1878 - 1910

A member of the Gregory family, famous as Australia’s first cricket dynasty, Charles William Gregory was born on September 30, 1878, fittingly at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He was the younger son of Edward ‘Ned’ Gregory, and brother of Sydney ‘Syd’ Gregory. Described as being "as gentle as a girl, and utterly lacking in self-assertiveness", he was universally liked, and in Sydney his cricket was immensely admired. Charles’ father Ned was one of the seven Gregory brothers, who all played cricket. He became the first curator in residence at the SCG, where all his children were born. Charles’ uncle David played and captained Australia’s first cricket test against England in 1877, in which Ned also played.

Charles Gregory played for the Waverley District Cricket Club (now Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club) from 1901-10. Known as one of the most versatile batsmen, he could hit a ball with almost any man, with his cutting, driving and hooking being of a quality rarely seen in one player. He played 31 first-class matches for New South Wales scoring 1546 runs at an average of 33. He contributed to ESCC’s premiership in the 1902-03 season.

In November 1906, Gregory scored 383 for NSW against Queensland at Gabba, Brisbane. At the time, it was the highest score in a first-class match in Australia and the second highest in the world. Despite his brilliance, Gregory was never robust, which possibly accounted for his nervousness in cricket. That, in turn, might have led to selectors overlooking him for inclusion in the representative team for Australia, and it was widely viewed that selectors had robbed the game of one of the brightest stars.

In 2020, Charles Gregory was listed among the final contenders for the Waverley / Eastern Suburbs Team of 125 Years, while his older brother, Syd, was one of the 12 players to achieve the honor. Sadly, on November 13, 1910, Gregory died of lateral sinus thrombosis (blood poisoning, supervening on an abscess in the ear) aged just 32. He was buried at Waverley Cemetery. In November 1911, Gregory Memorial Fountain was erected at Waverley Park Cricket Oval in his memory, by Waverley District Cricket Club and admirers.