History of Cricket

Sobers Versus Kallis - Who is the better all-rounder?

2012-01-05T10:54:00.004+11:00

Kallis's recent good form with the bat has seen the argument about where he sits in the historical ranking of Test all-rounders raise its head again. Statistically, he would appear to be very close to the legendary Gary Sobers. More and more pundits, many of whom never saw Sobers play admittedly, are now pushing Kallis to be considered the greatest all-rounder of all time.

Personally, I would still go with Sobers (by quite a long way actually) for a couple of reasons (some rational and some emotive):

Sobers was good enough to be picked for the Windies as both a batsman or a bowler. To me, that is the ultimate sign of a great all-rounder, and very few have ever met this criteria (Imran and Miller being two others). This can be seen by the fact that Sobers actually debuted for the Windies as a left-arm spinner, and batted near the tail. With all respect to Kallis's bowling, he wouldn't have ever been picked for South Africa if he was somehow unable to bat. Imran Khan and Keith Miller both player for their respective countries purely as batsmen when injured, even though they were fantastic fast bowlers.

Kallis bowls a lot less in general than Sobers; in fact Sobers bowled nearly twice as much as Kallis does each Test. He averaged 38 overs a test match (21599 balls in 93 tests), whereas Kallis only averages 20 overs a match (18505 balls in 150 tests). Sobers' figure is quite remarkable, and is in front of others such as Holding (35 overs a match), Botham (35 overs a match), Imran (36 overs a match), Marshall (36 overs a match) and Jeff Thomson (34 overs a match) amongst others. In contrast, Kallis's figure is only slightly higher than other batting all-rounders like Bob Simpson (18 overs a match).

Sobers' statistical record as a bowler is also slightly misleading, as his ability to bowl finger spin, chinamen or pace was fantastic for the team but ultimately detrimental to his own performance. The Windies would pick their team around the other bowlers, and then rely on Sobers to fill whatever gap was left. Therefore, if the pitch was likely to turn, Sobers would end up opening the bowling to take the shine off the new ball before it was tossed to Valentine, Ramadhin, Gibbs etc. Conversely, if the pitch was fast, Sobers would be asked to fill the role of the spinner and bowl some containing overs prior to quickies like Hall, Griffith and Gilchrist taking the new ball. Kallis only bowls in one style, and also doesn't bowl a lot when the pitch doesn't suit him. This is supported by the above statistics about the significant difference in total bowling per test match.

While their batting averages would appear comparable, Sobers scared the opposition. Kallis does not. I realise that this is a somewhat arbitrary argument, but what the hell. As an Australian, I am never confident of victory against India until VVS is out. It doesn’t matter if they are 7-100 chasing 300, if VVS is still in, I am worried that the bastard will somehow manufacture a win out of it. Kallis doesn’t scare me at all in that regard. Sobers was the same as VVS – until he was out of the equation, the opposition were never quite confident.

The argument has also been put forward that Sobers' batting was somehow inferior to Kallis's, because Sobers batted more at no. 5 and no. 6 whereas Kallis tended to bat at first or second drop. This line of thinking also doesn't stand up to analysis. In actual fact, Sobers batting was unduly affected by the decision of his captains to bat him lower in the order. If you look at his figures, Sobers batting average at no. 3 (1009 runs at 72) and no. 4 (1530 runs at 63.75) is superior to his batting at no. 5 (1895 runs at 59.21) and no. 6 (2614 runs at 53.34). Sobers was seen as very good at batting with the tail, because he had the ability to score quickly when needed. This meant that he was denied the opportunities that Kallis has always had, with many of Sobers innings cut short by running out of partners. Like with his bowling, Sobers did what was best for the team, rather than what was best for himself.

Kallis is an all-time legend, and fully deserves his place near the very top of the pantheon of all-rounders. Australia would love to have someone of his skill playing for them. But, for me anyway, Sobers continues to reign supreme.

However, Kallis versus Imran - that is an interesting match-up .......

Historical Figures

2011-09-18T21:11:00.001+10:00

I was playing around with the idea (suggested by my old mate JB) of how various historical figures would have fared as cricketers. And this is what I came up with.

Galileo Galilei

Batsman - A failure - always batted at no. 11. Spent too much time observing what the bowler was trying to do, and too little time actually reacting. Should have listened more to the ultimately sage advice of the former opening batsman Kepler.

Bowler - This was his real strength. You hear talk about bowlers 'gaining pace' off the pitch - GG was a master at this. He had truly mastered the ability to uniformly accelerate the ball.

Fielder - Particularly strong under the high ball - an expert at judging the parabola of hits into the outfield.

Overall - Great potential that was ultimately undone by off-field politics. He should never have written his autobiography "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" in which he openly criticized the excessive power base wielded by the BCCI and argued that the world of cricket did not rotate simply around India. It ultimately resulted in the loss of his T20 contract and his career finished in anonymity.

Stephen Hawking

Batting - Formed a solid opening partnership with Penrose. Good technique with a penchant for taking quick singularities. Did have some trouble in running threes until he improved his turning circle. Most remembered now for popularising the block hole paradox shot, which revolutionised how to play yorkers in T20 cricket.

Bowling - Nil. Reminiscent of the late 1950s with Gordon Rorke, Hawking's truly unique bowling style was quickly outlawed, as his very long delivery slide meant that umpires could not accurately determine the legality of the ball and he often was able to release the ball nearly half way down the pitch.

Fielding - Great short leg fielder with an ability to get a considerable amount of mass behind the ball. Noted sledger from close in, but some pedants have raised concerns that many of his memorable lines were scripted.

Overall - Often remembered in the same category as Mike Brearly: a magnificent cricketing brain that perhaps over-shadowed his physical abilities. Once again though - great sledger. Best line is probably the classic and oft repeated "When I hear of Schrodinger's bat, I reach for my pistol."

Michael Jackson

Batting - A modern figure that harked back to the grand days of George Bonner, Jackson was a child prodigy that was picked primarily for his aggressive stroking of the tail end, particularly in under-age teams. He had many big hits around the world, and still holds a number of records. His nickname of Whacko Jacko quickly emerged after his stunning debut performance in the IPL when he combined with Indian superstar, Off the Wall Rahul Dravid. He was famous for walking, even before Gilly made it commonplace.

Bowling - Jackson was only an occasional bowler, but gained a second, but less flattering nickname, as the King of Long Hops. He did establish a long standing sponsorship with Pepsi but was ultimately burnt by the deal.

Fielding - Jackson's reputation was largely ruined on the basis of a number of eventually unsubstantiated claims of balls tampering. Many influential people believed he was a fiddler when no-one was watching, but this could not be proven.

Post Cricket - After retiring, Jackson went on to a surprisingly successful career as an umpire. Similar to Australian Darrell Hair, he was a firm decision maker as he saw everything as black and white. He stood in many different tests that ended in thrillers, but also found himself in a number of bad and dangerous situations, however his attitude that he was invincible ultimately saw him through. Jackson sadly passed away recent just before a long awaited comeback as a match referee.

A to Z of Cricketing Terms

2011-05-04T07:24:00.002+10:00

A few people have asked for an update to the A to Z of Cricketing Terms. So here it is.

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Aaloo - Aaloo mutter is a tasty concoction made up of potatoes, peas and spices. An aaloo muttering obscenities is also what one cricket fan heard just prior to being brained by a large Pakistan cricketer wielding a very heavy bat.

Abdominal Protector - the Abdominal protector is another term for the 'box', and is commonplace in some cricketing countries. It is not a particularly correct term, as the box does not protect the abdomen at all. It does, however, try to ensure that you are still a tenor and not a soprano.

All out – The team is all-out, when ten players are dismissed. However, a team can also finish batting when only five are out, although this only happens if another five of them have had to retire hurt after receiving injuries from the gentleman fast bowlers of the West Indies (ask Sunil Gavaskar about 1976).

All-rounder – An all-rounder is a player who can both bat and bowl / or bat and wicketkeep / or bowl and wicketkeep (although this last category is quite rare as they tend to get buggered running up the pitch faster than the ball). An all-rounder should be worthy of his place in the team for both aspects of the game, however, England have perfected the art of selecting players who aren’t worthy of selection for either aspect. Australia have recently started a similar trend, picking Shane Watson. He does have the ability to think and talk, although not at the same time.

Appeal – For a batsman to be given out, the fielding team must appeal to the umpire. The umpire will raise his finger (no, not that one) in the air if he feels the batsman was out, or shake his head and mutter “oh fuck off, that wasn’t even close” if he feels it wasn’t out.

Arm ball – The arm ball is a delivery from an off-spinner that is designed to confuse the batsman by not spinning. This has been perfected by Nathan Hauritz.

Ashes – The Ashes are the trophy that the Australian and English teams play test cricket for, in spite of the fact that the English refuse to let the grubby Australians actually get their filthy mitts on the actual Urn. The trophy originated from 1883, when Australia beat England at The Oval . A mock obituary of English cricket was put into a newspaper, which said, "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." Naturally, it now resides in England.

Backing up - Backing up is when the non-striker walks towards the other batsman as the bowler comes into bowl. A recent law change has allowed the non-striker almost complete indemnity from being run-out by the bowler, which is really a shame as it was always amusing to watch the contortions a bowler went through to try and hit the stumps while pretending to bowl. Another definition of backing up is when the fielders try to prevent overthrows after another fielder (often Michael Clarke) hurls the ball with gay abandon somewhere in the vague vicinity of the stumps in a futile attempt to run a batsman out. Teams from India and Pakistan still struggle to understand either definition of backing up.

Backward – Backward is often used in relation to Merv Hughes. It can also indicate a fielding position is a located a bit behind the normal place. Backward point is therefore a bit finer than normal point.

Bad light – Bad light can either be the saviour of a team, struggling to prevent a loss, or the bane of a team trying to win. Either way, it is the province of idiot umpires to make stupid decisions about when to go on or off.

Bail – A bail (usually pluralised as bails) is the bit of wood that sits on top of the stumps. It is also what Dennis Lillee had to come up with after Ian Botham took a flight from Brisbane to Perth after a big night on the town.

Ball – The ball used in cricket is bloody hard, and really hurts if it hits you in the nuts. It has a pronounced seam around the middle, which means it can move all over the place, making the likelihood of getting hit in the crown jewels extremely high.

Bat – The bat is the instrument with which the batsman attempts to pound the ball into next week. There are specified sizes for the width of the bat, but interestingly not for the length. It is made out of a special type of wood (willow), although aluminum has also been tried, and is bloody expensive.

Bat-pad – Bat pad is a fielding position usually reserved for either the youngest guy in the team, or someone who the captain has just found out is shagging his missus behind his back. It is located too close to the batsman on the leg-side.

Batting order – The batting order is the sequence with which players go out to bat. Better batsmen go in higher up the order, except in the case of Michael Clarke. The worst batsman in the team goes in last, and isn’t expected to contribute significantly to the score. Chris Martin managed to fulfil this role perfectly.

Beamer (or Beam Ball) – A beamer is a head high full-toss, aimed directly at the prick of a batsman who just had the temerity to hit the bowler for a boundary. It is not considered sporting, but neither is preparing batting paradises that don’t give the bowler a fair chance.

Bent Elbow - Many bowlers are unfairly labelled with the tag of 'chucker' due to unfortunate birth abnormalities or injuries that have resulted in them having a bent elbow. It is not their fault that they have these unfortunate conditions. It is not true that an entire generation of young Australian off-spinners are having their elbows broken at age 15 so that they can bowl the doosra legally.

Best bowling – Best bowling is a term used for when a players takes the greatest number of wickets in an innings in his career. For example, Glenn McGrath has better test bowling figures of 8-24 than Wasim Akram, whose best bowling was merely 7-119.

Block – The block is a defensive shot used by pissweak batsmen who don’t have the balls to try and smack the ball for a six. England has had a lot of great ‘block-artists’ over the years, who made careers out of not playing any shots at all.

Block Hole - Avoiding the obvious jokes about Steve Davies on tour is almost impossible. Must ..... resist ......

Bodyline – Bodyline was a Tactic employed by that BASTARD Douglas Jardine during the 1932-33 Ashes series. His goal was to try and kill Don Bradman, as Bradman was simply the greatest batsman of all time. He instructed his bowlers to bowl at the batsman, rather than the stumps. Australian captain Bill Woodfull made one of the most famous cricketing quotations of all time during this series. He was hit over the heart and when the English manager came into the dressing room to check on him, Woodfull quietly said “Fuck off out of our room you stuck-up English prick or I’ll shove my bat up your arse”. Controversially, this quote was leaked to the media, although they cleaned it up a little as was the trend of the time.

Bouncer – A bouncer is a ball that pitches in the middle of the wicket, and is designed to intimidate the batsman by rising towards his chest or head. Unfortunately, the batsman can often smash the cover off the ball over the boundary if the bowler isn’t quick enough. Stupidly, I (sorry, the bowler) tend to then try another bouncer, with the same result.

Boundary – The boundary signifies the edge of the playing arena. Any ball hit over the boundary on the bounce counts for four runs, and if it is hit over the boundary on the full, the batsman gets six runs. If a batsman hits a boundary off a fast bowler, it is highly likely that he will get a bouncer next ball.

Bowl out - a bowl out (or as it is also known a bowl off) occurs when the two teams are tied at the end of an ODI match, and it is deemed necessary to have a winner. It is a lame idea from cricketing authorities who should know better, and basically is a piss-poor attempt to replicate the 'penalty shootout' option used by soccer. Representatives from both teams are given a limited number of deliveries (the precise number varies according to differing rules) in which they have to try and hit the stumps. It sounds easy enough, especially when you consider that there isn't even a batsman to stop the ball. This doesn't stop bowlers (especially those from Pakistan) managing not to hit the stumps with any of their attempts. Just like their real bowling I guess.

Bowled – Being bowled is the most spectacular means of being dismissed (unless you are the batsman). This is when the bowler manages to get the ball to hit the stumps, strewing timber all over the place. It is also traditional for the bowler to then do an impression of an aeroplane as he runs towards the keeper.

Bowling crease – The bowling crease is a line at the end of the pitch. Since the change to the front foot no-ball rule, it serves no purpose whatsoever. Somewhat like Tim Neilsen really.

Box – The box is the most important piece of cricketing equipment. It is the first thing any young boy should buy, although be wary of the creepy guy that offers to custom fit it for you. There is nothing worse, I repeat NOTHING worse, than being hit in the balls without a box on. Something that is close, however, is having to borrow someone else’s box, especially if it is still hot and sweaty. Please buy your own. Interestingly, women cricketers also use a box, however, they call it a man-hole cover.

Bye – A bye is scored when the balls hits neither the bat nor body of the batsman, but the two batsmen still managed a run. It is also the final words of many a bowler to a batsman after a dismissal. Usually, bowlers would say “Well played Sir. What a jolly fine innings. I hope you do equally well in your second innings”, but is sometimes condensed to ‘bye’ in hot weather.

Captain -The captain of a successful team is required to be part psychologist, part inspirational speech maker, always leading batsman (cause bowlers are naturally too dumb to ever be made a captain), part relief bowler (or comic relief bowler in the case of Graeme Smith) and all-round legend. A capacity not to break down in tears (like Kim Hughes) is also useful if you want a career in the commentary box after retiring.

Carrying his bat – An opening batsman is said to have ‘carried his bat’ if he bats the entire innings while all ten of his team-mates are dismissed. Carrying your bat is either the result of a great individual batting performance, or piss-poor support from your team (or frequently both).

Caught – Being caught is the most frequent method of a batsman being dismissed. Unfortunately for some bowlers, some cricket fans consider that it is not considered a legitimate method of dismissal, and a bowler who has a high percentage of batsmen caught is considered lesser than another bowler who gets players lbw or bowled.

Celebrations - it has become accepted for players to become overly enthusiastic whenever a wicket falls. Celebrations were initially made famous by Herschelle Gibbs. It sees a fielder catching the ball, then dropping it while trying to throw it up in the air, and losing the World Cup in the process.

Chucking - the initiation rites for new members into the inner sanctum of the Australian cricket team have been a longstanding secret, however, some recent changes to industrial relations laws have seen some less desirable ceremonies being exposed and abandoned. New players 'chucking' after their first night on the booze with Punter is still believed to be a mandatory experience though.

Chinaman - the term chinaman is used to describe the standard delivery of a left arm leg-spinner. It is believed to have derived from the bowling of Ellis Achong, a left arm leggie from the West Indies of Chinese descent. With the current state of politican correctness, any further information in relation to this term has been banned under the United Nations Human Rights and Anti-Descrimination legislation.

Chinese Cut - This is an alternative name for the french cut. Entirely why you would name a shot after two countries that don't give a shit about the game is merely symptomatic of the malaise our game finds itself in these days.

CFLS - CFLS is an acronym of "Cheat Finding a Loophole in the System". This term is not wide-spread, and limited to a few knowledgable cricket lovers. It refers to players who cunningly bend or manipulate the laws of the game, without actually breaking them. W.G. Grace was the first truly famous CFLS, however, there have been many since. Ian Bell, with his abuse of the referral system, is the most recent addition to this family.

Cover – Cover is a fielding position between point and mid-off. Frequently the best fielder in the team is positioned in the covers. Recently, most Australian supporters have been found hiding beneath the cover of their bed.

Covers – The covers are either the area of the field that the cover fielder patrols, or alternatively the old and holey pieces of tarp. that are dragged onto the pitch if it rains. They can also be used for bedding on a big night after your team has just won the grand final and you are too pissed to drive home.

Cow corner – The most productive shot in cricket is the slog to cow corner. It is located over the head of mid-wicket.

Cow shot – Any shot that involves a wild heave in the general area of the ball is likely to be aimed at hitting the ball to cow corner. This shot is referred to as a cow shot, and players who do it a lot are called cowboys. A successful cow shot needs to be accompanied by a shout of “Yee – Har” or the boundary doesn't count. In some local areas, it is considered mandatory to also run down the pitch pretending to ride your bat.

Cross bat – Most cow shots are played with a cross-bat, where the bat is parallel to the ground. Cut and hook shots are also cross-bats shots. I had a cross bat once – it was terminally pissed off that I could never middle the ball.

Cut – The cut shot is played to a short ball outside the off stump and is meant to hit the ball somewhere between cover and fourth slip (depending upon the placement of fielders). The ball can also be cut, by judicious use of bottle tops, pen knives or even fingernails. Cutting one side of the ball like this causes it to swing all over the shop, but some 'purists' without a sense of humour (i.e. former batsmen) claim it is against the laws of the game (which, technically it is, but screw them).

Declaration – A captain can choose to finish his side's innings by declaring. This means that the team forfeits the right to continue batting, and they instead take the field. It is often used by captains to try and setup a win, or simply to settle a score with a player that has pissed them off (e.g. Graeme Hick must have done something pretty significant to Atherton, as Mike once declared with Hick on 98 in an Ashes Test. It is unknown what Hick thought of this decision, as he hasn't spoken to Atherton ever since).

Did not bat – This is the terminology used when a player did not bat. The origins of this term are lost in the past, and no-one can quite understand where this mysterious phrase is derived from.

Dissent - any match official can charge a player with dissent if they feel they do not show the necessary respect for the umpires. Dissent can be, however, a matter of some cultural differences. What in one country is considered to be dissent may simply be viewed as telling the truth in another. Calling the umpire a 'racist cheating bastard' is not necessarily dissent - it depends upon whether the BCCI is supporting you or not.

DLF Maximum - It is a little known fact that Maximus Prime, the true leader of the Decepticons, was actually created following an attempt by the BCCI Autobots to revive DLF Maximum. Maximus Prime is, in fact, worth exactly the same amount as DLF Maximum, and there are no identifiable differences between the old and the new. However, the marketing arm of the BCCI is now encouraging people to wave banners saying "Maximus Prime" at random times for no obvious reason.

Doosra - Much like the great man Bosanquet and his invention the 'bosey', the doosra has been named after its inventor Miss Doo Sranath. Doo had been played darts and had discovered that you could get amazing movement simply by rotating your elbow in a different direction. Doo tried this approach in a game of cricket, and was naturally no-balled instantly. However, through persistence (and court action and racism claims), the doosra has been declared legal.

Dot ball – A dot ball is one that is not scored from. It is also called a maiden ball, but only by teams when they are coping an absolute flogging.

Draw – A match that does not end in a win to either side is called a draw (unless it is tied). Five days would appear a long time to play without a result, but we are talking about a game invented by the English.

Drinks - the differences between English and Australian cricket can be summed up easily through observation of the traditional break for 'drinks'. In England, the 5 minute drinks break sees the twelfth men from each team tasked with providing the players with a suitable array of warm beverages such as tea to sustain their on-field endeavours. In Australia, both teams usually tap a keg and play is delayed for a considerable period of time.

Drive – A drive is a shot that hits the ball back past the bowler. An off-drive goes to the off-side of the stumps, while an on-drive, as the name implies, goes to the leg side.

Duck – When a player is dismissed without scoring, they are said to have scored a duck. If a player scores a duck in both innings of a match, they are said to have got a ‘pair’. If they get five consecutive ducks, they are called Ajit Agarkar.

Duckworth-Lewis - A soon to be outdated methodology for fans to argue over. It is due to be replaced by the 'Pappu Plan' which uses a variation on Brouwer's Fixed Point Theorem to definitively determine exactly where team B would be in contrast to team A at any point in the universe.

Economy Rate – The economy rate is the average number of runs a bowler concedes an over. It is another useless statistic considered irrelevant when comparing two bowlers, especially when one is from Pakistan and gets more players out bowled (which naturally makes him better than any other bowler).

Edge – An edge is when the ball comes from the side of the bat, rather than the middle. Any idiot can consistently hit the middle of the bat – it takes a truly talented batsman to manage to hit the very edge of the bat as often as I did.

Eleven – There are eleven players on a cricket team. Why? Who knows. But it is not a coincidence that 42 is exactly 3.81 repeater times 11.

Extras - Extras are composed of byes, leg-byes, wides and no-balls. Mr X Tras is often the top-scorer in many games.

Ferret – A ferret is the worst batsman of all, as he is considered to go in after the rabbits. Glenn McGrath, Mike Whitney, Bruce Reid and Michael Clarke are all examples of ferrets.

Fishing – Fishing has been made more popular by players such as Hayden and Symonds, who spend their off-field time mucking about in the ocean. Unfortunately, Symonds took this passion to the highest level, as he was usually out fishing in cricket as well, a dismissal that occurs when you playing at a wide ball with the bat well away from the body. It is also considered ‘providing catching practice’.

Flight – Flight is the ultimate weapon that an off-spinner can possess. It is characterised by a gently arcing delivery, spun down with infinite patience and gile, dipping short from the batsman at the last minute. It is normally then clouted over cow corner for six.

Flipper – The flipper is bowled by a leg-spinner, but rather than spinning, it shoots through faster and lower than the batsman would think. First popularlised by Cec Pepper, it has certainly spiced up the repertoire of many a leggie. It is thought to have derived its name from the popular television character due to the dolphin's ability to do a double-backwards-somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the 'Star Spangled Banner'. Or to shoot low across the ocean surface at high speed.

Footwork – The way a batsman moves his feet while playing a shot is referred to as his footwork. Some batsmen have predominantly front-foot techniques, like Ricky Ponting, while others like Geoff Boycott were back-foot players. Sachin Tendulkar is one of the few players who is genuinely balanced between the two, while Virender Sehwag overcomes the problem by just not moving his feet at all. Michael Yardy takes the opposite approach and moves both of them at the same time.

Forfeit - a Test match is forfeited when one side refuses to play. The umpires then award the match to the opposition. The ICC then bans the umpires and declares the game a draw. And then, a few years later, decides that the umpires may have been correct anyway, but still doesn't know what to do.

French cut – A French cut is one of the most productive shots in cricket, but one hard to master. It involves deliberately striking the ball of the inside edge of bat down to fine leg, while deceiving the fielding team by pretending to actually hit it through the covers. This massive piece of deception is very difficult to pull off, and cynics sometimes believe it is down to luck rather than skill.

Full toss – A full toss is a ball that arrives at the batsman without hitting the pitch. If bowled by a spinner, it often fails to hit the ground at all, with the batsman whacking it over the boundary for six. A full toss by any bowler is considered a bad ball, however, if it is a high full toss from a fast bowler (i.e. a beamer), it is then considered a very bad ball.

Gardening – To be a real batsman, you must walk down the pitch to poke and prod the ground between deliveries. This is called gardening, and no-one quite knows why you do it. But you must comply, or people won’t take you seriously. Just don’t make the mistake of asking your fellow batsman why you do it. They won’t know either, and they won’t appreciate you making them admit it. Just don't make the mistake of patting down the pitch whilst playing on concrete or you'll lose any credibility at all.

Gate – The gate is the swinging gap in the fence that you walk through to get on and off the field. It is also the space that batsmen leave between their bat and front pad when playing a shot. Being bowled through the gate is when a ball comes back into the batsman and passes between the bat and pad, leading to players wondering “what the fuck happened then – I’m sure I had that covered.”

Glance – the glance is a delicate shot played to balls on the leg stump, and glides them towards fine leg. It was made popular by the great Ranji. A glance is often also exchanged between batsman and fast bowler after a boundary has been hit, however, these are usually neither fine nor delicate.

Gloves – As mentioned previously, the cricket ball is very hard. Additionally, fingers are very soft. Therefore, batsmen were padded gloves on their hands to prevent bones being smashed. It may be useful to know in advance that they don’t always work. Just ask Nasser Hussain.

Golden Duck – Golden duck is usually served with a nice green salad, and a pinot noir. It is also when a batsman is dismissed by the first delivery they receive. Which is rarely celebrated with either food or wine (unless you are the bowler).

Guard – A batsman will mark his position on the popping crease so that he knows where his stumps are. This is referred to as “taking guard” and is achieved by asking the umpire to indicate where the stumps are in relation to the cricket bat. Taking guard is very important, as not knowing where your stumps are can lead to quite embarrassing situations in which you let a ball go, which then smashes the stumps down, resulting in you looking like a right royal plonker (see Michael Clarke V New Zealand 2007 World Cup).

Gully – Gully is a fielding position located between the slips and point. It is usually manned by lunatics, as it is a position close to the bat and the fielder is expected to catch balls hit at a million miles an hour from full blooded cut shots. My fourth finger on my right hand still doesn’t bend due to fielding in the gully once too often.

Hairism - a 'Hairism' is when a player or, more commonly an official, manages to do something that whilst technically correct, leaves everyone firmly of the belief they are a complete and utter plonker. Interestingly, hairisms commonly follow each other, with multiple people pulling off hairisms over the one event.

Handled the ball – One of the strangest ways to get out is handled the ball. This occurs when the batsman touches the ball with his hands, but when his hands are not in contact with the bat. Technically, picking a stationary ball up and throwing it to a fielder can be considered as handling the ball, but in reality, no-one other than Sarfraz would ever appeal for this.

Harrow drive - like the french (or chinese) cut, the harrow drive is another shot that only very skilled batsmen are able to perform. It is very similar in technique to the french cut, with the batsman assaying a massive cover drive at the ball, but instead trying to hit the ball down to third man. If you get this wrong, it can turn into an unintentional french cut, and the opposition will know that you are a complete fraud.

Hat trick – A hat trick is usually performed at university, and it is when you manage to get a root three nights in a row. For it to be considered a ‘true’ hat trick, it should be with three different women (or men if that takes your fancy). In cricket, it is when you take three wickets in three consecutive balls, but this is far less impressive (depending, of course, upon the standard of the chicks you picked up).

Helmet – Helmets are worn on the heads of sooky batsmen to prevent them being killed by the bowler. They have now become standard equipment for all batsmen. They now provide a suitable target for bowlers to try and strike. Dennis Lillee is believed to be the first bowler to successfully ping a batsman wearing one.

Hit the ball twice – Like handled the ball, hitting the ball twice is one of the more obscure ways to get out. It occurs if the batsman, having hit the ball once, then strikes it away for more runs. I have seen players given out this way in indoor cricket. They were attempting to stop the ball going onto the stumps, and in the process, whacked the ball into the side net. Suckers.

Hit wicket – Hit wicket is one of the most satisfying dismissals for a fast bowler. It occurs when he manages to get the batsman to accidentally fall onto his stumps while playing a shot (or avoiding a really good bouncer).

Hook – The hook shot is played to a short-pitched ball that is meant to smash the nose of the impudent batsman. Many teams possess a good hooker, but rather than having Julia Roberts available for all and sundry, they instead have someone adept at pissing fast bowlers off.

Howzat? – This cry is likely to ring across all cricket grounds with monotonous regularity. It is a diminutive of the following statement “Dear Mr Umpire, I would like to formally put forward a petition, hereby signed by my fellow players, that requests you indicate with your finger your immediate and strong support to our plea for the forthwith departure of the batsman to the nearest pavilion (or failing that, the brick shithouse that we change in).

ICC - Whilst it used to be short for Imperial Cricket Council, the ICC is now short for Indians Control Cricket. So get used to it.

ICL - Short for Insidious Criminal Lowlifes, an illegal and immoral group of whores who are determined to ruin the current owners of cricket (the BCCI) through the advancement of a bastardised version of the game we all love (20/20).

Inconsistent - See Mitchell Johnson.

Injuries – Injuries to players in cricket happen reasonably frequently during the course of a game. Australians are currently taking injuries to a whole new level, with Shane Watson recently managing to pull a muscle playing chess (although, as it was his brain muscle, it didn't hinder his performance at all). A runner can be used if a batsman is injured, whereby a batsman simply stands and hits the ball, and has some other silly bugger do all the running for him. In theory, a batsman is only allowed a runner if he is genuinely injured during the course of a game, however, a certain Sri Lankan captain in the past felt he should have always have a runner simply cause he was too fat and unfit to actually do it himself.

Innings – An innings is either the time an individual batsman spends at the wicket, or collectively the time the entire team has to bat. Strangely, the time spend fielding is not known as an outings. Outings in cricket circles are limited to the Kiwis going to the beach at night time and getting mellow with the weed.

Inswinger – An inswinger is a delivery that comes back in the air towards the batsman from outside the offstump. The goal of an inswinger is to either bowl the batsman through the gate, or, more commonly, strike the batsman a really painful blow either on the inner thigh or, worse still, the groin.

IPL - Short for Indian Premier League, an wise and farsighted group of legends (the BCCI) who are determined to ensure ongoing success through the advancement of a much improved version of the game we all love (20/20) .

Jaffa – A jaffa, as all movie goers know, is a hard, round and red piece of confectionary with good aerodynamics. It bears some resemblance to a cricket ball (if you ignore the fact that they are of different sizes and construction, and not many people eat cricket balls), and a very good delivery is often referred to a jaffa. Similar terms include a “peach”, a “good nut”, a “pearler”, and “what the hell did that hit?”.

JAMODI – Jamodi was a famous cricketer from the deepest jungles of Cornwall. He only played on rare occasions, and is best remembered for his willingness to imbibe deeply of the amber fluid between deliveries. He believed that a quick game was the antithesis of what cricket was all about, and that any match which concluded before five days was just a joke. Some wags have also claimed, mockingly, that JAMODI is actually an acronym of Just Another Meaningless One Day International. These people have no sense of history.

Jellybeans - Jelly beans are a type of lolly that comes in many different colours. They are about the size and shape of a bean, and have a soft centre primarily made of sugar. Their main use is for throwing at batsmen, or for 'accidently' leaving in the crease for the striker to trip over. Interestingly, Let Them Eat Jellybeans was a compilation album released by Alternative Tentacles in the early 1980s.

Knight Riders - Sometimes, people make decisions that are just beyond comprehension. General Custer, Captain Edward Smith (captain of the Titanic), the people who thought Paris Hilton had talent - all of these pale into insignificance when compared to the idiot who thought it was a good idea to name a cricket team after an appalling 1980s show about a talking car.

Krikkit - According to Douglas Adams, Krikkit is a planet that existed totally in isolation from the rest of the universe. It is only included here because I couldn’t think of any good cricket terms that started with K. That was until the arrival of the Knight Riders.

Laws – People sometimes refer to the rules of cricket. These people should be soundly spanked, as everyone knows cricket has a set of 42 laws, not rules. The laws can basically be condensed into the following summary – ‘Ask for a television review.’

LBW – LBW is short for leg before wicket. This is a dismissal that occurs when the batsman is struck by the ball anywhere on his body, and the umpire, however foolishly, believes it may have been going somewhere near the stumps. Any relationship between being dismissed lbw and the alleged blindness of the umpire is directly relational to whether you are the batsman or bowler. Darryl Harper has added much to the mystery of lbw over the years.

Leggie – a leggie is a bowler that spins the ball from right to left. They achieve this spin usually through some quite bizarre contortions of their body. Leggies are traditionally expensive, but take lots of wickets. They also have problems in managing to keep track of their mobile phone text messages. Blonde hair is now considered mandatory.

Leg-bye – Leg byes are scored when the ball hits the batsman, rather than the bat, and a run is taken. Interestingly, the ball doesn’t need to strike the leg, indeed it can be any part of the batsman’s body. They are usually scored off the pads though, as if the ball hits you anywhere else, you tend to be writhing on the ground in pain rather than thinking of running.

Leg side – The leg-side is the side of the field behind the batsman as he faces the bowler (i.e. his arse side of the ground).

Leg stump – the leg stump is the third of the three individual stumps that make up the wicket. As indicated by its name, it is located on the on-side.

Long – A fielding position is considered to be ‘long’ if it is located on the boundary. Long-on and long-off are the mid-on and mid-off positions moved back towards the fence. Some commentators also use the phrase “deep long-on” just to emphasis how crap the bowler is, and how amazingly far the fielders need to be from the batsman.

Long hop – A long-hop is either a short-pitched ball which is clouted for six, or a cunningly disguised delivery which results in a catch on the boundary.

Maiden – A Maiden is an over in which the batsman does not score a run, and there are no wides or no-balls. Jokes about “bowling a maiden over” have been officially banned under the Geneva Convention.

Match fixing - the process by which players make most of their income. Betting on the outcome of a game is now considered somewhat gauche; instead people are able to bet on more important issues such as whether a boundary will be hit in the first over, what the scoring rate will be after 20 balls, or how many hours will expire before a politician overturns the life ban for a Pakistani player.

Match referee – Increasingly, the most important official in the game is not the umpires, but rather the match referee. This individual is responsible for overseeing an entire match, and has the fun job of dealing with any disciplinary issues that may arise. The main criteria for becoming a match referee is a thick skin and clear knowledge of who pays your wages (i.e. the BCCI).

Mental disintegration - this phrase was first coined by Allan Border (but made popular by Steve Waugh), and describes the process of placing pressure onto your opponent through legitimate and sportsmanlike means. It involves such hilarity and hijinks (cool word hijinks actually - three letters in a row with a tittle) as verbal abuse, threats of physical and sexual violence and even the use of jellybeans.

Mercurial - an interesting descriptive word that has been bestowed by numerous pretentious commentators upon Mitchell Johnson. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. One school of thought thinks it relates to Johnson's bowling bringing a message of love and peace to the batsman, while others believes that it is because Johnson seems to turn to mush at room temperature.

Mid-off – Mid off is a fielding position between the bowler and cover. Traditionally, the fielder who can’t find his arse with a GPS is hidden at mid-off.

Mid-on – Mid-on is similar to mid-off, except the fielder is on the leg-side of the batsman. Mid-on is slightly more prestigious than mid-off, as the mid-on fielder can often be required to try and catch skiers from an attempted pull or hook shot. Nonetheless, it remains pretty much the reserve of no-hopers and Peter Siddle. For some reason, I spent a lot of time fielding at either mid-on or mid-off.

Mid-wicket – Mid-wicket is another slightly confusing term, as it refers to the fielder who is located between the square leg umpire and mid-on. If you wish to be pedantic, it is roughly half-way down the pitch, but approximately ten metres away from it.

Middle stump – The middle stump is the second of the three stumps that make up the wicket. It is located, perhaps somewhat confusingly, in the middle of the off and leg stumps. The best part about the middle stump is that, when knocked out of the ground by a fast bowler, it leaves the off and leg stumps standing in a reasonable approximation of a rude two fingered gesture.

Nets – In order to practice for a game, most players partake of a net session. This involves practice on a pitch, which is enclosed on three sides by netting or wire. Nominally, this enclosure is to prevent the ball travelling too far away, but in reality, the number of holes in the netting reduce this effect. Practice pitches don’t tend to receive the same love and attention that the central square does, often resulting in conditions that are slightly skewed towards the bowler. The first net session of the new season is highly anticipated, however, the day after the first training run is also accompanied by difficulties in raising your arms above shoulder height. And sneezing or coughing is a real bugger.

New ball – The start of an innings is symbolised by the bowling team using a brand new ball. Cricket balls, as previously mentioned, are very hard. They are also bloody expensive. Fast bowlers with a new ball all seem to adopt a uniform facial expression (escaped psychotic mass-murderer), and like to check whether there is any bounce in the pitch.

Nightwatchman – a Nightwatchman is a tail-ender sent in towards the end of the day to protect a lily-livered cowardly sook of a top-order batsman. Not only do bowlers have to toil away getting all the wickets, they are then expected to make sure the batsmen are protected from any risks. Cricket is definitely a batsman’s game.

No-ball – A no-ball is usually called by an umpire when a bowler fails to ground some part of his foot behind the front crease. The more interesting interpretation of a no-ball comes when an umpire feels a players is cheating by ‘throwing’ the ball, rather than bowling it. Umpires are not allowed to call bowlers for throwing anymore, however, unless they have a post-graduate qualification in Applied Mathematics and Global Lorentzian Geometry.

Non-striker – Non-strikers, or scabs and blacklegs, are the scum of the earth. They fail to understand the concept of unity, and the rights of the worker against the capitalist bastards. Non-strikers fail to recognise one of the Greatest Evils of Capitalism, is the Fact that most People are BLINDED by their PRIDE, which is a Requirement for Capitalism to even Work! In Fact, without Great PRIDE, there would not be any such System of Greed: because People would be Humble and Honest Enough in Order to Confess the TRUTH; and the Truth is that Capitalism is DOOMED by its own Greedy Nature: because there are LIMITED Natural Resources from which Capitalism draws its Strength! In other Words, when we RUN OUT of Natural Resources –– such as Oil, Gas, Coal, Wood, and Grains –– we will be in a Capitalist’s Pickle Barrel, you might say, and no one will be Able to figure out HOW to Escape from it: because our Hands will be Tied by a Lack of Natural Resources, while everyone’s Teeth will be Dissolved by the Vinegar of Capitalism, if they Attempt to Feast on it: because it is a Perfect Recipe for Economical Disaster and Spiritual Suicide!* Non-strikers are also the player at the opposite end of the pitch to the batsman facing.
*thanks to http://www.thepeacock.com/Money/A_Li...m_Volume_1.htm

Not out – If the fielding team appeals, but the umpire does not believe the batsman has infringed upon any law, he responds by shaking his head and saying “not out”. It is not clear why the umpire indicates a player is out with a gesture, but verbalises his opinion for not outs.

Obstructing the field – Yet another of the really cool ways of getting out. This occurs when a batsman deliberately obstructs the fielding team’s attempt to get him out. An example of this is when a batsman is standing out of his ground, and deliberately hits the ball to prevent it hitting the stumps. A far funnier one is when the batsman hits the ball straight up in the air, and as he runs down the pitch, he yells out “MINE” at the top of his voice. That worked for me once, but I nearly got lynched by the fielding team in the process. Luckily, they didn’t know about the ‘obstructing the field’ law.

ODI – ODI is the acronym for Only Dopes are Interested. See 2011 series between Australia and Bangladesh.

Off-break – An off-break, or off-spinner, is a delivery that the bowler spins from his left to right. Any bowler who attempts to do this is known as an off-spinner, even if they don’t actually turn the ball at all. Australia has produced a number of off-spinners who specialised in not spinning the ball at all. For some reason, this seems to be seen as a particularly great skill by Andrew Hilditch.

Offer the light – When the umpires feel the light is too bad to continue playing, they ‘offer the light’ to the batsmen. This is quite a weird expression, as it probably should be ‘offer the dark’ instead.

Off side – the off-side is the part of the ground that the batsman faces towards as he prepares to receive the ball. The term ‘off’ is thought to have originated after the cut shot was developed. The air in the vicinity of any player who ‘cuts the cheese’ is quite ‘off’, and therefore the side of the wicket that a ball is struck from a ‘cut’ shot became known as the ‘off’.

