Spinner

by Ron Elliott

  I have also provided a very brief glossary of cricketing terms courtesy of www.action8cricket.com, added to and amended by Tom Hampton, who is the son of bowler Paul and a personal friend. Again, this is aimed at the non-cricketer and therefore quite likely not to be nuanced or complex.

  Finally, and perhaps most controversially, I have written the briefest of biographical lists. There seemed to me on my first readings of the manuscript to be such a profusion of historical and minor figures with such a varied use of surname, first name, nickname and position that some kind of guide would be useful, much like the ones provided in recent printings of the Russian novels of the Napoleonic era (and contemporary television fan websites for that matter).

  However, I did not want to spoil the immediacy of the time and events my uncle conjures. Therefore I have not used the fuller biographies currently available in the many fine extant cricket and general historical works. I have attempted to provide biographical sketches of the participants as at the time depicted. In this regard, I have chosen to ‘freeze’ or snapshot the participants at the time of the Adelaide Test, as this is the moment that David Donald emerged upon an unsuspecting world.

  So, for instance, the captain of the time is not the sage and urbane silver fox who became the well-known television cricket commentator of the eighties, Sir John Richardson. Rather, he is described as he was at the time, as lean and athletic, a neat batsman with a growing flair for leadership and risk taking.

  I am sure my choices in the biographical area will be contested. Please accept the apologies of an academic playing well out of her area of specialisation. I mean no offence.

  Dr Bronwyn Elliott (nee Donald), 2010

  THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM

  (Batting order for Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney Tests)

  Terry Johnson (Chalkie) New South Wales. Right-handed, opening batsman. Good defence. Slow to start, then fast scorer. Mathematics teacher. Thirty-two years old. Fifty-five Tests for Australia.

  Andrew Bardsley (Beardie) Victoria. Left-handed, opening bat. Free scoring. Sales assistant. Twenty-one years old. Debuted in the first Melbourne Test.

  John Richardson (Richo, Skip, Gov, Cap) New South Wales. Right-handed batsman. Dashing. Australian Captain. Bank manager. Thirty years old. Fifty-one Tests.

  Jack Tanner (Two Bob) Western Australia. Right-handed batsman. Big hitter. Farm machinery salesman. Twenty-five years old. Debuted in Adelaide Test match.

  Ken Hall (Ned) Queensland. Left-handed batsman. Bludgeoning hitter. Excellent fieldsman. Refrigeration mechanic. Twenty-five years old. Twenty-two Tests.

  George Jackson Victoria. Left-handed batsman. Worker of the ball. Professional cricketer. Thirty-four. Five Test matches. Recalled to the Australian team after three years away.

  Maud McLeod (Mopsey) South Australia. All-rounder. Medium-fast swing bowler. Right-handed batsman. Good close infieldsman. Farm labourer. Twenty-two years old. Ten Test matches.

  Bill Baker (Tinker) New South Wales. Wicketkeeper. Right-handed batsman. Primary school teacher. Thirty years old. Eighty-seven Test matches.

  Geoffrey Calligan (Legal) Melbourne. Fast bowler. Tight line and length bowler. Lawyer. Twenty-seven years old. Twenty-seven Tests.

  Paul Hampton (Ten Ton) New South Wales. Fast bowler. Very fast. Brewery worker. Twenty-four years old. Fifteen Tests.

  David Donald (Old Man, Billy, Kid, Nipper, Babe, The Kid) Western Australia. Spin bowler (wrist and finger). School student. Twelve years old. Debuted in Adelaide Test match.

  Dan Bidman South Australia (born in NSW). Right-handed batsman. Promising. Nineteen years old. Twelfth man in Adelaide.

  AUSTRALIAN CRICKET BOARD

  (I have not included the whole board, but merely those two members who were instrumental in the events of the time.)

  Sir Bartholomew Livingston Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board. Chairman of a number of industries. Knighted for services to industry. Played grade cricket at university. Also played rugby for NSW in his youth.

