heart failure on 14 April 2023, at the age of 95.[https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ken-archer-dies-australia-test-cricketer-oldest-male-queensland-captain-neil-harvey/2023-04-18 More than a cricketer: Farewell to Ken Archer]{{cite news |title=Ken Archer obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/cricket/article/ken-archer-obituary-6x9qtd6cr |access-date=11 June 2023 |work=The Times |date=9 June 2023}}