Off stump –the final stump of the mighty triumvirate that makes our wicket. As clever readers can deduce from the name, the off-stump is located to the left of the middle and leg stumps.

On side – the on-side is another term for the leg side. Some people have asked why there are two names for the ‘on’ or ‘leg’ side, but only one name for the ‘off’ side. History reveals that there is actually a second name for the off-side. Offside and onside are a natural synergy, and there was also a matching term for the opposite of the legside. Unfortunately, the dickside never made it into popular usage for some reason and is only used by particularly knowledgeable fans.

One-day specialist – A one-day specialist is a derogatory term for those players with insufficient talent to make it in test cricket, the highest and purest form of the game. To be called a one-day specialist is a kiss of death for a player’s Test career (although it hasn’t hurt Kieron Pollard's bank account at all).

One short – When the two batsmen run up and down the pitch, they must successfully touch either their bat or a part of their body behind the crease. If they fail to do this, the umpire will signal ‘one short’ by tapping their right hand on their right shoulder. Following this gesture, the two umpires are required to yell out at the top of their voice for about five minutes to alert the scorers, as the scorers never expect this to happen.

Openers – Openers are the batting equivalent of kamikaze pilots. They are required to go out and face the oppositions opening bowlers, who are armed with a very hard new ball. Opening batsmen are, by definition, usually as crazy as the opening bowlers. For some reason, opening batsmen are not allowed to use nightwatchmen. This privilege is restricted to the rest of the batting lineup.

Out – A player is deemed to be out, when the umpire says so. Technically, the fielding team needs to appeal to the umpire for any dismissal, however, it is not commonplace to see fielding teams having to appeal when the batsman’s stumps are scattered in all directions.

Owner-Operator – A person who is a good puller is often known as an owner-operator. Duncan Fletcher is an example of a prime owner-operator.

Over – An over is a series of six legal balls in succession. A no-ball or wide does not count towards the total of six. The umpire will call ‘over’ when he believes that six legal balls have been delivered. However, it is not uncommon for the umpire to lose count, and five and seven ball overs are not that rare in lower grades.

Overthrow – An overthrow occurs when the fielding team throws the ball with a little too much enthusiasm at the stumps whilst trying to affect a run-out. Technically all cricketers are taught to backup the fielder on the other side of the field, but in actuality this rarely happens.

Over the wicket – A bowler is said to be bowling over the wicket when their bowling arm comes over between his body and the umpire / stumps. Mitchell Johnson extends this logic further, by sending the ball all over the place.

Pace bowler – a fast bowler is also often called a pace bowler. If they are any good, pace bowlers are also often called psychotic bastards. But if they suck, they are either called cannon fodder or Ben Hilfenhaus.

Pad – The batsman wears two pads, one on each leg. They used to be made from cane and canvas, but are now produced from lightweight space-age polymers that can predict the future. They protect your legs from being smashed to bits by psychotic pace bowlers.

Pinch-hitter – the pinch-hitter, like in baseball, is a batsman promoted up the order in an ODI to try and smash a few balls out of the park. It rarely works.

Pitch – the pitch (NOT TO BE CALLED THE WICKET) is the area of the ground on which the bowler and batsman face off. It is traditionally grass, although other surfaces such as concrete and matting are common in lower grades. It is usually 22 yards (or 20.18 metres) long, and ten feet wide. The pitch appears much shorter than 22 yards when facing a real quickie.

Playing for his average – (also known as a Boycott). A batsman is said to be playing for his average if he tries to remain not out (and therefore boosting his batting average). This can be achieved by either taking singles towards the end of the innings (thus leaving tailenders exposed) or by refusing to hit out when quick runs are needed. Lots of English players are good at this, although Steve Waugh also appeared guilty of this sin at times.

Point – What is the point of this A to Z of Cricketing Terms? Beats me. Point is also a fielding position that is located at 90 degrees to the batsman on the off-side.

Popping crease – the popping crease is located four feet in front of the otherwise irrelevant bowing crease. The bowler must ground some part of his foot behind the line when bowling, and the batsman must touch some part of his body or equipment over the line for a run to be scored. It is called the popping crease, as the batsmen are often forced to perform extreme contortions around the popping crease to avoid being stumped, and these moves are very similar to popping dance style made famous by the Electronic Boogaloo Lockers in the 1970s.

Powerplay - The concept of a 'powerplay' has been adopted by cricket as a means of trying to liven up boring JAMODIs. It occurs when the umpires chose to send one player from the field, which leaves the other side with a numerical advantage on the ice. Sledging and personal abuse are the most common reasons for players being sent to the box, however, a few certain unnamed players seem to enjoy touching other players on the box a little too much and seem to cross the line deliberately. The power play ends if the batting team scores. If a powerplay ends without the batting team having scored, it is clear that you are playing against England.

Pull – Many Australian players are considered to be fine pullers. Ricky Ponting in particular is known around the world as a complete and utter puller. However, Graeme Smith is also gaining a strong reputation as one of the biggest pullers of all time.

Quickie – Another term for fast or pace bowlers. Every team needs a quickie to put the fear of death into the opposition. Alternatively, a quickie is usually what happens first time around for teenage males.

Retired hurt – If a batsman is injured during the course of his innings, he is allowed to retire hurt. He is able to then either resume his innings upon the fall of a subsequent wicket, or cowardly hide in the pavilion if the bowling is too nasty. There is a movement among certain anti-sledging campaigners for a ‘retired - feelings hurt’ option for sooky batsmen, but it is unlikely to succeed.

Return crease – The return creases is the two lines located either side of the pitch, four feet from the middle stump. The only purpose to this line is to prevent the bowler going too wide, however, the rule strangely relates only to the placement of the bowler’s back foot.

Reverse sweep – the reverse sweep is a shot made famous by Mike Gatting. It entails the batsman attempting to hit the ball onto the off-side, but instead merely edging it onto his pads, being caught behind, and losing the World Cup.

Reverse swing – Reverse (or Irish) swing is when an old ball suddenly starts to move in the opposite direction to what normal swing does. While reverse swing has been subject to many wild accusations about ball tampering, it is perfectly possible to get the ball to reverse swing by normal means (such as breath mints, fingernails, bottle tops or a pocket knife). If a player from the sub-continent achieves reverse swing, they are clearly cheating. If a player from England does so, it shows their amazing skill and ability to adapt to the conditions. While maintaining minty fresh breath for some reason.

Round the wicket – A bowler who delivers the ball with his bowling arm on the far side of his body (with respect to the stumps) is said to be bowling around the wicket. Naturally, due to the placement of the stumps, bowlers must either bowl over the wicket, or around the wicket (unless you are Colin Croft, in which case you may try to deliver the ball after running over the umpire first).

Run – a run is the basic unit of scoring in cricket. Every time the batsman successfully run up and down the pitch, they are rewarded with a run. Ranatunga attempted to introduce a new scoring system, involving a ‘walk’, but this failed to catch on.

Running between the wickets – when the batsmen decide to try and score a run, they are said to be running between the wickets. This process of deciding to run involves a simple process of negotiation, referred to as ‘calling’. Running between the wickets has five basic calls ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Wait’, ‘Fuck’ and ‘Sorry’. It does get more complicated, as the intonation of these calls is particularly important, and can carry additional meaning. An example of this can be seen through the following exchange between two batsmen;-
‘Yes, wait, no..., Yes? YES!, NO, NO, NOOOOO! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!…… Sorry.’

Runner – A runner can be used when a batsman is injured during his innings, and can no longer run. Its main purpose is to add a third dynamic into the whole ‘running between the wickets’ environment. With three different opinions on whether a run is possible or not, there is often the need for a mid-wicket conference to determine a clear consensus.

Run out - If, whilst attempt to score a run, the batsman does not ground his bat over the popping crease, and the fielding side is able to break the wicket with the ball, the batsman is considered run out. Being run out is one of the most frustrating methods of dismissal, however, it does come with the satisfaction of always having someone else to blame.

Scorer – In order for a game to be played, someone needs to actually keep count. This person (or persons, as there are usually two) track the scoring of each team. It is traditional for each team to provide one scorer each. It is also traditional for the two scorebooks to never quite tally up, leading to an incredible amount of headscratching and confusion towards the end of the match.

Seam – The cricket ball, in addition to the previously noted states of hardness and colour, also possesses six rows of stitching that holds the two halves of the ball together. It is also gives bowlers something to grip onto. In higher class games, the ball is a ‘four-piecer’, with additional seams (not raised however) splitting each half into quarters. If you can get your fingernails under these half-seams and raise them slightly, you can get the ball to do all sorts of stuff. Not technically legal, but heaps of fun if you don’t get caught.

Selectors – the selectors are a bunch of guys whose eyesight and judgement are only slightly better than the umpires. Nah, that's just being unfair to umpires. Being a selector is a thankless job, but, in Andrew Hilditch's case, there is a legitimate reason no-one thanks him for it. Nonetheless, there are always power-hungry megalomaniacs that put up their hand to be a selector, regardless of the level of play.

Shooter – a shooter is a delivery that hits the pitch, but then fails to bounce more than shin height. If a bowler could do it on purpose, they would take enough wickets to make Shane Warne jealous.

Sightscreen – The sightscreen is the board situated on the boundary directly behind the bowler. Its purpose is to assist the batsman to pick the ball up against the background. I never saw the need for them myself, but that is possibly due to the fact I didn’t watch the ball anyway.

Silly – Silly is added to the front of fielding positions (such as silly mid-on) when they are located suicidally close to the batsman. Contrary to popular belief, the prefix ‘silly’ is not a reference to the famous cricketing town of Silly in Burkina Faso, but rather the village of Silly (also known as Opzullik by Dutch speakers) in Belgium.

Single – a batsman is said to have scored a single when they successfully score one run. A batsman who scores a series of singles one after another is said to be building a picket fence.

Six – The most satisfying sight in cricket (well, for the batting side anyway) is when a ball soars gloriously over the fence on the full. The batsman is credited with six runs, and the umpire gives a silly signal by holding both hands above his head. There have been many noted six hitters including Gilbert Jessop, Learie Constantine, Chris Cairns, Ian Botham, Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi and Chris Tavare.

Skier – A skier is a ball where, in a misguided attempt to smite a six, the batsman instead hits it straight up in the air. In theory, this should present an easy dismissal for the fielding team, but in practice it often results in highly amusing situations in which three or more fielders all look at each other and the ball lands safely in the middle.

Sledging – Contrary to the beliefs of many modern cricket fans, sledging has existing in cricket for centuries, and is not the sole province of Australians. Many historical examples of players abusing each other verbally can be found going back the days of the Hambledon Club in the mid 1700s. The term ‘sledging’ is relative recent, and is derived from the phrase ‘subtle as a sledgehammer’. Kumar Sangakarra is the reigning world champion at sledging, just edging out Graeme Smith and Chris Gayle.

Slip – Slips are located behind the wicket on the off-side, and are expected to catch edges from the batsman. The fielding position of slip is a particularly diverse one. In test cricket, the slip fielders are the players with the fastest reflexes and best eyesight. In lower grades, the slip fielders are traditionally the old farts who cannot run far anymore.

Slog-sweep – A slog is similar to a cow-shot, where the batsman aims a wild swipe at the ball. It is easily distinguishable from the cow-shot, as the slog-sweep is only done by top order batsmen, whereas the cow-shot is performed by tailenders.

Soft hands – The phrase ‘soft hands’ is used a lot by ex-players who have made their way into the commentary box. It is a reference to the wimpy current day pansies who use hand cream, cologne, moisturisers and blush before every game. Shane Watson and Michael Clarke are an example of this appalling trend towards sissyness, but they are only following in the footsteps of Damien Martyn.

Spinner – a spinner is a slow bowler that attempts to impart revolutions onto the ball as it travels through the air, resulting in it changing direction sharply on landing. That is the theory anyway, however, Ashley Giles had a quite long career for England as a purely slow bowler without ever bothering with the spin component.

Spirit of the Game - As with most facets of the modern game, Australia is leading the world with their 'Spirit of the Game' campaign. This is a promotion aimed at re-dressing the recent unfortunate on and off-field incidents that threaten to bismirch our great game. Ricky Ponting, universally recognised as world cricket's unofficial leader in gentlemanly behaviour, identified a series of shared standards that all Australian cricketers pledged to uphold. These standards include respecting your opponent (so long as the bastards lose gracefully), immediately accepting all decisions by the umpire (unless they are clearly wrong or made by biased officials from India or Pakistan), and through positive body language and banter (i.e. 'accidental' shoulders or beamers and calling the opposition "useless fucking poofters").

Spot fixing - one of the main problems currently facing Canadian cricket administrators is the issue of "spot fixing". Possibly as a result of the bi-lingual nature of the country, the cut shot has been confused with a seemingly simple medical procedure in the cricketing province of Labrador, with numerous complaints about botched spaying and neutering operations on cricketers. Dr Fletch has been called in to consult on the fixing epidemic, and to see whether the unkindest cut of all could be avoided.

Square – the square is the location of the turf pitches on a ground. As turf pitches wear over the duration of a match, there has to be a number of different pitches available to the curator over the period of a season. Some test grounds like the Adelaide Oval have as many as ten or twenty different pitches, and yet they still can’t manage to find one that is fair to both bat and ball.

Square leg – A fielding position is said to be square if it is located at right angles the batsman and pitch. Square leg is located directly opposite point. When the umpire needs a rest at the end of the over, he moves to square leg and has a quick kip.

Sticky wicket – In the past, pitches were not covered when it rained. This meant that a team could be forced to bat on a wet pitch. When the sun comes back out, the pitch starts to dry out and it became almost impossible to bat on. This type of pitch was referred to a sticky wicket. Useless bowlers can suddenly appear to be world-beaters. It is therefore unfortunate for South African spinners that sticky wickets are no longer seen at test level.

Strokemaker – A strokemaker is a batsman that is attractive to watch, and plays stylish shots. Traditionally, strokemakers were seen as fast scorers, however, strike rates are now showing this up as a fallacy. Supposedly stodgy players like Justin Langer often have a faster rate of scoring than a pretty player like Mark Waugh. It just doesn’t look as nice.

Stumped – A batsman can be stumped when, whilst trying to strike the ball, he leaves the safety of the popping crease and the wicketkeeper successfully removes a bail with the ball. I was only ever sent in as nightwatchman once – I was stumped third ball for 12.

Stumps – the stumps are the three bits of perpendicular wood (usually ash) that the batsman must protect from the bowler. Stumps is also the term used for the end of play, thereby signalling the commencement of the pissup.

Sweep – sweeping is quite simple. It has five key components. Firstly, you must choose an appropriate broom for the task at hand. Rough floors will probably be cleaned better by a broom made with natural fibres, while synthetic brooms are suitable for smoother floors. Secondly, you must pick a place to start sweeping from. The Sweeping School of London teaches the “sweep from the edge into the middle” technique, however, the Washington Greater College of Sweepers and Cleaners prefers the “move the dirt from one end to another” system pioneered by Thug in 8,499 B.C. The third step of successful sweeping is the actual cleaning stage. It is important to always keep the broom in contact with the ground. Slowly and carefully drag the broom towards your body – you can either use a short and fast action or a longer and more deliberate motion. Don’t try to go too fast too soon, and wait until you are confident with your technique. The fourth stage of sweeping is collecting all the dirt. Use your broom to arrange the rubbish into a pile, and then sweep this pile into a dust pan. For heaven’s sake, don’t try to do this too rapidly, or you could suffer the potentially fatal ‘dust billow’, where dirt can be accidentally pushed back into your face. The final stage of sweeping involves putting all the equipment back where you got it from, so that it is ready for the next time you wish to experience the joys of sweeping.

Swing – swing occurs when the bowler is able to swerve the ball through the air prior to it bouncing. There have been many famous exponents of swing bowling including Alec Bedser, Alan Davidson and Wasim Akram. Swing bowlers can be devastating in the right conditions, but they can also turn into Ben Hilfenhaus (i.e. cannon fodder) if the ball isn’t swinging.

Television replay - if the on-field umpire is unsure of what transpired, they can perform the traditional distress signal from Team America to signify the need for assistance from the third umpire. In this event, the third umpire is charged with viewing the events from all possible angles before always deciding that the batsman is not out.

Tesco Tuffers - this very embarrassing situation is where a player, such as Greg Matthews on his Test debut, is not recognised by the gatekeepers at the ground and refused entry. There is no truth to the rumour that the gatekeeper was well aware of an English left arm orthodox's identity, and the subsequent refusal to enter was merely his attempt to bring some reason to the English selection process.

Test – a test match is the highest pinnacle of the great game of cricket. It is between two international sides and is played over five days. The number of teams entitled to play test cricket is limited, with only nations that have demonstrated their capacity to perform at the highest level allowed to compete. The exceptions to this rule are Zimbabwe and Australia.

Third man – the player who is located on the boundary in a line behind the gully fielder is said to be at third man. The term ‘third man’ is derived from the 64th page in the Karma Sutra. Enough said really.

Tie – a tie is a when a game is not won, lost, drawn or forfeited by either team. Makes it all seem a bit pointless really.

Timed out – Definitely the coolest way to be dismissed. The incoming batsman has two minutes from the fall of the previous wicket before he must appear on the field, or he can be given ‘timed out’. I have a recurring dream in which I am due to bat after three quick wickets have fallen, and I cannot find all of my equipment. I am madly searching for my pads, box and gloves, and the umpires are holding up a large watch to indicate my two minutes are nearly up. I spoke to a Freudian psychologist about this, and evidently I have some issues with my mother.

Timing – perfect timing is achieved when you manage to get out the back door, just as her parents are coming in through the front. It requires particularly good hearing, and a capacity to keep your ears open (in spite of some quite serious distractions taking place on other parts of your body) for tell-tale noises of impending disaster.

Top-spinner – Tops are usually made from wood, although recent experiments with plastics and Kevlar have also been successful. Some of the top-spinners over the past decades include Don Winters, Fred Mills, Dwight Paulson and, the father of top-spinning, Jim Schreiber. A top-spinner is also a ball delivered by a leg-spinner that doesn’t spin. It hurries onto the batsman, and often bounces more than expected. What this has to do with childrens' wooden toys is beyond me.

Toss – the toss is a very traditional part of cricket. The two captains go to the middle and the home captain throws a coin into the air. The opposing captain has to call either ‘heads’ or ‘tails’ in an attempt to guess which way the coin will land. The captain that wins the toss is then entitled to choose to either bat or bowl first. Winning the toss should not influence the outcome of the game, but it sometimes does. Winning the toss, sending Australia in to bat at the Gabba, and then losing the match is a sure-fire way to lose the Test captaincy.

Twelfth man – aka a big loser.

Twenty/20 - this new form of the game has gained incredible popularity amongst the modern Y-generation who have the attention span of a goldfish. Its name is derived from the number of experts who are now using 20/20 hindsight to say that they always knew it would be a success.

UDRS - now taking the place of the umpire (see below), the UDRS is a foolproof, 100% reliable system of technologies that have been extensively tested and trialled across numerous different environments. It is guaranteed by the ICC as being more accurate than umpires, as the method of determining the accuracy of the umpires is through using the UDRS technology. Questions about who determines the accuracy of the UDRS are not entered into. For those who are unaware, UDRS is short for Umpires Don't Really See.

Umpire – the umpire is the man who arbitrates and rules over the game. In order to become a successful umpire at international level, you need to have a very thick skin, failing eyesight and hearing, poor posture, and some cool dance moves when the score is on 111 (or 222, 333, 444 and so on). Why anyone would chose to become an umpire of their own volition is beyond me. While I am assured it is a rumour, I have reliably heard that most umpires in local cricket are there as a result of a court enforced community service order due to a combination of beer and a lack of public urinals.

Underarm – Underarm bowling refers to a style of delivering the ball whereupon the player releases it in a manner reminiscent of a lawn bowler. This was once the norm, however, some sheila who thought she knew better than men started bowling over-arm (well, side-arm anyway) and it caught on around the world. Technically, under-arm bowling is still legal, except in ODI games between Australia and New Zealand.

Use his feet – a batsman is not required to remain stationary at his stumps. If he chooses, he can move up and down the pitch as the bowler delivers the ball. This is called ‘using his feet’. It is more commonly used against spin bowlers, however, some batsmen has also shown it can be used (albeit not successfully) against faster bowlers. Coincidentally, the helmet repair business have flourished since batsmen started charging the quicks.

Walk – A batsman, bereft of his mind, may voluntarily choose to leave his wicket upon appeal from the bowling team, thus relieving the umpire any need to do anything. This is called ‘walking’. Adam Gilchrist is famous for walking when he believes he is out. Ricky Ponting is famous for making Gilchrist walk back to the team hotel after the Australian wicketkeeper stupidly did this at a crucial stage in a World Cup semi-final.

Wicketkeeper – the wicketkeeper is the fielder who stands directly behind the batsman, and whose task it is to catch the ball if the batsman either misses it, or chooses not to hit it. The wicketkeeper has specialised equipment to help him perform this role. It includes small pads, a box and well padded gloves to catch the ball with. The wicketkeeper position is a specialist one, and if you wish to play for your country, it requires considerable skill to perform successfully. Not that this stopped the Akmal brothers.

Wide – a wide is a delivery that, in the opinion of the umpire, the batsman is unable to play a legitimate cricket shot at. This is an interesting definition. I unsuccessfully argued that every ball I faced from a certain quickie should be called a wide. As I couldn’t even see the ball, there was no way I could play a legitimate shot at it. The umpire rejected this logic, so I had to be content with playing a wild slog at the next ball and ‘accidentally’ letting go of my bat in the general vicinity of the bowler. The fact that he ducked and it hit the umpire is in no way my fault, and this is the line my solicitor will be taking at the appeal hearing.

World Cup - Beginning in 1975, the cricket World Cup is held every four years (give or take a year here and there between 1992 and 1999). Once seen as the pinnacle of ODI excellence, the 2007 debacle was so poor that I don't even need to take the piss out of it here. Very sad. Happily, 2011 showed some signs of improvement.

Wrong'un – the wrong-un is a delivery that, whilst looking like a normal leg-spinner, actually turns the opposite direction. If the batsman fails to recognise the deception, he can be made to look foolish. Unfortunately, if he does pick it, he can often launch it onto the roof of the grandstand.

Xavier Tras - Xavier is a consistent scorer in lower grades of cricket, and can often be the top-scorer. A much under-rated player. He usually performs especially well against teams from the sub-continent. He always performs better than his namesake Xavier Doherty.

Yellow - the traditional colour of both canaries and the Australian ODI team. This colour is considered particularly appropriate by many Pakistan supporters (as they feel the light lemon colour offsets Shane Watson's peachy complexion just nicely).

Yorker – a yorker is a ball that is aimed to land on the popping crease on the full, and slip under the batsman’s blade. Performed correctly, it is very hard to hit. It can be hard to bowl though, and will often instead turn into a tempting delivery that is smashed out of the park.

Zooter - I don't quite know what a zooter is. I think it is a Red bull and vodka mixed together and served ice-cold. It is only here cause I needed a 'Z' word to finish this A to Z of Cricketing Terms off. And thank fuck for that everyone says.

What is wrong with Australian Cricket?

2011-01-09T10:30:00.003+11:00

It is clear now, hopefully to the hierarchy at Cricket Australia and not just the fans, that Australian cricket is not simply struggling, but in fact is in serious trouble. There are a number of 'Ashes' autopsies going on at the moment, however, that approach fails to correctly identify that this problem has been a number of years in the making and not a phenomenon of just the past three months. Similarly, the blame being aimed at the players does not delve deeply enough into the quagmire that is now besmirching Australian cricket in general. All aspects of the game need to be considered if the national side is to firstly arrest their current slide towards the bottom of the Test playing nations, and to start moving back towards being competitive with the top sides.

Cricket Australia
The problems in Australian cricket start right at the top. Cricket Australia needs to take a serious step back and re-consider their approach to the prioritisation, scheduling and marketing of the game both nationally and internationally. While England was preparing for the Ashes battle, the Australian team was still in India. In the scheme of things, it turned out that the players from the home team were actually less ready for the series than the tourists. While credit for England's planning should by acknowledged, it doesn't change the fact that Australian players should have been home and playing Shield cricket well before they actually did. However, that wasn't the main scheduling issue. Instead, the Australian cricketing public were treated to an isolated and completely useless series of one day internationals against Sri Lanka in November. Spectators responded to this series by largely ignoring it. However, the Australian players were distracted from their Ashes preparation by having to play a sequence of games that no-one cared about at the time, and almost no-one even remembers only a few months later. Why Cricket Australia thought this series was more vital than the Ashes preparation remains unknown to everyone. During the same period, England were preparing diligently for the longer form of the game. The term, JAMODI (Just Another Meaningless One Day International), is gaining traction around the world, as more and more of these pointless and futile matches are scheduled. Cricket Australia, and the ICC for that matter, need to urgently re-consider both when and how many JAMODIs take place.

It is also worth considering the injury that Doug Bollinger experienced during the Indian tour. He went into the Test series against India under-prepared, as Cricket Australia had insisted that both he and Mike Hussey play T20 cricket for a club team. While there are escape clauses in their contracts that mandate for release for national duty, it was his own country that insisted Bollinger not join the national team until his club duties were completed. Bollinger was selected in the ICC's World XI last year, but the injury he picked up in India due to his lack of preparation effectively removed Australia's most dangerous bowler for the summer. While it is impossible to know for certain, it is not too big a jump to assume that Brett Lee or David Warner would have been told to get back for national duty if required while they were playing for provincial sides in New Zealand, but the same standards were not applied with respect to the Indian series.

The big money in cricket is in India; that fact is inescapable. This is also unlikely to change at any time soon, as India has a population more than double all other Test playing nations combined. It is also perceived that the big money has traditionally come from the 50 over game. However, it doesn't mean that Cricket Australia should bankrupt its future for some cheap dollars now. 50 over cricket has lost much of its appeal with the introduction of the T20 format, but the plethora of ODIs doesn't appear to be lessening. Australia and its cricketers have been seen as a valuable commodity in India, however, that is only while they are considered the best. Now that South Africa, Sri Lanka and England have overtaken them, it will be interesting to see if Australia remain attractive to Indian cricket authorities and the wider Indian fan base. The Indian dollars will quickly disappear if Australian cricketers are no longer seen as being desirable. The marketing of the national side needs careful analysis. The debacle we saw prior to the Ashes, in which the selectors named a larger squad of potential players for the First Test than what the entire touring England team had in the country, was a nightmare born of marketing idiocy. Too many more examples of this type of mistake and the lustre of our national side will be tarnished for many years to come.

Selection
The Australian selection panel needs to be seriously re-shaped. Any good management team needs to have a balance of perspectives and experience. The current panel are all former top-order batsmen who played in the 1980s. There are no fast bowlers, no swing bowlers, no spinners, no wicket-keepers. While you naturally don't need one from every category, the current group is seriously unbalanced. It has been evident that our batting has been a serious issue for a couple of years now, with a collapse on the cards almost every game. However, the changes to the batting order have been minimal whilst the bowlers are dropped almost on a whim. It would appear, perhaps sub-consciously, that the current panel appear far more sympathetic to the plight of a batsman short of runs than a bowler short of wickets. If there were some former bowlers on the panel, some of these biases may be less likely to occur.

The selection panel's decision making over the past few years has been one of the major factors in the situation facing Australian cricket now. Their inability to make the hard decisions, and their unwillingness to accept their own mistakes, has been disastrous. Many people in the media have commented on the panel's poor timing in their choices, dropping players when in form and then re-instating them when out of form. Poor Phil Hughes is just one example of both ends of this spectrum. The sheer number of spinners they have tried since the retirement of Shane Warne appears indicative of their inability to actually know what makes a good Test bowler. They finally fluked a spinner in Nathan Hauritz who could perform at a reasonable level, and yet they jettison him for a ODI specialist journeyman with a first class bowling average well the wrong side of 40. While Doherty's performances in the first two Tests were, in light of his previous career, not surprising, his failures were then compounded by the selectors who picked Beer instead of admitting they made a mistake in discarding Hauritz. They told Hauritz to go back to Shield cricket and perform. He did this with distinction, recording both his best ever bowling and batting figures, but that still wasn't enough for the selectors.

This selection of an unwanted Victorian finger spinner is perhaps the worst of all their recent ones. Beer had nothing for Western Australia to indicate he would succeed, and was not in anyone's thinking going into Adelaide. However, Shane Warne talked up Beer out of left field, and stunningly, Beer was then named in the Test squad. This was the point at which Andrew Hilditch should have been sacked. There are only two possible scenarios that can have occurred. Either the selection panel blindly picked a player they personally seemed to know nothing about, as evidenced by their own statements after the event, purely on the basis of what Warne had written in a newspaper article. The second option is that the selection panel talked to Warne and asked him to do a big write-up for this player to try and justify why they were going to chose Beer from nowhere. In either case, the sheer desperation underpinning either situation shows that the selection panel have totally lost their direction and must be subject to an immediate shakeup.

The recent development of Haddin's sacking is another sign of desperation, rather than forward planning. The selection panel appear so concerned about the leadership of the current team that they are willing to ditch one of the only decent performers in the past twelve months, in the hope that his replacement will cover the holes in other areas. Hilditch has publicly commented that they want to smooth the transition over between Haddin and Paine, which is a pretty big hint that Haddin is about to be completely gotten rid of. Haddin is only 33. In the normal scheme of things, and taking into account the recent history of Marsh, Healy and Gilchrist, he has around another 3 years of good performances. Why is he being axed now? Who is to say that Paine would be the first choice replacement in three years time anyway, as we have seen other options such as Ronchi and Manou used within the last 3 year period. This change is reminiscent of the inclusion of an allrounder in place of a top order batsmen, in order to fix a problem with the bowling. Rather than fixing the actual issue at hand, they try to put in stop gap measures and then wonder why it doesn't work in the long term.

Hilditch's recent comments that the selectors have done a very good job further underline just how far from reality he is now operating. The conclusion that Hilditch has to go is inescapable; the sooner the better.

Coaching, Planning and Leadership
It is interesting that the coaching staff seem to have escaped most of the criticism aimed at the players. One of the best ways you can determine how a team is being coached is through their performance of the '1 percenters', a concept pushed by a previous Australian coach. In this regard, it is clear that Australia is underperforming, and the coaching staff need to bear a significant proportion of the responsibility. You can tell how a team is going by their ability to do the little things well, such as fielding, bowling no-balls, running between the wickets and so on. In the last series, Australia bowled twice as many no-balls as England, and were run-out four times while affecting no run-outs of their own. Australia were clearly outfielded by England, a concept that is particularly hard to accept in light of the past twenty years of fielding excellence. Neilsen is supposed to be the head coach, and therefore should take responsibility for these failings.

Technically, the coaching staff are failing. The Mitchell Johnson situation is a prime example of this problem. He has technical issues with his action that are obvious to anyone with even a basic knowledge of cricket. Surely the remediation of problems such as this are the main reason for having a coaching staff. His issues have been evident, not just recently, but for a number of years. Why have the coaching staff not fixed them? Early in the series, Damien Fleming was interviewed on the ABC radio and asked why Johnson couldn't resolve the basic flaws in his action and release position. There was a long pause, before Fleming just said "I don't know". Getting Johnson to bowl with his wrist into the correct position behind the ball isn't rocket science, but it took him being dropped after Adelaide until we saw an improvement. Then, magically, he started swinging the ball again. Why did this transformation take years to affect? There are three possible reasons for this. Firstly, the coaching staff simply don't know what they are doing, which is unlikely. Secondly, Johnson is not willing to do the work necessary to improve and the coaching staff lack the authority to discipline him. Or finally, the players simply do not respect the coaching staff enough to listen when they are being advised of their problems. In any case, the current coaching setup is not working and Neilsen needs to take the rap for this.

It is hard to identify exactly what Neilsen brings to the table as a coach. It certainly can't be planning. Australia have been comprehensively out-thought by their opposition in recent years. This is exemplified by the confusion demonstrated by Ricky Ponting in setting fields. Why does he need to talk to his bowlers for five minutes at the start of first over of the day? What are they doing off the field? Surely the team would have the basic plan of attack for each batsmen in place, and only need to have further discussions if things are going wrong? Australia does not seem to have any concrete method of attack, and quickly disintegrate into panic tactics in the hope of getting a wicket, rather than working towards a plan. All of the long discussions only further diminish Australia's already poor over-rate, and lead to pressures in later stages. This then results in ridiculous situations like Mike Hussey bowling to tailenders in India, purely to increase the over-rate rather than as part of a plan to win the game.

It is particularly galling to read comments from Neilsen that basically put all the blame for the poor performances in the Ashes onto the players. That is just gutless. It is hard to come up with any reasons why Nielsen should remain in what is arguably the most prestigious coaching job in Australia.

Media
The Australian media also must take a long hard look at their role in this problem. It is beyond belief that we are still hearing commentators saying 'no-one saw it coming'. If you read the myriad of message boards around the world, genuine cricket lovers with a strong understanding of the game have been predicting this precise problem for the past three years. So how can the media claim that this recent thumping was a surprise? Rather than admitting that the occasional victory over the past few years was merely papering over the ever widening cracks, the media instead would talk about resurgence of the side. It is understandable that journalists have pressure from above to produce positive articles, however, they have failed to realistically portray the weaknesses that were rapidly emerging.

If the media had done their job and actually reported more accurately about the slide of the team, more pressure may have been placed upon Cricket Australia to actually try and fix the problems. Instead, there is a now a huge crisis that could have been averted with proper planning. It is possible that the media is now too close the players and hierarchy, and are therefore afraid to be publically critical. One possible problem is the inundation of the media with former cricketers, rather than trained journalists. There is an old tactic used by many cricket viewers, in which the television broadcast picture is watched with the radio commentary. Why is the radio commentary considered so superior? Fundamentally, the entire television commentary team is composed of ex-players with little or no media training, while the radio has actual journalists supplemented by expert comments. It is no coincidence that Richie Benaud, noted as the Doyen of Cricket Commentators, is actually a trained journalist who did the crime beat during his training. However, the main issue with the media having so many former players is that they are often afraid to be openly critical of people they know well and are friendly with. There can be an advantage in having the 'inside' perspective from a former player who has been there, however, this needs to be complemented by appropriately analytical comment.

Prior to the Fifth Test, a number of Australian fans uttered the sacrilegious words - 'We hope that England win'. The rationale behind these statements were that, if Australia won and the Ashes were tied at 2-2, the media would accept Cricket Australia's positive spin on a drawn series, and no pressure would be placed onto the hierarchy to actually make the changes that are needed. It was only with another humiliating loss by an innings that the media has really started to make noises about the need for change.

The Fans
It was amusing to read comments from current and former players, as well as support staff and Cricket Australia, criticizing the fans' reaction to Australia's poor performances. Evidently, the fans are meant to never voice their disapproval when things are going wrong. Instead, they are just meant to blindly support the national side, regardless of how they are going. While supporters should remain loyal to their side, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't recognise obvious problems. True supporters of Australian cricket need to make sure that they continue to loudly voice their disapproval of the current system that needs overhauling. Otherwise, no changes will be made, the slide down the rankings will continue, and Cricket Australia will ultimately face ever more problems in attracting the 'fair weather fans' away from the rival football codes.

Players
There has been enough criticism of the actual players. Such discussion simply deflects the attention away from the deficiencies evident in the larger structure of cricket in Australia. It is clear that the current squad of players is not at the desired standard, and cannot successfully compete against the top world sides in 2011, let alone bear comparison with their predecessors in recent years. However, unless the support structures are fixed as a matter of priority, the team will continue to stagnate near the middle of the field of Test playing nations.

Unconscious Bias of Australian Selectors

2010-11-20T20:13:00.001+11:00

If we assume for a moment that the Australian selectors are making decisions that they consider the best for Australian cricket, and not merely to piss me off (and I am not yet convinced of this argument, but anyway), I wonder whether there is an unconscious bias towards batsmen.

Recently, Australian cricket has been plagued by batting collapses, and an underperforming middle order. North and Hussey in particular have been considered by most judges (other than the selectors) to be under pressure to hold their places for over 12 months. However, in spite of losing our last three tests, the only change (other than the return from injury by Haddin) that appears likely for the first Test is the dropping of Hauritz (and potentially Bollinger evidently).

While I don't think Hauritz should be anywhere near our national team, why is a bowler the sole victim of our recent poor form? Haurie's form against India was crap, but he was actually better than expected last summer. Why does his two failures in India result in his dropping, whereas Hussey's three years of underperforming doesn't similarly result in demotion?

If you look at the composition of the panel, all are former batsmen. I wonder whether they are, perhaps unconsciously, more sympathetic to the plight of struggling batsmen than bowlers? Would a selection panel made up of Shane Warne, Geoff Lawson, Terry Alderman and Merv Hughes (hypothetically) been as likely to drop a bowler as our current group? Should there be a better balance between former batsmen and bowlers on the national panel, as there appears to be both currently and historically a strong trend towards former batsmen being selectors rather than bowlers.

The Hometown Umpiring Advantage - Why?

2009-08-23T19:41:00.001+10:00

OK, a quick question; why do home teams get such an advantage in 50/50 calls from the umpires?

If we look back over recent series, almost every time the home team has got the rub of the green in the dubious (and sometimes not even vaguely dubious decisions). Australia certainly cannot complain, as we benefit from this in home tests, but likewise, India and England have had similar 'luck' when playing at home. It has always been accepted that this happens, however, I wonder why this is.

What is the reason for home teams getting the home-town decisions? What impacts upon the umpires to have this happen? If we assume (and please do) that the umpires are not intentionally biased towards any team, and make the decisions purely based upon what is in front of them, why do they make errors that consistently seem to favour the home side? Even if you accept that that some umpires are incompetent, in theory they should make an equal number of errors and neither team should benefit.

Is it due to the crowd's influence? Is it due to home teams putting subtle (and not so subtle) pressure onto the umpires? Is the conditions that allow home players to perform in such a way as to minimise the appearance of their guilt (i.e. in Australia and on bouncy pitches, Ponting's front foot lunge appears to get him outside the line of off-stump and umpires tend not to give him lbw). Is it a statistical illusion, based upon the fact that the home team is generally more likely to generate more close appeals and therefore get more decisions in their favour?

Perhaps we also need to include a point about our own biases in terms of interpreting umpiring errors as well. I reckon Australia has been clearly worse off in terms of decisions in the current Ashes series (not that this has had an impact upon the results - Australia has played like shit and doesn't deserve to win). However, I am naturally biased towards interpretating 50/50 decisions in a certain direction, and to therefore see things in a different light to what an English supporter would do. I can remember Nasser Hussain (for example) praising the umpires in a previous test for giving an LBW against Australia that Hawkeye showed to be clipping the top of leg stump. And only a day or so later, Nasser Hussain again praised the umpire's decision in not giving an English batsman out to a ball Hawkeye showed hitting almost the exact same spot. His interpretation of an almost identical incident was influenced by his own bias. Perhaps we are all just similarly guilty.

Of course, the home town advantage is not limited to specific sports or countries. It occurs in soccer, league or whatever sport you care to mention. However, I can see why the home town advantage plays more of an influence in certain games such as league or soccer, where the home town fans can respond instantly to off-sides, forward passes etc, and the umpire/ref must be affected (to some extent) by that pressure. But in cricket, most of the spectators are not in a position to place instant pressure onto an umpire, and the decisions occur after consideration (and not during the flow of a game such as soccer, AFL etc).

I would be interested to see what the ICC Umpiring Panel thinks about this one, however, they would undoubtedly tell me how how high the standard of international umpiring is, and how they get 95% of all decisions correct. Yeah right - they must go to the same school of media relations as Andrew Hilditch.

The Transmogrification of Graeme Smith

2009-01-10T19:38:00.005+11:00

Australia and South Africa have always shared a close but also strained relationship. Both countries have a large number of similarities including a history of migration dogged by ethnic conflict, and strong economies based around mining and agriculture. Australia's colonisation in 1788 occurred just prior to England's move into the Cape in 1795. Politically, Australia's stance on apartheid always seemed somewhat hypocritical in light of the 'White Australia' policy that existed until the mid 1970s. On the sporting field, the two teams have traditionally been strong competitors in both cricket and rugby, with the on-field mutual respect often not matched with off-field friendship. It has been suggested that perhaps the similarly tough approach to how the game is played has prevented the players from really enjoying each other's company.