  Steven Biggins Treasurer of the ACB. Lawyer. Member of the Liberal Party of Australia. Engaged to Lucinda Pucker, daughter of newspaper publisher Robert.

  THE ENGLISH TEAM

  (Although the batting order was to change, and the team for Sydney, I have used the Adelaide order.)

  Anthony Dorrington Kent. Left-handed opening bat. Free scoring. Professional cricketer. Twenty-eight years. Sixty Tests.

  William O’Malley Middlesex. Right-handed opening bat. Tight defence. Slow scoring. Soldier. Thirty-two years old. Seventy-two Tests.

  Edward Windsor Somerset. Right-handed batsman. Front-foot and elegant player. Fast scorer. Landholder. Twenty-five years. Forty-two Tests.

  Henry Longford Surrey. Right-handed batsman. Elegant back-foot player. Tight defence. English Captain. Banker. Thirty years old. Sixty-four Tests.

  Timothy Bishop Somerset. Right-handed bat. Reportedly a dasher. University student. Twenty-two years old. Two Tests. Debuted in the Brisbane Test.

  Peter Ostler Surrey. Bowling all-rounder. Fast-medium. Big hitter. Professional cricketer. Twenty-four years old. Thirty-eight Tests.

  Earnest Morgan Yorkshire. Wicketkeeper. Left-handed batsman, although not a prolific scorer. Professional cricketer. Thiry-five years old. Eighty-nine Test matches.

  Lesley Darby Kent. Spin bowler. Poor batsman. Groundsman. Twenty-nine years old. Fifty-two Test matches.

  Albert Dwyer Worcestershire. Medium-paced swing bowler. Devastating in damp conditions. Professional cricketer. Twenty-six years old. Thirty-five Tests.

  Douglas Tudor Somerset. Fast bowler. Great speed but also exceptional bounce off the pitch. Accurate. Accountant. Twenty-three years old. Twenty Tests.

  Hugh Proctor Hampshire. Fast bowler. Very fast. Farm worker. Twenty-six years old. Thirty-eight Test matches.

  Source: Learning Cricket: Rules and Strategy by J.M. Lawler and R.S. Trumper (Oxford: Olive Press, 1984).

  GLOSSARY OF CRICKET TERMS

  This is an edited and amended version of the glossary provided online by action8cricket.com. Additional definitions and amendments have been kindly added by Tom Hampton.

  Agricultural shot A batting stroke that is anything and everything other than standard or copybook. Inelegant.

  All-rounder A player who is good at both batting and bowling.

  Appeal A request made to the umpire by the fielding side that a batsman be adjudicated out. This request is sometimes loud.

  Arm ball A ball delivered by an off-spin or left-arm spin bowler which does not have much turn. The arm rather than the fingers plays the larger role. It drifts a little more in the air and skids rather than spins.

  Attack Refers to the variety of available bowlers at the disposal of the fielding captain. It also refers to an approach to scoring and to preserving one’s wicket, as opposed to defence.

  Average The total figure reached by computation of a batsman’s run-scoring performance measured against the number of times dismissed, or a bowler’s performance measured by the number of runs conceded when compared to the number of wickets taken.

  Away swinger Also known as the outswinger. A ball moving from the line of the stumps at the bowler’s end, towards the slips area, but through the air.

  Bad light The umpires can suspend play for the day or for a period of time if it is adjudged that the light is too dim for the batsman to fairly see the ball or it may endanger the batsman. Rain can also cause a delay or suspension of play.

  Back foot Refers to the movement of the batsman who has placed his centre of gravity onto the back foot. Generally a defensive batting technique, but occasionally used to attack the ball in shots such as the cut, pull or hook shot. (There is a back-foot drive.)

  Back up Refers to the batsman at the bowling end who leaves his crease after the bowler has released the ball in preparation for making a run.

