The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

All day Roseville all day

Roar Guru

Joined April 2020

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Interested in stadium politics, competition programming, sporting administration, cricket history and trivia

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One-third of all Australians and one-third of its first-class cricketers were born in NSW, which also has huge financial resources. It just needs to get its pathways and structures right, and identify and retain those players with the greatest potential.

Last season’s 25 highest Shield run-scorers included NSW expats Ward, Silk, Manenti, Hunt and Doran. Ditto its bowling with Bird, McAndrew, Manenti, Sandhu and Stobo. Ideally some of them would have stayed home, and prospered.

Can Greg turn the ship around? NSW 2023-24 squad preview

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I note that three of these innings were in the first Test of a series, and another in a second game.

So, just like Stan McCabe and Michael Slater, he reserved his best batting performances for the beginnings of rubbers, when ascendancy needed to be established !

It's not all about the wickets: Celebrating Jeff Thomson's best batting performances

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Relatively few great memorable played by tailenders in T20 games…

It's not all about the wickets: Celebrating Jeff Thomson's best batting performances

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Cricket
 
1w

Plus ca change ? In the 1800s-

* only three Test nations
* County clubs refusing to release their professionals for home Tests, or to tour Aus in their off-season
* County clubs, not the ECB or even the MCC, picking the Eng team for the Test that they were hosting
* coloured clothing worn
* vast sums bet, and corruption as a result
* Aus tours to Eng comprised of 12-13 players who selected and managed themselves, arranged their own fixtures, and earned vast sums compared to current levels

The death of Test cricket, and the Australian summer, is nigh

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Cricket
 
2w

Good pick-up. He debuted at age 25, but batting at number six. Warner and Rogers opened.

None of the obvious contenders to replace Dave Warner stand out. So why not try a left field solution?

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Cricket
 
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It’s ok to debut young, fail, and return later and better. Ages on debut since 1984-

20- P Hughes, Renshaw
22- Pukovski, Hayden, Langer
23- Slater
24- Taylor, Warner, Kerr
25- Bancroft, Elliott, Katich
26- Harris, Jaques, G Marsh
29- Cowan, Phillips (the 1-Test one)
30- Hussey, Rogers
31- Finch

Most of the younger ones have paid off. Some of the older ones arguably should have debuted sooner.

None of the obvious contenders to replace Dave Warner stand out. So why not try a left field solution?

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“Defenestrate” is my favourite verb.

As I recall it, Hill retired as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket, and the first man to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year, a feat that wouldn’t be repeated for another 45 years.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

7 by my count.

Giffen, Darling, Richardson, Bradman, Jarman, I Chappell, G Chappell.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

Ironically, Hill died after a vehicle accident, as a result of falling from a Melbourne tram.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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Billy Murdoch scored 0 and 153* at The Oval in 1882.

Then George (Harry) Trott scored 0 and 143 at Lord’s in 1896.

Hill did his subsequently, at the MCG in 1897/98.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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Stuart Law and Afaq Hassain say hi.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

I get “Dazed and Confused” sometimes

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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“Maybe I’m a Leo,” off Machinehead…

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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Adam Voges had a career average of 61.87, surely it must be him ? 😁

Lara’s a personal favourite. And Trumper, based solely on raw ability and big-match temperament. But he was disinterested when a game was going nowhere or being easily won. Otherwise his average of 39.04 (around 50.00 in current value) would have been far far higher.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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But noting that the AISCBCA in Adelaide fast-tracked elite talent at best, rather than producing it from scratch. After all, it was only ever sent the very best of the best. The State associations as always did the early work including talent identification. Paul Wilson was the only player to turn up unannounced and talk his way in. And by the late-1990s each State was finally able to set up its own academy with contracted full-time players, state-of-the-art sports science, winter training facilities, etc of its own.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

After the lockdowns lifted I re-discovered Council and university libraries, charity shops, and second-hand book stores. Great sources of long-out-of-print and obscure classics.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

Maybe he was a Deep Purple fan ?

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

After 1938 he continued to play at Shield level for a few seasons more, until WWII stopped even that. But he never had to commit to tour NZ, WI, India, Pakistan…

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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Unless you bowled spin like Clarrie Grimmett, Don Blackie or Bert Ironmonger ! 😁

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

So many eye-witnesses were adamant it was either out or not-out, couldn’t agree.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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I became a Roarer too late for the centenary of the AIF team of 1919, but did write my first “anniversary piece” on the Ashes tour of 1921-

Ashes anniversaries: Armstrong’s Australians

WWI impacted the careers of so many players. Mailey debuted in first-class cricket in 1912/13 then had to wait 8 years for a Test cap. Ironmonger 1909/10 waited another 19 years. Grimmett 1911/12 then 13 years. Ryder 1912/13 then 8 years. Tommy Andrews 1912/13 then 9 years. The cancelled 1914/15 tour to South Africa would have included Ryder and Andrews. Then there was Jack Massie and Norm Callaway, one injured and one killed in action.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

McCabe always seemed to bat for longer when Bradman was absent, or had already got out. The first Bodyline Test, the 1935/36 tour to South Africa. Like Trumper he didn’t seem interested in some of those run-fests of the 1930s.

And such a shame that WWII came along when he was just 28 years old, although by then he was already having problems with his feet that were affecting his bowling in particular.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
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Thanks tagger,

Knox is my current favourite Australian writer. His books “The Captains” and “The Keepers” are equally good.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

Different gates, and also separate hotels and railway carriages. And while amateurs got fed at the ground, pros had to queue with spectators for lunch. And at the SCG, you can still see in the away changeroom the separate area for each group.

Yet the amateurs could claim “expenses” and an amateur WG Grace made far, far more money out of cricket than any professional. The favourable view being that he needed to pay a locum whenever he left his medical practice.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w

Yes with great success. What ended his career in Australia was his crankiness to Bradman and umpire Jack Scott when the Services team later played South Australia at the end of an extremely long tour eventually spanning England, India and finally every State. Pepper’s card was duly marked “never to be selected for Australia,” and he returned to England to play Leagues and subsequently umpire.

Arguably one of the best Australians to never play a Test. Big hitter, and wrist-spinner with a brilliant flipper. But very mouthy.

Happy anniversary to the most famous duck in cricket history

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Cricket
 
3w
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