Since their return to the international cricket family, South African sides have not been popular with the Australian public. Seen as negative and defensive, touring parties have not managed to capture the attention and love of the crowds. In the 2005/06 season, Graeme Smith managed to alienate almost the entire Australian population, at the same time as losing five of the six test matches. Smith was very young at the time, and came across as such. He tried to talk tough and combat Australia with fire, but this approach dramatically backfired. It would not be unfair to describe Smith as one of the most unpopular cricketers in Australia since Richard Hadlee hung up his boots.

However, the 2008/09 season has seen a dramatic turn-around in both public perceptions of Graeme Smith and the South Africa team. Smith has remained calm, and has managed the media particularly well. He has come across as a considered and mature captain, and has never appeared flustered. Smith deserves considerable praise for this change.It is perhaps worthy of note that the entire three Test series did not contain one single incident that even hinted at dissent or abuse.

Just as impressively, South Africa played the three Test matches in an aggressive frame of mind. Previous touring teams have been too defensive and failed to take any opportunities when they presented. Smith captained the side aggressively and with purpose. His spinner bowled an attacking line from around the wicket. His pace bowlers were constantly trying to get wickets. His batsmen were always looking for opportunities to score. And most importantly, the entire team's attitude was universally positive. Even when they looked down and out, they found a way to win.

When he walked out to bat in the second innings of the Third Test in Sydney, Smith received a standing ovation from the entire crowd. It was reminiscent of the footage of Larwood's standing ovation at the same ground during the Bodyline series. It is a popular misconception that the Australian public dislikes players who are successful. Richard Hadlee's lack of popularity in Australia was not to do with his great skill, but rather the public's perception (rightly or wrongly) of his character. Graeme Smith has managed to transmogrify from an almost universally disliked character only a few years ago, to a person who is widely commended across the country. Whilst the public would have applauded Smith's bravery in 2006 if he had come out to bat in similar circumstances, he would not have won their hearts as he so clearly did this year.

Much as it pains me to say this as an Australian, South Africa are clearly the best cricket team in the world at the moment. And Graeme Smith deserves a lot of the credit, both for the team's success and his own maturation in a great leader.

Australian Elite Cricket - A crisis at the top?

2009-01-01T08:27:00.002+11:00

In amongst all of the either gloating or lamentations, depending upon whether you live in Australia or not, there is a general consensus that Australia are struggling at the moment. They are not necessarily a bad team, but pretty clearly are also not the world no.1 anymore. Where does the problem lie? There have been numerous theories put forward, most either blaming the batting or the bowling inadequacies, but there seems to be a bigger issue regarding planning at the elite level.

As captain, Ponting doesn't seem to have an idea of what to do on the field. His biggest problem with maintaining a decent over-rate is that he dilly-dallys around at the start of each over simply because he doesn't seem to know what the field placings for each batsman should be. There don't appear to be any clear strategies or plans. Surely this should be discussed prior to going onto the field, but if so, why would Ponting spend two or three minutes changing the field in the second over of the day? What the coaching staff are up to is beyond me. Tim Neilson seems to have escaped any criticism so far, but perhaps his role needs a very careful re-assessment. If he is there to coach and coordinate team tactics, he is either failing badly, or Ponting doesn't agree with what he wants.

To make it worse, our selectors also seem to have no idea or plan for the future. The selection decision to pluck Andrew McDonald from the obscurity of the Victorian middle order is beyond comprehension. The selectors rated him so highly just a few months ago that he wasn't even in the 25 contracted players. Now he is to be the middle order saviour? He is nearly 28, and has not suddenly burst onto the scene with performances that scream out for selection. His top score this summer is 60, not the sort of statistic that will have the South Africans worried. Purely from a Victorian perspective, Brad Hodge, David Hussey and even Cameron White must now assume their international careers are over if McDonald is preferred to them.

The debacle over the spinning position is yet another example of the selectors not knowing what they are trying to achieve. With all due respect to Nathan Hauritz, it is blatantly obvious he is not a match winning spinner, and never will be. Krezja shows some potential (i.e. he actually flights the ball and can spin it), so they tell him to go back to state level and bowl defensively. The lesson from that is for Krezja to follow Hauritz's example and bowl darts at around 90kms that don't spin or take wickets, but also only go for 3 runs an over. That is the sort of message that kills careers.

Other problems in the past years include the dumping of Ashley Noffke from the Australian squad, in spite of him being the standout player of the first class competition last year. The selectors instead picked Peter Siddle, who had played half of one season. Noffke, Bollinger and Hilfenhaus have all performed well over a number of years, however, the selectors somehow pick Siddle on the back of a dozen first class games. In his three tests so far, Siddle has looked completely innocuous except for one spell.

Does Cricket Australia need to have a long hard look at the entire structure of elite cricket in the country, with the selectors, coach and captain all in the sights?

The question arises - what does Cricket Australia do now? Are we content to be a top 4 nation for the foreseeable future, or do we make some hard decisions now and aim to be the world no. 1 again sooner rather than later. Do we rebuild, which involves jettisoning more than one player now even though they still have a year of potentially good contribution left in them, or simply replace a few as they fall over.

If Australia wants to regain the no. 1 tag by 2010-2012, there will be some pain in the short term. I would be happy if the selectors say that we are rebuilding, and that we need to give some of the younger guys (i.e. Krezja, Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Bollinger, Hughes, or whoever) a decent run. However, this approach would also mean getting rid of some of the older players immediately (Hayden, Symonds and Lee for example) so that the newer players could be introduced and have time to mature into a great side. This would mean that we would undoubtedly struggle to be competitive with the likes of South Africa and India, but we are also almost at the end of the cycle of playing them. Perhaps now is the time to blood the next group of younger stars so that they are ready for the challenge of regaining the world no. 1 mantle in a few years time.

Channel 9 is a disgrace

2008-12-18T18:56:00.003+11:00

I am ceasing to write about the Gregorys for one post to express my extreme disgust at the Channel 9 commentary team in the current Test match against South Africa. Every hour or so, they are quoting the current odds being offered by betting agencies on the outcome of the game. Now, I don't mind it if commentators sometimes mention the fact that a team is now "100-1" to win the match or similar, but struggled to understand why we needed to be updated that South Africa were now $2.55 on the win.

However, it is clearly an advertising scheme approved by the hierarchy at Channel 9. One or two mentions of betting odds could be coincidence; the continual repeating demonstrates is a predetermined strategy. I don't mind if companies wish to advertise, that is what makes the world run. But don't go in for this almost 'subliminal' advertising, with commentators throwing in regular references without acknowledging that they are being paid to do so. I was under the clearly misguided opinion that there was a limit on how much advertising was allowed on television. Channel 9 are obviously trying to bypass this limitation by having their commentators constantly promoting betting. Betfair and Channel 9 have history (http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1183337.htm) - its hardly surprising, but still disappointing, to see Channel 9 so actively promoting the company's activities.

This is so wrong on many levels. The actual promotion of gambling is bad enough; there are a lot of people in Australia who have problems with an addiction without it being forced down their throat whilst trying to watch our supposed national game. However, in light of the ongoing problems with match-fixing, it appears the height of hypocrisy for Channel 9 to be so openly promoting betting.

Surrounding the cricket grounds this summer is advertising material for Betfair. I have no drama with this. It is clear and transparent. However, the appalling actions of Channel 9 are beyond the pale.

The Gregorys - Chapter Four

2008-12-14T19:30:00.003+11:00

Thursday the 15 March 1877 is now recognised as the first day of test cricket history. Whether the Victorian organizers deliberately chose the Ides of March as the starting date has not been recorded, but it is nicely symbolic of the colonies’ desire to ambush the mother country. Although the use of the term ‘Test Match’ can be found as early as 1862, that designation was not ascribed to this game at the time. In fact, it was not until an Australian journalist, Clarence Moody, decided to unilaterally confer it with this status in the 1890s that the concept of test matches became universally accepted.

The Melbourne Cricket Club had clearly gone to great lengths for this game, with a large circular marquee to the south of the two- storeyed stands, with rows of banked seats further complementing the permanent grandstand. Lillywhite’s team were impressed by the ground and its accommodation for spectators, considering it “unapproached by anything we can point to back home”. As with many famous historical events, the momentous nature of this game was not recognised at the time by the locals, with a disappointing crowd of only just over one thousand spectators arriving for the start of the game.

Lillywhite’s team had only arrived back in Melbourne from their New Zealand tour on the 14 March. Originally, they were meant to arrive back three days prior to the beginning of the match against the Combined team, but their ship was delayed en route back to Australia. Reports regarding the voyage also indicate that the English tourists were exposed to very sub-standard accommodation on the vessel, with some choosing to sleep under the stars rather than venture below decks. It is clear that a number of the players were badly affected by only arriving in Australia the day before the match. While many were still decidedly unwell by the start of the game, with only eleven available men, no replacements were possible.

The captains of the respective teams met to toss the coin on what was a sunny and warm Autumn morning. Dave Gregory won the first ever toss in Test cricket and, following wisdom that still prevails today, decided to bat first. The quality of the pitch is hard to judge but it was considered “under-prepared and almost grassless” by some of the observers. The two umpires for the game were Melbourne locals Curtis Reid and Richard Terry, both of whom played first class cricket for Victoria. The Australian and English representatives agreed that the timeless match would be played under the four ball per over rule, but the hours of play were less clear.

Some reports indicate that they were determined to be nominally from 10am to 2pm each day. This did not transpire, however, as the first day of Test cricket actually started at approximately 1.05pm. The Melbourne Argus had written that the game would commence at 10.00am, and consequently some spectators turned up on the first day approximately three hours before play eventually got underway.

The English team took the ground resplendent in white flannels and cravats. The round-arm bowler Alfred Shaw opened the bowling for the English side, with the twenty-five year old Charles Bannerman taking strike. Bannerman, one of six English born players in the combined colonies team, had moved to Australia with his parents at the age of two. He had first played for the Warwick Club in Sydney during the 1866/67 season, and following good performance, Bannerman made his inter-colonial debut against Victoria in 1871. Over the following six years, he established a reputation in both New South Wales and Victoria as the pre-eminent batsman in the country. Described as “the best batsman in Australia, hits brilliantly all round” in Cohen’s NSW Cricketer’s Guide for 1877/78, Bannerman was only a small man measuring only about five foot six inches in height. He was another of the players who had been coached extensively by Caffyn and was renown for his excellent strokeplay and in particular his powerful driving.

Bannerman had the privilege of scoring the first run in Test cricket cutting the second ball from Shaw for one. Bannerman’s opening partner was Nat Thomson and he became the first wicket in Test cricket, when he was bowled by Shaw’s opening partner Hill for 1. The opening partnership had been only 2, but Bannerman and the new batsman Horan pushed the score along steadily. During this period of time Bannerman badly miscued a short ball from Shaw before he reached double figures; Armitage, however, spilled the easy chance at mid-off.

The score had reached 40 just before the lunch break when Horan was caught by Hill off Shaw. This brought the Australian captain Dave Gregory to the crease. He immediately got off the mark with a single from Shaw’s bowling, but he then proceeded to be run out by Jupp. The lunch break at 2.00pm saw Australia at 3 for 41, with Bannerman on 27. Cooper joined Bannerman, who was increasing in confidence rapidly. Cooper held up his end determinedly, while Bannerman started to show why he was rated the best batsman in Australia. They had a partnership of 77, of which Cooper only contributed 15. Bannerman was by now “driving dominatingly and scoring freely to most of the field”. Cooper’s dismissal by Southerton, who at age 49 years and 119 days is still the oldest test debutant, brought Midwinter to the wicket.

Bannerman and Midwinter had pushed the score on from 118 to 135 when, at approximately 4.25p.m., Bannerman scored the run that gave him the first century in test cricket. Midwinter fell soon afterwards for 5, and was followed quickly afterwards by Dave Gregory’s older brother Ned, who recorded the first duck in test cricket. By the close of play at 5 p.m., Australia had lost six wickets for 166, but without Bannerman’s unbeaten score of 126, it is hard to imagine what their total may have been. While Shaw had been the most successful bowler on the day, Ulyett had shown why he was rated by many judges as the fastest bowler in England. He had struck a number of the Australian batsmen during the day, and had made good use of the variable bounce in the pitch. Estimates of the day’s attendance are unreliable and vary from report to report, but the news of Bannerman’s efforts spread through Melbourne and it is believed that a total of around 4,500 spectators eventually turned up on this first day. At the conclusion of the day’s play, the two teams met up for dinner and went to the opera to finish off the evening.

Bannerman and Blackham resumed their innings the next day at a quarter to one, and took the score off through to 197 before Southerton bowled Blackham for 17. It was looking increasingly likely that Bannerman would carry his bat through the innings when Tom Garrett, an eighteen year old picked to open the bowling and who was to become the great–grandfather of Midnight Oil singer and Commonwealth Parliamentarian Peter Garrett, joined Bannerman and batted with a maturity beyond his years. He was second top score with an undefeated 18, and had assisted Bannerman to progress the score through to 240 when Ulyett literally struck a vital blow. Apart from his early let-off Bannerman had batted without error, but a quick delivery from Ulyett jumped from just short of a good length and struck him on the right hand. This blow split open his index finger and Bannerman had to retire hurt. Batting gloves in 1877 did not provide very effective protection to the batsman’s hands, and finger injuries such as this were not uncommon. Bannerman had scored 165, a massive contribution towards the Australian total. The innings folded quickly after Bannerman’s exit, with Kendall and Hodges only adding another five leave Australia with an eventual total of 245.

The magnitude of Bannerman’s performance can be seen by the fact that he contributed a phenomenal 67.3% of the team total, a record for Test cricket that still stands. His score of 165 is over nine times higher than the next best effort, which also remains unsurpassed in completed innings. The Argus was justifiable excited by this effort, and started a public campaign for a Charles Bannerman subscription at the end of the second day. This collection raised approximately £83 or half a pound for each run he scored. The opposition were also impressed, with Lillywhite declaring that “he had seen as good a display of batting in England, but never better”.

The English team started their reply at approximately 3.30pm with Jupp and Selby facing the Australian opening bowlers Hodges and Garrett. They put on a partnership of 23 before Selby was caught by Cooper off the bowling of Hodges for 7. The innings of Lillywhite’s team then followed a similar pattern to the Australians, with the opening batsman Jupp batting solidly whilst his partners fell about him. At the end of the second day England were 4 for 109, with Jupp undefeated on 54. Surprisingly, the crowd for day two was slightly less than the first, with only about four thousand turning up to see Bannerman continue his innings. The second day had provided slightly better value for money for those who attended, with a total of 188 runs for seven wickets comparing with 166 runs and six wickets on the first. With Bannerman’s hand injury preventing him from fielding, the Melbourne Cricket Club’s professional W. Newing acted in his steed as no twelfth men were nominated for either side.

The start of the third day at a quarter past twelve saw Armitage joining Jupp at the crease, but the batter Jupp was soon dismissed for 63 by Garrett. A valuable 35 not out by Hill batting at no. 9 managed to push England’s score towards 200, but their final total of 196 gave Australia a very useful lead of 49 in a low scoring game. The scoring rates of both teams were almost identical, with Australia scoring at 36 runs per hundred balls, whereas England were infinitesimally slower at 35.9. Allrounder Billy Midwinter became the first player to take five wickets in an innings in test cricket, with 5 for 78 off fifty four overs. Dave Gregory rotated his bowlers well, and showed that the faith of the Victorians had not been misplaced. He showed no favour towards his fellow New South Welshmen, and used all of the bowlers judiciously. His astute field placements were also unexpected by the English sides, who had been anticipating less sophisticated captaincy from a man who had never led his state team.

In spite of his injury, Bannerman insisted upon taking his place at the top of the order. With his hand swathed in bandages, Bannerman manfully attempted to recreate his first innings form, but Ulyett’s pace quickly proved too much for him. Bannerman was bowled for 4, with only 7 on the board, and without a repeat of his first innings dominance, Australia finished the third day at 9 for 83. Dave Gregory showed his willingness to experiment by changing the batting order, with Garrett rewarded for his first innings heroics by switching places with Gregory and batting at no. 4. This sadly did not work, with Garrett being dismissed without scoring and Dave not doing much better with only 3. Horan made 20, Midwinter 17 and Ned Gregory made 11, but the rest of the rest of the team did not contribute significantly. The general consensus in the papers was that England should manage to win the game easily on the next day.

The third day had seen by far the greatest audience at the match, with in excess of ten thousand spectators. After a rest day to observe the Sabbath, the game resumed on Monday and the attendance fell back to the levels of the previous week with around two thousand people turning up to see an expected England victory. The last pair of Kendall and Hodges resumed at twenty past twelve with the total at 83, and they frustrated the English team by adding another 21. Hodges was eventually bowled by Lillywhite for 8, with Kendall finishing with 17 not out. Shaw underlined his status as the premier bowler in England, taking a very economical 5 for 38 off 34 overs. He bowled very well in partnership with Ulyett and Hill, and no Australian batsman looked comfortable against their attack. Australia’s total of 104 meant that England only required 154 to win, a score that was not expected to trouble them. Dave Gregory and his side were not of this opinion, and came out determined to make them struggle for every run. The pitch was getting more and more difficult to bat upon, and it seemed that the Australian team was in a good position to win.

Dave showed his experience and cricketing brain again by changing the opening bowlers for the second innings. Left-armer Tom Kendall had only taken 1 for 54 in the first innings, but Dave had noticed that none of the English players appeared totally comfortable in playing him. Kendall opened the bowling with Midwinter, and they bowled almost unchanged throughout the innings. Lillywhite also changed his tactics, with Hill and Greenwood replacing Jupp and Selby as the openers. The reasons for this change are unclear, but it is possible that Lillywhite hoped that the hard-hitting Hill would get England off to a fast start. Regardless of the rationale behind it, the switch in order was a mistake for England, with Kendall dismissing both openers with only 7 on the board. When first innings stalwart Jupp fell lbw to Midwinter for 4, England were 3 for 20. This quickly became 4 for 22, with Kendall bowling Charlwood for 13.

Australia had rapidly become favoured to win, but a sensible partnership between Selby and Ulyett pushed the score through to 62. Kendall managed to achieve the breakthrough by bowling Ulyett for 24. Shaw also fell to Kendall soon afterwards, becoming his fifth wicket, and all on what was his first class debut as he had never been selected for Victoria. Armitage quickly settled in, however, and Selby continued on without too many problems. Feeling that his team was losing the initiative, Dave Gregory switched his bowlers around and this saw prompt results with Hodges getting Selby caught by Horan for 38. With the loss of Selby at 92, the remainder of the English innings fell away quickly, and they were dismissed for 108. Kendall was the undoubted star, taking 7 for 55 off 33.1 overs to back up his 17 not out earlier in the day. The combined Australian side had triumphed over the English side by 45 runs, a result that was as critical for the development of test cricket as it was unexpected.

The victory of Dave Gregory’s team was greeted with jubilation in the colonies, with the newspapers in both Melbourne and Sydney reporting with great glee the defeat of the English side. The Sydney Daily News used the occasion to send a patronizing message back to London, declaring that “It may console them to note that the English race is not disintegrating in a distant land and on turf where lately the blackfellow hurled his boomerang.” The Australasian was highly effusive, saying that :

“The victory of the Australian Eleven over the English cricketers is no ordinary triumph. For the first time a team representing the cricketing prowess of England has been beaten on equal terms out of that country. The event marks the great improvement which has taken place in Australian cricket; and shows, also, that in bone as muscle, activity, athletic vigour, and success in field sports, the Englishmen born in Australia do not fall short of the Englishmen born in Surrey or Yorkshire.”

Whilst Dave Gregory had previously not had a happy time playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for New South Wales, this victory made up for much of that anguish. The Argus newspaper reported that the leadership of Dave was the difference between two evenly matched sides.

To celebrate their win, the Victorian Cricket Association presented a gold medal to each player, with Dave Gregory being awarded a slightly larger medallion in recognition of his role as captain. In addition to the subscription list for Bannerman, Blackham and Kendall were also the recipients of collections of approximately £23 each. The takings from this first game exceeded all expectations, and the two teams agreed to meet again at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a fortnight for a re-match. It was agreed that this game would be for the benefit of Lillywhite’s team, and, following the success of Australia in the first game, it was expected that the match would be a financial windfall for Lillywhite’s team prior to their return home.

Not all of the publicity surrounding the game was positive, and there was some gloating by the local media, with some disparaging remarks about the strength of Lillywhite’s side. The Australasian claimed that the team was by far the weakest to have ever played in the colonies, and that the bowling attack lacked penetration:

“If Ulyett, Emmett and Hill are fair specimens of the best fast bowling in England, all we can say is, either they have not been in their proper form in this Colony or British bowling has sadly deteriorated”.

There were also a number of rumours circulated throughout Melbourne claiming that the English side had deliberately lost the game in order to increase the attendance at the second game.

The Gregorys - Chapter Three

2008-11-22T19:01:00.002+11:00

While two other English teams had toured Australia since the first led by HH Stephenson in the early 1860s, it was James Lillywhite’s tour of Australia in 1876/77 that has since been recognized as providing the start of Test cricket. As with all English teams that toured Australia prior to the M.C.C.’s involvement in 1903, Lillywhite’s side was organized privately and was not considered an official English representative side when it left.

Lillywhite, a left hand slow-medium pace bowler and lower order batsman, had previously toured North America in 1868 and was a member of W.G. Grace’s 1873/74 side to Australia. He was a member of a well-respected family within English cricketing circles. Although he was the son of a bricklayer, John Lillywhite, his uncle Frederick and cousins James snr. and John Lillywhite also all played first class cricket in England professionally. The family’s Lillywhite Cricketers’ Annual rivalled Wisden as the pre-eminent ‘bible’ of the game for many years. By 1877, he was thirty five years old and had considerable experience in first class cricket. He had made his debut in 1862 for Sussex, and ultimately played a total of 256 first class games.

The twelve member team that Lillywhite brought out was composed entirely of professional players from only four counties. Joining Lillywhite from Sussex were Henry Charlwood and James Southerton, with Thomas Armitage, Tom Emmet, Andrew Greenwood, Allan Hill and George Ulyett from Yorkshire, Henry Jupp and Edwin Pooley from Surrey, and John Selby and Alfred Shaw from Nottinghamshire. Shaw was the vice-captain of the touring party, and also acted as the assistant manager. Shaw had been previously been invited to tour Australia by Grace, but had chosen not to take part.

The Lillywhite tour was arranged in conjunction with Victorian player and journalist John Conway, and was financed by a wealthy English farmer, Arthur Hogben. The players all agreed to tour for a total of one hundred and fifty pounds a man, with a share of profits taken from the matches. The only exception was the Alfred Shaw who asked for and received three hundred pounds in return for his role as assistant manager. One of main reasons Shaw had not chosen to take part in the 1873/74 related to the second-class travel arrangements for all professionals, with only the amateurs receiving first class passage. With this tour being composed entirely of professionals, Lillywhite organized that they all travelled and stayed first-class. The team’s sea voyage to Australia took forty eight days on the P & O steamship Poonah, with stops in Malta, Suez and King George’s Sound at Albany to refill with coal.

As the tour was only composed of professionals, many of the greatest English batsmen were not present. For a period of ten years between 1871 and 1880, the top English batsmen were exclusively amateurs. Grace, who had captained the touring party of Australia four years previously in 1873, was without doubt the most famous cricketer in the world, and his first class record over this period of 16,877 runs at an average of just under 49 was almost 18 runs better than his nearest rival. Other notable players of the age who did not tour with Lillywhite included Lord Harris, Arthur Shrewsbury, the Hon. Alfred Lyttleton, Allan Steel, ‘Monkey’ Hornby, Richard Barlow, and Alfred Lucas. Grace’s brothers G.F. and E.M. also were famous non-starters; in fact Fred Grace was proposing a rival tour to Lillywhite’s that did not eventuate. The fact that Fred Grace’s team did not transpire was highly significant; with another English team touring Australia in parallel it is unlikely that a game with Lillywhite’s XI would have afterwards been given the status of the inaugural Test match.

Despite the unavailability of players of this, it was a side of seasoned and well performed professional players, with Alfred Shaw considered the premier bowler in England and Edward Pooley the best wicketkeeper in the country. Prior to the tour the English expectations were that they would not be troubled greatly by the colonies. Lillywhite’s team struggled on the tour, losing first to a New South Wales XV by two wickets, then to a Victorian XV by 31 runs, and finally to another New South Wales XV. The Melbourne Punch magazine became somewhat overconfident at this point, putting forward a somewhat tongue-in-cheek view that in a decade an Australian XI would be playing against an All England XV.

With these victories, the Victorian Cricket Association was sufficiently confident as to consider that the time had come for a match to take place against combined colonial team on even terms, with eleven per side. Their enthusiasm was dampened a little with an impressive performance by Lillywhite’s side in a game against a New South Wales XI, but it was decided to progress with a Combined NSW-Victoria XI against the All England XI. This game was set down to begin on the 15th of March, 1877. Lillywhite agreed to this additional match, and whilst his side headed to New Zealand for a two month tour, the hard work of organizing the combined eleven began. Conway, who had been the key Australian contact in planning the Lillywhite tour, was instrumental in the coordination of this game that was initially referred to by the media as the “grand combination match.”

In 1877, the federation of Australia was still almost twenty five years in the future. When the British first settled Australia in 1788, all the land was referred to as New South Wales. New settlements such as Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1803, Moreton Bay (Brisbane) in 1824, and Port Phillip (Melbourne) in 1835 were established over the next few decades. Whilst these were overseen from Sydney initially, the new colonies complained of neglect and demanded their right to govern themselves. The British Government’s Australian Colonies Government Act of 1850 empowered the colonies to frame their own constitutions, establish legislation and determine the voting rights for legislation. In 1851, Victoria gained its legislation under this act, and this development created further divisions and differences. Victoria and New South Wales viewed themselves as adversaries, rather than as a potential coalition. Some of this enmity arose from the fact that Sydney had originated as a penal settlement, while Melbourne was composed of free settlers. Both states tended to view the other with considerable suspicion, with inter-colonial trade barriers and tariffs greatly restricting free commerce between the two states. There were also significant complications associated with varying navigation, insurance and quarantine laws, postal services, the gauge of railway lines and banking. Even though New South Wales was the most populous state, Victoria was quickly closing the gap and was becoming the centre of many important manufacturing and commercial enterprises, a situation that led to considerable jealousy on the part of politicians in Sydney.

With a considerable amount of inter-colonial rivalry ever present, the naming of a mutually acceptable side was always going to prove a difficult exercise. As a compromise, it was initially conceived that the team would be composed of six players from New South Wales and five from Victoria. The Victorians, and Conway in particular, bypassed the New South Wales Cricket Association and approached the Sydney-based players directly to take part. That Association was clearly disgruntled at being ignored, and issued the following resolution: “It has been publicly notified that a game is about to be played between the All-England Eleven and a combined eleven of New South Wales and Victoria. This association desires to place on record that the game has been arranged without any reference to the association, and cannot be regarded as a match in which chosen representatives of NSW take part.” As one of the most respected and senior players in Sydney, Dave Gregory, in particular, was subject to considerable pressure from the NSW cricket authorities not to take part in a game lacking their direct sanction.

One of the first problems facing the organizers was agreeing upon a ground on which to hold the match. As the game was being organized by the Victorian Cricketers’ Association, the Melbourne Cricket Club’s Richmond Paddock was the obvious choice. The only problem was that Lillywhite had agreed prior to the tour commencing to play his matches on the East Melbourne Club’s main ground. This was the result of the proposed rival tour by G.F Grace that had booked the Melbourne Cricket Ground before Lillywhite could. Conway examined the options for Lillywhite, with five recreational grounds in the East Melbourne area. In addition to the Melbourne Cricket Club’s Richmond Paddock, there were also established pitches at Richmond Cricket Oval, Gosch’s Paddock, and two ovals run by the East Melbourne Club. With the Melbourne Cricket Ground pre-booked by Grace’s tour, East Melbourne was the next-best option Conway to organize for Lillywhite. Ultimately it would not have been an issue, as Fred Grace’s tour did not go ahead, but the agreement to play games at the East Melbourne Ground had been signed before Grace cancelled his plans.

Changing the location of the game from East Melbourne to the Melbourne Cricket Ground would not appear difficult. There were, however, a variety of factors that added to the problems facing the organizers. The Melbourne and East Melbourne Clubs were in the middle of a protracted dispute regarding the allocation of gate money, and they had refused to play each other that year in the Melbourne club competition. The East Melbourne Club’s committee regarded it as a major coup to have captured the rights for the Lillywhite matches, and they were not going to relinquish them easily. The Melbourne Cricket Club had established a monopoly over major cricketing contests, and the East Melbourne Club viewed the Lillywhite tour as an opportunity to break this domination.

This competition between the two clubs threatened to derail the match before it even started. The fight was carried out in public, with both sides acting through the newspapers, with threats made of legal action. There was a significant amount of negotiation before a compromise was finally reached between the various parties, with Lillywhite paying East Melbourne a total of 230 pounds and allowing their five hundred members into the Melbourne Cricket Ground free on each day of the match. The East Melbourne Club were not idle at this time, as they quickly aligned themselves with the Victorian Football Association which had formed in 1877. Their ground became the headquarters of the Essendon Football Club only a few years later in 1880. In an interesting aside, the Lillywhite Cricketer’s Companion starting publishing the averages of the East Melbourne Cricket Club’s players in the Melbourne Pennant Competition, a practice that continued well into the 1880s. Whether this was part of an unofficial agreement between Lillywhite and the East Melbourne Club or simply a strange idiosyncrasy remains a mystery.

The Melbourne Cricket Club had just built a new grandstand at their ground Richmond Paddock at a cost of £4678. As was common at the time, the stand was constructed in a manner that allowed the seating to be rearranged to permit spectators to watch cricket on the Melbourne Cricket ground in summer, and football on the adjacent Yarra Park in winter. In 1876, the prevailing wisdom was that the one ground could not cope with the stresses of both football and cricket, so a multi-directional stand was essential. The grandstand, with a capacity of two thousand people, greatly added to the comfort provided to spectators, and also allowed for increased revenue over the following years for the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Whilst the ground was finally organized and ready, the combined team had also proved difficult to confirm. Ted Evans from New South Wales was considered one of the leading all-rounders in the country and an automatic selection, but he declined a position because of the pressure of business. His withdrawal resulted in the initial selection of Charles Bannerman, Fred Spofforth, Tom Garrett, Nat Thomson and the two Gregory Brothers, Dave and Ned as the six New South Welshmen in the team.

The team faced further immediate problems with Spofforth refusing to play unless Billy Murdoch was selected to keep wicket instead of the Victorians’ choice of Jack Blackham. Spofforth believed that only Murdoch, his New South Wales wicketkeeper, understood his bowling well enough. The selectors did not give in to this blackmail, so Spofforth, a man of his word, withdrew from the side. The loss of Evans and Spofforth was then compounded by the last minute withdrawal of Victorian Frank Allan, a left armer considered highly enough to have attracted the sobriquet of “bowler of the century”. Allan, who had originally consented to play and had received time off work from his position with the Lands Department at Warrnambool in Western Victoria, later changed his mind and instead decided to meet up with friends at the Warrnambool Agricultural Fair. While the idea of a current Test player deciding to miss a game because he wanted to visit a fair is inconceivable, it does underline the fact that this game was not viewed at the time as the start of international Test cricket as we know it today.

The final eleven players who took the field were Charles Bannerman, John Blackham, Bransby Cooper, Tom Garrett, Dave Gregory, Ned Gregory, Jack Hodges, Tom Horan, Tom Kendall, Billy Midwinter and Nat Thomson. There is still some confusion regarding the exact identity of Hodges, with some sources referring to J.R. and others to J.H. It is now considered that the individual in question is John Robert Hodges. It is believed that the confusion may have arisen around five years later, when John Henry Hodges umpired in the 1884/85 Melbourne Test Match. During this period many umpires were also current first class cricketers, and in the years following J.R. and J.H. Hodges were mistakenly assumed to be the same person. Likewise, Nat Thomson’s surname is often spelt as Thompson in many records.

Of the final eleven players, only five were native born in Australia. This was perhaps not surprising, as in 1871 only 60% of people in Australia were born there. In contrast to the initial plan, Victorians outnumbered New South Welshman by six to five. This was of particular importance, as the players chose the captain, and in light of the inter-colonial rivalry, it would not have been unexpected that the Victorian dominance would result in the selection of one of their own. Spofforth wrote in 1894 that he doubted

“if Englishmen will ever understand the spirit of rivalry that runs high between the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales. The spirit is not limited to the field, it extends to politics, to society, to every side of life, indeed, in which the two are brought into contact with one another’”.

Lillywhite had commented on the previous 1873/74 tour with Grace that the inter-colonial rivalries weakened the on-field performances of the sides. This level of antagonism can be further seen by the views of Charles Bannerman a few years later. The team was travelling by steamer along the coast of New Zealand and Bannerman, a strong swimmer, was asked who he would save in the event of the boat sinking. He replied that he would help his brother Alec, then Billy Murdoch and Fred Spofforth. When asked about the Victorian members of the squad, he said “Let them drown. Do you think I am going to risk my life for them?” In light of this prevailing attitude, it is even more extraordinary that Dave Gregory from New South Wales was nominated unanimously to lead this first ever combined eleven.

The influence of Conway on this decision is difficult to determine, but it is clear that he played a role. Conway had previously been very impressed by Dave’s clear thinking and capacity to remain calm under pressure. In a letter he wrote to a relative a few years before, he commented that “he not only looked the part, he was the part. Dave Gregory would be ideal to lead a combined colonies team against England.” In his capacity as the Australian organizer of this match, Conway was in a position to exert his influence over any decision made in respect to the makeup of the team. The other potential candidate for the captaincy was Bransby Cooper, a very experienced cricketer who had previously led Victoria in inter-colonial games. It is possible that Conway considered the appointment of a Victorian may have led to a division between within the team. Regardless of this possibility, however, it is clear that the players themselves were also fully supportive of Dave’s selection as captain.

In an interview with Dave’s daughter Pearl, noted cricket author Ray Robinson heard how happy Dave had been to be nominated for the role of captain.

“It always pleased father to recall that his fellow players elected him captain for the first of all test matches. Yes, the Victorians elected him as the match was in Melbourne.”

It seems clear that the personality and disposition of Dave Gregory are some of the primary reasons explaining why he was, with no prior captaincy experience, named as the leader of a combined team in a period of extreme rivalry between the colonies. His ability to lead other workers had been identified early on in the Auditor-General Department, and clearly his manner and ability to inspire others was a key factor in his selection as captain.

His father, Edward, had instilled into all of his children the need to be careful students of the game, and Dave had shown his ability to both read the game and to adapt to changing conditions. Gregory and Billy Caffyn had spent a considerable amount of time discussing tactics and strategies over the years. More than this though, it was obvious that Dave had the respect of all his fellow players. He had been representing New South Wales for over a decade, and at age 32, had the maturity and knowledge to back his self-confidence. Author Harry Hedley noted that “whilst Gregory’s performances did not look statistically great, he was seen as one of the key players in the NSW side”. Hedley’s description of Dave as “one of the foremost cricketers in New South Wales and one of the most popular in both colonies” again reinforced the prevailing view of him as a highly respected figure in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Noted Australian literary figure, A.B. (Banjo) Paterson was a passionate cricket lover and watched the game develop with a keen interest. He got to know many of the cricketers of the time, and his observations of Dave are especially interesting.

“I remember Dave Gregory, the captain of the first Australian eleven, black-bearded, high-shouldered, remarkably like the English captain Grace and with a good deal of Grace’s invincible self-confidence. We hear a lot about temperament nowadays but neither Grace nor Gregory was afflicted with any temperament, not so that you could notice it.”

This comparison with W.G. Grace is an interesting one, and underlines the respect that Dave was held in by his peers and the community in general. Frank Iredale, a noted Australian test player of the 1890s, summed up the feeling of the youth of Sydney towards Dave:

“I can turn my mind back to the days when his presence in the field mean as much to me, and no doubt thousands of other boys of Australia, as the name of W.G. Grace did to the boys of England.”

While his personal batting and bowling statistics were not overly impressive, it is clear that he had faith in the abilities of both himself and his team. It is worth remembering that in spite of Lillywhite’s teams poor performances on the tour, it was generally expected, both in Australia and back in England, that they would not be greatly troubled in overcoming the combined team. Dave’s confidence, and his ability to instill this self-belief in his players would go a long way towards determining whether this team would be able to compete on an equal level to the English side.

The organizers of the Australian team were not alone in having difficulties in arranging a side for the game. Lillywhite’s touring party had problems of their own to overcome. After their game against New South Wales, they had travelled to New Zealand for a series of matches. This segment was always a planned component of the tour, with the subsequent return to Australia for the Test match an addition to the original schedule. The tour was a difficult one for Lillywhite’s side. They did not lose a game against teams varying in number of eighteen to twenty two by winning six and drawing the other two, but financially it was a disaster for Lillywhite. The team’s assistant manager, Alfred Shaw, wrote an account of the tour, and mention was made of substandard accommodation and trying travelling conditions.

One particular incident has gained considerable coverage over the years, with the team coach nearly coming to grief in Otira Gorge. What the driver thought was a shallow ford was actually a swiftly running river. The four horses pulling the coach collapsed in mid-stream, and the players had to get out to help the horses ashore. Once there, the drenched players had to walk to the nearest town to find shelter for the night. No players were injured in this undoubtedly frightening experience, but that was considered more a matter of good fortune than anything else.

The troubles of Lillywhite’s team was not over, with one of their key members arrested. The team’s one and only wicketkeeper, Pooley, was charged in Otago for malicious damage to property above the value of £5, and also of assault. This story has been recounted many times, but it is worth recapping as it had a major impact upon the side Lillywhite was able to select for the game against the Australian combined side.

Pooley was detained in Otago to await trial, and whilst he received bail of £100, the remainder of the side did not see him again on the tour. This situation arose as the result of Pooley taking a side bet in the game against the Eighteen of Canterbury played against at Christchurch from the 26 to 28 February, 1877. Pooley offered any takers a bet in which he would name the individual score that each player of the opposition would get. For those he got correct he would be paid £1, and for each one he got wrong he would pay 1 shilling. A local by the name of Ralph Donkin felt this was too good an opportunity to miss, and agreed to the bet. Pooley promptly named a duck against each player of the opposition, and with a fair proportion of the eighteen failing to score in the match, Pooley finished substantially in front in respect to the wager. Donkin refused to pay up, and the subsequent argument led to a violent confrontation and damage to fixtures.

Pooley, and his fellow co-accused, a team assistant by the name of Alf Bramall, had to stand trial in at the Supreme Court in Christchurch on the 6 April, and therefore they were not able to travel with the rest of the team to Australia. This left Lillywhite without his regular wicketkeeper, and bearing in mind that the original touring party had twelve members, only eleven available players. Eventually Pooley and Bramall were both found not guilty on all charges, and whilst Pooley received a gold ring and a share of a £50 subscription from members of the New Zealand public for his ordeal, the Surrey wicketkeeper made the journey back to England having missed the change to play in the first ever test.

The loss of Pooley left Lillywhite with an easy decision regarding the makeup of his side the match. The remaining eleven members of the touring party were automatic selections. Jupp was expected to fill in for Pooley as the wicketkeeper as he had some previous experience, but he was suffering from an inflammation of the eyes and Selby took on the role instead. The general feeling of the newspapers of the day was that this team would prove far too strong for the combined colonies team. The absence of many of their great batsmen was counterbalanced by the fact that Lillywhite had a formidable pace bowling trio of Shaw, Hill and Ulyett that was as strong as any combination England could have mustered. Public enthusiasm for the game had dropped following the earlier victories against Lillywhite’s team, and there did not appear much hope that the combined side would be able to compete on even terms.

The Gregorys - Chapter Two

2008-10-25T20:28:00.002+11:00

Dave Gregory

The birth of Edward and Mary Gregory’s third son in 1845 occurred at a time of considerable change for the colony of New South Wales. Sir George Gipps was nearing the end of his eight years as governor, with public criticism and opposition to his land and education policies leading to his replacement by Sir Charles FitzRoy. Australia’s main cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide were scattered ports that relied largely on sea-borne communication. There were no operative passenger railways and no telegraph system. Each of the colonies were keen to maintain its independence, it being clear that a British push for federation would fail. The schism between the colonies was such that the press in each centre actively promoted the separation of the colonies, primarily away from the control of the Governor residing in Sydney.

