Harold Edward Gilbert (1 August 1905 – 9 January 1978), known as Eddie Gilbert, was an Australian Aboriginal cricketer who represented Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. He was described as an exceptionally fast bowler. He competed for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield between 1930 and 1936. Described by Don Bradman as the fastest bowler he ever faced, Bradman said he was “faster than anything seen from (England fast bowler) Harold Larwood or anyone else.” Early and personal life Gilbert was taken from his home near Woodford at the age of three as part of the Stolen Generations and grew up on farms while living in the Barambah Aboriginal Reserve, now known as Cherbourg, north of Brisbane. He took up cricket at a young age, initially playing as a slow bowler but quickly developing pace cultivated through a flexible wrist that he said was from years of hard work and practice. Cricket career First class career After playing with the State Colts in 1930, Gilbert was selected in the Queensland Sheffield Shield team for 1930/31. Gilbert was probably only the fifth Aboriginal Australian to play first-class cricket in Australia, after Twopenny in 1870, Johnny Mullagh in 1879, Jack Marsh in 1900, and Albert Henry in 1902. (Note that the 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England was not considered first-class.) In his first season with Queensland Gilbert played five of their six Sheffield Shield games, racking up fifteen wickets in the process. Gilbert had bowled upward of 141 overs and had a bowling average of 33.46. His best performance was 4–44. Overall, in his first season with the team, Gilbert had finished with the 13th best bowling average amongst bowlers whom had bowled more than 15 overs. Following on from his first season with Queensland, Gilbert played five of Queensland's six matches in 1931–32. With the team having had better results than the previous season, Queensland saw Gilbert bowl less and take more wickets (21). Both of those factors also greatly improved Gilbert's bowling average. At seasons-end Gilbert had taken the fifth most wickets in the competition and had earned his first five-wicket haul against Victoria (5–67). In Gilbert's third season in the Sheffield Shield (1932–33), he played only two games for Queensland, whom finished last losing all six games. The first was against Victoria in late October and the first of the season. In Victoria's first innings, Gilbert, whom only bowled