Jack Britto — an unmatched talent

August 16, 2020

This sports genius was selected to represent Pakistan in hockey and cricket at the same time

Excelling in sports is nothing new to write home about but excelling in two major sports, cricket and hockey, and being called upon to play for your country in both disciplines at the same time is unprecedented in the history of sports in Pakistan.

Born on 16 August 1924 in pre-partition Karachi, JACK BRITTO was enrolled in St. Patrick’s High School. Sports and discipline were the cornerstone of the institution’s claim to fame across India.

As a young boy marvelling at the skills and dexterity of ace-players of that time like Patrick Mendes, Marcellus D’Costa, Lawrie Fernandes, Julius Tellis and Peter Paul Fernandes (1936 Berlin Olympian), Jack dreamed of stepping into their shoes. He made up his mind to take the field and achieve what no student in the school had done before, and as it turned out to be, none of his countrymen had ever done before — reaching the pinnacle in cricket and hockey at the national level, simultaneously!

Jack Britto’s sporting career started in 1936. He showed promise when playing for his alma mater, where he excelled both at hockey and cricket. He brought fame and glory to his school and was hailed as a hero by his contemporaries. The all-round sportsman that he was, Jack also excelled in indoor games like badminton, table tennis and billiards.

Though hockey was St Pat’s mainstay, its cricket team was also making headlines throughout India – the schoolboys from Karachi were breaking records and turning heads. Jack first represented his school at the tender age of 13 and before long went on to notch up 182 runs and a mammoth 235 runs, remaining unbeaten on both occasions, in the Inter-Schools Rubie Shield Tournament. This record stood for many years before Pakistan’s famous Little Master Hanif Mohammad broke it.

The dominance of the St. Pat’s cricket team was such that the school went on to win the Rubie Shield Tournament for five successive years, 1940-1944, three years under Jack’s captaincy. By then Jack had already been selected to play for the Karachi and Sind teams in the All-India Ranji Trophy and the Pentangular, respectively, and as a promising cricketer caught the attention of cricket administrators. Though Jack was all over the place in cricket, his love for hockey did not diminish. He continued playing, winning matches, and hitting the headlines for his school, his club, the Karachi Goan Association and for other Karachi teams.

In cricket, from 1940 to 1944, he took the field with players like Jeomall Naoomal, MInoochehar J. Mobed, Abbas Khan Lodhi, and Ghulam Mohammed, the old Baloch player from Lasbela who had toured England with the 1932 All India Team.

He was a player who not only was chivalrous in victories but magnanimous in defeats. His good looks and demeanour both on and off the field made him a celebrity in his community, the city and across the country!

He was lucky enough to meet some of the other famous names like Jacob Haris, the old Maharashtra Ranji Trophy all-rounder. As a sports administrator, Haris spotted Jack and had high hopes for the talented lad from St. Pat’s.

A SPORING TRAGEDY – In 1949, Jack’s ardent followers in Karachi and, the Goan community, heard the shocking news of a prejudiced decision of the cricket administrators of that time. The Karachi youngster who had been in awesome form wielding the willow in local games was being tipped to be selected for Sindh in the opening match against the mighty West Indies. The Calypsos included players like Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Geoff Stollmeyer and the “Black Bradman” George Headley.

Jack got his call up to play for Pakistan against the West Indies but at the same time he was also chosen to represent Pakistan in hockey to tour Europe for the four-nation championships in Barcelona. The administrators could not fathom how a player could have been called to play for Pakistan in two different sports at the same time. They put a condition on Jack to either play against the West Indies or go on the European tour. It was heart breaking for Jack.

With no alternative, Jack opted for hockey and toured with the Pakistan team to Barcelona and other European cities. He was an automatic choice for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Thus ended in tragedy one of the finest careers of a multi-talented sportsman who could have created history and gone on to win international honours, both in cricket and in hockey.

In choosing to play hockey, Jack had finally decided to give up his career in cricket. It was a sad day for the game of cricket and cricket-lovers in the city, but Jack’s career in hockey stepped up considerably. He was considered to be one of the best centre-halves in the game.

Jack was a clever tactician and his wizardry and ball control was as artistic as it was effective. Jack started out as a crack centre forward in the ‘D’. He was clever, agile, and dashing and sounded the board on countless occasions. Thus, he soon built up a formidable reputation among his peers as an exponent of good, clean hockey. His coach, Peter Paul Fernandes, the famous 1936 Indian Olympic player compared Jack to the legendary Dhyan Chand.

Jack played in many major provincial tournaments in undivided India. In 1941, the St. Pat’s team won the Cabral Shield when the schoolboys beat the famous Bhopal Wanderers, who had the services of some Olympians from the 1936 Berlin Games. This match, played on the school’s billiard-top hockey field, was the biggest sporting event in the city; the ground was packed to capacity! When the final whistle blew, St. Pat’s had carved an unforgettable victory which made headlines on the sports pages across India.

Jack represented Karachi in the All-India Hockey Championships from 1942-1944, in 1946 and 1947; from 1950-1952 and in 1956 in the Pakistan National Hockey Championships.

Karachi won the first championships in 1948, were the runners-up in 1949 and won again in 1950. Jack was the captain of Karachi team in the 1956 tournament.

Jack was selected for the Pakistan Olympic team for the 15th Olympiad, Helsinki Games 1952 as a centre half. He found a place in the side because of his excellent stick work. He was well known as a skilful dribbler and was one of the best ‘goal shooters’ in the game. He also toured various European countries after the Olympics which included Paris, Lyons, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Venice, Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg, Duisburg, Zurich, and Rome. He was capped eight times.

Coming back from the Olympics and European tournaments, Jack toured East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) with Pakistan Rovers in 1953. In 1956, Jack was also called for trials for the selection of the Pakistan Olympic team for Melbourne Games. He did not make the team.

Dr Khadim Hussain Baloch, a prominent sportswriter, is quoted to have said about the qualities of the great Karachi sportsman: “Although I met Jack only once, it was enough to identify him as someone who could have kept company with the wizard of hockey Dyan Chand, the personality of Keith Miller, the genius and patience of Hanif Mohammed and the artistic skill of Sachin Tendulkar.”

Jack finally moved to London where he led a quiet life from 1976 to 2013.

Acknowledgements: Late Dr Khadim Hussain Baloch and Desmond Britto.

Jack Britto — an unmatched talent