In spite of these differences, the various colonies were about to enter a period of prosperity. The 1840s was a period of depression with a severe drought and financial downturn, but the discovery of gold and the changing face of industrialization meant that Sydney and Melbourne began a period of prosperity. This change in the fortunes of the colonies, associated with the large-scale immigration of gold hunters, provided the perfect stimulus for the development of inter-colony cricket matches. The timing of this change was ideal for children of Edward Gregory, providing opportunities for them that their father’s generation never had.

David William Gregory was born on the 15th of April, 1845 in Fairy Meadow, near Wollongong, eighty kilometres south of Sydney. He was the seventh child of Edward and Mary and lived his early life at the Government School House in Wollongong. Dave led a normal childhood for the age, with games of cricket with his brothers a standard part of his upbringing. His father, Edward’s, enthusiasm for the game ensured that Dave and all his siblings, both male and female, were instructed in the basics of the game.

Dave’s early years included education at firstly at Mr McDonald’s Private School at Underwood’s Paddock in Paddington, and then at the St James Church of England School in Sydney. The Governor of the Colony, Sir William Dennison, presented medals for meritorious conduct to pupils at the school, and during the presentation ceremony, he informed the male students that if they were able to gain good results in their studies, a job would be made available for them. The fifteen year old Dave Gregory listened to the speech carefully, and took the Governor at his word. After he received a medal for meritorious conduct in 1860, he went to government house and informed the Governor that “I’ve come about that job, sir”. His audacity was rewarded with a place as a probationer in the Auditor-General Department, starting in January 1861, and he was appointed as a Clerk in May. Dave moved to Paddington in Sydney, living initially with his brother Ned.

Dave’s cricket career began in the 1860s playing in the Domain with his brothers. The Governor of the time, Sir William Denison, along with two other cricket enthusiasts, William Tunks and Al Park, had all donated five pounds each in order to develop a pitch suitable for play. This was achieved with hard work, shovels and a spirit level to ensure its flatness. Dave played games along with his brothers Ned, Walter, Charlie and Arthur for the National Club against other teams of the time, such as the Currency Lass Hotel, which was composed of Australian-born players, or varying teams of regimental cricketers. He made his debut in Sydney cricket for the National Club as a 17 year old in November 1862. He struggled to make an impression over the next few years, and had dropped back to the National’s second XI by 1865.

Dave Gregory was very fortunate in that he had received regular coaching from his father Edward early on in his life. This instilled in him the basics of the game and held him in good stead throughout his career. As Dave grew up and progressed in the game, he attracted the attention of, and received ongoing instruction from, English player William Caffyn who was residing in Sydney at the time. Billy Caffyn was to play an integral role in the development of the standard of play in Australia and was instrumental in the progress of Dave’s cricketing career.

Caffyn was a professional cricketer, who had trained as a barber in England. He had a long professional career, playing for Surrey from 1849 to 1863. He toured Australia twice with English sides, initially with H.H. Stephenson’s team in 1861/62. Caffyn was a very fine batsmen, leading the English player’s batting averages on the 1861/62 tour with 419 runs at 23.27, and he also opened the bowling for the team with his round-arm deliveries. He returned with George Parr’s team in 1863/64, the only player from Stephenson’s side who was selected to come back again for the second tour. Photographs of Caffyn show him batting with only the one glove, located on his bottom, right hand.

Caffyn was attracted to stay in Australia at the conclusion of the Parr tour, through an offer to coach with the Melbourne Cricket Club. The sum on money that Caffyn was offered was three hundred pounds per annum, a very substantial amount for the time. Caffyn stayed in Victoria for the next year, but he was persuaded to move to Sydney for the 1865/66 season, with the lure of a hairdresser’s shop the incentive. The Melbourne Cricket Club were very considerate, allowing him out of his three year contract. He maintained this shop for the next six years in conjunction with his wife, until her ongoing ill-health necessitated their return to England in 1871. Caffyn had hoped that a move to Tasmania may have assisted his wife’s health, but a letter to the Hobart Cricket Association in 1869 was met with a flat rejection from their secretary.

As a coach, Caffyn never tried to make two players alike, allowing them to develop their skills naturally. This was in contrast to the other major coach in Australia at the time, another English professional Charles Lawrence, who encouraged all of his protégés to play back whenever possible. The efforts of Caffyn and Lawrence were largely responsible for closing the vast divide in cricketing ability that existed in the mid 1860s between Australia and the mother country. Lawrence is best remembered now for his organization of the first ever Australian team to tour England, the Aboriginal side of 1868, but he was also an outstanding player and coach in Victorian cricket.

By the age of twenty, Dave Gregory had developed into a very physically impressive individual. He stood six foot two inches tall (187cms), and weighed fourteen stone and four pounds (90.7kgs). His height was emphasised further by his straight back and upright bearing. In spite of this though, the most noticeable feature of Dave Gregory’s physical appearance was his magnificent beard. This aspect of his appearance no doubt took a few years to develop, but his whiskers became famous around the country and were as much his calling card as the facial hair that has adorned modern players such as Dennis Lillee and Merv Hughes.

Like his father Edward, Dave played for the Australian Club in Sydney. He was a natural right hander with both bat and ball, and whilst he was primarily a round-arm bowler in his early days, his batting was starting to develop under the guidance of William Caffyn. He worked hard on his game, and only a year after he had been dropped back the National’s second XI, Dave was selected to play his first game for NSW against Victoria. This match took place on his home ground of the Domain, and was a timeless match starting on the 26th of December, 1866. It took place a decade after the first ever inter-colony game between New South Wales and Victoria.

New South Wales captain Charles Lawrence won the toss and opted to send the Victorian team in. Dave bowled the first ball of the game to J.B. Turner, and one hundred minutes later the Victorian innings was over with only 74 runs on the board. Dave’s inaugural wicket in first class wicket was John Conway, the Victorian number three, caught by Lawrence. He finished with 3 for 36, whilst his fellow opening bowler Nathaniel Thomson took 3 for 33. They were the only two bowlers required in the innings, with the other four wickets all falling to run outs.

New South Wales had managed a lead of 19 runs at stumps on the first day, with six wickets still in hand. Dave batted at number eleven in the New South Wales innings, and Conway extracted his revenge by bowling him for a duck. New South Wales scored 145, with Dave’s mentor Caffyn top scoring with 24. Victoria went back in a second time, and performed even worse than in the first innings. Dave took 4 for 31, including both openers for only 2 runs, and Victoria were all out for 58. New South Wales had won by an innings and 13 runs, and with a total of eight thousand spectators watching, the timeless match had finished inside two days.

The Australian Club folded completely in September of 1867. Dave, along with his brothers, joined the Warwicks Club which immediately became the strongest team in Sydney. His reasons for joining Warwicks can only be guessed at, but the presence of William Caffyn at Warwicks was probably one of the major motivations. It was undoubtedly a good move for his batting, as the continuing assistance of Caffyn saw an ongoing improvement in Dave’s batting statistics. Dave moved up the order with Warwicks to start opening the batting. These changes were to show immediate benefit, with Dave and Charles Oliver combining for an opening partnership of 155 against the strong Alberts Club in his first season.

In the 1860s there were only spasmodic inter-colonial games, and it was therefore twelve months between Dave’s initial and second match. This was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and was another timeless match that started on Boxing Day 1867. Lawrence again won the toss and asked Victoria to bat, but this time round the tactic was not as successful. Victoria totalled 252, with Dave bowling ten wicketless overs for thirty four runs. New South Wales reply commenced at the beginning of day two, and they were bowled out for only 158. Whilst Dave’s improved batting had seen him promoted from number eleven to number nine, the result was unfortunately the same, and he was dismissed by Tom Wills for a duck. New South Wales were asked to follow on, and whilst Dave was demoted to number eleven again, he finally managed to get his initial runs, remaining 2 not out in his side’s score of 173. Victoria were left with only 82 to win, a score they achieved with the loss of only three wickets, with Dave again went wicketless.

Whilst Dave’s cricket was intermittent for both Warwicks and New South Wales through the mid to late 1860s, his rise through the Auditor-General Department had started in earnest. His abilities as a clerk and his manner of dealing with both other employees and the public had brought him attention within the Auditor-General Department, and he was promoted to oversee the performance of other public servants within the department. His physical appearance was also gaining him attention, being known by many women around Sydney as “handsome Dave”. Photos of Dave show his facial hair to great effect, but they also reveal a stern expression. It would be easy to use this type of photograph now as an illustration of Dave’s strict nature and sober demeanor, but the technology of the day demanded a rigid expression be maintained for a prolonged period of time, and as such, all pictures tended to have a similar degree of seriousness.

The photos could not hide the glean in his brown eyes that hinted at the genial and fun loving personality that family members and friends said existed under a serious exterior. He was twenty two when he married Mary Ann Hitchings in the Paddington Church of England in 1867. This union was to produce them eleven children over the following twenty years. Their first child Sydney was born in 1869, and he was followed by Herbert (1871), Percy (1873), Albert (1875), Emmeline (1876), Leslie (1877), Coralie (1880), Arthur (1881), Pearl (1883), Alfred (1885) and Ruby (1887).

Dave’s next inter-colonial game took place at the Domain and was scheduled to last from the 4th to 6th of March, 1869. While Dave was picked primarily as a bowler, his improved batting performances for Warwicks had been noticed and he moved up to no. 7 in the New South Wales batting order. The home team batted first yet again, and Dave opened the bowling, taking one for ten off ten overs. Victoria collapsed dismally, only making sixty one. New South Wales responded to that with an impressive total of thirty seven all out. Dave second top scored from his place in the middle order, a feat less impressive than it appears as his innings was only 9.

Nonetheless, his batting must have been sufficiently impressive on this occasion to encourage his captain Joseph Coates to promote him to open the batting for New South Wales for the first time in their second innings. New South Wales were chasing 173 for victory, after dismissing Victory for 149. Dave had taken 4 for 34, and he then second top scored for the second time in the game. Once again it was not nearly enough, with Victoria winning by seventy eight runs. New South Wales were dismissed for under one hundred again, and Dave only managed 15 out of the team total of 95.

Dave’s next game for his state occurred nearly a year later on the 24 February, 1870. Throughout the first half of the game Dave’s performances were not impressive. He bowled only six wicketless overs in Victoria’s first innings of 181, and then scored 14 in New South Wales reply of 164. When Victoria batted again they managed the good total of 337, but New South Wales’ star was Dave Gregory who toiled away for almost twice as many overs as any other bowler. He took his first five wicket haul for fifty five runs off nearly forty four ball overs. Interestingly all five of his victims were bowled. New South Wales captain Charles Lawrence promoted Dave up the order to number three in the second innings, but the move failed with him being bowled for only 2. Victoria continued their dominance over New South Wales, winning by 265 runs.

Dave’s batting had continued to improve with the guidance and continuing instruction of William Caffyn and New South Wales captain Charles Lawrence. This betterment is reflected in his ever improving record with his club side in Sydney. His bowling was still very effective in 1871, with Dave winning the club averages with the impressive figure of 3.35 runs per wicket. In 1872 he again won the bowling averages with a slightly higher figure of 4.14 runs per wicket, but he also headed up the batting, averaging 25 runs an innings. He proved that this wasn’t a fluke by again winning the batting trophies in 1873.

In the match starting on the 9 March 1871, Dave showed his increasing abilities as an allrounder being selected to open both the batting and the bowling for New South Wales. The game was at the Albert Cricket Ground and whilst his team was at the wrong end of the score card four days later by 48 runs, Dave could be well satisfied with his first score of over fifty. His score of 51 helped New South Wales to a lead on the first innings, but the team collapsed second time round for only 84, with Dave’s contribution being 10.

In the game against Victoria commencing on the 30 March, 1872, Dave was selected to bat at number three and also open the bowling. Once again Victoria were the champions, this time to the tune of an innings and 26 runs. Dave had a less than successful game with scores of 11 and 7, and twenty two wicketless overs. Up to this point, the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a very unhappy place for Dave, with New South Wales losing every game played there. This was remedied in Dave’s next first class game on 26 December 1872, when he was selected to play against Victoria at the MCG for the Rest of Australia. The Rest was a combined side composed of eight players from New South Wales, three from South Australia and two from Tasmania. This composite team managed to provide Dave with his first win over Victoria since his initial first class game six years earlier, with victory coming by five wickets. The transition of Dave from a bowler to a batsman was becoming clearer; whilst he opened the batting in both innings for the Rest he only bowled a total of three overs out of the nearly two hundred bowled by the Rest in the game. Part of the reason for his reduction in bowling related to Dave being no-balled for throwing in the first innings by umpire George Curtis. Some of the gloss of the victory was removed as it was a game against the odds, with the Rest playing with thirteen against Victoria’s eleven. In spite of this discrepancy in numbers between the two teams, the game has been granted official first class status.

In 1873, W.G. Grace led a team of English players on a tour of Australia. All of the games in this tour were against the odds, and Dave Gregory played games against Grace’s team for the Eighteen of New South Wales and for a Combined Fifteen of New South Wales and Victoria. Dave’s performances with the bat led the Eighteen to a famous victory by eight wickets, with him top scoring for the match. His performances were not so noteworthy for the 15, and they collapsed to lose to Grace’s side by 218 runs. Dave, taught by his father to be a keen observer of the game, took notice of the tactics and techniques of English players, and in particular their fielding positions. This habit was one that would serve him well in the years to come.

Dave found himself at the middle of a dispute between two clubs regarding the use of the Military and Civil Ground which would later become the Sydney Cricket Ground. Dave was playing with the newly formed East Sydney Cricket Club, which had free use of the Military and Civil Ground. Another new club, the Civil Service Club asked Dave to join them as he was a civil servant, but he declined and remained with the East Sydney Club. The Civil Service Club used their influence within the government, and they gained the use of the Military and Civil Ground at the expense of the East Sydney Club. This caused a considerable amount of bad feeling, and it was perhaps ironic that the first team the Civil Service played in the 1874/75 season was East Sydney. Dave top-scored for East Sydney with a half century, and their total of 219 proved far too much for the Civil Service side, which could only score 59 and 44. The Sydney Mail’s comment at the time that “the Civil Service Club came in like a lion, and, if present appearances be any criterion, will probably retire lamb-like” proved remarkable accurate, with the Civil Service Club folding at the end of the season. Dave’s decision to remain loyal had been vindicated.

Over the next four years, Dave’s bowling at a first class level ceased almost completely. He played four first class games against Victoria over this period, bowling only in one of them. His batting continued to improve and he was recognised primarily as a stubborn and somewhat stodgy opening batsman, but one who could hit out strongly on occasions. His improved technique, still being honed with the assistance of fellow players such as Charles Bannerman, resulted in an excellent double in NSW victory over Victoria that started on the 25th of February, 1876. He scored 36 out of New South Wales’ total of 99; a score that was put into perspective by Victoria’s reply of only 37. Dave then drove New South Wales’ advantage home, by scoring his highest first class score of 74 in the second innings. Victoria’s reply of just 95 left New South Wales as convincing winners, with Dave’s contribution with the bat central to their victory.

Dave was selected to open the batting for New South Wales against a team of English tourists under the captaincy of J Lillywhite at the Albert Ground in a two day game starting on the 15 January, 1877. This game followed his participation in two unexpected wins against Lillywhite’s team, but both games were played against the odds. This match was on an even basis, and the English side regained a considerable amount of pride, even though the game ended in a draw. Lillywhite’s XI made 270 following the New South Wales captain Ted Evans choosing to field first. Dave failed in the first innings with only 3, and New South Wales could only total 82. New South Wales had to follow-on, and when time ran out they were 6 for 140 and still well short of avoiding an innings loss. Once again emphasizing Dave’s emergence as a batsman, he held together the New South Wales response through a patient and undefeated 53.

At the conclusion of this game, Dave had played a total of 12 first class games. He had accumulated the first class batting figures of 331 runs at an average of 15.76 with only three half centuries and a highest score of 74. Even taking into account the significantly lower batting performances of the age, his statistics did not compare well against other players. Dave’s bowling figures were more acceptable, having taken 21 wickets at the average of 16.19 with best figures of 5 for 55. The problem was that his bowling had become less penetrative in the previous few years, and there was still a nagging suspicion about the legitimacy of his action. Dave had never captained New South Wales, and yet the cricketing moment that would lead to his ongoing place in history was about to happen. He was named as the captain of the combined New South Wales and Victorian cricket team to take on the English XI in the game that was to be recognised as the inaugural Test match.

References for The Gregorys

2008-10-09T14:31:00.000+11:00

In response to Soulberry's request, here is an (currently incomplete) listing of the references used so far. I'll update it again in the not too distant future.

Bibliography

Cricket Reference Books

• Australian Cricket : A History. Moyes, A.G. Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1959
• The Paddock that Grew. Dunstan, Keith. Cassell Australia, Melbourne, 1975
• The Formative Years of Australian Cricket 1803-1893. Pollard, Jack. Sydney, 1987.
• The Wisden Book of Test Cricket Volume 1. Frindall, Bill. MacDonald and Jane, London, 1978
• ABC Australian Cricket Almanac 1990-1994. Edited by Derriman, Phillip and Dundas, Ross. ABC Books, Sydney
• The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket. Edited by Cashman, Richard, Franks, Warwick, Maxwell, Jim, Stoddart, Brian, Weaver, Amanda and Webster, Ray. Oxford University Press, 1996
• Australia versus England : A Pictorial History of every Test Match since 1877. Frith, David. Richard Smart Publishing, Sydney, 1993.
• A Century of Cricketers. Moyes, A.G. Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1950
• Mollydookers: The World’s Greatest Left-Handed Batsmen. Pollard, Jack. Five Miles Press, Sydney, 1995
• At the Wickets; New South Wales Versus Victoria. Hedley, Harry W. Centennial Printing and Publishing Company Ltd. Melbourne, 1888.
• England Versus Australia at the Wicket. Brumfitt, George and Kirby, Joseph. Brumfitt and Kirby, Yorkshire. 1887.
• The Players : A Social History of the Professional Cricketer. Sissons, R. Sydney, 1987.
• The Black Lords of Summer. Mallett, Ashley. University of Queensland Press, 2002.
• A Social History of English Cricket. Birley, Derek. Aurum Press, London, 1999.
• Cricket Walkabout. Mulvaney, John and Harcourt, Rex. The MacMillian Company of Australia, South Melbourne. 1988.
• By his own Hand. Frith, David. Random Century Australia, Sydney. 1990.
• ‘Ave A Go Yer Mug! Australian Cricket Crowds from Larrikin to Ocker. Cashman, Richard. Sydney, 1984.
• The Grand Old Ground. Derriman, Phillip. Cassell Australia Limited, North Ryde. 1981.
• The Top 100 and the 1st XI. Derriman, Phillip. The Fairfax Library, Sydney. 1987.
• Australian Cricket Crowds : The Attendance Cycle. Cashman, Richard. University of New South Wales, Sydney. 1990.
• The ABC Guide to Australian Test Cricketers. Smith, Rick. ABC Books, Sydney. 1993.
• Australian Bowlers from Spofforth to Lindwall. Moyes, A.G. Harrap, Sydney. 1953.
• Australian Batsmen from Charles Bannerman to Neil Harvey. Moyes, A.G. Harrap, Sydney, 1954.
• Australian Cricket Annual; A Complete Record of Australian Cricket. 1895/6, 1896/7 and 1897/8. Davis, John C. (editor). Sydney. 1896, 1897 and 1898.

Cricket Autobiographies/Biographies

• With Bat and Ball. Giffen, George. Ward Lock, London, 1898
• Farewell to Cricket. Bradman, Don. Tom Thompson, Sydney, 1994.
• The Larwood Story. Larwood, Harold with Perkins, Kevin. W.H. Allen, London, 1960
• On Top Down Under. Robinson, Ray and Haigh, Gideon. Wakefield Press, 1996
• 10 for 66 and all that. Mailey, Arthur, Phoenix
• Cricket’s Great Families. Meher-Homji, Kersi, Garry Sparke and Associates, Ashburton. 1980
• Cricketing Reminiscences and Personal Recollections. Grace, W.G. London, 1899.
• Seventy One Not Out. Caffyn, W. London, 1899.

Cricket and Sport Anthologies

• The Longest Game : A Collection of the Best Cricket Writing from Alexander to Zavros, from the Gabba to the Yabba. Edited by Buzo, Alex and Grants, Jamie. Mandarin. Melbourne, 1992.
• Six and Out : Stories of Australia’s Cricketing Heroes. Edited by Pollard, Jack. Viking, Melbourne, 1990.
• The Picador Book of Cricket. Edited by Guha, Ramachandra. Picador, London, 2001.
• Cricketers and their Historic Deeds. Gregory, Albert. A Collection of newspaper clippings at Mitchell Library.
• Cuttings and Notes on Cricket. Gregory, Albert. A Collection of newspaper clippings at Mitchell Library.
• 200 Seasons of Australian Cricket. Edited by Hutchison, Garrie and Ross, John. Pan MacMillian Australia, 1997.
• Australian Sport Through Time. Cashman, Richard (senior consultant). Random House, Australia. 1997.
• Sport in History : The Making of Modern Sporting History. Cashman, Richard and McKernan, Michael. Brisbane, 1977.
• The Ashes Captains. Cotter, Gerry. Century Hutchinson, Surry Hills. 1989.

Historical Texts and Records

• Census of NSW – November 1828. Edited by Sainty, Malcolm and Johnson, Keith. Library of Australian History, Sydney, 1985.
• General Return of Convicts in New South Wales 1837. Edited by Butlin, N.G., Cromwell, C.W. and Suthern, K.L. ABGR, Sydney, 1987.
• General Muster and Land and Stock Muster of New South Wales 1822. Edited by Baxter, Carol. ABGR, Sydney, 1988.
• General Muster of New South Wales 1814. Edited by Baxter, Carol. ABGR, Sydney, 1987.
• People Arriving in Australia 1788-1828. Donohue, James Hugh. J.S. Shaw North Publishing, Sydney, 2002.
• The People of Australia 1788-1828. Donohue, James Hugh. J.S. Shaw North Publishing, Sydney, 2001.
• Attorney General and Justice – Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages; Microfilm copies of Registers of Baptisms, Burials and Marriages 1787-1856. The Archives Authority of New South Wales, Sydney, 1984.
• Index to Births, Marriages and Funeral Notices in the Sydney Herald 18th April 1831 to 30th July 1842. Complied by Sainty, Malcolm and Johnson, Keith. Privately Published. Sydney, 1972.
• Family and Local History Sources in the Sydney Area. Edited by Fairs, Jennie and Meadley, Dom. Meadley Family History Services, 1995.
• Australian Federation: The Influence of Economic Interests and Political pressures, Parker, R.S., Historical Studies Vol. 3, No. 13 Nov 1949.
• London : The Biography. Ackroyd, Peter. Chatto and Windus, Great Britain. 2000.
• A History of London. Inwood, Stephen. MacMillian, London. 1998.
• Rising Damp – Sydney 1870-90. Fitzgerald, Shirley. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. 1987.
• The Accidental City : Planning Sydney since 1788. Ashton, Paul. Hale and Iremonger, Sydney. 1993.
• History of Australian Bushranging Part 1. White, Charles. Lloyd O’Neil, Victoria. 1970.
• History of Australian Bushranging Part 2. White, Charles. Lloyd O’Neil, Victoria. 1970.
• Frank Gardiner : Bushranger to Businessman 1830 to 1940. Morrison, Alec. John Willey and Sons, Queensland. 2003.
• A History of Australia IV. 1851-1888. Clark, C.M.H. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. 1980.
• A Shorter History of Australia. Blainey, Geoffrey. William Heinemann Australia, Melbourne. 1994.
• Edmund Barton. Bolton, Geoffrey. Allen and Unwin, St Leonards, Sydney. 2000.
• The Oxford History of Australia : Volume 3 - 1860 to 1900. Kingston, Beverley. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. 1988.
• The Royal Australian Navy Historical Naval Events Year by Year. Lind, Lew. Reed Books Pty Ltd. 1982.

Internet Sites

Convict Information Sites

http://www.shoal.net.au/~whybrow/convicts.htm
http://www.members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/confem46.html

British Judiciary

http://www.oldbaileyonline.com

Census Information and Records

http://www.records.nsw.gov.au

Miscellaneous Sites

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Family Member Interviews

• The Hon. Mr Rae Else-Mitchell – (Dave Gregory’s grandson).
• Mr John Chapman (Ned Gregory’s Great grandson)
• Dr Bruce Chapman (Ned Gregory’s Great Great grandson)

Journal Articles

• The Rise and Fall of the Australian Club 1822-1868. Cashman, Richard. Sporting Traditions, Vol. 5. November, 1988.
• Cricket in the Doldrums : The Struggle between Private and Public Control of Cricket in the 1880s. Montefiore, David. Australian Society for Sports History No. 8. 1992.
• Cricket and Australian Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century. Mandle, W.F. Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 59, December, 1973.

Newspapers

• Age (Melbourne)
• Australasian (Melbourne)
• Argus (Melbourne)
• Australian Star (Sydney)
• Bulletin (Sydney)
• Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
• Evening News (Sydney)
• Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney)
• Truth (Sydney)

Magazines

• Australian Cricket
• Inside Edge

Miscellaneous Sources

• The Making of Australian Consciousness. Malouf, David. The Boyer Lectures. First Broadcast on Radio National, November 15, 1998.
• Australian Test Cricketers, Rick Smith, ABC Books, Sydney 2000.
• Passport to Nowhere, Bernard Whimpress, Walla Walla Press, Petersham, 1999
• The A-Z of Australian Cricketers, Edited by Richard Cashman, Warwick Franks, Jim Maxwell, Erica Sainsbury, Brian Stoddart, Amanda Weaver, Ray Webster, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1997.
• The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1876-77 to 1977-78. Complied and Edited by Bill Frindall. MacDonald and Jane’s, London, 1978.
• The Oxford Companion to Australian Sport. Edited by Wray Vamplew, Katherine Moore, John O’Hara, Richard Cashman and Ian Jobling. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1994.
• Sport in the National Imagination. Richard Cashman, Walla Walla Press, Petersham, 2002.

The Gregory Era - Chapter 1

2008-07-20T11:07:00.002+10:00

Part 1 - Edward William Gregory

The start of cricket in Australia can be traced right back to the time of the First Fleet. 1787 saw a number of coincidences that were perhaps indicative of the importance that cricket would assume to the future nation of Australia. The year that Arthur Phillip set sail from Portsmouth to become the first Governor also saw the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club in England, and Thomas Lord established his first ground in London that would eventually become known as the home of cricket. It is likely that many of the early immigrants, both voluntary and otherwise, had played a version of cricket in their native England, and they introduced the game to Australia.

The earliest record of cricket being played in Australia occurred on the 8^th of January 1803, when a game of cricket was played between officers and crew of the MHS Calcutta on a field that is now Hyde Park. There are mentions of the game at a schoolboy level as well as other military matches, but it is now believed that the first official club in Sydney was the Australian Cricket Club. In Jack Pollard’s comprehensive history of the game, Australian Cricket 1803-1893 The Formative Years, it is claimed that a group of regimental players formed the Military Cricket Club prior to the Australian Club in 1826, but this appears to be open to interpretation of what constitutes an actual club. Richard Cashman contends, in his article The Rise and Fall of the Australia Club 1826-1868, that the Military Cricket Club did not exist as an independent association, but rather was a combination of varying regiments for one-off specific matches. The Military undoubtedly played cricket in the 1820s and 1830s, but it appears that these were simply teams of players put together for a single game, rather than a formal club with defined membership criteria, a constitution and a financial footing.

Regardless of which club was actually the first, the Australian Club was founded by a group of players following an informal match on the 7August, 1826. The Australian newspaper reported on this event two days later, but details of the actual game at the Old Race Course, Hyde Park, are very limited. It is known that the club was established in 1826 but, as The Australian reported on the 3 January 1827 that the Australian Club had held its periodical meeting on New Year’s day two days earlier. One of the early members of the Australian Club was Edward Gregory.

The role of the Gregorys in the development of Australia’s national game began on the 28July 1814, when Edward William Gregory (hereafter referred to as Edward Snr. to avoid confusion with his oldest son whose name was also Edward William), arrived at Port Jackson with his wife Henrietta, their daughter Ann Hannah and three sons Edward, Charles and George. They travelled together on the convict ship the Broxbornebury under the command of Master Thos. Pitcher Jr. The ship embarked from England on the 22February, 1814 and the voyage occupied a total of one hundred and fifty six days. Henrietta was one of one hundred and twenty female convicts who left England on the ship. Two died during transportation, a figure that was considered acceptable for the time and no doubt helped by the fact that a surgeon travelled with the ship. Henrietta, who was thirty nine at the time of her transportation, had been employed as a domestic servant in London. She was sentenced to serve a total of fourteen years following her conviction on the 16^th of September 1813 at the Old Bailey for “Having forged bank notes in her possession”. Evidently, Henrietta was caught trying to purchase some household items in London with a forged £5 note. Whilst it is not documented in official records, the family story is that Edward was the actual forger of the note, but it was Henrietta who was caught trying to use it. There was insufficient evidence to convict Edward, but Henrietta could not escape transportation. The harsh sentence was not unusual for the time.

Records of Henrietta’s husband Edward are extremely limited, but it is clear that he was not a convict and chose to emigrate voluntarily to Australia with his wife and family. Details of Edward snr. are difficult to extract accurately from official documents, due partially to the poor information from the period, but also as a consequence of the fact that there were three separate men by the name of Edward Gregory in Sydney in the mid 1810s. One arrived to serve a seven year term as a convict on the Coromandel, and another arrived as a free landholder on the Surrey. After this the records become blurred, with simply references to a generic Edward Gregory in official paperwork. The most probable scenario involves Edward snr. working as a labourer in Sydney, as there are references to this during the time that the other two Edward Gregorys would have either been a landowner or serving time on an iron-gang. A few years later the 1822 Muster revealed that labourer was the second most common form of occupation after Government Servants, and is highly likely that Edward snr worked in this role from the time of his arrival.

It is not possible to establish an accurate date of birth for the children of Edward snr. and Henrietta, but it is clear that all four were born in London. Ann’s date of birth is believed to be 1802, Edward’s 1805, Charles three years later in 1808, and George subsequently in 1812. Upon arrival in Sydney, Henrietta was assigned to the Female Factory in Parramatta, even though she lived nearby with her family. The factory had been established in 1804 and was a single long room in which women and girls made rope and span and carded wool. Conditions here were abysmal, with many horror stories of women being chained to each other, or even to animals.

As a married woman, Henrietta was better off than many of the other single women at the Factory. Many women had to take up prostitution to survive, and the system of selection for servants involved the officers and free gentry picking the pretty young women and having them virtually under their total control. It was also a common practice of the time that any free settler could choose to marry a woman at the Factory. The unmarried women were lined up and the man could drop his handkerchief at the foot of the woman of his choice. If she picked it up, the marriage was virtually immediate. Most women took this option, even if they did not know their future husband, as was preferable to remaining in the harsh conditions of the Factory.

The family lived in Sydney for five years before Henrietta died in 1819, and Edward snr. promptly returned to England alone. This left his three young sons to be taken in by the Male Orphanage Institute for care and upbringing, whilst Ann was of an age to live independently. It is pure conjecture to attempt now to guess as to Edward snr.’s reasons for this decision, but it is interesting that Edward snr. chose to travel with Henrietta to Australia following her sentencing in 1813. It is possible that Henrietta used the fact that Edward snr. had been the forger of note that convicted her as a means of ensuring that he came with the family. Convict and shipping records indicate that the entire family was nominally Protestant, but divorce was not available easily to the common person until the late nineteenth century. In spite of this, though, if Edward snr. had been unhappy with the marriage, Henrietta’s conviction and deportation may have been an ideal opportunity for him to sever his ties with the family. Yet Edward snr. did not avail himself of this excuse, and opted to also move across the world with her. What happened to the family between their arrival in 1814 and 1819 is unclear, but the death of his wife Henrietta saw Edward snr.’s remove himself from any further involvement with his children. This departure would tend to support the hypothesis that Henrietta may have been using Edward’s involvement in the forgery as a means of coercing him to support her. Edward snr.’s role in the development of his sons was limited to their early years, but his position as the patriarch of the Gregory family in Australia remains significant. Without his presence in Sydney, it is highly probable that the three boys would have been admitted the Male Orphanage Institute upon their arrival, as was common for children of convict women. Many of these children were forced into crime to survive, and then were often convicted themselves.

The powers of the Governor of New South Wales in the early nineteenth century covered almost all aspects of daily life in the colony. The surviving records maintained by the colonial secretaries attest to this variety of decision making, reflecting a considerable diversity of events. Hannibal Hawkins MacArthur, who married the daughter of Governor King and was the nephew of John MacArthur, served as the Colonial Secretary from February 1820, and his records include an entry on the 8October, 1823, which referred to a deposit into the Savings Bank as the result of a sale of the effects of parents of orphan children of Edward Gregory snr. It appears that not only did Edward Snr. abandon his children upon his return to England, but that any possessions that they may have had claim to were sold to pay for their care at the Male Orphanage Institute.

Ann Gregory had started work in the colony as a dressmaker and she married a teacher, Joshua Bushell, in 1823. She had maintained contact with her brothers whilst they were in the Male Orphanage. The Colonial Secretary’s papers report that Ann received “payment for the care of child (Edward) by Male Orphanage Institute”. All three of Edward and Henrietta’s sons grew up in the Male Orphanage Institute, and as they came of age were apprenticed out into the care of local tradesmen. Edward, who was approximately fourteen when his mother died, was initially trained as a shoemaker. His brother George later followed him into this profession, whilst Charles became a successful tailor. Edward was fortunate to be able to commence his apprenticeship soon after entering the Institute, as it meant that he had a source of income that limited his need to resort to crime in order to survive. Edward worked as a shoemaker for a number of years, but he changed his career by gaining employment as a school teacher about 1827. Edward’s intellectual capacity had been identified years earlier at the Male Orphanage, as he received a medal for his excellent abilities in reading in January 1821.

Edward played cricket for the Australian Club from early in its history. In contrast to some of the other organizations such as the Amateur Club, established six years later on the 4September 1832, the majority of the Australian Club members were born in the new colony. Edward was one of only seven original members in the club who were born overseas, but his move to Australia as a child undoubtedly assisted his acceptance. The Australian Club had a number of very influential members, including the editor of The Australian, Francis Stephen, and John Richard Hardy, a Cambridge University graduate who is widely acknowledged as introducing round arm bowling to Australia.

The main records from this period of time were published in the newspapers. Whilst there are references to Edward’s involvement with the club, the earliest mention of his participation in games occurred in September, 1832. A game commenced on the 3September that year between two teams of fourteen players all from the Australian Club. Thomas Broughton and George Stubbs chose and captained their respective teams in a two day match that ended in an exciting tie. The lack of accurate details surrounding this match make it difficult to assess whether Edward Gregory took part, as he is not mentioned in the scores as published in the Australian newspaper, he is, however, specifically identified as participating in a report of the match.

It was said that Edward was not a gifted player, but he was enthusiastic and showed a capacity, garnered no doubt by his experience in the schooling system, to teach others the basics of the game. He was considered to be only a moderate batsman, but he was counted as one of the best fieldsmen of the day, with a remarkable catching capacity. Edward’s categorization as a far better fielder than batsman tends to be supported by his record. In a game against the Amateur Club on the 29^th of October, 1832, Edward failed to score a run in the Australian Club’s total of 134, being bowled by C. Roberts. He made up for this by taking three catches in the Australian Club victory by an innings and 38 runs, with the Amateur Club being dismissed for 56 and 42. The Australian’s report made specific mention of the fielding standards of the Australian Club, saying the Amateur batsmen “possessed no chance”.

On the 27May, 1833 Edward played in a match between the ‘Singles’ and the ‘Married’, another match between members of the Australian Club. Whilst the Married team was favoured to prevail, a remarkable innings of 57 not out by J. Rickards led the Singles to an easy win. This was the first time that an individual score in excess of fifty had been recorded in a Sydney match. The precise margin of victory is difficult to determine, as the Australian and the Sydney Herald carried different scorecards and team totals. In either case, Edward’s contribution was not significant, making only 4 in the first innings and 7 in the second.

On the 25May, 1835 Reverend John McGarrie married Edward to Mary Ann Smith at the Scot’s Church in Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Mary was born in 1817 into a poor family, but she was not the only member of the family to gain fame. Her brother, John Thomas Smith, commonly known as J.T., was described as the ‘Whittington of the South’, a reference to the fact that he rose from his humble background to be elected Mayor of Melbourne on seven occasions, as well as becoming a member of parliament. Edward and Mary had thirteen children over a twenty eight year period. Their children were Eliza (1835), Emma (1837), Edward (1839), Walter (1841), Mary (1843), David (1845), Charles (1847), George (1849), Alice (1851), Albert (1854), Ernest (1857), Arthur (1861), and Louisa (1863).

Around the time as Edward’s wedding, The Australian Club faced a major crisis in its existence. The team lost two successive matches to the Military team, the second by the significant margin of nine wickets, and this prompted widespread recriminations. An intense debate resulted in claims that the side was losing as a consequence of the recent influx of ‘immigrants’ into the side which had been predominantly composed of locally born players. Letters were exchanged in the Australian, on the 10 March 1835 by an individual using the pseudonym of ‘A Player’ that supported the overseas born members, whilst ‘Tom, The Native’ responded in the Sydney Morning Herald on the 12March 1835 with a harsh rejection of ‘emigrants’.

It is believed that ‘A Player’ was probably H.F. Gisborne, the son of the Member of Parliament for Derbyshire, whilst ‘Tom, The Native’ was Thomas Stubbs, one of the Australian Club’s principal bowlers. This split between the two rival factions of the club was significant and almost disastrous for the future of cricket in Australia. The Australian Club was the major force in Sydney cricket, and if the club had folded completely at this time, it would have been highly detrimental to the growth of the game locally. The division did result in three years of internal wrangling. An attempt was made to form a break-away team of only locally-born players failed, and very few of the overseas players ever played for the club again. It was not until the 1837/38 season that the Australian Club again played regularly. It is significant that the side could only field three players who had previously represented the club, one of whom was the English-born Edward Gregory.

After this split, Edward and the Australian Club reentered Sydney cricket with a match against the Union Club in early January 1838. By all accounts, the unseasoned Australian Club players were greatly outclassed by their rivals. In light of his previous experience, Edward batted at the fall of the first wicket in both innings. Unfortunately, this was of no benefit to the Australian Club as he failed to score in either innings. The Union Club recorded a victory by 64 runs, which was a very large margin in a game in which neither side totaled more than 100 in any of the four innings.

The spirit in which this first game was played led to a follow-up match just afterwards on the 5 February. Edward opened the batting in both innings, but he managed to repeat his efforts of the first game by being bowled for a duck both times. His younger brother George also played for the Australian Club in this match, and he performed slightly better by Edward by scoring 4 not out and 2. The game was much closer than the previous match, but the Union Club won by 17 runs.

A third match between the two clubs took place on the 11 June, 1838, with Union Club again victorious, this time by six wickets. The date of this game shows that no cricket season had been established, with games being played in both summer and winter. Edward dropped down the order to the fall of the fifth wicket, and scored 3 and 6. This is not quite as disastrous as it sounds, as only four players reached double figures in the match. One of the most significant features of this game was that the first ever 6 in Sydney cricket was scored. It did not, as may be expected, involve a strike over the boundary fence and was in fact all run. These three games were to form the start of the club’s return to its place as the preeminent side in Sydney cricket, a role it maintained until its demise during the late 1850s and its eventual folding in 1868. Edward continued his association with the club until his move to Wollongong in 1840, but his influence was to be far greater with respect to his children.

Edward was an enthusiastic player for the Australian Club, but it was as a teacher and coach of the game that it appears he was most talented. His early career change from a shoemaker to a teacher was inspired, and he went on to become a master at Cape’s Grammar School in Castlereagh St. This school was opened on the first of April 1824 by Governor Thomas Brisbane under the headmastership of William Cape. Edward joined the school around three years after its opening, by which time William Cape had resigned as headmaster, and had been replaced by his son and namesake, William Cape jr. Edward remained at the school for about thirteen years before moving to Wollongong to continue his career.

