white participant asked, "What about the nigger?" The captain replied, "Let him have his dinner in the kitchen". Mullagh refused to eat in the kitchen, and sat outside the hotel in protest. Mullagh never appeared in an inter-colonial cricket match, although he did represent Victoria against a touring England side in 1879, top scoring with 36 in the second innings. He was then 38 years old and, instead of going in first-wicket-down as he did for his club, batted at nine and 10. Maintaining his independence and dignity to the end, Mullagh spent his last days living in a rabbitter's shack. He continued to play cricket until a few months before his death at Pine Hills Station in 1891, one day after his 50th birthday. The Hamilton Spectator described him in his obituary as "the [W.G.] Grace of aboriginal cricketers", while another writer referred to Mullagh as "Victoria's premier batsman". Legacy A memorial has been built in Harrow to honour Mullagh, and the local sports ground is Johnny Mullagh Oval. A local indigenous tournament has been created, and the teams vie for the Johnny Mullagh Memorial Trophy. In February 2012, the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Jeanette Powell, announced that Mullagh would be one of the 20 inaugural inductees to the Victorian Indigenous Honour Roll. In December 2019, Cricket Australia revealed plans for a medal to be awarded to the best player in the Boxing Day Test match from 2020. On 29 December 2020, Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane became the first recipient of the award. Following this, on 28 December 2021, another Aboriginal Australian, Scott Boland, received the award after taking 7 wickets on his test debut. See also Mullagh Medal List of Victoria first-class cricketers Twopenny – Aboriginal Australian who played for New South Wales against Victoria in 1870 Jack Marsh – Aboriginal Australian who played for New South Wales from 1900 to 1902 Albert Henry – Aboriginal Australian who played for Queensland from 1902 to 1905 Eddie Gilbert – Aboriginal Australian who played for Queensland from 1930 to 1936 References External links Harrow, Wimmera Tourist information 1841 births 1891 deaths Australian cricketers Victoria cricketers Indigenous Australian cricketers Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers Cricketers from Victoria (Australia)