The Captains by Malcolm Knox

Author:Malcolm Knox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SPO054000
ISBN: 9781742735573
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Published: 2010-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

From Queensland via Sydney, Bill ‘Nugget’ Brown

After running himself out before he faced a ball in his first-class debut, Brown had finished his second season behind only Bradman in the national aggregates. He got to see Bradman close-up during stands of 294 against Queensland and 192 (in 96 minutes) against Victoria, in what would be Bradman’s last match for NSW.

Bradman also got to see enough of Brown, who made 154 and 205 in those matches. When consulted on a third opener for the 1934 Ashes tour, given the virtually identical records of his NSW teammates Fingleton and Brown, Bradman plumped for the latter, suspecting Brown’s straightness and quiet charm would be assets on and off the field. Brown immediately set about justifying his borderline selection, hitting a century on his second outing and joining his skipper in a partnership of 281 in the last match before the First Test at Trent Bridge, where, batting in the unfamiliar number three slot above Bradman, he made a four-hour 73 to lay the foundation of Australia’s win. For the Second Test, Ponsford was injured and Brown moved up to his favourite position against the new ball. He would remain Australia’s first choice as opener until 1946. In a Lord’s Test in which no other batsman passed 40, Brown recorded 105. True, he made most of his runs before rain ruined the wicket and Hedley Verity ruined the order, but he was so convincing and correct that when Ponsford came back, Woodfull moved himself down the order to leave Brown in place. During his 1,308-run tour, Brown vindicated Bradman’s intuitions about his character and skill.

Woodfull’s team ended the 34-match tour with one loss, virtually a repeat of 1930. His overall statistics were also much the same, with 1,268 runs at 52.83. But his Test returns had been comparatively lean, and he decided that at 37, with the game healing and the Ashes retained, it was time to hand over to the next generation. Bradman, who had come home separately from the 1930 team for a personal promotional tour, thus sparking resentment that would follow him for decades, was again separated from the team, this time in hospital with a life-threatening gangrenous appendix.

Woodfull went out a winner in every respect. Offered a knighthood for services to cricket, he followed Dave Gregory’s example and refused. ‘Had I been awarded it for being an educationalist,’ he said, ‘then I would have accepted it, but under no circumstances would I accept it for playing cricket.’ Australia’s only cricketing knight, then, would be Bradman, who had no such qualms about the importance of the game.

There is a good case for Woodfull to be thought of as Australia’s best cricket captain. He had Bradman, of course, who made any captain look good, but he managed his team through five series with the skinniest pace-bowling reserves. He depended on O’Reilly and Grimmett, but he had to. He is not known as the most innovative tactician, and Mailey did not think much

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