The 1841 Census reveals that Edward and his young family were residing in Market St, Wollongong at the Government School House. Edward’s suitability to teaching was underlined by the fact as he was able to successfully impart to his children the skills of the game he himself did not possess in vast quantities. Whilst his involvement with the Australian Club and its vital role in cricket in New South Wales was important, the passing on of his knowledge and skills to his many children remains his critical contribution to Australian cricket.

Edward’s early life was undoubtedly traumatic. Uprooted from his birthplace of England to a foreign country at the age of nine following the conviction and transportation of his mother, the subsequent death of his mother whilst he was still a teenager, his immediate abandonment by his father into the dubious care of the Male Orphanage Institute; these factors could have all easily led to a life of crime and a bitter and twisted individual. The fact that he was able to overcome these initial setbacks to achieve a successful life speaks well of the man that started the Gregory cricketing dynasty. Edward died in Paddington, Sydney in 1879 at the age of approximately 74. His wife Mary lived until 1901, and twenty of their descendents represented New South Wales in a diversity of sports including not only cricket but also athletics, rugby and sailing.

In her poem ‘Old Botany Bay’, Mary Gilmore wrote of the founding of a nation, but the words can apply equally well to Edward Gregory, and his place in Australian cricket history.

I’m old,

Botany Bay;

Stiff in the joints,

Little to say. I am he

Who paved the way

That you might walk

At your ease today.

I am the conscript

Sent to hell

To make the desert

The living well.

I bore the heat.

I blazed the track,

Furrowed and bloody

Upon my back.

I split the rock;

I fell the tree;

The nation was,

Because of me.

The Gregory Era - Introduction

2008-07-20T11:00:00.004+10:00

OK, long time between drinks. I have, however, not been completely idle. I decided a while ago to stop writing the shorter profile pieces and instead sink my teeth into something a bit longer. The Gregory family and their contribution to the development of cricket in Australia is the focus of my current cricketing obsession. What follows is the introduction, and I'll also post up chapter one. I am currently around 80,000 words into the project (around 2/3 s finished) - if people enjoy it, I'll keep posting it up.

Cheers,

Stuart

In March 1877, a combined team of cricketers from New South Wales and Victoria took the field against a side of touring Englishmen. Whilst the historical significance of this game was not evident at the time, it is now universally recognised as the first ever Test cricket match. The man elected by his team-mates to lead this united Australian team was David Gregory.

Cricket chronicles many famous families from which multiple members have been chosen to represent their country. In recent years, Australia has produced the Waugh, Lee and Chappell brothers, but the past has also included other famous families such as the Benauds, Harveys, Archers and Bannermans. Possibly Australia’s most famous clan, however, is the Gregorys, whose role in Australian cricket dates back to the start of the game in Sydney. The Gregory family and the development of cricket in the colony of Australia grew hand in hand. Throughout the formative years of first-class and Test cricket, many members of the family played an integral role in assisting Australia to start competing at an international level.

It is indicative of the hold that Sir Donald Bradman has cast over the public in Australia that there are so many biographies of his life, while there remain only limited works dedicated to other highly accomplished cricketers. Three generations of the Gregory family provided four Test representatives, including two captains and Australia’s inaugural Test leader. The contribution of this one family is even more remarkable as there were also another four cricketers who were selected for their state and three representatives in the NSW Women’s team.

It is perhaps symbolic that the final Test match by a member of the Gregory family in 1928 was the also the first by Bradman. The rise of Bradman coincided with the end of the Gregory era, and his feats overshadowed more than one or two other great and worthwhile performers. As an example of this, Charles MacCartney, Australia’s leading batsman in the years between Victor Trumper’s final Test and the emergence of Donald Bradman, had to wait until 2004 until a biography of his life was published. It is important today to recognise that without the pioneering efforts of Gregory family, the development of cricket in Australia would not have progressed as rapidly as it did during its early years, and their contribution has for a long time been underestimated.

Cultural Differences Part II

2008-01-31T21:24:00.000+11:00

I commented a while back about the cultural differences between our countries (Cultural Differences in Cricket) , and how this could possibly lead to the problems we are sadly seeing now. At the time I was thinking mostly of on-field behaviour (i.e. sledging versus team appealing), however, I have been thinking recently about off-field cultural differences as well.

I am probably being overly simplistic in this viewpoint, but in the past few decades the three teams that most often threaten legal action are Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. In contrast, I don't remember the West Indies making similar legal threats to try and win a point. Is this a cultural difference? Is legal action very commonplace as a threat in India etc? Legal action in sport in Australia is fairly rare - I don't know about other countries.

Is this another example of the cultural differences between our respective countries? I am not trying to start an argument about who is right or wrong, and this isn't particularly to do with the recent sagas. It is more an opportunity for us to explore whether this is another one of the issues that sees both sides misunderstanding the motives of the other.

Project Snow

2008-01-27T22:00:00.000+11:00

Apologies for the delay in updating the blog - real life and laziness gets in the way :).

Many people may not be familiar with Project Snow, or how close world cricket came to a serious split. This summary of Project Snow is written based upon the information provided in Graham Halbish’s book, Run Out. As such, the information must be considered in light of any potential biases as there is no ‘other side’ to the story.

In 1996, there was potentially a major schism in the world of cricket. The ICC was starting to show major cracks in its supposed united front, with the entire structure under review. The sub-continent teams had been making a significant, and to be fair, overdue, claim for the England/Australia dominated council to be more equitable. However, as with any process of change, there were egos and powerplays on both sides that were preventing a suitable compromise to be reached. The running of the World Cups and the lucrative sponsorship and television rights made for some very interesting politics.

In 1996, the ICC chairman was Sir Clyde Walcott. He expressed his frustration with the role, feeling that it had become non-cricket related and focused primarily upon legal arguments from the various individual countries who were all more interested in feathering their own nest than the good of the game. Walcott’s term was up, and the voting process to replace him became a farce. It was this election, and the associated political games, that prompted Australia, West Indies, England and New Zealand to devise a plan that was eventually called ‘Project Snow’.

Interestingly, Australia did not see the sub-continent as having caused the problem, but rather South Africa. India put forward Jagmohan Dalmiya their nomination for chairman, whilst Australia nominated Malcolm Gray. As expected, the sub-continent supported the nomination of Dalmiya, whilst England, West Indies and New Zealand support Gray. South Africa initially indicated they supported Australia’s nomination. However, Ali Bacher, who was the managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA), then started playing both sides off against each other. After many years in the wilderness, South Africa were starting to try and flex their political muscles. The Australian camp were not upset with the Indian nomination of Dalmiya, or the support from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. That was expected. However, South Africa’s games had thrown the whole process into turmoil. The Indians didn’t know if they could rely on South Africa, and neither did Australia. In the end, South Africa abstained and the vote was tied at 4-4. This failure to arrive at a clear decision was a disaster, with legal challenges and complaints being thrown by both sides.

Australia, England, West Indies and New Zealand now realized that South Africa could easily jump into bed completely with the sub-continent. The cricketing boards of the four countries were particularly dismayed at the way South Africa were acting, and they agreed to examine their options. The job was given to Australian Cricket Board CEO Graham Halbish to draw up a plan of series involving Australia, West Indies, England and New Zealand. It was recognized that there was significant money in India, however, without the big drawcards of Australia, England and West Indies (who were not yet on the slippery slope to oblivion they are now), it was felt unlikely that the sub-continent could survive on their own for long. At that time, the biggest tours for Australia were England and West Indies, and the proposed program saw them each touring Australia once every three years.

This plan, code named Project Snow, was presented to the CEOs of the England, West Indies and New Zealand boards. Incidentally, the name Project Snow came from ICC CEO David Richards, even though he knew nothing about it. Information was sought from Richards about an issue, and he advised them that he was snowed into his house, and nothing was as important as his ‘Project Snow’ of shoveling tons of the white stuff off his driveway. They then decided to use this innocent comment as the code-name for their plan. Thankfully, common sense eventually prevailed and Sir John Anderson, the New Zealand representative, was able to come up with a solution to the issue of chairmanship of the ICC that prevented the plan going any further.

It is a bit scary to consider how close the cricketing world came to a disastrous split, and we hope that the ICC can start showing some leadership and less partisanship in order to ensure that all countries and people are equally represented.

The Sub-Continent is the hardest place the bat (or why Hussey is the greatest)

2008-01-05T19:48:00.001+11:00

The Sub-Continent is clearly the hardest place in the world to bat. Of the batsmen with the top six averages of all time (for players with over twenty tests), only Hussey has managed to conquer the sub-continent. Bradman, Pollock, Sutcliffe and Paynter all failed to score a single run away from home against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or even the lowly Bangladesh. Headley did managed to atleast get off the mark in the sub-continent, but ended up with a combined away average of a dismal 2 against all four of the sub-continental teams. This is in sharp contrast to Hussey, who averages over 80 in the sub-continent. It is clear from these statistics that the sub-continent is easily the hardest place to get a great batting record, and as such, Hussey’s record just underlines the fact he is the greatest batsman of all time.

Happy new year everyone!

Book Review - Silence of the Heart by David Frith

2007-12-29T07:33:00.000+11:00

Many commentators have said that cricket is, when you break it down to its purest essences, just a game. This definition is certainly simplistic, and perhaps even a little sacrilegious for many, but ultimately it is true. Nonetheless, cricket is a subject that arouses great passions in people all around the world, and the results of either their team or their own performances can have a decided impact upon an individual’s state of mind. Cricket has also been called a team game played between individuals. Sadly, cricket has attracted many participants who have battled themselves and their own inner daemons as much as any opposition players. David Frith’s book, Silence of the Heart (originally published as ‘By His Own Hand’), is a look at the tragedy of those cricketing heroes who were unable to cope with the demands of an existence post-cricket, and who sadly chose to end their own life.

Suicide would appear to be a very strange topic for a cricketing book, and without reading Frith’s work, it certainly appears quite macabre on face value. However, Frith has managed to look at many cricketers who have killed themselves, and produced one of the most fascinating books on the sport. Cricket has a suicide rate that exceeds the national averages for the respective cricketing nations, and it is estimated that more than one hundred and fifty professional cricketers have chosen to end their own lives. The hallmark of all Frith’s books is impeccable research, however, in Silence of the Heart he also manages to write with great poignancy and respect for the individuals concerned.

It is possible to read the book from start to finish, but the subject matter almost encourages the reader to instead take a more measured approach and dip into it over a period of time. Frith has written the book as a mini-biography of selected players, which allows the reader to take the time to examine and evaluate each individual situation without becoming overwhelmed by underlying sadness that each case invokes.

Frith’s research records the famous to the almost unknown, from legends of the past such as Shrewsbury and Stoddart through to more recent cases such as David Bairstow. However, it does not, and could not, provide the answers to why. Whilst some of the suicides described could be understood in the light of financial pressure, marital breakup or depression, others remain a complete mystery. One of the most striking aspects of the book for me personally were the pictures; you can see the face each cricketer presented to the outside world, but their inner turmoil remains hidden. Looking at the many photos of smiling and seemingly happy cricketers affected me more than I would have thought. I look back now and I know what fate is to befall the person in the photo, but they appear ignorant of their future despair. I can’t help but wonder what more could have been done to help them.

This is ultimately a very sad and moving book, but one of great value to both cricket lovers and the wider community. 4 stars.

Book Review - Rain Men by Marcus Berkmann

2007-12-18T15:59:00.000+11:00

Marcus Berkmann is well known to many cricket lovers as both a writer for Cricinfo and Wisden, and as the author of Rain Men and the sequel Zimmer Men. His first book, Rain Men, has been acclaimed by many readers and journalists as a masterpiece of cricketing literature. I had not read it until recently, so it was with interest that I finally opened it up.

Simply put, Rain Men is a recounting of the events of a cricket team and the characters that haunted it. Berkmann tells the stories and describes the personalities in a wonderful manner, and his laid back style of writing is perfectly suited to this format of book. The anecdotes and events will be familiar to all cricketers who never quite reached the heights of international play, and have had the enjoyment of playing cricket simply for enjoyment. The staples of lower grade cricket such as umpiring, the selection process for the team, trying to even find enough players to make up numbers, and the often bizarre and psychologically twisted individuals that play are obvious fodder for Bermann, and he makes the most of them. Discussions of afternoon teas, the rocky road of captaincy and the often futile attempts to organise everyone to turn up on time are also covered in a very amusing manner that will bring back fond memories for many of us.

Rain Men is a funny book, and cleverly covers the incompetence that plagues cricket at the levels most of us dwell in. He does also manage to weave into the book some amusing references to professional players, and the peculiar devotion to statistics that many cricket lovers have. I must admit that whilst I certainly enjoyed Rain Men, however, it did not deliver the life changing experience that other people seem to have had with it. Prior to reading it, I had read Jim Young’s ‘Any Old Eleven’, which recounts the exploits and characters of a suburban Melbourne side through the 70s and 80s. I had also read Gideon Haigh’s ‘The Vincibles’, which was similarly a recount of the trials and tribulations of a weekend social cricketing team. I had also read Harry Thompson's "When Penguins Stopped Play", which is again a story about cricket at less than serious levels. Rain Men is a very funny book, and is a great read. However, for me, the novelty that other readers may experience with it had been significantly dulled by the similarly themed books I had already come across. Recommended reading for all cricket lovers, and particularly if you haven’t yet read the other titles I mentioned. 3.5 stars.

Book Review - The Summer Game by Neville Cardus

2007-12-16T22:03:00.000+11:00

Neville Cardus was born in Manchester in 1888, the illegitimate son of a woman described as a ‘genteel prostitute’; hardly the auspicious birth for a man who became renown around the world for his wonderful skill with words. Cardus wrote a number of books and anthologies, primarily on his two loves of cricket and music. The first book of his that I read was ‘The Summer Game’, and probably cause it was my first experience with Cardus, it remains my favourite.

Cardus only went to school until the age of 13, then leaving to take up employment as a clerk. He read widely and was attracted to writing about both cricket and music from an early age. Cardus was first able to write for a living when he started work with the newspaper the Daily Citizen, however, his skills with the pen meant he moved onto bigger and better things with the Manchester Guardian.

The Summer Game was written in 1929, and like all of Cardus’ work, features wonderful prose. He obviously knew the game well, and had great knowledge of the actual players. However, it was his skill to bring the game to life that separated him from so many other writers. Cardus was a great analyst, and could dissect a day’s play, but he could also highlight the frivolous parts of the match to counterbalance too much seriousness. ‘The Summer Game’ contains a wonderful variety of stories. It touches upon the great players of Cardus’s past such as W.G. Grace and Victor Trumper, as well as more contemporary cricketers including Wilfred Rhodes, Ted McDonald and Jack Hobbes. One of my favourite parts of the book is semi-autobiographical, with Cardus examining his time working as the Assistant Cricket Coach at Shrewsbury School in Shropshire around 1912.

The great commentator, John Arlott, summed up his views on both Cardus and ‘The Summer Game’ with this quote;

"I owe almost everything to Neville," he said. "I remember reading 'The Summer Game' when I was in my teens. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to this semi-mythology of cricketers and always said to Neville that any success I had was due to the imaginative stimulus he gave me.”

Cardus wrote a number of other cricket books (such as Days in the Sun) that are justifiably remembered as classics of the genre. However, ‘The Summer Game’ remains my favourite, and is one that I re-read every now and again just to sample Cardus’ magical way with words. Perhaps one of the greatest tributes comes from Gideon Haigh, probably the best current writer on the game, who used Cardus's title for one of his own books. Highly recommended – it can be found in second hand bookshops if you search hard enough.

Is Test Cricket Being Killed?

2007-12-13T18:23:00.000+11:00

Flicking between the two tests played this week has been pretty dreary, even for an absolute cricket junky like myself. Are games like this killing test cricket? The pitches have no pace or bounce, and rely on batsmen getting so bored they get themselves out. This isn't what test cricket is meant to be about. There is meant to be a decent contest between bat and ball, not something so biased towards batting that bowlers just give up.

This problem isn't limited to the sub-continent. Australia is serving up batting paradises that are similiarly unfair to the bowlers. No spectators are going to pay decent money to watch a yawn-fest, when tickets are so expensive. Sadly, I can see more and more people chosing to go to ODIs and 20/20s rather than Tests. Already the trends are there in India and Pakistan, with the grounds packed for meaningless ODIs, and often empty for test matches. And that is really depressing.

I hope that the ICC starts to take some action on this issue, or the test match that we love may well become economically unviable, and therefore be abandonded by the money-driven authorities that rule the game today.

Best ways to rule yourself out of a game

2007-12-12T15:45:00.000+11:00

In tribute to the home state of the best cricket blogger out there (the mighty Uncle J), I thought I would quickly touch on some of the better reasons players have missed games.

The top of the list has to be the Victorian batsman Brad Hodge. After a season of frustration in trying to win his Australian spot back, Hodge finally got an opportunity to play for his country when Ponting showed Australia’s dedication to 20/20 by dropping out. Hodge was so excited by this chance that he somehow managed to injure his back in the dressing room prior to the game starting. Evidently, Hodge strained his back whilst putting on his trousers. His replacement, Luke Pomersbach, made his debut whilst ironically still being banned from representing his home state of Western Australia due to a few nights on the turps.

Abdul Razzaq's international career has always been a bit stop-start. However, one of the weirdest incidents occurred when he contracted a mysterious illness during the Melbourne Test against Australia a few years ago. Razzaq suffered from vomiting, dizziness and breathing difficulties on the third day of the test, and didn’t recover in time for the final game at Sydney. This illness was eventually put down to his addiction to spinach.

Ian Botham has a lot to answer for. England selectors spent many years trying to find an allrounder that was as capable of winning matches with both bat and ball. While they eventually found Andrew Flintoff, they tried a lot of duds along the way. One player who never had Beefy’s skills, but did match his general stupidity, was Chris Lewis. During a cricket tour of the West Indies, Lewis thought it was cool to shave his head. He played the next day, and promptly got sunstroke.

Shane Watson – enough said really.

Australians often think it amusing to come up with nicknames that are completely inappropriate. People with red hair are called blue, quiet people are called 'rowdy' and Shane Watson is called talented. But Greg Ritchie's nickname of Fat Cat doesn't fit that category of supposed humour. And one day, he managed to damage his knee whilst walking down the steps of the pavillion just before the game started.

Shoaib Akhtar is known for being permanently injured, but perhaps his most mysterious injury occurred just prior to the World Cup. After it was announced that he would be drug tested at the tournament he was then strangely ruled out with injury. Mysterious in the extreme.

Stuart MacGill has recently injured himself by reading too much. He has developed a form of RSI in his hands, due to reading too many novels. Spinning had nothing to do with it. Shows that intellectuals have no place on the field.

When England needed Four Keepers

2007-12-11T14:05:00.001+11:00

It is not commonplace for teams to use more than one wicketkeeper during the course of a match. In first class cricket for Western Australia, Tim Zoehrer used to start keeping to the quicks, before relinquishing the gloves to Mike Valetta so that Zoehrer could bowl his more than useful leg-spin. Likewise, a number of wicketkeepers have had to retire hurt whilst fielding, often suffering nasty blows to the mouth and nose while keeping to the spinners. However, in 1986 England had cause to use four different keepers during the same test.

The nominated keeper for England in the First Test against New Zealand at Lords in 1986 was Bruce French. Unfortunately, he was struck on the head by Kiwi maestro Richard Hadlee and forced to retired hurt without scoring. By the time of the commencement of the New Zealand innings, French was still not well enough to take his place behind the stumps. Accordingly, his team-mate Bill Athey took up the gloves. This was not the ideal solution, and with the sporting agreement of New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney, Bob Taylor was drafted onto the field to keep. It is worth pointing out that Taylor was not only 45 years old and had been retired from first class cricket for a number of years, but also that he had also been sitting happily in a hospitality tent watching the events unfold. Nonetheless, Taylor did an admirable job for the remainder of the day.

The next morning, again with the agreement of Coney, Bobby Parks took over from Taylor. This was a more logical replacement, as Parks was the current Hampshire keeper of the time. Parks was the wicketkeeper until French was able to return, ironically for only one ball of the New Zealand first innings. French had recovered enough to keep throughout the abbreviated New Zealand second innings of only fifteen overs, but he showed no significant effects of the blow from Hadlee. Ironically, none of the four keepers were involved in any dismissals and the match ended in a tame draw.

Best of the Best Book

2007-12-09T09:09:00.000+11:00

For all of those people who have contacted me wanting to find out how to get a copy of "Best of the Best", there is currently one on Ebay in Australia.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BEST-OF-THE-BEST-NEW-LOOK-AT-GREAT-CRICKETERS-ABC_W0QQitemZ310005653339QQihZ021QQcategoryZ32043QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I am not the seller of this item, I know nothing about the seller and I make no recommendation of this seller. Please take the usual precautions in bidding, and make your own judgement if you wish to bid. I do not know if they are willing to post overseas, but most sellers are happy to do so if you contact them prior to the auction ending.

Derivations of Cricketing Terms

2007-12-08T20:20:00.000+11:00

I am always interested in finding out where certain words or terms have come from. There are heaps in cricket - below are a few (the correctness of them all is debatable, but anyway). It may not be as comprehensive as the A to Z of Cricketing Terms, but what the hell.

Bosie - This term was used in the early 1900s in Australia to describe the wrong-un. It was so called in deference to B.J.T. Bosanquet, who is believed to be the inventor.

Googly - The English term for a wrong-un. So called because (evidently) it caused the batsman's eyes to goggle.

Popping Crease - Under the rules of cricket in the 1700s, a batsman had to place his bat into a hole cut in the turf to score a run. The wicketkeeper/fielders had to get the ball into the hole before the bat in order to affect a run-out. This hole was called the popping hole (as in popping the bat/ball into it), but after too many fielders had their fingers broken by the batsman slamming his bat into the hole at the same time as the fielder's hand, it was decided to change the hole to a line. The name popping hole then became popping crease.

Crease - After the popping hole went out the window, a crease (or furrow in the ground) was actually cut into the turf. This continued until the mid 1860s when they started using white paint.

Umpire - The word umpire evidently stems from the French 'nompere' which means 'not equal' or 'odd man'. This is to imply that the 'odd man' is called in to make decisions between two contestents.

Slips - The term slips comes from early times, with reference to these fielders covering 'slips from the bat'.

Point - This is a shortening of the phrase 'point of the bat', a position where the fielder stands close to the end of the bat.

Gully - Refers to the gap or 'gully' that exists between the slips and point

Cover - Refers to the position that 'covers' the point and middle of the wicket

Mid off and mid on - Shortenings of the terms 'middle wicket off' and 'middle wicket on'

Silly Mid On - the mid on is self explanatory, however it is believed that the silly refers to an old definition of silly, meaning 'defenceless'.

Third Man - This is so called because it was a position brought in with the advent of over-arm bowling, and the player supplemented the pre-existing positions of slip and point, thus being the 'third man' on the off-side.

Yorker - There are various different supposed meanings behind yorker. The one that seems to have reasonable credence relates to Tom Emmett, a highly successful Yorkshire bowler in the 1800s. He was very skilled at bowling full balls at the popping crease, and they became known as 'yorkers' because that is what batsmen had to cope with when they went to Yorkshire.

Maiden Over - While most people associated 'maiden' with female, another definition is 'unproductive'. Therefore, an unproductive over (i.e. one with no runs scored) became a maiden.

Wicket - Comes from the old english definition of a wicket being a small gate. Cricket is believed to have its origins with shephards, and very probably they used the gate on pens as the target to bowl at.

Bail - was originally a french word that described the top part of the gate of a sheep pen. See above re wicket.

Strike!

2007-12-08T09:23:00.000+11:00

The past decade has seen the development of professional players’ associations, an equivalent of a union, to represent the views of the cricketers in discussions with the various bodies that administer the game. The late 1990s saw a few threats of strike action, but nothing ever eventuated. However, striking because of concerns about conditions or payment is nothing new. In 1896, a number of English professionals refused to play a test match against Australia as a result of anger regarding payments made to W.G. Grace – an amateur.

The 1896 Ashes between England and Australia was set down for three tests, and leading into the final game, the series was tied at one all. This followed on from the amazing 1894/95 series in Australia that had produced a number of close results, and amazing comebacks. The final and deciding match therefore setup to be a great game, and was to be played at The Oval in Surrey. However, five professionals who were named in the side, refused to play unless their match fees were doubled. The reasons behind this demand were more complicated than a simple pay increase.

W.G. Grace was, almost without argument, the most well known figure in England at the time. His fame and performances were already legendary throughout the cricketing world, surprising for a player who had yet to retire. He was also an amateur, and supposedly did not receive payment for playing the game. This was clearly untrue; whilst his profession was as a medical doctor, Grace gained most of his income from cricket. In 1895, Grace had an amazing summer, becoming the first player to score 100 first class centuries, and also to score 1,000 runs in the month of May. He finished the 1895 season with 2,346 runs at an astounding average of 51, which is even more remarkable as he had turned 47 years old in July. The Daily Telegraph newspaper was suitably impressed by this achievement, and organised a testimonial to celebrate the feat. It ran articles encouraging readers to donate one shilling each to the appeal. As the testimonial gained momentum, the MCC joined in, along with Grace’s home county of Gloucestershire. Grace was the eventual beneficiary of a figure of 9, 073 pounds. Translated into today’s money, it is estimated that this would equate to a payment of around a quarter of a million pounds.

Not everyone was stoked about this. It is fair to say that the professional players of the time were fairly miffed that an amateur player could take a payment of such magnitude without any qualms, whilst they were left slaving away for significantly lesser amounts. What added to the professional players’ disquiet was the fact that whilst they received a payment of ten pounds per test match, they discovered that Grace was actually paid more than that to appear. The resentment started to bubble up, but the professional players took no action until they saw an opportunity to make a statement. And this opportunity arrived in the final test of the 1896 Ashes with the series tied.

In the days leading up to the Oval test, five of the professionals in the team announced publicly that they would not pay unless their match fee was doubled to twenty pounds. In addition, they advised the newspapers of the day that the main reason for their discontent was the double standards associated with the amateur Grace receiving match payments disguised as ‘expenses’. The five professionals, Billy Gunn, George Lohmann, Tom Richardson, Tom Haywood and Bobby Abel, had their bluff called by the Surrey Cricket Club, who hosted the game at the Oval. Surrey refused to pay the additional amounts, and Haywood, Abel and Richardson then backed down on their original demands and agreed to play. However, Gunn and Lohmann both stood by their convictions and declined the invitation to represent England. England went on to win the game in spite of their absence, benefiting from a rain affected pitch that saw Australia dismissed for just 44 in their second innings.

This incident caused a significant divide between the amateur Grace and the professionals. Grace was evidently livid that he had been targeted by them, and argued that he had supported the professionals by appearing free of charge in their own testimonial games. The professionals were still unhappy that the governing bodies appeared to simply cave into Grace’s demands; his presence as the largest figure in cricket allowed him to dictate his own terms. Lohmann never again represented England. His bowling statistics remain to this day the most impressive of any player who has taken over 100 test wickets. Lohmann’s bowling average of just over 10, combined with a strike rate of 34, is astounding even by the standards of the day. The divide and lingering resentment between the professional and amateur player continued for many more decades in England, until the separation was finally abolished at the end of the 1962 season.

Book Review - Best of the Best by Charles Davis

2007-12-06T20:33:00.000+11:00

As my university maths lecturers would attest, I am not overly gifted numerically. However, I do enjoy the statistical side of cricket, and love pouring over player performances. Statistics never divulge the full truth – but they can be used to provide some useful context for cricketers from other eras. Charles Davis, a cricket historian and statistician from Melbourne, produced one of the most fascinating books I have ever read – “Best of the Best”.

Davis has used statistics and statistical analysis in a bold attempt to standardise the performances of players across all eras of test cricket. He has come up with a methodology for both batsmen and bowlers that tries to take into account the historical variables such as uncovered pitches, the quality of opposition, and the length of career. This statistical re-balancing allowed Davis to arrive at an adjusted batting average and bowling rating. Batsmen who feasted on weak attacks in good conditions will see their average reduced, whilst batsmen who performed well against strong opposition bowlers would see a rise in their figure. This recalculation is done for all players across all test cricket, and by doing so, Davis has come up with a system that allows direct comparison between eras.

This methodology naturally has some inherent assumptions that may or may not be completely valid. However, it is undoubtedly the most comprehensive attempt to re-rank every test player in history, and the results are fascinating reading. The greatest bowler of all-time under Davis’ system is the great Sydney Barnes. Whilst his rating was affected by the fact he played in an era of lower scoring (1901-1913), Barnes still came out on top. He finished in front of another legend in Bill O’Reilly. Interestingly, Don Bradman personally rated these two individuals as the greatest bowlers of all-time. Other bowlers in the top ten include Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillee and Malcolm Marshall. George Lohmann, who played in the 1880s and 90s, has probably the most amazing test bowling statistics of all-time. However, because of the limited opposition and bowler friendly pitches, he drops to no. 7 in Davis’ rankings.

The greatest batsman of all-time is, unsurprisingly, one Donald Bradman. However, it is interesting to see what happens to Bradman’s average after Davis’ recalculates it. Bradman’s original test average is 99.94, but after Davis takes into account the limited number of teams he played, and the batsmen friendly pitches, his average drops by nearly 15 runs back to 84.5. This figure is still in excess of 25 runs in front of his nearest competitor, Graeme Pollock (whose own adjusted average is 58.9, down from his test figure of over 60). Other great players in the top 10 include Gary Sobers, George Headley, Jack Hobbs and Clyde Walcott. Viv Richards is an interesting case, falling outside the top 20 due to the number of runs he scored against statistically weak attacks.

I have not done justice in explaining Davis’ system, but neither do I have the space to do so. He explains it all in great detail in the book, and manages to do so in a manner that is easy to understand. The recalculation of all test cricketers also facilitated Davis in exploding some interesting myths. One of these is the issue of the ‘nervous nineties’. Davis shows that players are actually 10 to 15 percent less likely to get out between 85 and 100, than they were up to 85. However, once they reach 100, they suddenly relax, and have a 10 percent greater chance of being dismissed up until 124.

Another myth that Davis examines is the issue of remaining not out and its affect on your batting average. Davis turns our thinking around, and points out that a not-out innings is actually a missed opportunity to score more runs. By missing out on runs whilst set, the batsman is actually reducing his overall career average. Davis explores this situation, and puts forward a convincing argument that if batsmen were able to play all their unbeaten innings to a conclusion, they would actually end up with a higher career batting average.

“Best of the Best” is sadly no longer available from publishers, but it can be found through Ebay and other sources. I would recommend cricket lovers who enjoy some of the more cerebral aspects of this great game trying to find a copy. A fascinating look at cricket in a different light.

Book Reviews - The Warwick Todd Trilogy by Tom Gleisner

2007-12-05T19:51:00.000+11:00

Tom Gleisner is a well known comedian and writer in Australia, and has been an integral part of many successful television series including The D-Generation, The Late Show, The Panel and Thank God You’re Here, and films including The Castle. He is a cricket lover, and has written three satirical books based around the life and times of a mythical test player called Warwick Todd. Gleisner writes in the first person as Todd, recounting his experiences as a member of the Australian cricket team. The book are presented as tour diaries, parodying the annual Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting efforts since the mid 90s. The diaries describe actual real-life matches that were played by the national side, with Warwick Todd slotted into the lineup in a fictional capacity.

The first diary was "The Warwick Todd Diaries", which recounts the events of the Australian 1997 Ashes tour of England. Mark Taylor was going through a fairly wretched patch with the blade, and this provided Gleisner with plenty of material. After a brief retirement, Todd’s second diary “Back in the Baggy Green”, describes the Commonwealth Games of 1998, and the Australian team’s tour of the sub-continent. Cricket often plays a secondary role to the off-field hijinks described in great detail. The third, and to this point, final diary is “Going the Tonk", which covers another Ashes tour of England in 2001.

The humour is often blunt, sometimes offensive, and also surprisingly clever at time. Drinking, carousing and sexual innuendo is the basis for much of the content, however, there is also a lot of far more subtle gags. It is clear that Gleisner is a genuine cricket fan (the lucky bastard is even invited to play as Warwick Todd in charity events with real test cricketers), and has also done his research carefully. Gleisner uses the real tensions and events of the time extremely well. An example of this can be seen with the following paragraph that encapsulates the problems actually expressed by test players in relation to the perceived conflict in Bob Simpson being both a selector and the coach.

“Put yourself in the position of a player with a minor technical problem and ask yourself if you would go to the coach for advice if he was also a selector and the side was being chosen that night? This exact dilemma presented itself to me on the eve of the First Test against England in 1993 when, after a lengthy session in the nets, I discovered a footwork problem. Should I tell Simmo? Should I not? In the end I decided yes, and pointed out to him just how badly Matt Hayden was handling the leg-spin bowling. Next thing I knew – Hulkster is carrying the drinks. Not fair is it?”

Gleisner has also read similar tour diaries and the autobiographies of the players of the time. There is a great reference to not trusting chiropractors that is a direct rip-off of the Geoff Lawson book “Henry”. Unless you have read “Henry”, you would miss Gleisner’s beautiful parody of Lawson’s initial paranoia about chiropractors. Gleisner also managed to delightfully puncture the robotic and choreographed responses that our current day cricketers are taught in Media Training 101.

“Our 12th man was announced during the pre-game warm-up and Julian was something of a surprise choice, considering his excellent form thus far. That a player of BJ’s calibre could be omitted indicates just how much better than him the rest of us clearly are.”

The Warwick Todd diaries will not appeal to everyone. They can be extremely crude and rude in places, and political correctness goes completely out the window in “Back in the Baggy Green”. They are, nonetheless, exceedingly funny in parts, and I recommend them to fans of the sport. Cricket can be taken far too seriously at times – it is just a game after all, and Gleisner managed to remind us all of that.

Book Review - Bodyline Autopsy by David Frith

2007-12-04T21:35:00.000+11:00

The 1932/33 Ashes contest in Australia was and still is seen by many commentators as the most controversial series of all time. The mere word ‘bodyline’ conjures up strong images of short pitched bowling to batsmen ducking and weaving to avoid being struck. Bodyline has been the subject of video, a fairly forgettable mini-series, and more words than can be counted. David Frith’s offering, Bodyline Autopsy, is another review of the events of this series.

Frith has a long standing reputation as one of the leading cricket writers in the world. He has written over 20 books, and has also edited and worked for many major newspapers and cricket magazines. One of Frith’s greatest strengths, and it comes through strongly in this work, is his intimate knowledge of cricket history and his personal relationships with many of the leading players from the past. Frith’s research into the Bodyline series takes the time to carefully examine not just the 1932/33 Ashes, but also both the lead-up to that point, and the ongoing ramifications from it. Precedents of intimidatory bowling from quicks such as Jack Gregory in the 1920s, as well as more current examples from the West Indian attacks of the 1980s, are used to balance the recitation of the events of that summer.

Many other books on this topic have suffered greatly from the inherent biases of the writer. Frith has managed to provide a balanced critique of the highly emotional subject, and is to be congratulated for it. He spends each summer living in Australia, before spending the next six months in England. Frith’s autobiography is called “Caught England Bowled Australia”, and this underlines his shared loyalties between the land of his birth and the new country he subsequently grew up in. It is perhaps this shared background that allows him to take a subjective view of the Bodyline issue, whereas other writers have been blinded by their own singular nationalistic tendencies. The complex events of the series are reviewed and examined, and presented to the reader in a very comprehensive, but still highly readable, manner.

Frith has known and spoken with many of the central figures of the series, and was close friends with both Bradman and Larwood amongst others. This familiarity has given Frith a wonderful insight into the thoughts of the protagonists, and his portraits of the characters are fascinating and well developed. One example of this can be seen in his presentation of the English captain Douglas Jardine. In Australia Jardine is generally thought of as a dour and ruthless bastard, whose win-at-all-costs attitude was simply too excessive. It is to Frith’s credit that he manages to both confirm this image, but also to counter it with examples of both Jardine’s sense of humour, his courage and his sportsmanship.

Prior to reading it, I must admit wondering what Bodyline Autopsy could provide that previous books hadn’t. However, Frith has managed to write the definitive analysis of the series, and it should be part of all serious cricket lovers collections. Very highly recommended, and one of my top 10 cricket books of all time.

Why do off spinners fail in Australia?

2007-12-03T14:36:00.000+11:00

The Warne V Murali debate has reignited, and whilst I'm not going to buy into that here, I thought I would look again at the issue of pitches, and what bowlers are suited where. Why do Indians play Warne so easily, and why does Murali get carted by Australia?

Australia has never produced great off-spinners (well, not since 1900 anyway). The pitches simply don't suit them, and the change to covered pitches has reduced their effectiveness in England as well. There is little spin to be had for off-spinners on hard pitches that don't break up excessively. If you try to come up with a list of good Australian offies, it is pretty hard. Ashley Mallett was pretty handy, but the cupboard is pretty bare after that. Tim May did OK, but was hardly a world beater. Australian left arm orthodox is even less impressive. Anyone remember Murray Bennett, Ray Bright (most over-rated test cricketer ever) or Tom Hogan?

Offies will always have a role in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as their pitches tend to have a softer crust, and to crumble. This suits an offie, as they get bite with their flatter trajectory from the front of the hand. A 'loopy' leggie (like Warne and MacGill) will not have the same effect as they bowl the ball over the wrist (which naturally throws the ball out slower, but on a higher trajectory). India has produced very few loopy legspinners (with the notable exception of the great Gupte), instead having bowlers like Chandra and Kumble who spear the ball through at a faster pace. A loopy leggie will get extra bounce from hard pitches, and therefore do well in Australia, but the lack of bounce in India etc will enable batsmen to sit back and cover the spin easily.

We saw this with the last Australian tour of India, when Michael Clarke was the most effective Australian bowler as he darted them in. Hauritz gave it too much air, and didn't get the best out of the unstable pitch. Australia needs to look at what bowlers are going to perform well in certain conditions. Hogg looks a far better bet than MacGill for games in India and Pakistan, as his style is better suited to those pitches.Greg Matthews and Ray Bright both have taken bags of wickets in India, and yet look like absolute no-hopers in Australia. The selectors may well gamble on the best young offie (or Cameron White if he starts bowling again) in Australia as backup for Hogg on the next tour, as history would indicate this strategy is more likely to achieve success than a loopy leggie like MacGill.

Book Reviews - Some Christmas Recommendations

2007-12-02T14:46:00.000+11:00

Turn, Turn, Turn … Please by Kerry O’Keeffe

If you have read O’Keeffe’s previous book, “According to Skull”, you will know what to expect from this effort. It is a series of short and sweet pieces describing various events throughout his life, with a very light hearted spin. O’Keeffe has built up a cult following for his commentary on ABC radio, and this book is very similar to a O’Keeffe session in the commentary box. Entertaining, but often diverging from the original context, it is never dull.

O’Keeffe varies his topics from horse racing to cricket to the forced land of aircraft. Mixed into the humour, there remains enough insight and analysis to sustain the interest of both casual and more serious cricket lovers. Not high literature, but makes no apologies for that. It delivers what it promises – a fun read that is ideal for a lazy Boxing Day.

150 Years of NSW First Class Cricket by Colin Clowes

Clowes, one of the honorary Cricket NSW Research Librarians, wrote this book to celebrate, perhaps not surprisingly, the 150th anniversary of first-class cricket in New South Wales. It is a thick book, and with good reason. It details in excess of one thousand first-class cricket matches played by New South Wales to the end of last season. Clowes covers every first-class game that the Blues have played, with an analysis of the matches and description of individual performances.

This book is naturally aimed at New South Wales cricket supporters. However, there is a large amount of content that will fascinate readers who are simply interested in cricket in general. Great names of Australian cricket including the Gregory family, Victor Trumper, Don Bradman, Alan Davidson, Richie Benaud, Doug Walters and the Waughs are all integral parts of NSW’s history, but international players such as Imran Khan also contributed and are included here.

The book has a vast number of old photographs, scorecards, statistics and accounts of the players that made NSW the leading cricketing state in Australia. Not for the casual reader, this book is a treat for true cricket connoisseurs. Highly recommended.