  Bails The two small pieces of moulded timber which sit atop the stumps. Their placement is an aid in determining more precisely
when the stumps have been disturbed. Stumps are often disturbed and never serene, even though they can be untouched, unmoved and unaffected.

  Bat The ‘handle’ is the thin end of the bat held by the batsman. The ‘shoulder’ is the point at which the bat widens. Bats are sometimes referred to as ‘the willow’ after the wood they were traditionally made from. The very bottom edge of the bat is the ‘toe.’

  Bat pad Refers to a close infieldsman placed for a catch for a ball that, after striking the edge of the bat, goes on to strike the pad and rise into the air. A very specific position.

  Batsman A player who uses a bat to hit, edge, snick or guide the ball after it has been bowled, usually with the intent of scoring runs or defending his wicket during a match or game, but often also to practise the art and skills of batting.

  Batting The process of using a cricket bat for the making of runs or defending the wicket.

  Beamer A bowling delivery aimed at the head of the batsman. If not a mistake, then poor form.

  Beaten When a batsman attempts to strike the ball with the bat and fails to make contact. He is said to have been ‘beaten’ by either the pace or skill of the delivery.

  Bite The amount of turn a spin bowler can obtain from the surface of the pitch.

  Block A defensive batting stroke in which the ball is hit only a little way and usually not in the air. A block suggests no intent to score a run, but rather to concentrate on defence.

  Bouncer A bowling delivery of fast pace and pitched short with the purpose of rising to around chest height when arriving at the batsman. Difficult to play most attacking and front-foot shots to this kind of delivery.

  Boundary Indicates the outer limit of the playing area. Also used to describe a stroke by the batsman that immediately results in four (over the boundary along the ground or after bouncing) or six (all the way in the air) runs. See fielding diagram.

  Bowl To deliver the ball in a manner determined to be legal by the umpire interpreting the rules of cricket.

  Bowler Refers to a player who primarily excels at delivering a ball to a batsman or a player in the process of delivering the ball.

  Bowler’s mark The bowler makes a mark at the ‘top’ or start of their run-up for bowling each ball. The bowler’s mark allows the bowler to keep the same stride each time they run in to bowl. A fast bowler’s mark is necessarily further away than a spin bowler’s because they use a longer run-up in order to help generate their speed.

  Break A delivery that spins to either side of the pitch after leaving the surface. Also used to denote a short halt in play. There is a lunch break and a tea break. There are also a number of drinks breaks. There are also breaks for weather and injury.

  Bump ball A ball that hits the ground immediately after leaving the bat and, to the appearance of some fieldsmen and spectators, looks to have come directly off the bat. Once the ball touches the ground after being hit, it should not be given out, caught, and it is up to the umpire to decide whether it was a catch or merely a bump ball.

  Bye A run scored through any means other than being struck by the bat.

  Call Either a confirmation or refusal that a run should be taken by a batsman in order to alert his partner. Usually shouted as a ‘Yes,’ ‘No’ or ‘Wait.’ Shouting ‘Run’ is not generally used as a call beyond the junior levels. Calling correctly and the consequent understanding between batsmen is one of the skills of batting in cricket. Judging the run entails judging the fieldsman involved as well as the abilities of the paired batsman. It often also involves estimates on the bowling and the state of the game.

  Cap The peaked headdress normally worn by a team member and showing the colours and/or team logo.

  Caught behind A ball caught by the wicketkeeper after being struck by the batsman.

  Cherry Refers to a new ball because of its bright red, cherry-coloured appearance.

  Clean bowled When a batsman is beaten by a ball and subsequently dismissed through the stumps being disturbed or broken (hit by the bowled ball).

  Close Refers to a declaration by the batting team of a closure to an innings or the end of the day’s play.

  Cover drive An attacking batting stroke, usually off the front foot, directed towards the covers area between mid-off and point.