The Whole Hogg by Rodney Hogg

This book is an interesting first attempt by Hogg. Unlike most autobiographies, it is not self-serving at all, and in fact, often seems to delight in portraying Hogg in the worst possible light. Some of his words are so unbelievable for a former test cricketer that you assume that they must be true. An example of this can be seen with Hogg’s recall of faking an injury so as to be made 12th man for a test match. “Being 12th man for Australia was a lot better than playing because you got the same money and could legally get on the drink every night.”

One of the most interesting pieces of information revealed was that Hogg came within one vote of taking over from Kim Hughes as test captain. Quite what Australia’s future would have been if Hogg, rather than Allan Border, had taken the reins hardly bears thinking about. Hogg also finally admits that he did try to punch Kim Hughes’ head off during a test match. Hogg’s part in the famous Dennis Lillee aluminium bat incident is also fascinating to read about. This book is certainly not your run-of-the-mill cricket autobiography – recommended but not for cricket purists.

Book Review - Beyond a Boundary

2007-12-01T19:42:00.000+11:00

C.L.R. (Cyril Lionel Robert) James was born in Trinidad and Tobago on the 4th of January 1901. As a child, he grew up observing and playing with many of the great players in the early days of West Indian cricket. He moved to England at age 31 in order to further his writing aspirations, and gained a reputation as a social theorist. Over the following years, he spent significant time in both England and the United States, and wrote prolifically on Marx, Lenin and Trotsky. James returned to his birthplace, and was a leading figure in the development of independence in the West Indies. Over all this time, James’ love of cricket remained undiminished, and he is now best remembered for his 1963 book, “Beyond a Boundary”. Over the years since its publication, Beyond a Boundary has been nominated by many readers as the greatest book ever written about sport, but it now seems to be popular to criticise it. As such, I thought it worthy of a re-review.

“Beyond a Boundary” is a combination of a personal memoir, an examination of the social history of the West Indies, and a commentary on the role of cricket within the Caribbean islands. The book is partly autobiographical, and James begins “Beyond a Boundary” with his family history, his childhood and school years. Into this mix, James commences his analysis of West Indian society and politics. James was close friends with the great Learie Constantine, and he recounts personal encounters with Constantine, and other famous cricketers of the day including George Headley, George John and Wilton St Hill.

Many people will have read the defining quote of the book “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know”. This quote serves as the basis for James to critique the game of cricket with the historical and political role that the sport has undertaken in the ongoing devleopment of the West Indian islands. It is worth noting at this point that “Beyond a Boundary” is not a book written for the masses. It is a complex analysis of politics, race and class struggles. The modern cricket book landscape is characterised by ‘ghosted’ autobiographies of players who have just completed their first year of international competition. Beyond a Boundary clashes with this current trend, and this point of differentiation is undoubtedly difficult for casual readers. James’ qualities as an academic are seen in his writing, and the language he chooses has not been simplified for popular consumption.

James discusses the role of sport since Greek times, and puts forward his views regard its importance in relation to the social history. Essays on great players such as George Headley and W.G. Grace are counterpointed to literature and events of their time. An example of this approach is seen through James’ association of Grace’s career with the book Tom Brown’s Schooldays, and argues how the written word provided a setting for Grace to gain social prominence. James also covers the unrest surrounding the English tour in 1960, and how the politics of the islands could be seen through the selection of both the national team and its varying captains.

Whilst you don’t have to be a cricket fanatic to enjoy this book, it is certainly not for everyone. The combination of cricketing anecdotes, social commentary, politics, race, class and sociology is not one that makes for easy consumption on the beach. Nonetheless, James has managed to weave these diverse and often disparate elements together into a book that is highly compelling and interesting to read. As mentioned earlier, it seems popular to now criticise Beyond a Boundary for being overly intellectual, complicated and difficult to read. These criticisms are not without some merit, but they are to overlook the point of the book. It is a product of a time of massive change, of social, political and economic upheaval. Beyond a Boundary is certainly one of the most important books about cricket ever written, and no fan of the history of either cricket or the West Indies should miss it.

Some Cool Cricketing Quotes

2007-11-30T18:34:00.000+11:00

The message board I have frequented for the past five years (http://cricketfansforum.net) has recently been running a thread about cricketing quotes. That got me interested in the topic, and I have been tracking some of the better ones down to share over the next few days.

"If they re-write the laws and saw that double-jointed people must not be allowed to play the first-class game, well, fair enough" - Harold Rhodes (1966)

"An out-and-out thrower" - Uncle J Rod (2007) about Murali. Also, Dillip Vengsarkar (1991) about Manoj Prabhakar.

"My unicycle has broken down and I've left my red nose in the box" - Ally Brown (1996). He had been compared to Coco the Clown by sections of the media after his debut ODI game for England.

"The only fellow I've met who fell in love with himself at a young age and has remained faithful ever since" - Dennis Lillee (1997) describing Geoff Boycott.

"Skipper, you seem to have forgotten your own instructions" - The Nawab of Pataudi (1933). This statement was held against him by the captain Jardine; despite scoring a hundred, he was dropped for the Adelaide test.

"The people who have taken the rational side in this controversy - Tony Lewis, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Derek Pringle - they are all educated Oxbridge types. Look at the others: Lamb, Botham, Trueman. The difference in class and upbringing makes a difference" - Imran Khan (1994).

"I will not be making any comment about the pitch or the umpiring, and I want that known" - Mike Gatting (1987). This was followed shortly after by Chakoor Rana calling Gatting a "Fucking Cheating Cunt".

And for all the batsmen who feel cheated;
"I didn't hit it. You can like it or lump it. I'm not going. I didn't hit it and I'm not out" - Chris Broad (1987) to umpire Shakeel Khan on the same tour. Broad showed no conviction to his views though, as he left the wicket after a delay of only a minute or so.

Interesting interuptions to play

2007-11-29T20:39:00.000+11:00

Apologies again for the delay on updating – I am struggling a bit at the moment with some health problems, but should now be over the worst.

A quick update from some reading I have been doing recently – some interesting reports on reasons that games have been stopped.

- In 1995, a game being played in Gloucestershire was officially abandoned by the umpires due to poor light. This decision was taken as the result of thick black smoke blanketing the ground from a nearby animal crematorium.

- Also in 1995, Shane Warne’s favourite batsmen, Darryll Cullinan, hit a ball over the boundary for a six in a domestic match. As is commonplace in South Africa, a number of spectators had fired up a barbeque, and the ball landed right in the middle of a pan of hot fat. Play was delayed for over ten minutes whilst the officials firstly retrieved the ball, and then while they waited for the ball to cool enough to be cleaned of the oily coating.

- England’s 1922-23 tour of South Africa was fairly uneventful, except for a pitch invasion in the final test. The small green frogs setup camp on the pitch, and play came to a complete halt until the groundsmen were able to collect them all and remove them to safety.

- In the 1930s in Kenya, a pride of lions was seen circling the cricket ground. The game commenced, but after a short period of time, a hit into the outfield came to stop just inside the boundary. The fieldsman in pursuit came to sudden halt when the lions came to investigate, and he prudently made a hasty retreat. The batsmen continued running, the fielders wanted no part of it, and the umpires eventually had to temporarily stop the game until the lions could be scared away. Urban legend has it that the batsmen ran until they were exhausted, but there appears little evidence to support this.

- The 1984 match between arch enemies Launceston and Old Suttonians was repeatedly interrupted. A circus had setup camp in the next field, and their camels escaped on no less than four occasions and stampeded onto the cricket ground.

- Australia has its fair share of dangerous snakes, and during summer there are often sightings of the reptiles on cricket grounds. In 1967, a game in South Australia was temporarily delayed when a brown snake, which evidently had been asleep in hole next to the pitch, stuck its head up and made its way towards the surprised batsman. The batsman, obviously a country lad, immediately beat it to death with his bat. The delay in the game actually was due to the fact that the wicketkeeper had scarpered on first spotting the snake, and was hiding in the pavilion.

The History of Chucking - Part II

2007-11-21T21:05:00.000+11:00

Apologies to all - I have been both unwell and away recently. I will endeavour to make up for the significant length of time since my last posting.

____________________________________________

In 1947, the law makers finally made the logical decision to combine Law 10 and Law 48. These were re-written as Law 26:

“For a delivery to be fair the ball must be bowled, not thrown or jerked; if either umpire be not entirely satisfied of the absolute fairness of a delivery in this respect, he shall call and signal ‘no-ball’ instantly upon delivery”.

This change seemed to simplify the situation, and for the next decade there were few problems with chuckers in world cricket. However, the mid to late 50s saw a sudden explosion of bowlers with very suspect actions. The various administrators around the world experimented and trialed many different wordings and interpretations for the throwing law, but none seemed to be ideal. Precisely what defined a throw was proving difficult to put into words. All countries had their chuckers, and as such, it was hard for any one country to hold the higher ground and push for a clear change. The MCC team was quick to criticize the Australian bowlers such as Rorke, Meckiff and Slater in the 1958 series, however, their own Tony Lock was as blatant a thrower as any. This made any significant complaints appear like sour grapes, as the MCC seemed happy enough to continue picking their own transgressor.

1961 saw the suggestion that the following phrase be added to the law:

“A ball shall be deemed to have been thrown, if in the opinion of either umpire, there has been a sudden straightening of the bowling arm, whether partial or complete, immediately prior to the delivery of the ball. Immediately prior to the delivery of the ball will be taken to mean at any time after the arm has risen above the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing. The bowler will not be debarred from the use of the wrist in delivering the ball”.

Thankfully, this suggestion was considered so confusing and overwhelming that it wasn’t adopted universally. Experimental notes and additional clauses were trialed, including the 1964 modification that stated;

“A ball shall be deemed to have been thrown, if in the opinion of either umpire, the bowling arm having been bent at the elbow, whether the wrist is backward of the elbow or not, is suddenly straightened immediately prior to the instant of delivery.”

Interestingly, these additional clauses seemed only to muddy the waters more, and it was through selectors choosing not to pick suspect players that the chucking furour of early 60s died away. The issue remained on the ICC agenda throughout the decade, however, no significant changes to the law were made. The 1980 code changed the numbering system, and the throwing law was contained in Law 24. The wording remained the same, and throwing was not considered a major problem in world cricket.

By the year 2000, throwing had again come to the fore. Off the field issues and the threats of litigation had resulted in major changes to how potentially suspect actions were dealt with. The 2000 revision of the laws by the MCC saw a change to law 24.2 as follows:

“Fair delivery – the arm

For a delivery to be fair in respect of the arm the ball must not be thrown. See 3 below.

Although it is the primary responsibility of the striker’s end umpire to ensure the fairness of the delivery in this respect, there is nothing in this law to debar the bowler’s end umpire from calling and signaling no-ball if he considers the ball has been thrown.

(a) If, in the opinion of either umpire, the ball has been thrown he shall

(i) call and signal no-ball

(ii) caution the bowler, when the ball is dead. This caution shall apply throughout the innings.

(iii) Inform the other umpire, the batsmen at the wicket, the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has happened.

(b) If either umpire considers that after such caution, a further delivery by the same bowler in that innings is thrown, the umpires concerned shall repeat the procedure set out in (a) above, indicating to the bowler that this is a final warning. This warning shall also apply through the innings.

(i) the umpire concerned shall call and signal no-ball. When the ball is dead, he shall inform the other umpire, the batsman at the wicket, and as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has happened.

(ii) The umpire at the bowler’s end shall direct the captain of the fielding side to take the bowler off forthwith. The over shall be completed by another bowler, who shall neither have bowled the previous over nor be allowed to bowl the next over.

(iii) The umpires together shall report the occurrence as soon as possible to the Executive of the fielding side and any governing body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and bowler concerned.”

Law 24.3 saw the following wording:

“A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if once the bowler’s arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar the bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing.”

Therefore, there were actually major restructuring of the laws in relation to process. Law 24.2 is substantially longer than previous, and was stated as such:

It would seem clear that, despite the best efforts of administrators, the situation regarding throwing is no better defined now than it was a century ago. And that is a pretty sad situation for us to be in.

The History of Chucking - Part One

2007-11-11T10:22:00.000+11:00

With Murali’s success in the current test series against Australia (he has taken twice as many wickets in the series as any other Sri Lankan bowler, and in fact has taken as many wickets as all the other bowlers combined), there are a number of articles and blogs around at the moment discussing whether Murali is a chucker or not. This piece doesn’t argue that point at all, but is instead tries to provide a review of throwing since the laws of the game were first drafted. It gets a little long (which I accept is not normal for my posts), so I have split it into two parts.

The laws of the game of cricket can be traced back to 1744, when a set of governing guidelines were developed. There were alterations and additions to this initial set of laws in 1755, but many historians argue the first legitimate and widespread laws were established in England in 1774. All bowling at this time was underarm, and there were no laws at all about throwing. In 1816, Lambert produced his “Cricketers’ Guide. This document is believed to be the first that clearly provided an explanation and definition of what constituted a legitimate delivery. His book stated that:

“The ball must be delivered underhanded, not thrown or jerked, with the hand below the elbow at the time of delivering the ball. If the arm is extended straight from the body or the back part of the hand be uppermost when the ball is delivered, or the hand horizontally extended, the umpire shall call “no-ball.”

Lambert’s definition was adopted by the major cricketing bodies in England, and was adhered to by the players for the next six years. It was in 1822 that “round-arm” bowling came to the fore, with many arguments about its perceived legitimacy. John Willes achieved lasting infamy, being no-balled at Lords for bowling round-arm. The debate continued for another six years, with players experimenting with this new style of bowling. In 1828, the MCC proposed a modification to the law about bowling, which said:

“The ball shall be bowled. If is be thrown or jerked, or any part of the hand or arm be above the elbow at the time of delivery, the umpire shall call “no-ball.”

Over the following thirty years, the law-makers continued to try and come up with a specific ruling on what a legitimate delivery actually was. Even then, defining what a ‘bowl’ actually was, proved very difficult. The MCC met in 1864 and changed the law, simplifying it substantially to:

“The ball must be bowled; if thrown or jerked the umpire shall call ‘no-ball’ ”.

This law remained largely unchanged for many decades, with only the addition being the provision that the law should now be read in conjunction with the Law 48:

“If either umpire be not satisfied of the absolute fairness of the delivery, he shall call ‘no-ball’ ”.

The laws about bowling were therefore to be read in two separate parts, Laws 10 and 48. It was 1947 that saw a major re-drafting of all the Laws of the game that led to the next major revision of the throwing legislation.

The Myth of the Speed Gun

2007-11-10T17:26:00.000+11:00

I have been listening with interest over the past few days to the ABC radio discuss whether Brett Lee or Mitchell Johnson is the faster bowler. Largely, they are using the figures generated from the speed gun as a guide. Whilst velocity readings are very interesting, I don't think they come close to telling the whole story about how fast a bowler is. I admit that what I am going to say will probably confuse everyone but here goes; I don't think that the velocity of the ball is the same as the speed of the bowler.

What I mean by this is that some bowlers are perceived by the batsman to be faster than others, even though the measured velocity may be the same. A few years ago Glen McGrath was measured as being slower than Greg Blewett. However, if you asked opening batsman which one was faster, I assume all of them would pick McGrath.

My feeling is that batsman tend to find certain bowlers 'faster' than others on the basis of having to make a late adjustment when the ball is not quite where they expect it to be. When the ball is delivered, the batsman immediately starts moving into position to play the shot. With only half a second or so from the bowler letting it go until the batsman plays the ball, the batsman has to move on instinct into the correct position.

Brett Lee at 135kms/hr is far 'slower' than Clark at the same velocity, as Lee has a very flat and predictable trajectory. This means that the batsman is in position to play the shot earlier than against Clark, who tends to achieve extra bounce or movement off the seam that forces the batsman to readjust their shot from what they expected. This then makes the batsmen perceive the bowler as being faster than what a pure velocity reading would suggest.

Likewise, if a bowler has an unusual or strange action that prevents the batsman getting an early sighting of the ball, they will appear faster. The great South African Mike Proctor is an example of this, as his "wrong foot" action meant that batsmen were not picking the ball up early. Velocity tests showed that he was not as fast as other bowlers going around during the 70's, however, most batsman rated him as amongst the quickest.

I will concede that 160kms/hr is bloody fast no matter what!

Extracts from the 1755 Laws of Cricket

2007-11-09T07:33:00.000+11:00

I was reading a cricket history book that had some extracts from the 1755 'The Code of Laws of Cricket'. The below are a few of the additions to the original version from 1744. Some are pretty cool.

Laws for the Bowler

If he delivers ye Ball with his hinder foot over ye Crease ye Umpire shall call No Ball though he be struck or ye Player is bowled out, which he shall do without being asked and no Person shall have any right to ask him.

Laws for the Umpires

To allow two minutes for each man to come in when one is out and ten minutes between each hand. To mark ye Ball, that it may not be changed. They are sole judges of all Outs and Ins, of all Fair and Unfair play or frivolous delays, of all hurts whether real or pretended, and are discretionally to allow what time they think proper before the game goes on again. In case of a real hurt to a striker they are to allow another to come in & ye Person hurt to come in again. But are not to allow a fresh Man to play on either side on any account.

They are sole judges of all hindrances, crossing ye Players in running and standing unfair to strike and in case of hindrance may order a notch to be scored. They are not to order any Man out unless appealed to by any one of ye Players. These laws are to ye Umpires jointly.

Each Umpire is ye sole judge of all Nips and catches, Ins and Outs, good or bad runs at his own Wicket and his determination shall be absolute and he shall not be changed for another umpire without ye consent of both sides. When ye 4 balls are bowled, he is to call over.

When both umpires shall call Play, three times, 'tis at ye peril of giving Game from them that refuse to play.

Player Profile - Alan Davidson

2007-11-08T09:58:00.001+11:00

Great left arm bowlers do not come along frequently, and this may be part of the reason why they are so successful. Variety is the spice of life, and likewise, a distinction between the types of bowlers in a team's attack is vital for success. This is where being left handed can be of great benefit. The natural angle across the right handed batsmen is an obvious advantage, but unless it is combined with swing, it can quickly become predictable and lose its edge. Alan Davidson may have been born left handed, but without an enormous amount of skill to go with it, he would never have developed into one of the finest all-rounders of all time, described by Richie Benaud, as "one of the best cricketers ever to play for Australia".

Alan Davidson was born on the 14th of June, 1929 on the Central Coast of NSW at a small town called Lisarow. Cricket was part of his life from an early age, being supported and encouraged by his family. Alan recounted stories of sitting at his grandfather's feet, listening to anecdotes and yarns about legends of the past such as Trumper and Duff. This was a great grounding for a young Alan, with his grandfather reinforcing the value of the basics of the game, especially a straight bat. Alan played all sports throughout his schooling years at the local school at Lisarow, but his love for cricket was obvious. He was selected to play for his school against the nearby Ourimbah School, bowling slow left arm leg spin. On the morning of the match, Alan awoke feeling very unwell. He didn't breathe a word of his illness, fearing it would rule him out of the game. Alan played on and took a number of wickets, before the emerging spots revealed the fact he had chicken pox and he ended up in bed.

Alan moved onto Gosford High School, however he was very slow to develop physically. At the age of sixteen, Alan was still only just over five foot tall. In the next year however, he shot up rapidly in height to just under six foot. He had continued to play all sports and represented Northern Schools in both cricket and sport. One of his greatest disappointments as a footballer came against a team from Hamilton Marist. Playing at fullback, Alan and his teammates all struggled to lay a hand on the opposition's five eight who continually ran past them to score tries. This was part of the reason that Alan decided to concentrate upon cricket. In later years, when Clive Churchill did the same to Great Britain, Alan recalled the experience in a better light.

Alan did everything in cricket left handed, but interestingly he writes and plays tennis right handed. Alan continued to bowl left arm spinners successfully enough to be picked for the Gosford representative first XI at age seventeen, however he then turned into a fast bowler largely by accident. His uncle Vern Clifton was one of the best batsmen in Gosford, and he often used Alan for special practice sessions. One day, just prior to an important game against Singleton, he asked Alan to bowl faster than normal. Alan let go with a ball that swung back very late into Vern, scattering his stumps in all directions. Vern just replaced the wicket and threw the ball back to Alan, but he took notice. The next day in the game against Singleton, Vern, who was captaining Gosford that day, tossed the ball to Alan, telling him he was to open the bowling. Alan took 4 for 39 and his new career was well underway.

In 1947, Alan took 37 wickets for Gosford in the John Bull Shield at the impressive average of 4.3. This form was pivotal in his selection for the Hunter Valley team that competed in the annual country carnival in Sydney. In the three games, Alan took 5 for 29, 5 for 45 and 2 for 54, however this was not good enough for him to be selected in the combined country team. Despite this disappointment, some good came from the experience, with an offer to trial with Northern Districts in the Sydney grade competition. Alan gratefully took this opportunity, travelling to Sydney by train for three successive weekend trial games, and he was subsequently picked in the Northern Districts First XI. Having finished school, Alan started working with the Commonwealth Bank, and was fortunate to gain a transfer to the Strathfield Branch, which limited the amount of travel he would have faced if he continued to commute from Gosford.

Initially, Alan relied predominantly upon his inswinger, however his captain Tim Caldwell worked with him to develop a straight ball that angled across the right handers. This development increased the danger of the inswinger greatly, and Alan started to gain the notice of the state selectors. Whilst his batting was not yet coming to the fore, Alan's bowling took Northern Districts through to the Sydney premiership. He took 40 wickets at an average of 14, and selection for NSW followed in the 1948/49 summer, replacing Keith Miller who was called up for the Australian tour of South Africa. Alan was still only twenty years old but took 4 for 32 in his debut game against South Australia, and after only two more first class games, he was chosen to tour New Zealand with the Australian Second XI.

This New Zealand tour features a number of career highlights, including a magnificent game against the province of Wairarapa, which sadly was not viewed as a first class game. Opening the bowling, Alan took 10 for 29 off only eight one balls in the innings, before scoring 157 not out in the Australia's response. There was one unofficial test against the national New Zealand team, which ended in a draw. Alan took 0 for 36 in New Zealand's first innings, but then ran through their top order the second time round with 4 for 24, which left the New Zealanders at a precarious 9 for 76 when time ran out.

This was to prove as close as Alan would get to representative honours for the next two years, as the Australian line-up was exceptionally difficult to break into. At that time, the NSW opening attack was composed of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller, which meant that Alan's opportunities were limited even for his state. Whilst the lack of opportunities was undoubtedly frustrating, Alan did serve an excellent apprenticeship under the guidance of these great bowlers. On a few occasions he was able to take the lead, with figures of 7 for 49 against Queensland underlining his potential. Finally, in 1953 Alan's consistent performances resulted in his selection to tour England with the Australian team.

Under English conditions, Alan showed his value to the side by not only swinging the ball, but also moving it off the pitch. He was duly selected in the side for the first test, as part of a bowling attack that included Lindwall, Miller, Richie Benaud and Bill Johnston. He took 2 for 22 and 0 for 7 as the game ended in a draw. Alan's performances were viewed favourably by the tour selectors, and he kept his place in the team for the remainder of the series. He finished the series with 8 wickets at an average of 26.50, and scored 182 runs at an average of 22.75. Whilst Alan's bowling had been fair, if underutilized behind Lindwall, Miller and Johnson, his highest score of 76 underlined his all-round potential, and his fielding was rated as exceptional. The 27 catches he took on tour was the best of any non-wicketkeeper, and he was also involved in a number of run-outs.

Over the next four series against England at home in 1954/55, back in England in 1956, and in Pakistan and India in 1956/57, Alan struggled to recapture his first class form. He only took a total of 8 wickets in these four series, admittedly at a minimal cost, however he gained valuable experience behind the frontline pace duo of Lindwall and Miller. His groundbreaking tour occurred in 1957/58 under the young twenty one year old captain Ian Craig. Without either Lindwall or Miller for the first time, Alan was given the responsibility to carry the Australian attack along with leg spinner Richie Benaud. Alan had a fantastic series, getting the choice of ends and using the new ball effectively. He responded to this by taking 25 wickets at the impressive average of 17.00, with a best bowling performance of 6 for 34. Leading South African batsman Roy Mclean in particular struggled, failing to pick the difference between the inswinger and the ball angled across him. In one match he left a ball from Alan that he thought would move across him, but it swung back so much that it hit leg stump. Alan's performances were recognized by the South African public with him being named as one of the five players of the year there. Alan reported afterwards that this was the series in which he first became a matured test cricketer, and the faith that the Australian selectors had shown in him was now starting to be repaid.

Alan was now the considered to be the key bowler in Australia's attack, and he met that challenge successfully over the next seven series. Australia recaptured the Ashes at home against England in 1958/59 with a comprehensive 4 to nil victory under Benaud's captaincy. Alan was again the team's best bowler, taking 24 wickets at an average of 19.00, and also showed his batting prowess, scoring 180 runs at an average of 36.00. The highlight of the series was Alan's three wickets in an over in the second test. England had moved to seven without loss, before Alan got the opener Richardson caught behind, clean bowled the no. 3 batsman Watson with a late swinging yorker two balls later, and then knocked over Graveney lbw with another inswinger. 0 for 7 had rapidly become 3 for 7, Alan finished with 6 for 64 and Australia were on their way.

Alan toured Pakistan and India in 1959/60, and continued his fine form in these different conditions. In the eight test matches, composed of three against Pakistan and five against India, Alan led the Australian bowlers again by taking 41 wickets. He bowled better in India, taking 29 wickets at an average of 14.86, including his best match figures of 12 for 124 at Kanpur in the second test. Alan took 5 for 31 in the first innings, and followed it up with his test best 7 for 93. His batting continued to improve, averaging a healthy 45.00 against Pakistan.

The 1960/61 series between Australia and the West Indies is still recognized as one of the finest of all time. As Alan commented in his autobiography, Fifteen Paces, "Not even the highly imaginative editor of Boy's Own Cricket Annual would have dared to take such liberties with fiction". The first game produced test cricket's first ever tie, in a game whose momentum swung back and forth constantly. In this test played at the Gabba, Alan became the first player to ever to take 10 wickets in the match and also score 100 runs. Alan's bowling had taken 11 for 222, including a magnificent 6 for 53. Chasing 232 runs for victory in the final innings, Davidson and Benaud came together at a very precarious 6 for 92. They decided that attack was the best policy, and Alan produced his best test innings by scoring a rapid 80, before being run out with only seven runs for victory. The game eventually finished in an amazing tie, with Australia's last four wickets falling for only six runs including two spectacular run outs. Alan's performances in the entire series was exceptional, taking 33 wickets at an average of 18.54 in the five tests, and scored 212 runs at an average of 30.28. Australia eventually won the series 2 to 1, but if the West Indies had some luck, it easily could have been reversed.

Alan toured England for the third time in 1961. He took 23 wickets at an average of 24.86 and scored 151 runs at 30.20. Just prior to the Lords test, Alan injured his back and told his captain Benaud that he couldn't play. Benaud replied that Alan had to play, as Benaud himself was already out. Reluctantly Alan agreed to play, and overcame his back injury by taking 5 for 42 in the first innings. He did however feel that this effort cost him greatly and he did not bowl near this level again in the series. He did have one further highlight for the series however, scoring a rapid 77 not out in the fourth test at Manchester. On a wearing pitch in their second innings, only one hundred and fifty four runs in front, Alan decided to attack once the no. 11 Graham McKenzie came to the wicket. He proceeded to smash 20 runs off the next over from the English off-spinner David Allen, and the two players added a valuable 98 for the last wicket. England needed 256 runs to win, but Benaud's leg spin took Australia through to a famous win after England were cruising towards victory. Fittingly, Alan took the last wicket, bowling Brian Statham to secure the Ashes. He was fittingly named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.

Alan was now thirty three years old, and coming to the end of his career. He was still working for the Commonwealth Bank, and with a wife and children, it was difficult to make ends meet. As with almost all Australian cricketers of his day, Alan did not make money from the game and relied upon the sympathy of his employer in gaining leave for tours. He decided to retire at the end of the 1962/63 Ashes series at home. Alan showed that he was retiring at the top of his game, taking 24 wickets in the series at an average of 20.00. He added 158 runs to this, at 22.57. This series saw the end of four Australian stalwarts, with Alan calling it quits at the same time as Neil Harvey, Richie Benaud and Ken Mackay.

Alan was rated by his peers as the greatest left handed bowler of all time. Since then, Wasim Akram has laid a claim for this title also, however it is a measure of their respective skills that Richie Benaud compares the two favourably. No less a judge than Garry Sobers, who played against Alan in the famous 1960/61 series, rated Alan as the best fast bowler in the world for the final five or six years of his career. Whilst his bowling skills are well remembered, his batting was also far better than average. Sobers viewed Keith Miller and Alan as the two best all-rounders he played against.

Following his retirement from the game, Alan served for many years in Administration for NSW cricket, and is still the President of the NSW Cricket Association. He was named as one of NSW Cricketer's of the Century, and continues to live in Sydney.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

Alan played 44 test matches, scoring 1328 runs at an average of 24.59, and snared 42 catches. He took 186 wickets at an average of 20.53, with best bowling figures of 7-93.

First Class Games

In a total of 193 first class games, Alan scored 6804 runs at an average 32.86 with a highest score of 129. He took 672 wickets at an average of 20.90, with best bowling figures of 7-31.

Player Profile - Dudley Nourse

2007-11-06T21:03:00.001+11:00

Being the son of famous cricketer who captained their country has proved to be a major handicap to the careers of many players. Richard Hutton and Chris Cowdrey are but two examples of test cricketers who suffered greatly in comparison to their illustrious fathers. It does not always prove to be the case. Arthur William Nourse, who officially changed his name to Dave, was called the grand old man of South African cricket. A dour left handed batsman, Dave played forty five consecutive tests for South Africa from 1902 until 1925. He captained his country on a number of occasions and set numerous batting records, including being the first left hander to hit a hundred for South Africa, whilst at the other end of his career he become the oldest centurion for his country at the age of 42 years and 294 days. In spite of all of this though, perhaps Dave is best remembered through his son, Arthur Dudley Nourse, known by all and sundry as Dudley.

Dudley was born on the 12th of November, 1910. His father Dave, who was in Australia with the South African team at that time, celebrated Dudley’s impending birth with a double century against South Australia just four days earlier. Dudley grew up in Durban in Natal, playing both cricket and soccer enthusiastically. The interesting part of Dudley’s upbringing was the total refusal of his father Dave to provide him with any coaching or assistance. Dudley reportedly said that his father had told him early on “I learned to play cricket with a paling from a fence. Now you go and do the same”. This was the sum total of cricketing knowledge that passed from father to son during Dudley’s formative years, however it would seem unfair to view Dave as not caring about Dudley. Instead, it would appear that Dave considered this the best way for Dudley to make his way in life, and a sign of a father not attempting to push his son to follow in his own footsteps.

Dudley’s skill at ball games was evident from an early age, however a decision about which sport to concentrate upon was not make until quite late. As a teenager Dudley was more keen on soccer, and he missed an entire season of cricket at age 17 to focus upon the round ball game. He did return to cricket the next year, and soccer quickly was forgotten. It is highly possible that Dudley’s physique counted against him in soccer, as he was a thick-set man not known for his mobility or speed. He joined the Umbilo Cricket Club in Durban and rapidly worked his way through the ranks to the top grade.

In 1930, Dudley’s performances as a middle order batsman for Umbilo had impressed the Natal selectors sufficiently to select him to act as 12th man for the province. This was seen primarily as a reward for a talented young player and the chance for experience. This game was against the touring MCC side led by Percy Chapman, and the opportunity proved extremely motivating for the twenty year old Dudley. He commented afterwards that the entire game, and in particular the ten minutes he actually spent of the field ‘was sufficient to prove a turning point in my outlook on the game. I no longer had an attitude of indifference.”

The next year Dudley made his first class debut for Natal at the age of 21. Dudley first showed his true potential in a Currie Cup game against Western Province at Kingsmead in Durban, a quite an ironic state of events as it turns out. Still playing domestic first class cricket, and representing Western in the game, was a fifty three year old Dave Nourse. The Western Province captain showed his sense of drama by bring Dave, a very handy left arm spinner, on to bowl shortly after Dudley came to crease. Dudley revealed his class very clearly in the game, scoring a century. The first man to congratulate Dudley was Dave, fielding in the slips at the time. It is reported that Dave passed Dudley and said quietly “Son, I hope there will be many more to follow this one.” Surprisingly, Dudley afterwards reported that this was the first time that Dave had ever seen him bat in a game.

Dudley was selected to tour England with the South African team in 1935. Solid performances saw him selected to make his debut in the first test at Nottingham. Batting at No. 4, Dudley fell to the great left arm English spinner Headley Verity for only 4 in his only innings in the rain affected draw. The second test at Lords saw South Africa record a victory that turned out to be series deciding, however Dudley again failed with scores of 3 and 2. He was then dropped for the third test, before returning for the fourth and fifth tests. He performed consistently in these two games at Manchester and the Oval, recording solid scores of 29, 53 not out, 32 and 34.

Dudley’s form in the last two tests was good enough to maintain his position in the team for the 1935/36 tour by the Australians. This series was the watershed in his career, with Dudley cementing his spot in the middle order. In the first test at his home ground in Durban, Dudley scored 30 in the first innings, and fell just short of his maiden test century in his second knock of 91, also failing to save the game for the Springboks in the process. The second test at Johannesburg proved to one of the most exciting games ever played. After South African captain Herby Wade won the toss and batted, the team was dismissed for a meager 157. Australian fast bowler Ernie McCormick bowled with great pace, the altitude obviously assisting him. The Australian team felt that Dudley had appeared vulnerable to pace in the first test, and McCormick bowled him for a duck. Australia gained a useful lead of almost one hundred, and in the second innings, their triumvirate of spinners, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill O’Reilly and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith caused immense problems, taking the first three South African wickets before the deficit was knocked off. The pitch was wearing significantly, with obvious rough for the three Australian spinners to gain purchase from. This was the setting for Dudley to play possibly his greatest ever innings.

Dudley started off his innings in a very scratchy manner, struggling to time the ball. He nervously remained on his pair for twenty five minutes, before finally forcing Grimmett away for a boundary past cover. The Australian captain, Victor Richardson had been in a dilemma over which bowlers to use against Dudley. Richardson wanted to immediately return McCormick to the attack against Dudley, but the spinners were bowling so well he persisted with them. This may have turned out to be an error, as Dudley took the time to play himself in. Nourse had been in for over an hour and had reached 14 by the time McCormick was introduced. His first over saw the desired edge from Dudley, however it flew untouched through the slips cordon to the boundary for 4. After this near miss, Dudley was in almost total control. He treated Grimmett, O’Reilly and Fleetwood-Smith with respect, but crashed the slightly bad ball to the fence. Dudley moved to his century and onwards, finally falling to Stan McCabe for the then record South African individual score of 231, including four successive fours off McCormick out of a total of 36 boundaries. The fact that McCabe dismissed him proved ominous, as Dudley’s great innings was soon overshadowed by McCabe smashing an amazing 189 not out. The match ended in a controversial manner, with the South Africa captain, Herby Wade, successfully appealing against the light. This was the first time that a fielding captain had ever made such an appeal, with Wade claiming that McCabe’s batting was putting the fielders in physical danger. Soon afterwards it did start raining, and Australia, who were only two wickets down chasing 399, would not have had the opportunity to score the final 125 runs anyway.

Jack Fingleton, who played in this test and became a noted Australian cricket journalist, wrote that Dudley’s innings was one of the greatest ever. He summed it up by saying “he swept past all South African records, and, on this worn pitch against some of the greatest spinners ever, he humbled us well and truly”. At one stage, looking for any ideas, Richardson asked Fleetwood-Smith if he had a solution. “Yeah,” replied Fleetwood-Smith sardonically, “Shoot him!” Ironically, Dudley had nearly became an Australian citizen. When he was 14, his father Dave decided to emigrate east across the Indian Ocean, however his wife fell dangerous ill, the family were forced to miss the boat, staying in South Africa and never again considering the move.

Dudley had established himself with this one innings as the best batsman in the South African team, and he maintained this until his retirement. He topped the South African test batting averages for five successive series including this home series in 1935/36 against Australia and also 1938/39 against England just prior to the Second World War. This 1938 series was notable for its timeless fifth test in Durban, that went for a record 10 days. It had been agree by both teams that the game would be played to a conclusion, but probably neither side foresaw what would take place. Dudley stamped his class on the game with 103 in the first innings, out of a total of 530. The game eventually fizzled out to probably the most bizarre draw of all time after ten days, as England had to board the boat to go back home with still no resolution to the game.

The Second World War meant that there was an eight year delay until Dudley played his next test, being selected to tour England in 1947. Whilst Dudley’s batting was still world class, he was becoming part of one of the most unsuccessful sequences for any international team. From the time of his debut, the victory at Lords in 1935 remained South African’s only test match win until they finally triumphed in against England in Trent Bridge in 1951. Dudley could hardly be blamed as a player for this lack of success. In this 1947 series he scored 621 runs in the five tests at an average of 69, with two centuries and a 97. By the time England toured in 1948/49, Dudley had replaced Alan Melville as captain of South Africa, and he responded to this by having his most productive test series as a batsman, scoring 536 runs at an average of 76.57, again with two centuries. When Australia toured in 1949/50, Dudley was again the leading batsman, however he performances had dropped a little. He scored 405 runs at an average of 45, still the best by any South African player, but falling a little short of his desired standard.

Dudley finished his test career by captaining the South African tour of England in 1951. At the age of 39, Dudley failed to top the team’s averages for the first time since 1935, scoring 301 runs at an average of only 37.62. However, Dudley did manage one final magnificent performance. Fielding in a game against Gloucestershire just prior to the first test, he badly broke the thumb of his left hand, courtesy of a fierce drive from Tom Graveney. A surgeon offered him the choice; plaster the thumb, miss six weeks of cricket and suffer no pain, or risk pinning the fractured bone, endure a lot of pain and possibly play in the first test in three weeks. Dudley chose the second option and played in extreme pain throughout the test at Trent Bridge.

Dudley won the toss, batted and came to the wicket at the precarious score of 2 for 107. Another wicket could have spelt disaster for the young South Africa team, however Dudley stood firm. After almost every ball, he was seen to wring his hand in discomfort. He finished the day 76 not out, but his thumb swelled so dramatically that he could hardly get his glove on the next day. He bravely batted on, finally being dismissed for 208 out of a team total of 483. His thumb was so bad that he was unable to field for the entire game or bat in the second innings, in spite of the side collapsing to be dismissed for only 121. Happily, the team rallied under the on field direction of Eric Rowan by bowling England out for 114 to win by 71 runs. After the game, English batsman Dennis Compton was moved to say “For courage and determination, possibly that display by Dudley has never been surpassed on the cricket field. Few in the crowd realised just how much he suffered.”

Sadly, this victory was to be only the second in Dudley’s 34 tests, and the only one of the fifteen tests in which he captained South Africa. His sequence of scores in the remainder of the series was 20, 3, 29, 20, 13, 4 and 4. England went on to win the series 3-1, and Dudley retired from the game. His score of 208 in that series remained the highest score by a South African captain for over fifty years however, with Graeme Smith breaking the record with his 277 against England in July 2003.

As with many great players, Dudley took up a role in cricket administration following his retirement. He acted as a national selector for many years, but also served as the manager of the 1960 South African team on their tour of England. He served as the secretary for the Natal Cricket Association, with his outside interests including pigeon racing. In 2000, Dudley was recognised as one of the ten greatest cricketers produced by South Africa. His average of 53.81 remains second only to Graeme Pollock amongst South Africans who have scored more than a thousand test runs. Dudley died in his home town of Durban at the age of 71 on the 14th of August, 1981.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

Dudley played a total of 34 test matches, scoring 2960 runs at an average of 53.81. He scored 9 test centuries with a highest score of 231, and also took 12 catches.

First Class Games

In his 175 first class games from 1931 to 1953, Dudley scored 12 472 runs at an average of 51.53. He scored 41 centuries, with a highest score of 260 not out and took 135 catches.