  Crease The lines drawn across the wicket to denote the ‘safe’ area for a batsman. The batsmen usually play in and run between the two crease lines drawn approximately a yard in front of each wicket. If the bat is not grounded after a shot and the batsman is out of his crease he can be stumped. If the bat is not grounded and he is ‘out of his ground’ while attempting a run, he will be run out. The bowler must bowl the ball from behind the bowling crease.

  Crumble Refers to the state of the pitch, usually late in a game after experiencing considerable wear but also because the green grass dries. A crumbling pitch is often favoured by a spin bowler, as it will allow the ball more ‘bite’ and turn.

  Cut Refers to a batting stroke played to the off side between the covers area and the wicketkeeper. In bowling, refers to the deviation of a delivery, caused by a non-spin-bowler imparting varying types of spin on the ball. These types of deliveries are referred to as ‘cutters’; either leg-cutter or off-cutter.

  Dead bat A form of defensive shot in which the ball is blocked from the wicket and dropped harmlessly to the ground by the batsman attempting to remove all force from the shot and therefore from the power of the balls rebound from the bat.

  Deep Refers to the outfield. A fieldsman ‘in the deep,’ is either at or near the point boundary.

  Declare Usually a batting side’s innings is ‘closed’ or ended when ten wickets fall. However, the batting team can ‘declare’ its innings closed at any time before. This is a most important strategic decision when ‘going for a win.’

  Delivery Bowling the ball or a ball bowled.

  Dig in The act of a batsman concentrating on remaining at the crease for a long period, usually involving defence at all costs rather than risking his wicket by attempting to score frequent runs.

  Draw The Test match is declared a draw if the side batting last does not pass the other side’s aggregate score, yet has ‘wickets in hand,’ that is, batsmen not yet out. This is a quite common result of Test matches, even of five days. See also Tie.

  Drawing the stumps The physical act by an umpire of withdrawing the stumps from the pitch to signal the close of the day’s play.

  Drift The sideways movement in the flight of the ball after being bowled by a spin bowler. A side breeze can affect the amount of drift, as can the amount of ‘air’ given in ‘flighting’ the ball.

  Drive A drive is a straight-batted shot, played by swinging the bat in a vertical arc through the line of the ball, hitting the ball in front of the batsman along the ground. It is usually off the front foot (but not always) and includes the off drive, straight drive, on drive and square drive. See fielding diagram.

  Duck A score of zero. Someone, somewhere, thought the numeral zero looked like a duck’s egg. One would hope the real derivation was more complicated.

  Edge The outermost perimeter of the bat. Also refers to a ball only just struck by the edge of the bat. Sometimes called a ‘snick.’

  Feather A very faint edge of a ball by the batsman.

  Field The ground or oval on which a match is played. Also refers to the placement of fieldsmen within the playing area.

  Fieldsman Sometimes referred to as fielder. A player strategically placed within the field of play, with the object of stopping the batting team from scoring runs and/or taking a catch to get them out. The teams take turns. The fieldsmen play against a series of batsmen. See fielding diagram.

  Fiery A particularly fast-paced bowler. Often referring to a bowler who bowls a succession of short-pitched deliveries.

  Finger spin A method used by a bowler to deliver a ball that will spin off the surface of a pitch. The spin on the ball is imparted with the use of a finger or the fingers (as opposed to a wrist action
).

  Flat Generally refers to the condition of a pitch with an even surface and not much bounce. Batsmen prefer ‘flat tracks’ because it makes predicting the bounce and direction of the delivery more predictable.

  Flight The loop in the path of the ball after being bowled. Flight refers to vertical variation in the trajectory of the bowled ball.

  Flipper Leg-spin ball that uses backspin (rather than overspin or side spin). The ball tends to be flatter than the normal leg break and keeps lower. David Donald referred to this ball as a skidder, possibly referring to the way the ball seems to skid low and straight. If he had been among more experienced cricketers, they would have explained the correct term for this kind of delivery (although the category is general and therefore does not quite do justice to the variations he was able to achieve).