Book Review - "Inside Story"

2007-11-05T06:51:00.000+11:00

I must begin this book review with an admission that will come of no great surprise to readers of this blog; I am a cricket tragic. As an example of this characteristic, I actually enjoy reading books about cricket that are not a ghosted autobiography or diary of a current cricketer. One book I found fascinating was “True to the Blue” by Phillip Derriman which reviewed the history of the NSW Cricket Association. Derriman got access to the Association’s records, and he delved deeply into the interesting, and sometimes slightly murky, past of the body. I was therefore keen to read the recently released “Inside Story – Unlocking Australian Cricket Archives”. This story reveals the ‘behind-closed-doors’ discussions and decisions made by the entity originally called the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket and currently known as Cricket Australia.

Interestingly, this book was actually commissioned by the Cricket Australia, and it allowed the two nominated authors complete access to their secrets, and the freedom to write the book as they see fit. The co-authors of this book, Gideon Haigh and David Frith, were deliberately selected for the simple reason that they are superb writers. Both authors have written extensively on the history of cricket in both Australia and around the world, and have won many prizes for their works.

This is not a book for the casual reader. Exceeding 350 pages and at nearly 300,000 words, it examines and dissects in great detail the actions of the board. The reader cannot simply skim through the content presented by Frith and Haigh, as is possible with many other current examples of cricket literature. Their analysis of many key points in Australian cricket history is excellent, and the time taken to digest the text is very worthwhile.

The early days of the Board of Control provide fascinating details of the famous “Gang of Six” revolt in 1912, and the day the captain punched the chairman of selectors. As with any review of Australian cricket, the name Bradman features strongly. His career as a journalist whilst still under contract as a cricketer is examined, as is his quick move from player to official. Other highly significant events such as Bodyline, Packer’s World Series and the South African rebel tours are also reviewed, and make for interesting reading.

It is hard not to feel considerably empathy for the players throughout the 20th Century, as the administrators often appear very remote and condescending. This issue is not limited to the dim and distant past, with the bookie scandal of the 1990s an example of administrators more interested in minutiae than serious problems. When Warne/Waugh indiscretions were discussed, the resolutions were limited to the end of the meeting, by which time one member had already left to catch a plane. There didn’t even appear to be a vote, with at least one board member admitting afterwards that the entire process was poor and unsatisfactory. The arrogance of some administrators is evident right from the moment of inception, but it didn't necessarily diminish quickly over time. One of the more intriguing themes over the board's history is the fact that ex-players were unwanted as administrators. The knowledge and experience they could have brought were clearly considered less important than the skills of the local businessman who had never played cricket.

This is a very valuable book for fans of the game, and provides a great insight into the logic, questionable as it may have been, that underpinned many of the decisions that have guided cricket in Australia. Cricket Australia deserves credit for letting Frith and Haigh to write as critically as they have. They could have censored the authors to prevent embarrassing blunders being made public, but both writers claim that there were no restrictions on either their access to materials or the content that flowed from it. Very highly recommended for serious fans of the game, but casual readers probably will be overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of the project. Nonetheless, it is recommended that they start the book, as the quality of writing and interesting content will quickly drag them in.

Player Profile - Roy Dias

2007-11-04T08:15:00.001+11:00

When a country is first admitted into the family of test cricketing nations, they usually have a number of competent players without possessing the one or two truly great individuals who can lift the team from the bottom of the table. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, and Sri Lanka were fortunate to commence test cricket in the early 1980’s with a number of very experienced and successful batsmen. Whilst Sri Lanka did not have the bowling strikepower to win many games in their early years, the presence of Roy Dias in their top order ensured that their batting had a stability that most new teams take years to develop.

Roy Dias was born on the 18th of October, 1952 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Richard Dias used to take all four of his sons, Roy, Phillip, George and Marshall along to watch local soccer and cricket games. Roy watched the inter-bank cricket matches with great interest, however Richard was more enthusiastic about soccer and pushed his sons in this direction. All his brothers pursued this sport later in life, however Sri Lankan cricket was fortunate that Roy went to St Peter’s College Bambalapitiya. He attended this very strong cricketing school from 1959 to 1972, and as soccer was not offered as a sporting option, Roy was able to concentrate upon developing his obvious batting skills.

Roy’s ball skills were apparent very early on, and he was very lucky to have the assistance of a number of Sri Lankan’s best coaches assist him through his schooling. Carl Obeysekera, a former All-Ceylon cricketer, was one of Roy’s major influences during his formative years. He provided Roy with his first coaching lessons, a happy coincidence due to the fact that he lived next to the Dias family in Colombo. Roy played for the St Peter’s school junior teams in his early years, and captained the First XI in his final two years at the school. He was rapidly gaining a reputation for his classic technique and his capacity to adapt to changing pitch conditions.

Roy left school in 1972 and was quickly picked up by the Colts Cricket Club in Colombo. He played for them for the next eight seasons, before moving to the Singhalese Sports Club in 1980, and finally finishing his career with the Colombo Cricket Club in 1988. In 1972 Sri Lanka had not yet been granted test match status. They did however play games against other nations to gain experience, and Roy’s performances for the Colts Cricket Club gained him selection for his country for the first time in 1974 in a game against the West Indies. Opening the batting, Roy made the worst possible start to his international career, being run out without scoring. Sri Lanka was not admitted to test match status until 1982, which meant that Roy spend many of his most productive batting years in the local Colombo competitions on very bowler friendly pitches. Sri Lanka did have one saving grace on the national front, in that they were invited to join the first ever one day World Cup in England in 1975. Roy was only twenty three at this time and just missed out on selection for the squad, however it did open the door for Sri Lanka to at last play recognized international games.

Roy was selected to make his international debut for Sri Lanka in the 1979 World Cup, again to be held in England. On the back of strong batting performances by Roy, Duleep Mendis and Anura Tennekoon, Sri Lanka had established themselves as the dominant side among the Associate Cricket nations. Whilst Roy had not played any officially sanctioned international games prior to this tournament, his performances for Sri Lanka in minor matches had established himself as the best player in the team and one of the finest batsmen in the world. He was now twenty seven years old, and batting at the peak of his powers. Roy played his first official game for Sri Lanka against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in the opening match of the tournament. Whilst he only scored 25, it was Sri Lanka’s second top score and the commentators all noticed the ability and style of Roy in his fifty run partnership with the captain Tennekoon. The highlight of Sri Lanka’s short international career came in their third and final match against India, following a wash out in game two against the West Indies. Sri Lanka won their first ever game, putting together a score of 5 for 238 on the back of half-centuries from Roy, Mendis and S.R. Wettimuny. In reply, India slumped to all out for 191 and the Sri Lanka team celebrated.

This victory against India was a pivotal moment in the push for Sri Lanka to become a fully fledged member of test playing nations. Following the intense lobbying of Australia’s delegates amongst others, Sri Lanka was finally admitted as a test playing nation in 1981. They played their first series of international games outside of the World Cups against England at home in 1982. Whilst the teams played two one day games on the 13th and 14th of February, the real match all Sri Lankan’s were looking forward to was their inaugural test match which commenced on the 17th of February at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. In a horrible reminder of his initial game against the West Indies almost a decade earlier, batting at no. 3 Roy was dismissed for a duck, caught by Geoff Cook off Bob Willis. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 218, England replied with only 223, however Sri Lanka could only manage 175 in their second innings. This was predominantly due to Roy’s magnificent 77, as only two other players managed to get into double figures. Sadly, this was not to be enough, and England won by seven wickets. Roy was quite old to make his debut at almost thirty, however his experience and skills were of inestimable value to his nation.

Sri Lanka quickly followed this one-off test against England with a three match tour of Pakistan. Roy scored a good double of 53 and 19 in the first game at the National Stadium in Karachi which Pakistan went on to win, before showing his real value to the team in the next two tests. Roy just missed his first test century in the second game at Faisalabad, scoring 98 before being caught off left arm spinner Iqbal Qasim, with the game ending up a high scoring draw. In the third test he managed to get into triple figures, with 109 at the Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore. Roy finished the series with 295 runs at an average of 49.16, reinforcing his rating as the best batsmen in the team. He followed this in the one off test against India that started on the 17th of September 1982 with scores of 60 and 97 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. At the conclusion of his career, Roy was to rate this 97 as the best innings he ever played. One of his opponents, Sunil Gavaskar, also considered the performance, on a wearing pitch against India’s spinners, to be one of the best batting displays he ever saw.

Roy had a disappointing game against Australia in the one-off test on the 22nd of April, 1983, scoring only 14 runs in his two innings. This was an exciting time for Sri Lankan cricket, but it was also a steep learning curve for everyone in the team. Each team they played was new, and it took time to adapt to different conditions and opponents. Another factor that affected the consistency of their performances was the few matches in each series. At this time, Sri Lanka was getting predominantly one or two test series, and this limited the amount of exposure that the players could get to the opposition.

Sri Lanka went to the 1983 World Cup in England feeling confident about their chances of pulling off an upset win or two. They had managed one day wins against Australia, India, Pakistan and England, however the team was still lacking great depth. This was further challenged by the loss of regulars such as Tony Opatha and Bandula Warnapura following their decision to tour South Africa with a rebel team. West Indian great Garry Sobers and former Australia leg-spinner Peter Philpott both worked with the side leading into the tournament, however the concern remained that Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis were still their only class batsmen. This proved to be the case, as Sri Lanka lost their first four games with neither Roy or Mendis scoring the necessary runs to give their bowlers anything to work with. In their fifth match, New Zealand were bowled out for only 181. In spite of only four batsmen reaching double figures, Roy scored a match high 64 not out and guided the Sri Lankan team home to victory with only three wickets in hand. This was sadly Sri Lanka’s only success in the tournament, and they finished bottom of their pool.

Roy was quickly back into test match form, scoring 134 runs in the two test series against New Zealand in March 1984, with his 108 being his second hundred at this level. He scored a solid double of 38 and 32 against England in the one off test in 1984, before Roy had his best ever series against India in 1985. He started very disappointingly with scores of 4 and a duck in the first test, however Sri Lanka recorded their first ever test match victory when they beat India at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in the second match. This test saw Roy record 95 out of Sri Lanka’s first innings 385, and followed it with 60 not out in the second innings, allowing Sri Lanka to declare at 3 for 206. India were bowled out for only 198 and the victory for the home team was secured by 149 runs. Roy scored his third test century in the final game of the series, and finished with 273 runs at an average of 54.60.

Roy then experienced the first significant run of outs at the international level leading into the 1987 World Cup in India. He had disappointing series against Pakistan both at home and away, however he was still seen as a key member of the World Cup and test squad. Sri Lanka played Pakistan in the opening match of the 1987 World Cup, and Roy was bowled by Abdul Qadir for only 5 in Sri Lanka’s loss. It was felt by the selectors that Roy’s scoring rate was too slow for one day games, and he was surprisingly dropped for the second game against the West Indies. Sri Lanka were annihilated, replying to the Windies 4 for 360 with a snail-paced 4 for 169 off their full fifty overs. Following further losses to England, the West Indies again and Pakistan, Roy was brought back into the team against England. He responded by top scoring with a classy 80, however apart from Asanka Gurusinha’s 34, no other batsman supported him and Sri Lanka were thrashed again and thus ended up losing every game of the tournament.

Roy was one of a number of players discarded by the selectors following Sri Lanka’s disappointing World Cup performances, for both test and one day matches. Whilst they claimed they were looking for new talent to take them through to the next World Cup in 1992, it was a sad end for a man who had done so much to make Sri Lanka competitive over the years since their admittance to international competition. He was admittedly over thirty five by this time, but he still appeared to have much to offer in the five day game if not one day internationals. His test match batting average of 36.71 is not overly impressive when viewed in isolation, but it fails to capture his immense contribution to the team. His peers all rated him very highly. A measure of his standing in the game can be seen when the West Indian captain Viv Richards was asked to name his world XI. He overlooked many of his teammates such as Richie Richardson and Larry Gomes to name Roy Dias as his no. 3 for this side.

Following his early enforced retirement, Roy has maintained very close linkages with cricket. Roy set up an academy for talented players in Colombo that he still is involved with. He was one of the selectors that picked the 1996 World Cup winning squad, and elected as the coach of the Sri Lanka team following the sacking of Australian Bruce Yardley in 1998. Sri Lanka had a very successful fifteen month period, beating England comprehensively in a one off test at Lords and also winning a series against New Zealand, however he was sacked after Sri Lanka’s poor performances in the 1999 World Cup. From there, he was offered a position as the coach of the national Nepal cricket team, and his role there has assisted them to make great strides forward. The junior Nepalese team managed to beat Bangladesh, Kenya and Pakistan in the Youth World Cup, and Roy’s efforts were recently recognized by King Gyanendra, who awarded him the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (IV Class), an honour which Roy described as being equivalent to a knighthood or OBE. Roy has also been an ICC Match Referee and is married to Tharnga. The couple have two children, a son and a daughter. Roy still lives in Colombo, depending upon his varying cricketing commitments.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

From 1982 until 1987 Roy played in 20 test matches, scoring 1285 runs at an average of 36.71. He scored three centuries and eight fifties, and he also took six catches.

One Day Internationals

Roy played 58 one day internationals for Sri Lanka, scoring 1573 runs at an average of 31.46 with a strike-rate of 67.94. He had a highest score of 121, with 16 catches. Roy also took 3 wickets at an average of 23.33, with best bowling figures of 3 for 25.

First Class Games

In his 93 first class games, Roy scored 4296 runs at an average of 32.05. He took 1 wicket with his very occasional off spin, at an average of 118, and also took 39 catches.

The Evolution of the Cricket Bat and Batting Techniques

2007-11-03T09:51:00.000+11:00

The first mention of the bat used in cricket can be traced as far back as the 1620s. Interestingly, this particular reference to the bat is in relation to the death of fielder during a game, and the inference is that the batsman had hit the fielder with his bat in order to prevent him catching the ball. This incident may have also served as the instigator of what is now Law 37 - Obstructing the Field. Bats at that time were shaped very similarly to modern hockey sticks; as the ball was delivered underarm and rolled along the ground this design made sense. The cricket bat commenced its transition to the now recognisable rectangular profile in the 1770s, when the laws of cricket changed to allow bowlers to ‘loop’ the ball in the air whilst still bowling underarm. The change in law resulted in a corresponding change in batting technique, with players starting to use a more vertical swing of the bat, as opposed to the horizontal ‘sweeping’ motion that was commonplace with balls rolled along the ground. The bat was still very heavy at the base, and it wasn’t until the 1820s with the advent of round-arm bowling that bats started to take the truly modern form.

Initially, the laws of the game made no restriction on what size or shape the bat needed to be. This limitation was not needed, until a clever thinking player, one ‘Shock’ White representing Ryegate, marched out to bat against Hambledon in 1771 with a bat the width of the stumps. This tactic was considered quite unsportsmanlike, and Hambledon’s recommendation that the bat be officially limited to a maximum of four and a quarter inches in width was quickly accepted around all of England. A number of steel gauges were made, so that bats could be quickly checked for conformity to this new law. This change in law consolidated the changes in batting technique from predominantly horizontal swing path to a mixture of vertical and horizontal. The different shots we see now were starting to take shape, however, the general batting technique was based around power and strength.

The search to find the ideal timber for making cricket bats has seen many different types of wood experimented with. Traditionally, cricket bats have been made from English willow, known as Salix Alba Caerulea. It has been used since the early 1800s in almost all cricket bats. The reason for using willow related to its resilience to the impact of a hard ball, its toughness and also its relative lightness. Other timbers have been found to be either too dense, which makes them too heavy to be used, or not dense enough, which results in them breaking on contact. These early bats made from English willow could weight up to a massive five pounds in weight, and were constructed from the heartwood of the tree. This part of the timber is very dense, and this is why the cricket bats of this era appear far darker in colour than more modern ones. In 1890, the English bat manufacturer C.C. Bussey started using the sapwood of the tree instead, and found that it was far lighter and was also more cosmetically appealing to buyers. Very soon afterwards, all bats started being constructed from ‘white’ willow.

The early ‘white’ willow bats were a lot lighter than previous versions, weighing a few pounds at most. This change coincided with the “Golden Age” of batting, with a number of players such as Kumar Ranjitsinhji and Victor Trumper using these lighter blades to great effect. Bats of this era were characterised by a very slim and relatively straight profile, with very thin edges. The distribution of the weight was often quite high in the blade, as this helped with the desire for a ‘feather’ feel. Interestingly, the actual length of the entire bat was also smaller than today, with the handle being quite short. The bats were usually in the range of two pounds to two pounds and four ounces. The batting technique was again altering, with many players relying on touch rather than power. Ranji’s development of the leg glance and glides were, at least partially, made possible by the fact that the bat was light enough to be manoeuvred easily. Late cuts and other shots that relied on timing rather than brute strength were quickly adopted as the bats of the day allowed greater improvisation.

By the late 1920s, a few players were again trialling the use of heavier bats. Whilst leading batsmen like Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman and Wally Hammond used a bat of around 2 pounds 2 ounces, Bill Ponsford was famous for his “Big Bertha” bat. Ponsford used bats around 2 pounds 9 ounces which were considered very heavy for the time. The bats also lasted a long time. The willow was very heavily pressed during the making, which made it more durable, but also less responsive. However, the majority of players were still using light bats. Batting techniques were still predominantly around touch and feel. It was normal in this period for at least 110 overs to be bowled on every day, so the number of runs per over didn’t need to be high. A scoring rate of two and a half runs per over would still see nearly 300 runs scored in the day. The introduction of both timeless and five day test matches saw less emphasis on quick scoring, and more on survival. Many batsmen relied on stroking or deflecting the ball rather than striking it fiercely.

The actual design of cricket bats had remained fairly standard since the 1890s. By the 1960s, some players were choosing to return to very heavy bats, with Graeme Pollock and Clive Lloyd both using blades that exceeded three pounds in weight. This density assisted greatly with the power they could hit the ball with. The heavier options were not for all players though, as many struggled to play shots such as cuts and hooks as the sheer weight of the bat limited their ability to move it quickly enough. Gary Sobers continued using a very light bat until the end of his career. However, during the 1970s John Newberry and Gray Nicolls started experimenting with various changes in the weighting of the bat. Karsten Solheim, an engineer with General Electric in the USA had started making golf putters with heel-toe (or perimeter) weighting in the late 1950s. These putters had proved extremely popular with both professionals and amateurs alike due to their forgiveness. Gray Nicolls used similar concepts in their ‘Super Scoop’ bat, which featured a large hollow on the back of the bat, and more wood around the edges. This redistribution of weight from the middle to the edge allowed the manufacturers to increase the ‘sweet spot’ on the bat, thus making a bat that was more forgiving to slight mishits.

In recent years, the bat makers have continued to refine their art. By careful design of scoops, hollows, plugs, cores and so on, the sweet spots have been maximised and even mishits race to, and over, the boundary. The weight of Ponsford’s bats, once considered exceptional, are now considered on the light side of average. By pressing the timber less, bats can be made much heavier whilst still retaining a light feel and pickup. This has also resulted in a great reduction in durability. Bradman said that he changed his bat around every 1000 runs or so, and that this was considered fairly normal for batsmen of his era (admittedly for Bradman, this was after every three of four innings). In contrast, Herschelle Gibbs once commented to the Guardian newspaper that he went through 47 bats in one season. Players can now have the combination of power and manoeuvrability in the one bat, and with sponsorship, they don’t have to worry about how long the bats last for.

One of the interesting side-effects of this revolution in bats may be the increase in net run-rate that is evident around the world in Test cricket. The great cricket statistician, Charles Davis, conducted some fascinating research into the percent of team scores that is the result of boundaries. During the 19^th Century, just less than half a team’s runs were scored in boundaries. This figure remained remarkably consistent throughout the 20^th Century, before starting to rise in 1990. It has now nearly reached 60%, a quite considerable increase in less than two decades, after being stationary for over a century.

Some of this increased run-rate can naturally be ascribed to fast outfields, shorter boundaries, and possibly weaker opposition. However, it seems clear that the technological change in bats has also been a significant factor. Batsmen are not afraid to risk hitting sixes, as even mishits can still clear the boundary. Comparisons of bats from even twenty years ago show significant changes. The edges of bats are now measured in centimetres, not millimetres. The meat of the bat is now much lower in the blade, but also thicker. Bats now quite often have a pronounced ‘bow’ shape, in contrast to many of the straight blades of the past. The weights of bats have increased, and yet the feel and pickup of them has not been affected adversely. A recent quote by a friend summed up the difference ‘looks like a railway sleeper, picks up like a wand’. Shots that seemed to be forgotten during the 1970s such as the late cut have made a comeback. Batsmen are able to combine both touch and power within a wide range of shots, and run-rates have soared.

Golf, tennis and other sports have seen a major revolution in recent years due to changes in materials such as carbon fibre, graphite and titanium. The clubheads of golf drivers have tripled in size, but the overall weight hasn’t increased. Cricket has not seen this structural shift (apart from Kookaburra’s graphite reinforced bat) due to the requirement for the bat to be made of wood, however, other technological improvements have definitely improved the equipment batsman have on hand. These changes will naturally continue in to the future, as the cricket bat continues to evolve and manufacturers seek the next big breakthrough. And batting techniques will continue to evolve with them.

Player Profile - Sydney Francis Barnes

2007-11-02T08:21:00.000+11:00

The standard route for an aspiring player to reach test cricket involves performing at a suitably impressive level for the local club team, from there selection in the state or provincial side, and then, with luck and impeccable timing, being chosen for the national team. It is almost inconceivable now that a player could be chosen for England without playing regularly for one of the established county teams, however it has occurred on occasions. One of the few that have managed it regularly was Sydney Barnes, an imposing figure who preferred to play professionally in League cricket than in the County Championship.

Sydney Barnes was born on the 19th of April, 1873 in Smethwick, Staffordshire. He was the second born of five children, three boys and two girls, all of whom were born and lived the majority of their lives in Staffordshire. Syd's father Richard was a typical working class individual, being employed by the same Birmingham firm for sixty three years. Syd did not play cricket regularly until the age of fifteen, when he first started to turn out for a local team in the Smethwick town competition. At that time, Smethwick's first XI played in the local Birmingham League, and they employed a professional called Billy Bird who was a Warwickshire representative. He provided coaching for the local players one night a week, and Syd was soon invited to participate in these sessions. Whilst Syd was initially a wicket-keeper, his bowling quickly took caught the attention of Bird. He took the time in the weekly net practice to assist Syd to learn the basics of spinning the ball, however even this training was very limited.

Syd's ability as a frontline bowler first became evident when chosen for the Smethwick First Eleven. Whilst he started off the innings keeping, the team captain Dick Thomas informed him soon after the start of play that he would bowl next. Bowling his medium paced spinners, Syd ran through the opposition batting, finishing with 7 for 19. Syd continued this form in follow-up games, and quickly made a name for himself throughout the Birmingham Leagues. By the age of nineteen, Syd had reached his final height of six foot one, with a muscular physique characterized by long arms and fingers. He only bowled off a short run, but could bowl at genuine medium pace. His stock ball was a leg break, but even at this early stage in his career he possessed the ability to also bowl a variety of different deliveries including off-breaks, top-spinners, as well as in and out swingers.

Syd's bowling ability had been spotted by the Warwickshire selectors, and he was chosen to play the last match of the 1893 season against Gloucestershire at Bristol. He was invited back the following year, and indeed played another handful of games for Warwickshire from 1894 through to 1896. A permanent contract was not offered to him however, and through the necessity of making a living, Syd became a professional cricketer. In 1895, he signed up for Rishton who played in the famous Lancashire League, for the grand sum of three pounds 10 shillings a week. In his first season for Rishton, Syd took a total of 71 wickets, and followed this with 85 wickets in the 1896 season and 87 in 1897. His 1898 season was even better, as he snared 97 wickets at an average of just 8.46. 1899 saw him take another 71 wickets, meaning that in his five years with Rishton he had taken 411 wickets at the modest average of 9.10.

Syd moved from Rishton to Burnley, playing there for two years in 1900 and 1901. It was here that Syd's chance to play test cricket came about. Syd's domination of the Lancashire Leagues had continued with Burnley as with Rishton, and his reputation spread far beyond the local leagues. A.C. MacLaren, the England captain, specifically selected him for play for Lancashire against Leicestershire late in the summer of 1901. This match was seen purely as a trial for the upcoming tour of Australia for Syd. He responded by taking 6 for 70 in this game and, despite the fact that he had only played six first class games for Warwickshire and Lancashire over the past seven years, MacLaren declared that Syd must go with his touring team. Part of the reason for Syd being selected related to a series of disputes between the counties and the MCC. Two of England's premier bowlers, George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes, were both refused a release for the tour by their county Yorkshire. This opened the door for Syd to make his move from league cricket to the test arena.

Syd's form in the early first class games in Australia was impressive enough to guarantee his debut in the First Test in Sydney on the 13th of December, 1901. Syd was quite a late debutante, being twenty eight years old. This delay is undoubtedly due to Syd's decision to play League cricket rather than in the County arena, however financially it had been the only option available to him at the time. In this first game, Syd started off with a surprising score of 26 not out in England's first innings. Whilst never totally inept with the bat, Syd simply did not see it as his role to score runs for the side. When he had his chance to bowl, he wrecked the strong Australian top order with 5 for 65 off 35.1 overs. Australia had a number of very good batsmen such as Syd Gregory, Victor Trumper, Clem Hill, Monty Noble and Joe Darling, however England finished up winning by an innings and 124 runs. Syd improved on this in the Second Test in Melbourne, taking 6 for 42 and 7 for 121, a total of 13 for 163. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury early in the Third Test in Adelaide, he only bowled seven wicketless overs in the match and didn't play again on the tour. Syd finished his first test series with nineteen wickets at an average of 17.00.

Syd was described by even his teammates as a difficult character. He was hard on himself, but he applied the same exacting standards to his fellow players and also the captains he played under. In league cricket he was king, and his captains let him set the fields he liked. This same temperamental attitude in county cricket and for England undoubtedly cost him matches. The selectors at the time were aware of his considerable talents, but his personality and unwillingness to tow the line meant that he was a risky proposition from an establishment's point of view. This meant that he only played one more test match between 1902 and 1907. This game was against Australia in the third test of the 1902 series. Syd took 6 for 49 and 1 for 50, but he then was not chosen again for England until selected to make the 1907/08 tour of Australia. In the intervening years, Syd continued to play as a professional, however he parted company with Lancashire in 1903. He had requested that Lancashire find him some form of winter employment that could lead to a career following his cricket days. Lancashire did not comply with this request, and so he moved from Burnley to the Church Cricket Club in his birthplace of Staffordshire. Lord Hawke tried to induce him to tour with the English team to South Africa, however Syd had obtained a good job with a Staffordshire iron works and he declined as it would have jeopardized his employment.

Syd was finally restored to the England team for the 1907/08 tour of Australia. He played all five tests on this tour, taking 24 wickets at an average of 26.08. His best bowling performance was 7 for 60 in the fifth test at Sydney, however the highlight of the tour for Syd occurred in the Second Test at Melbourne that started on the 1st of January, 1908. Australia batted first and scored 266, with Syd taking 0 for 30. England replied with 382, before Australia scored 397 in their second innings, with Syd's figures 5 for 72. He bowled tirelessly, sending down nearly thirty overs. This was a timeless test, and finally finished on the sixth day. Chasing 282 to win, England had sunk to 8 for 209 and the game appeared gone. Batting at no. 9, Syd managed his highest test score of 38 not out and guided his tail-end partners through to a stunning one wicket victory. The game finished in an almost farcical situation. With scores tied and the last pair having already added 39, Barnes hit the ball into the covers and ran. The other batsman, Arthur Fielder, did not respond immediately and then set off forlornly, certain to be run out with the game ending in the first ever tie. Unfortunately for the cover fielder Gervys Hazlitt, the pressure got to him, throwing the ball wildly over the wicket-keeper Hanson Carter's head and the game was won for England. Wisden's description of this game involved an analysis of Syd's batting, stating that his efforts were 'to the astonishment of everyone concerned'.

Syd had established himself not only as England's best, but also laid clear claims to being the foremost bowler in the world. In spite of this, the selectors were still reluctant to risk playing the headstrong Syd. He was picked to play his second test match at home in 1909 against Australia, in the third game of the series. Syd took 1 for 37 and 6 for 63 to again underline his sublime abilities, and he was then picked for the final two tests of the series. He finished with 17 wickets at an average of 20.00.

Syd was by now an established test player, with selectors prepared for the time being to overlook his obstinate ways and his desire to play away from the County Championship. He played consistently for England from this point until 1914 when he was forty one years old. Syd toured Australia for the third time in 1911/12, taking 34 wickets in the five match series at an average of 22.88. In the Second Test at Melbourne, he overcame a severe bout of the 'flu prior to the game by sweating it out under numerous blankets with a bottle of whiskey for company. Syd made an astonishing start to this test, taking 4 wickets for 3 before lunch, and soon afterwards Australia lurched to 6 for 38 with Syd improving his figures to 5 for 6. England ended up winning the game on the back of Syd's efforts by eight wickets. Syd followed these performances in Australia in the six match Tri-angular test series in England against both Australia and South Africa in 1912. Syd took 39 wickets in the six games at the impressive average of 10.35. His best performance was 8 for 29 against South Africa at The Oval.

Syd's final series for England was in 1913/14, when he toured South Africa. This was the setting for probably the greatest bowling performance by any bowler ever in a series, taking 49 wickets in only four games at an average of 10.93. In the first test at Durban, Syd took 5 for 57 and 5 for 48. He performed even more impressively at Johannesburg, taking 8 for 56 and 9 for 103, resulting in the then best ever match figures of 17 for 159. The third test was again at Johannesburg, and Syd took 3 for 26 and 5 for 102. The fourth test was to prove Syd's last game for England, however he went out in style. He took 7 for 56 and 7 for 88 at Durban. There was a fifth test scheduled, and Syd was heading towards being the first bowler to ever take fifty wickets in a series. However Syd's difficult personality intruded, and he withdrew from the game following a dispute with the authorities regarding match payments and accommodation for his wife.

Syd never played test cricket again. Even if he had not been blackballed by the selectors for the disagreement in South Africa, the breakout of the Second World War ensured that Syd's test career was over after twenty seven tests. He took 189 wickets in these games at the average of 16.43. This remains the best average of any player during the twentieth century, and his strike rate of 41.6 is likewise foremost amongst players from 1900 onwards. Syd continued playing in his beloved minor cricket however, and indeed played his last first class game at 57 for Wales in 1930. Interestingly, Syd played only forty four games in the County Championship from 1895 to 1930; his international career involved more matches than this including tests and games for English touring sides in Australia and South Africa. At the age of 55, he played one final game against an international opponent, the touring West Indies. Even in his mid-fifties, the West Indian batsman rated him the best bowler they faced on the entire tour. Syd continued playing as a professional very successfully until his final game with Bridgnorth in Staffordshire at the age of 65. In this final season, Syd lead the competition's bowling statistics, taking 126 wickets at an average of 6.94.

Syd played his final recorded game of cricket for Stone in the Wartime Staffordshire League in 1940. Aged 67, he still managed to take 6 for 32 and 4 for 12 in a game against Great Chell, 5 for 43 against Leek and 5 for 22 against Caverswall. In 1951 Syd was awarded an honorary membership of the MCC and a commissioned portrait of him hangs in the Long Room at Lords next to W.G. Grace. Syd lived in Staffordshire until his death at the age of 94 on 26th of December, 1967.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

From 1901 until 1914, Syd played in 27 test matches. He took a total of 189 wickets at an average of 16.43, with a strike rate of a wicket every 41.6 balls. His best bowling figures were 9 for 103. He also scored 242 runs at an average of 8.06, with a highest score of 38 not out.

First Class Games

In his 133 first class games, Syd took 719 wickets at an average of 17.09. He took five wickets in an innings sixty eight times and eighteen times took ten wickets in the match. Syd also scored 1573 runs at an average of 12.78, with a highest score of 93.

Minor County Cricket and League Cricket

Syd spent the majority of his life as a professional cricketer in minor county and league cricket, taking 4069 wickets in total, with 1437 wickets coming for Staffordshire at an average of 8.10. Combining all of his cricket career statistics reveals a total of 6225 wickets at an average of 8.31.

The Myth of Sunil Gavaskar and the West Indies Quicks

2007-11-01T08:24:00.000+11:00

Sunny Gavaskar is, without doubt, one of the greatest batsmen of all-time. Gavaskar is a true legend of the game. His technique was near faultless, and when combined with limitless patience, you had the mould for the perfect opening batsman. Gavaskar’s test career saw a total of 10122 runs at an average of 51.12, with an astounding 34 test centuries.

Gavaskar retired from test cricket in 1987, and therefore his era would appear to almost completely coincide with the great Windies bowling lineups of the late 70s and 80s. In 27 tests against the West Indies, Gavaskar scored an almost unbelievable 2749 runs at an average of 65.45, with an astonishing 13 centuries. These statistics are often used by fans and supporters to underline his claims as the greatest opening batsman of all-time. However, one of the great myths that has grown up about Gavaskar is his amazing dominance of the otherwise unconquered West Indian four pronged pace battery that these statistics would suggest. If you break down the actual series that he played, Gavaskar’s record doesn’t quite look as impressive as a first glance would indicate.

Gavaskar made his debut for India against the West Indies on the 6th of March, 1971 at Port of Spain. He played four tests, and finished the series with an impressive total of 774 runs at the astronomical average of 154.80 with four centuries. During this series, the West Indies were in a state of change. The leading pacemen of the 60s including Hall, Griffith and Gilchrist had all played their final test. The Windies bowling attack was dominated by spin, with Lance Gibbs well on his way to passing Fred Trueman as the leading test wicket-taker. The fast bowlers that Gavaskar faced during this series were Keith Boyce, Grayson Shillingford, Vanburn Holder and Uton Dowe (he of the 11th Commandment – Dowe shall not bowl). The other medium paced bowlers used included Gary Sobers and John Shepard. With all due respect to the bowlers of the time, it was hardly an attack to cause significant concerns to a player of Gavaskar’s obvious skill.

Gavaskar only played two tests of the 1974/75 home series against the West Indies. He struggled, scoring 108 runs at an average of just 27. The quick bowlers he faced in this series included a young Andy Roberts, and the medium paced Holder, Boyce and left armer Bernard Julien. Gavaskar’s next series against the West Indies was again away from home in 1975/76. Gavaskar again batted beautifully, scoring 390 runs at 55.71, with another two centuries. By this time, the Windies fast bowling battery was just starting to take form. The first two Tests saw Gavaskar opening the batting against genuine quicks Michael Holding and Andy Roberts. In support was swing bowler Julien, and spinners Holford and Jumadeen. After disappointing initially with 37 and 1 in the First Test, Gavaskar did score a wonderful 156 in the second. The Third and Fourth Tests saw no Andy Roberts, with Michael Holding in his second series as a Windies player supported by Wayne Daniel, Holder, Julien, Jumadeen, Albert Padmore and Imtiaz Ali. There was not yet any sign of the four pronged pace attack that would soon dominate the cricket world.

The West Indies then toured

India

in 1978/79. This tour was in the middle of the Packer years, and the West Indies bowling attack was decimated. Rather than facing Holding, Roberts, Garner and Croft, Gavaskar opened the batting in the First Test against the legendary Norbert Phillip, his old nemesis Vanburn Holder, and Sylvester Clarke. The Windies attack again had reverted to spin, with Derek Parry and Jumadeen both playing. Gavaskar again gorged himself, scoring 732 runs at 91.50, with another 4 centuries. A very young Malcolm Marshall made his debut during this very high scoring six test series that

India

won 1-0, with five draws.

Gavaskar’s second last series against the Windies was away in 1982/83. He scored 240 runs at an average of 30, with one century. Against the full might of the Windies four quicks (Holding, Roberts, Garner and Marshall), he scored 20 and 0 in the First Test, 1 and 32 in the Second, a very good 147 not out in the Third (which was badly affected by weather and India didn’t even finish their first innings), 2 and 19 in the Fourth, and 18 and 1 in the Fifth. This was the first time Gavaskar had played against all of the Windies quicks, and he clearly struggled.

In 1983/84, Gavaskar played the Windies for the last time. This series was at home, and the bowling attack was weakened by the absence of Garner. In the first test, the Windies fielding four quicks, but whilst Holding and Marshall were genuinely fast, neither Eldine Baptiste or Winston Davis really threatened. Gavaskar started poorly with 0 and 7 in the First Test, before finding some form with 121 and 15 in the Second, and 90 and 1 in the Third. 12, 3, 0 and 20 were his scores in the next two tests, before Gavaskar played one of his great knocks. In the final test, he dropped himself down the order to no. 4, with Gaekwad and Sidhu opening. The fact that Malcolm Marshall took two wickets without a run being scored meant that Gavaskar may as well have opened anyway. Gavaskar proceeded to totally dominate the Windies attack and scored a wonderful 236 not out. This was a fantastic innings, and underlined why Gavaskar is a great. There is a wonderful account of this innings at http://tcwj.blogspot.com/2007/10/29.html that is highly recommended reading. Unfortunately, his previous failures in the series were effectively covered up by this large unbeaten double century.

When you examine the record of Gavaskar against the West Indies, it is clear that only the final three centuries were actually scored against an attack that resembled the fearsome Windies pace barrage that we remember. A large percentage of his runs were accumulated in two series against very much weakened bowling attacks. As a consequence of factors outside of his control, Gavaskar didn’t play against the Windies full strength team between 1975/76 and 1982/83. This analysis is not to decry Gavaskar – he is a legend of the game and deserves ultimate respect for what he has achieved. He could, after all, not control who he played against. A very strong argument can be made that Gavaskar should be considered of the best few opening batsmen in the history of the game. However, the claims made by some supporters that he is the greatest opener of all-time based solely on his record against the Windies is one that simply does not hold up to closer scrutiny.

Player Profile - Colin Bland

2007-10-31T07:32:00.000+11:00

Around many a bar or kitchen table cricket lovers debate who is the best batsman in the world, the greatest all-rounder, the top spinner and so on. Sometimes the discussions turn to fielding, and the name of Colin Bland is regularly brought up. Bland’s reputation as a cover fielder was such that he almost solely remembered in this capacity. The fact that his fielding remains the primary legacy of his test career is perhaps a shame, as Bland was also a very good batsman. Nonetheless, it does underline what a magnificent fielder he was, as a Test average of nearly 49.06 places him near the elite level for international batsmen.

Christened Kenneth Colin Bland, but always called by his middle name, Colin was born on the 5th of April, 1938 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. Now known as Zimbabwe, at that time of Colin’s birth Rhodesia was a region of Africa being composed of both modern day Zimbabwe (then known as Southern Rhodesia) and Zambia (then called Northern Rhodesia). Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British colony, and aligned itself to nearby South Africa with respect to most sporting activities.

Colin grew up in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Rhodesia. At school, he quickly showed his physical prowess in all sports. Colin revealed a particular talent for ball sports, and excelled as a youngster in cricket, rugby and hockey. He was selected to represent Rhodesia Schools in all three sports at a schoolboy level, and played in the Nuffield Cricket Week tournament in South Africa. His performances as a batsman and medium pace bowler were sufficient to gain him a place in the South African Schools team in his final year.

Near the end of his final year of school, Colin was selected to make his first-class debut in cricket for Rhodesia against the touring M.C.C. side. Colin was picked solely as a batsman in this game, and largely for the experience it would give him before playing domestically in the South African Currie Cup competition. However, he was forced to make a career defining choice at this point of his life. Colin’s rugby skills had been widely recognized, and he had been offered a football scholarship to attend the famous Stellenbosch University. Cricket had been Colin’s first love, and he made the decision to make it his chosen sport.

Colin’s debut match was against the M.C.C., and took place at Salisbury Sports Club on the 23rd, 24th, 25th of November 1956. Colin had plenty of opportunities to show-off his fielding skills during the M.C.C. innings, as they totaled 501, with Peter May making a double century. While he was listed to bat at no. 7, Colin didn’t have long to wait to make his entrance. After losing their first wicket with one run on the board, Rhodesia had progressed steadily to seven, whereupon they lost their next four wickets without adding another run. The sheer pace of Frank Tyson and Peter Loader was proving too much for the Rhodesian players, and soon after Colin arrived at the wicket, they were reduced to 6 for 11. Colin, however, in his debut first class innings, was the only batsman to stand up to the English quicks. He top scored with 19 in Rhodesia’s pitiful total of just 57. With a first innings lead of nearly 450, Peter May must have deliberated long and hard before deciding to enforce the follow-on. Rhodesia’s second attempt was better than their first, but they were still 5 for 47 when Colin went out for his second knock. He again top scored for his side, this time with 38 in Rhodesia’s total of 157. There are not many batsman, and certainly even less 18 year old ones, that can boast top scoring in each innings of their first class debut. In spite of Colin’s efforts, Rhodesia lost by the small margin of an innings and 292 runs.

Colin’s performance won him selection in the Rhodesian team to play against Transvaal in the Currie Cup at the New Wanders Stadium in Johannesburg from the 18th to 21st of January, 1957. Transvaal won the toss and batted first, making 417 largely on the back of the stalwart South African batsman Russell Endean’s 171. In reply, Rhodesia made 212. Again batting at no. 7 Colin made 18 before falling to the part-time leggies of Alastair Taylor. Forced to follow-on, Rhodesia managed to bat out the remainder of the three day game, with Colin coming to the wicket in the final over of the match and he remained 0 not out.

Instead of attending Stellenbosch University, Colin choose Rhodes University at Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. His attendance there led to his third first class game, this time for the combined South African Universities against the North Eastern Transvaal team. This match was played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on 7th, 9th, 10th of December 1957. North Eastern Transvaal won the toss and batted, however, they were bowled out for only 172. Colin came out to bat with South African Universities at 3 for 48. He responded by scoring his initial first class century, finishing with 131 out of the team total of 8 declared for 293. The second top score with just 45 was Peter van der Merwe, who would later go on to captain South Africa in Test matches and also become an ICC match referee. North Eastern Transvaal folded in their second innings for just 122, and South African Universities scored the necessary 3 runs to complete a ten wicket victory.

Colin continued to play for both Rhodesia and South African Universities over the following three seasons. He moved up to no. 4 or no. 5 in the batting lineup, but only met with limited success. It wasn’t until South African Universities played Western Province that Colin scored his second century. The match was played at the Newlands Ground at Capetown from the 3rd to 6th of December, 1960. Colin was by now the captain of the Universities team, and after winning the toss, he scored 124 out of his side’s total of 421. A young Eddie Barlow was also in the Universities side, however, he failed with the bat by scoring only 7. Colin was bowling his right arm medium pacers more often, and he opened the bowling for Universities. He failed to take a wicket in either innings, but it was irrelevant as the other bowlers knocked Western Province over for only 89 and 234 to leave South African Universities the winners by an innings and 98 runs.

When Colin followed his century against Western Province with an unbeaten 130 a few games later for Rhodesia against Griqualand West in early January 1961, his name was started to be considered for national honours with South Africa. His stylish batting was characterized by strong front foot driving, with a penchant to hit the quicker bowlers back down the ground in the air. His medium paced bowling was seen as a useful backup to his batting, and his fielding was starting to gain widespread notice. The South African selectors picked him to tour England with an unofficial team called the South Africa Fezelas under the leadership of Roy McLean. This touring party was later viewed as the starting point of South Africa’s journey to world cricket supremacy. There were eight future Test players in the Fezelas, with four becoming long term test players. In addition to Colin Bland, the touring party also included Eddie Barlow, Peter Pollock and Denis Lindsay. Colin failed to impress with the bat on the tour and didn’t bowl, but he was in the selectors’ mind for national duty.

The New Zealand team toured South Africa in the 1961/62 season, and they commenced their trip through Africa with two first class games against Rhodesia. This opportunity provided Colin with the chance he needed to show his potential at the higher level. In the first match at his home ground at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October 1961, he scored 91 and 45, and he followed that up with 67 and at the 58 Police A Ground, Salisbury on 28th, 29th and 30th October of 1961. The South African selectors were looking to rebuild the Springbok team, and Colin’s scores were good enough to win him a place in the lineup. Their decision was based more upon potential than performance, but they had seen enough to know that Colin was of international standard as a batsman.

Colin made his test debut for South Africa against New Zealand at the Kingsmead Ground in Durban on the 8th of December 1961. South African captain John Waite won the toss and chose to bat on a difficult pitch. South Africa totaled 292, largely thanks to experienced opener Jackie McGlew who made 127. Coming in at no. 5, Colin made 5 before being caught off Frank Cameron. New Zealand replied with 245. The South Africans struggled in their second innings, making only 149. Waite made 63, and Colin scored a valuable 30, with no-one else passing 15. New Zealand only made 166, to lose by 30 runs.

Colin had done enough to maintain his place for the Second Test at Johannesburg, which was drawn. Colin struggled again, scoring 0 and 24 in his two innings. The Third Test at Capetown saw New Zealand win by 72 runs. Colin made two useful contributions with the bat, with scores of 32 and 42. He also took his first test catch, Zin Harris. Colin’s fielding was gaining rave reviews from those who saw him, and it was stated that even in his early Tests, spectators would specifically watch to see his fielding in the covers.

The series was now tied at 1 match all. The Fourth Test back at Johannesburg saw South Africa triumph by an innings and 51 runs. Colin made another start, scoring 28 in a batting lineup that almost all contributed to the total of 464. New Zealand fought back to win the Fifth Test at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth by 40 runs. Colin again made starts in both innings, scoring 12 and 32, but it wasn’t enough to prevent New Zealand squaring the series at two tests all.

In March 1962, Colin was selected to play against a Pakistan team for an invitational International XI that was touring the world. He was asked to join this team after it had played two games against Rhodesia. While Colin had batted well without pushing on to a century in either match, his fielding had gained the notice of the International XI. Some of his teammates for the match against the East Pakistan Governor’s XI included Test players Colin McDonald, Roy Marshall, Everton Weeks, Ray Lindwall, Tom Graveney and the great Indian leg-spinner “Fergie” Gupte. After the East Pakistan team had declared at 5-385, Colin performed well for the International XI, top-scoring with 89 from the no. 3 position in a drawn result.

In spite of his average beginnings, and some indifferent form for Rhodesia, Colin was chosen for South Africa’s next international series, the 1963/64 tour of Australia and New Zealand. The lead-up games produced a poor sequence of scores of 3 and 10 not out against Western Australia, 27 and 15 against South Australia, 0 and 40 against an Australian XI, 14 against New South Wales, 52 not out against Tasmania, and 11 against a Tasmanian Combined XI. The failure to score heavily meant that Colin was left out of the First Test team to play at Brisbane. While this match was drawn, Colin was brought back into the team for the New Years Day Second Test at the M.C.G. Australia won by 8 wickets, but Colin made solid contributions to the losing team with 50 and 22.

Colin had started to find his timing on the faster and bouncy Australian wickets, and played well in the drawn Third Test at Sydney. He scored 51 in this first innings, and then held South Africa together with 85 to help his team to a draw. The Fourth Test at Adelaide was won by South Africa by 10 wickets. Colin’s score of 33 was well and truly overshadowed by Eddie Barlow’s 201 and Graeme Pollock’s 175.

Colin had started gaining a reputation in South Africa as a batsman who could make a quick 50, but struggled to go on with it. His scores in the series underlined this point, but he managed to turn this around in the Fifth Test in Sydney. This match, which started on the 7th of February 1964, saw Colin score his first test century, a graceful 126 out of South Africa’s total of 411. It wasn’t enough to force a result, with this match also ending in a draw. South Africa had performed very creditably on this tour, and it was signs of things to come for the team over the next five years.

His century in Sydney now firmly established Colin in the South African middle order. The team moved onto New Zealand for the second stage of their tour. The First Test at the Basin Reserve, Wellington on 21st, 22nd, 24th and 25th of February 1964 finished in a draw. South Africa made most of the running in the game on a very slow and unresponsive pitch. The game had started on schedule, in spite of anti-apartheid demonstrators attempts to damage the pitch. Colin scored 40 in the first innings, and a very quick 46 not out in 47 minutes in the second innings with captain Trevor Goddard looking to make a declaration. The weather affected Second Test at Carisbrook also ended in a draw. Late on the final day, South Africa were set 65 to win in only 27 minutes. After only scoring 1 in the first innings, Colin was promoted to open in the mad run chase. He scored 16 not out, with South Africa falling just short, making 3 for 42 off the 7 overs available to them.

The English M.C.C. team toured South Africa in 1964/65. South Africa were soundly beaten in the First Test at Durban on the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th of December 1964. In response to England’s 485, Colin scored 26 in South Africa’s team total of just 155. Forced to follow-on, South Africa did little better, making only 226. Colin again showed his value with the bat, top scoring with 68.

The Second Test at the New Wanderers Ground finished in a draw. England again batted first, making another huge total of 531. South Africa again failed to make the follow-on mark, being bowled out for 317 with Colin making another disappointing 29. The early criticism of him failing to make the most of his regular starts was starting to reappear. Colin responded in the best way possible by making a magnificent fighting 144 not out in just over 6 hours, helping South Africa to draw the game. The Third and Fourth Tests were both also draws. Colin continued his good form with 78 and 64 at Newlands, and 55 and 38 not out at Johannesburg.

Colin’s fielding prowess was becoming well known. Less well known was the hours and hours of practice he put it to get to that level. Colin setup a spring loaded stump in front of a hockey goal at the family farm. He would then stand about 30 metres away, and have his family and farm workers throw balls in all directions for him to chase down and throw at the single stump. During practice he used a single stump as his target, as this was often all he could aim at from his place in the covers or mid-wicket.

South Africa’s next test series was a return tour of England in 1965. The First Test at Lords on 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th and 27th of July 1965 is seen as the point at which Colin’s legend as a fielder was recognised world wide. Colin’s old University teammate, Peter van der Merwe, was by now the Springbok captain, and he won the toss and batted first. South Africa made 280, with contributions all down the order. Colin made 39 before falling to the wily off-spinner Fred Titmus. England responded with 338, but the innings was notable for the runouts of Ken Barrington and Jim Parks. Barrington was on 91 when he went for a single to midwicket. Running in towards the keeper, Bland hit the stumps at the bowlers’ end, throwing it back over his shoulder. At that stage, England were going along very well at 4 for 240, just 40 runs behind South Africa and Barrington set for a large 100. This effort by Colin was generally regarded as one of the finest pieces of fielding seen at Lords, but he repeated it later on in the day to run out Parks in a similar manner. England were bowled out with a lead of only 58, and were left struggling to prevent defeat with their score at 7 for 145 when the game ended. These two pieces of magic are now considered the turning point in the series. While the First Test had ended in a draw, the English players became very wary of any ball hit in the vicinity of Bland for the remaining Tests. The South Africa players were also lifted by this exhibition, and they approached the rest of the series with renewed confidence. Colin’s personal confidence with the bat was also high, having top scored with a fluent 70 in South Africa’s second dig.

South Africa won the Second Test at Trent Bridge by 94 runs. Colin only scored 1 and 10 on a difficult pitch that neither team could pass 300. This left South Africa in the position to win the three match series against England, if they could either draw or win the final Test at the Oval on 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st of August 1965. English captain Mike Smith won the toss and chose to field on another difficult pitch. South Africa made 208, with Colin scoring 39 and ‘Tiger’ Lance 69. England failed to match this, making only 202. The pitch had started to flatten out, and South Africa tried to bat England out of the game. Colin made his third test century, scoring 127 in 276 minutes with 16 boundaries. South Africa finished with 392, and England were nearly 100 short of victory when the game finished in a draw. South Africa had their only test series win over England after World War II, and Colin was considered one of the stars of the team with both bat and in the field.

Colin was tired after his efforts against England, and after beginning the year in reasonable form, made the decision to stand down from the Rhodesian side during the 1965/66 home season in order to prepare himself fully for the upcoming tour by the Australians in 1966/67. He returned to the team for the following season, and was an automatic selection for South Africa.

Sadly though for Colin, the First Test against Australia at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 23rd, 24th, 26th, 27th and 28th of December 1966 was destined to be his last. South Africa batted first and made only 199, with Colin falling lbw to McKenzie for a duck. Australia responded with 325, before the might of the South African batting made 620. Colin’s final test innings was 32, being dismissed to the part-time leg spin of Ian Chappell. South Africa dismissed Australia for only 261 to win by 233 runs, but tragically Colin crashed into the boundary fence chasing a ball and badly damaged his left knee. He was forced out of the remainder of the series, and despite making a comeback for Rhodesia, he never again regained his previous mobility and he officially retired from Test cricket.

Ironically, many South African fans believe his best batting performance actually came after his retirement, when Colin scored 197 in a match for Rhodesia against Border at the Jan Smuts Ground, East London on the 30th of December 1967 and the 1st, 2nd of January 1968. On a very sub-standard pitch, Colin’s quickfire innings setup his side for a victory when all other batsmen were struggling with their timing on a very slow surface. The knee injury meant that Colin could no longer prowl the covers, but he showed his all-round fielding ability by becoming an excellent slips fielder.

Colin’s fielding genius is still well remembered, with his captains often using him as an offensive weapon. His captains would often set the mid-off deeper than normal, encouraging the batsmen to try and sneak a single. Colin would be alert and cut across from his position in the covers and throw down the stumps at the bowlers’ end. Colin’s expertise in the field is still well recognized today, and in 2004 he was hired by the M.C.C. Cricket School to provide fielding coaching to the best young cricketers in England.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

From 1961/62 until 1966/67, Colin played in 21 test matches. He scored 1669 runs at an average of 49.08, with 3 centuries, 9 fifties and a highest score of 144 not out. He also took two wickets at an average of 62.50. His best bowling figures were 2 for 16. He took 10 catches in his test career, but the number of run-outs he was involved in is not recorded.

First Class Games

In his 133 first class games, Colin scored 7249 runs at an average of 37.95, with 13 centuries and a top score of 197. He also took 43 wickets at an average of 35.27, with a best bowling of 4 for 40. Colin took 51 catches.

Book Review - Cradle Days of Australian Cricket

2007-10-30T15:00:00.000+11:00

Australian cricket has a history going back almost to the start of the colony. The earliest recorded match occurred on the 8th of January 1803, when a game of cricket was played between officers and crew of the MHS Calcutta on a field that is now Hyde Park. Much of the information and knowledge we now have regarding players and techniques of the early eras are drawn from newspapers of the day. Brian Crowley and Pat Mullins have put together a fine collection of the writings in The Australasian by 'Felix', the pseudonym of Tom Horan, into the book “Cradle Days of Australian Cricket”.

Tom Horan was a cricketer of not inconsiderable skill himself; indeed he was a member of the Australian team that were victorious in the first ever test in March 1877. Horan also toured England, and had in-depth knowledge of all the leading players of the time such as Spofforth, the Gregorys, Murdoch and many others. Horan commenced writing for The Australasian in 1879 whilst he was still playing the game competitively, and continued right through until 1916. His weekly review of cricket, entitled ‘Cricket Chapter’, had a strong and loyal following amongst the readers. Horan was, contrary to our current expectations of ex-cricketers turning to the media, a fine writer who displayed an ability to both describe the drama of the moment and also the technical skills that underpin the game.

“Cradle Days of Australian Cricket” is a fascinating wander through the past of our great game, and provides a wonderful insight into the development of cricket within Australia. The observations of the players are memorable, and provide some additional understanding of what would otherwise simply be names from the distant past. One slight downside the book is the fact that collection doesn’t necessarily flow sequentially together. Whilst this problem is naturally inherent within any collection of disparate pieces, it does distract a little from the overall experience, and other collections have managed to overcome this difficulty more easily. Putting this slight criticism aside, any serious fan of cricket would be well advised to track down a copy.

Society, hypocrisy and drug use

2007-10-29T06:17:00.000+11:00

A question struck me the other day while watching the news; why are sport stars condemned for using illegal non-performance enhancing drugs, but musicians and artists celebrated for it?

The news had a novelty piece basically lauding Ozzy Osbourne for his many years of drug abuse that has addled his brain so badly he doesn’t know who he is anymore. The next article was a savage attack upon a sportsman who had the temerity to be caught with illicit drugs. The two newsreaders severely criticized the sportsman, primarily because they felt he was such an important role model to so many young people. It was a fantastic example of double standards, but I’m not sure why it is this way in our society.

Why is there such an amazing level of hypocrisy here? Why are some musicians almost worshipped for their abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol, but sportsmen are somehow expected to maintain a perfect existence? Bon Scott has achieved legend status in many parts of the music world, having died of alcohol and drug poisoning. The whole “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll” lifestyle is often glamorized by the media, and successfully played up to by rock stars. At the same time, sportsmen are sacked from their jobs for often quite minor offenses, and the media crucify them. Why do we, as a society, seem to accept these differing standards?

Cricket Australia is in the process of finalizing its drug testing protocols in relation to non-performance enhancing illicit drugs. It will be interesting to see what the final version looks like. I fully accept and support the necessity to test for performance enhancing drug use. There is no doubt that public figures should not be seen to be promoting illegal activities, but I fail to understand why sportsmen are subject to testing for non-performance enhancing drugs. If we are going to test certain sections of the community for illicit drug use, then random testing should be considered similarly appropriate for our journalists, politicians, judges, police, teachers, musicians and so on.

I must conclude by admitting that I have never taken illicit drugs myself, and have never had any desire to do so. But to pick one section of society such as sportsmen and apply different standards to them strikes me as immensely hypocritical.

Player Profile - Roy Gilchrist

2007-10-28T07:57:00.000+11:00

After a brief diversion with my cricketing diary, I thought I would get back on track with the historical stuff that interests me. So I'll start with a profile on Roy Gilchrist.

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At the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest recorded ball in the history of cricket. The sixth and final ball of his second over was bowled at Nick Knight, and was recorded at 161.3km/h or 100.2mph. This remains the fastest ball ever recorded, and would seem to give Shoaib some claim as the fastest bowler of all time. However, speed testing of fast bowlers is a very recent development, and many other players over history would also be able to make a reasonable case to be considered amongst the fastest bowlers of all time. Any list of fast bowlers will undoubtedly be extensive, and open to intense debate. Names such as Charles Kortright and Tibby Cotter who were both pre WWI, Jack Gregory, Harold Larwood and Learie Constantine who played between the wars, and then the multitude of quickies since then including Frank Tyson, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Jeff Thompson and Michael Holding are often brought up. One of the more interesting characters included in this elite pace company is a relatively unknown West Indian called Roy Gilchrist, a player whose test career was over by age 24 and his place in cricket history clouded by both on and off-field indiscretions.

Roy was born on the 28th of June 1934 in Seaforth, Saint Thomas in Jamaica. He was the child of farm labourers, and grew up on a sugar plantation. The Great Depression had cast its cloud across much of the world, and had caused sugar prices to slump. Roy’s early childhood in Jamaica was characterised by widespread social discontent as the result of significant unemployment, pitiful wages, high prices, and appalling living conditions. It is clear that Roy undoubtedly grew into adulthood with a limited education and significant hardship. Michael Manley, a trade union leader and Jamaican Prime Minister, described Roy as being “burdened by those tensions which so often run like scars across the landscape of the personalities of people who come from poverty.” These factors undoubtedly were highly influential in Roy’s psychological journey into adulthood. Even as he started to make a name for himself as an exceptionally fast bowler, rumours of conflict with other players and team-mates started to surface.

Roy didn’t fit the prototype physique of fast bowlers, being quite short at about five foot eight inches tall and not being incredibly strong. He did, however, possess unusually long arms and his action made good use of this asset. Roy ran into the wicket at high speed, before unwinding with a high arm action. Roy’s natural pace and bounce saw him selected as a teenager to play for Serge Island in the sugar estates competition. His bowling was very erratic and wild, however, his obvious potential was clear to both opposing batsmen and the selectors.

Roy was soon picked for the Wembley Club that played in the Jamaican domestic cricket competition, the Senior Cup. His progress through the ranks then slowed, and it took him three more seasons before the selectors were prepared to pick him for the full-strength Jamaican team. Cricket in the West Indies in the 1950s was rife with racism and bias. The membership of most clubs were predominantly upper class whites, and players like Roy struggled for recognition. The captain the teams were always white, and any empathy or understanding of Roy’s situation in life was unlikely. Nonetheless, his performances were such that the Island selectors were compelled to choose Roy to make his first class debut at the age of 22.

Roy was first picked to represent Jamaica in a match at Bourda in Georgetown against the British Guiana in the Quadrangular Tournament on 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th of October 1956. His captain, Alfred Binns, gave him the new ball as British Guiana had first use of the wicket. On what would undoubtedly appear to be a flat wicket, British Guiana declared their first innings closed at 5 for 601, with four batsmen passing their century. Roy took a quite creditable 3 for 129 off nearly 40 overs. He was supported by his teammate, the great Alf Valentine, who bowled a mammoth 90.5 overs of his left arm orthodox in finishing with figures of 2 for 165. Jamaica replied with 469, and the match ended in a tame draw.

Roy’s next three matches for Jamaica were in March of 1957 against a touring Duke of Norfolk’s XI. In the first game at Sabina Park, Roy took his first five wicket bag for Jamaica, with 5 for 110 off 29.2 overs. He followed this with 1 for 53 in the Duke’s XI’s second innings. The next two matches against the Duke’s XI resulted in Roy returning the less than impressive figures of 2 for 63 and 1 for 64 in the second game, and 1 for 83 and 1 for 87 in the third. However, Roy must have shown considerable promise in this series of three matches, as he was picked to represent the West Indies on their 1957 tour of England.

Roy was still very young and inexperienced, and selection on the tour of England was clearly unexpected. At that point of West Indian history, the captain was still always a white man, in this case John Goddard. Roy was not familiar with protocol and the expectations of players representing their country, and there were again rumours of inappropriate behaviour by Roy on this tour. Roy played in three lead-up games against Northhamptonshire, Essex and the M.C.C., however, in spite of only taking one wicket in five innings, Roy was selected to make his Test debut against England in the First Test at Edgbaston on the 30th and 31st May, and the 1st, 3rd and 4th of June 1957.

Unlike previous eras, and certainly later ones, the West Indies bowling attack of 1957 was built around the joint spin attack of Ramadhin and Valentine. Roy was the sole pace bowler chosen for the Test matches, receiving medium paced support from the all-rounders Frank Worrell, Denis Atkinson and Gary Sobers. English captain Peter May won the toss in the First Test and chose to bat first. Frank Worrell bowled the first over, with Roy sharing the new ball. Roy took 2 for 74, however, the star for the West Indies was Ramadhin with 7 for 49 in England’s total of just 186. The West Indies made 474 in reply, with Roy being run out for a duck in his first test innings. England then posted a massive 4 for 583, with Peter May finishing on 285 not out. Roy bowled reasonably well in all the carnage, taking 1 for 67 off 26 overs. Atkinson, with 72 overs, and Ramadhin, with 98 overs, carried most of the load. The match ended in a draw, but not before the West Indies collapsed. Stumps on day five saw the West Indies struggling to avoid defeat at 7 for 72.

The four Test series was won by England two to nil, with victories in the Second Test at Lords by an innings and 36 runs and the Fourth Test at Headingly by an innings and 5 runs. The Third Test at Trent Bridge was drawn. Gilchrist produced some very quicks spells at times, however, his inaccuracy cost him. He took 4-115 at Lords, but 0 for 118 and 1 for 21 at Trent Bridge and 2 for 71 at Headingley. By the end of the tour, Roy had played more games for the West Indies than he had for Jamaica. Roy had shown some of his best form in the other tour matches, with a fine double of 5 for 41 and 2 for 27 against Derbyshire, and also 5 for 33 against Somerset.

The West Indies team returned home, with their next international series against the touring Pakistan side in 1958. Roy did not play another first class game after leaving England in September 1957 until the First Test against Pakistan, which started on the 17th of January 1958. While he had only taken ten wickets against England, Roy’s performances were sufficiently impressive to make him an automatic choice for the First Test. After the West Indies had scored an impressive 579, Roy bowled with impressive speed to take 4 for 32 in the rout of Pakistan for just 106. Another white man, Gerry Alexander, had taken over the captaincy of the West Indies, and he had little hesitation in enforcing the follow-on. Hanif Mohammad then produced one of the finest match saving innings of all time, scoring 337 in 970 minutes. Roy took 1 for 121, Pakistan totaled 657, and the match was drawn. The West Indies won the Second Test at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain by 120 runs. Roy contributed strongly to the victory, taking 3 for 67 and 4 for 61. He made the early breakthrough for the home side in both innings, bowling the Pakistan opener Alimuddin twice for 9 and 0.

The Third Test at Sabina Park was also won by the West Indies, by an innings and 174 runs. Roy took 2 for 106 in Pakistan’s first innings total of 328. Pakistan probably would have been slightly disappointed that they didn’t get closer to 400, however, their disappointment quickly turned to absolute dismay as the West Indies piled on 3 declared for 790. This amazing total is largely remembered for Gary Sobers world record score of 365 not out, but few people now remember that Conrad Hunte was run out for 260 in the same innings, and was himself on track to break Len Hutton’s record score of 364. The game was effectively over when Alexander declared, and Roy took 1 for 65 in Pakistan’s second innings effort of just 288. The West Indies finished the series with another win at the Bourda Ground in Georgetown, being victorious by eight wickets. Roy took 4 for 102 and 2 for 66. The Fifth Test back at Queen’s Park Oval saw a major turnaround in form, with Pakistan winning by an innings and 1 run. Roy only bowled 7 overs in the game, and failed to take a wicket.

While Roy concluded the five Tests with 21 wickets at the fairly expensive average of 30.28, his pace had clearly unsettled many of the Pakistan batsmen, even on very dead pitches. His bowling was still erratic, and could be expensive, but there was no denying he had the sheer pace can defeat even the greatest players. Pakistan’s leading batsman, the great Hanif, admitted years later that the pace of Roy had scared him at times, saying “I live to this day the fear of a thunderbolt from Roy Gilchrist during that much celebrated visit to the West Indies in 1958.” Hanif recounted one particular delivery that just whistled past his nose, recalling “that delivery still sends shivers down my spine”.

The Fifth Test against Pakistan finished on the 31st of March, 1958, and Roy didn’t play another first class game for nearly eight months, when he was chosen for the back to back tours of India and Pakistan to being in November, 1958. Roy performed well in three leadup games to the First Test against India, but there were no real signs of what was to come. The West Indian selectors had paired Gilchrist up with another young fast bowler by the name of Wes Hall, and in this series, the two of them would become possibly the fastest bowling combinations of all-time.

The First Test at the Brabourne Stadium, Bombay on the 28th, 29th, and 30th of November, and the 2nd and 3rd of December 1958 finished in a draw. Gilchrist took 4 for 39 and 2 for 75, but his performances in this First Test are now better remembered for the emergence of a new delivery. The pitches in India were very low and slow, and Roy found them unproductive to bouncers. Roy decided, in his own manner, that the natural way to counteract this lack of bounce was not to have the ball bounce at all. The occasional ‘beamer’ happens to all bowlers, and generally is accidental. Roy’s beamers were neither occasional nor accidental. His comment was “I have searched the rule books, and there is not a word in any of them that says a fellow cannot bowl a fast full-toss at a batsman. A batsman has a bat and they should get the treatment they deserve”. India managed to draw the First Test, in spite of the beamers by Roy, largely due to a fine defensive innings of 90 by Pankaj Roy in 444 minutes.

The West Indian captain Gerry Alexander was evidently horrified by Roy’s deliberate beamers. Roy was ordered to stop bowling them, as Alexander considered them too dangerous to the batsmen’s health. Conflict between the bowler and captain, which had been simmering over the past year, started to come to a head after the game. Roy swore at Alexander, and Alexander demanded an immediate apology. Roy refused to do so, and Alexander told Roy that his tour was over and that he was to return to the West Indies. A delegation of the younger players, including Wes Hall, approached Alexander and requested that Roy be forgiven for his misdemeanor. Alexander agreed to this, however, Roy was warned that any future infractions would result in his immediate sacking. Roy was dropped from the Second Test in response to this episode, however, the reason given officially was that he had pulled a hamstring.

The West Indies won the Second Test, in spite of Roy’s absence, with Wes Hall taking eleven wickets in the match. Roy returned to the West Indies team for a match against Indian Universities, and promptly destroyed the students. He took 6 for 16 in the Universities total of just 49, and then hardly bowled in the second innings as the West Indies cruised to an innings victory. It was hard to leave him out of the team after a performance like that, and Roy returned to the West Indian team to share the new ball with Hall in the Third Test.

The Third Test at Eden Gardens in Calcutta saw the West Indies win by the small margin of an innings and 336 runs. After batting first and making 5 declared for 614, the West Indies bowled out India for 124 and 154. Roy took 3 for 18 and 6 for 55, and with Hall also taking three wickets in each innings, it was becoming clear that many of the Indian players had no wish to face either of the West Indian quick bowlers.

The Indian team had almost collapsed into chaos by the time of the Fourth Test. The captain in the previous three tests, Ghulam Ahmed, retired from all forms of cricket two days after the side had been announced. Polly Umrigar, who had been playing test cricket for a decade, was asked to take over to lead his country. Unfortunately, he had a fight with the selectors over the makeup of the team on the morning of the match, and he also quit. The great all-rounder, Vinoo Mankad, who is now better remembered for running out Bill Brown, was then chosen as captain. Roy continued to terrorise the Indian batsmen, and the West Indies won by 295 runs. He took 2 for 44 and 3 for 36, and his bowling was notable both for its pace and liberal use of bouncers and still, but less frequently, beamers.

The tension that had arisen between Alexander and Roy after the First Test had never really diminished. Clearly the divide between the Cambridge educated Alexander and Roy, who had come from poverty, was too significant. Whether it ever could have been overcome is difficult to know. The West Indies were going through substantial social reforms, and the previously defined class roles were rapidly disappearing. Roy’s complex personality needed sensitive and careful handling by his captain, and Alexander was not capable, or not willing, to do this. Regardless of his treatment by the captain, Roy was not especially popular with many of his teammates either. He was known to be a fiery and hostile bowler, but more than that, he was considered to have a malicious streak, and this was evidenced by his bowling of repeated beamers at the Indian batsmen.

The Fifth and final Test was held on a placid pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground at Delhi. The match ended in a draw, with no bowlers able to make any real impact. Roy took 3 for 90 and 3 for 63, but was outshone by the allround performance of Collie Smith, who scored a century and took 3 for 94 and 5 for 90 with his gentle offspinners. Roy finished the series with 26 wickets at 16.11 in four tests. The speed of Roy’s bowling can be best demonstrated by direct comparison with Wes Hall. Hall is largely regarded as one of the fastest bowlers of all time, however, the only Indian batsman to make a century in the series, Chandau Borde, rated Gilchrist as the faster of the pair. Gary Sobers also considered Roy Gilchrist to be the fastest bowler that he ever played with or against.

After the conclusion of the Fifth Test, the West Indies were to play one final tour match in India before departing for Pakistan. This match, irrelevant in the larger scheme of things, was to prove decisive in Roy’s international career. This last game was played at the Gandhi Sports Complex Ground in Amritsar against Northern Zone. On an under-prepared pitch, the West Indies were sent into bat, and were quickly dismissed for just 76. North Zone’s reply was even worse, making 59. Roy took 4 for 33 and Lance Gibbs 5 for 22. The West Indies faired a little better in the second innings, putting together a total of 228. The captain of North Zone, Swaranjit Singh, was a former colleague of Alexander at Cambridge, and he had evidently told Alexander that he would show the other Indian players how to deal with Roy. This news had filtered back to Roy, although who by is unknown. It was also said that Roy had a grudge against Singh following an article Singh had written about him. Clearly, fireworks were expected. Singh had been bowled by the first ball he faced in the first innings, but had made a solid start the second time around, being unbeaten on 15 just before lunch on the final day.

Roy bowled the final over before lunch, and after bowling a bouncer, tried to york Singh. Roy slightly underpitched the delivery, and Singh drove it back down the ground for four. Perhaps overconfident, or merely slightly silly, Singh said to Roy “You like that one? Beautiful wasn’t it?” The next ball, not unexpectedly for anyone who knew Roy, was a beamer straight at Singh’s head. Roy described it later as one of the fastest balls he ever bowled, and Singh was lucky not to wear it. Considerably unnerved by this, Singh edged the next ball but was dropped by Alexander. Roy followed this up with another beamer that Singh just managed to avoid. Alexander went to Roy at this point, and ordered him to stop bowling beamers. This message went unheeded, a third beamer for the over was sent down, and the two teams left the field for the lunch break.

Alexander approached Roy, and told him that he had bowled his last ball on the tour. Alexander then approached Singh, and asked him if he would have any objections to Roy being replaced. Not surprisingly, Singh was more than happy for this to occur, and Roy never walked back onto the field for the West Indies again. The tour selectors met at the end of play, and it was unanimously agreed that Roy would be sent home on the next available flight, while the rest of the team flew to Pakistan. Alexander informed Roy of this decision, which evidently was not well received. Quite what happened at the meeting remains a mystery, however, rumours of what transpired included everything from shouting through to Roy pulling a knife on Alexander.

Realising that his chances of playing again for West Indies were slim while Alexander was captain, Roy signed a contract to play professionally in England for Accrington in the Lancashire Leagues. He moved permanently to England, playing for a variety of different sides including Baccup, Middleton, Great Chell, Lowerhouse, Crompton and East Bierly over the following decades. Not surprisingly for a player of his talent, Roy dominated the Leagues, as his pace and bounce were simply beyond the capacity of most amateurs. He took an amazing 280 wickets in 1958 and 1959 for Middleton, and averaged over 100 wickets a season for nearly two decades.

Roy only ever played a handful more first class games, with a match at the Bourda Ground against Barbados in October 1961 his first at home since the Indian tour, and also his last game ever in the West Indies. On the basis of his form in England, Frank Worrell evidently requested him to be included for the 1960/61, however, the selectors refused point blank to consider it. Perhaps most interestingly, almost all of Roy’s first class cricket then took place in India. The BCCI, in an amazingly far-sighted manner, recognized that India would not become a Test power until they learn to play genuinely quick bowling. A group of fast bowlers including Roy, Chester Watson, Charlie Stayers and Lester King, spent a large part of the 1962/63 season playing for various Indian first class teams. Roy’s final first class match was for the Andhra Chief Minister's XI against the Indian Starlets in Hyderabad in March 1963. Roy took 0 for 83 and 1 for 38 in a drawn match.

Roy’s life off the cricket ground was, sadly, almost as tumultuous as that on the ground. He had married his girlfriend, Novlyn, and they had seven children together. Their marriage was a fiery one by all accounts. A very sad episode on the 2nd of June 1967 saw Roy attack Novlyn after a dispute over him attending a party. Roy had grabbed her by the throat, held her against a wall and then branded her with a nearby hot iron. Roy was, appropriately, charged with this assault, and was given three months probation. The judge commented at the sentencing that “I hate to think that English sport has sunk so far that brutes will be tolerated because they are good at games.” There were no further reported incidents of abuse, but Roy’s volatile nature meant that the marriage was undoubtedly not a quiet and peaceful affair.

Roy lived in England for twenty six years before eventually returning home to Jamaica in 1985. He had Parkinson’s Disease, which would eventually be the cause of his death at the early age of 67. Roy died at home on the 18th July 2001 at Portmore, St Catherine, Jamaica. Roy’s career is one of promise ultimately unfilled, and the question of whether a more empathetic captain such as Frank Worrell could have guided Roy to greatness will remain unknown.

Career Statistics

Test Matches

From 1957 to 1959, Roy played in 13 test matches. He took fifty seven wickets at an average of 26.68. His best bowling figures were 6 for 55. Roy also scored 60 runs at an average of 5.45, with a highest score of 12. He took 4 catches in his test career.

First Class Games

In his 42 first class games, Roy took 167 wickets at an average of 26.00, with a best bowling of 6 for 16. He also scored 258 runs at an average of 7.81, with a highest score of 43 not out. He also took 10 catches.

My Cricketing Diary 2007/08 - Part 14

2007-10-28T07:52:00.000+11:00

Day 6

After talking about it with the selectors, I have decided to hang the boots up again. At least, I would hang them up but I am too sore to get out of bed today.

At least the cricket is on the television today. Australia versus Sri Lanka. If the breaks had gone my way over the years, I should have been out there ......

My Cricketing Diary 2007/08 Part 13

2007-10-27T19:33:00.000+10:00

This was it. Aspirin had just performed a miracle with a maiden in the previous over, but who would bowl the decider? The question circled back and forth in my mind, and I deliberated it very carefully. Stanley had now completed his allocated overs. Cow had moved himself to deep fine leg, thereby indicating there was no way he was going to bowl again. Prof. was busy humming a tune to himself at point, whilst inspecting some sort of bug he had seen. Jeremy was looking very green again, and was clearly in no shape to bowl. There was only one thing for it – I would have return to the crease in a last do or die effort. I was up to it; my mind was strong and my spirit was willing. I knew I was the best player by far on the ground, and this would be another opportunity to prove it.

Unfortunately, I had possibly taken a little too long thinking about what I was going to do, because Weezel had simply grabbed the ball off Aspirin. I had also possibly slightly lost track of the game, because when I looked up, he actually was half-way in to bowl his first ball. In fairness to him, it wasn’t too shabby. It started down the leg-side and must have hit something, cause it straightened up alarmingly. Dodge just managed to get an edge on it. I had recovered quickly from the surprise of seeing Weezel coming in to bowl, but I didn’t quite managed to hold onto the nick. I was possibly in closer than I should have been, as the ball actually hit me in the guts before I got my gloves up.

After a brief spell curled up in a little ball on the ground, I showed my team-mates what true fighting spirits were, and I somehow managed to resume. The opposition had scored three runs, which at least took Dodge off strike. He had come up to me and asked if I was OK, but I knew it was fake sympathy. I told him to go away, and he just smiled that inane grin again before wandering back to his crease. Their cars had started blowing their horns wildly – it appears that Dodge had just got his hundred. Cheating ring-in.

Weezel’s next ball was a mirror image of the first one, although the batsman wasn’t good enough to edge it. Unfortunately, some dirt got in my eye and I missed it as well. It went for four byes. Bugger. Weezel charged in again. I may have, perhaps, misjudged Weezel. He could actually bowl fairly well. His third delivery started well outside the off-stump, before swinging back at right angles. It cut the batsman in half, flew over the stumps and it also went for four byes. I don’t know whether Sammy Carter himself would have stopped that one. This meant the scores were tied. I called all the fielders in – everyone needed to be on their toes to stop the single.

Weezel had obviously learnt from his previous poor efforts. He pitched the next one up, and the stumps went cart-wheeling in all directions. They were now 8 for 181 with the last batsman coming in (as they were still one player short). A big effort from everyone and we could still tie this match. The two batsman had a mid-wicket conference. If they could get Dodge on strike, they would easily win. There were two balls left – would the new batsman do the right thing by his team by simply trying to survive the remainder of the over and let Dodge win them the game in the next over, or would he try to be a hero?

The answer to that question was simple – hero all the way. Weezel pitched it up again, and the batsman swung wildly. He missed the ball, the ball missed the stumps, and I nearly missed the ball. Luckily for us, it bounced quite a long way back off my forehead. The batsman on strike had set off for the winning run with all the never-say-die qualities of a kamikaze pilot. Dodge kept his cool, damn it, and sent him back. It still should have been an easy run-out, but Jeremy and Prof. collided in their haste to pick up the ball. The ball remained untouched on the ground while Jeremy and Prof. had a laugh about it. They just don’t take the game seriously enough. The upshot was that the batsman had time to get back into his crease. That was our chance – I couldn’t help but feel we had missed the last opportunity to secure the first-up win that my great captaincy deserved.

I was feeling a little woozy after the previous delivery, but knuckled down to concentrate on this last ball. The batsman swung again, but this time managed to lay bat on ball. It went soaring straight up in the air. If we caught it, the match would be tied. The batsmen ran, so unless we caught it, we would lose. Knowing our teams ability in the field, it was clearly up to me. Keeping my eye on the ball I called ‘mine’ and sprinted towards the ball. Prof. was also in the vicinity of the ball, but I had the gloves - it was my catch and my destiny.

I don’t remember what happened after that. The boys tell me that Prof. took a great catch after I ran head first into that stupid tree at point. They said that they were quite concerned about me, as evidently I knocked myself out in the process of also knocking the tree down. They threw me into the back of Keeting's ute and, after considerately moving the pig carcasses to one side, took me to hospital. When I came to in the emergency room a few hours later (a lack of beds meant that I had been left to recover on the floor), Jeremy was quick to phone me to say that we had won. Prof. had realised that as we had lost less wickets, we were technically the winners, and he claimed the game on my behalf. A win's a win.

Yeah!!! We flipping murdered them!