|
Victoria has always been a major player in
Australian cricket, its successes not only marked by an
illustrious trophy cupboard and some of the game's finest players
but by a highly-influential and caring set of administrators who
have helped nurture and advance the game to its present exultant
position as Australia's national game.
In the last 100 years alone from Donald Mackinnon and Harry Rush
through to Jack Ryder, Bob Parish, Ray Steele, Jack Edwards and
Bob Merriman, Victoria has been graced with as visionary and
emphatic a band of club and state administrators as any in world
cricket.
Mackinnon, for example, was president at Hawksburn and then
Prahran Cricket Club into four decades. Parish's service to
Prahran began as a schoolboy fast bowler in 1935 and continued
into the new century in his role as patron. Both also served
Bradman-like stints at state and national level, Parish being so
highly regarded that he had a second term as chairman of the
Australian Cricket Board in the highly-volatile late '70s when
World Series Cricket loomed as a competitor to the traditional
game.
Another of the earliest greats was Hughie Trumble who served a
massive stint as secretary at the Melbourne Cricket Club, after a
highly successful career which included several Test hat-tricks at
the turn of the century.
With wizened men such as these also at the helm in the earliest
days, it was no accident that the first three Test matches were
all played in Melbourne and that five of the first nine Sheffield
Shields were won by Victoria. Good management has always been a
signature of the game south of the Great Divide.
Playing wise, Victoria's personnel has also been of the highest
ilk. In-between-the-wars champions Bill Ponsford and Bill Woodfull
were Australian cricket's first truly great opening pair, "Ponny"
remaining the only Australian to twice make 400 in a first-class
match and "Woody" captaining Australia for many years,
including the infamous Bodyline series.
More recently, Shane Warne is regarded as the finest spin bowler
in history and contemporary Dean Jones among the most-acclaimed
one-day players of them all.
As many as seven Victorians have played in the same Test match
together (in 1884-85 against England in Melbourne) and the most
celebrated touring party of all, Don Bradman's 1948 "Invincibles"
included seven Victorian-born players: touring vice-captain
Lindsay Hassett, glamorous all rounder Keith Miller (who had only
just crossed to New South Wales), Ian Johnson, Bill Johnston, Sam
Loxton, Doug Ring and budding champion Neil Harvey, then just 19
years of age.
It wasn't until Test match No.793, or Australia's 360th match
against Pakistan in Adelaide in 1976-77, that a Test XI took the
field without a Victorian. And even then No.6 batsman Gary Cosier
hailed from Northcote and the 12th man another of Victoria's favourite
cricketing sons, Max Walker.
|
|
Thirty per cent of Australia's 41 Test
captains have been Victorian, among the most remembered
being Jack Ryder, Woodfull and Hassett, whose winning
strike-rate remains only slightly behind Don Bradman's and
whose state batting average of 63 is bettered only by two
others, Ponsford with 86 and Woodfull 75.
The youngest of nine children, Geelong-raised Hassett showed
himself to be an emerging cricketer of infinite promise from
the time he made a century, aged 17, representing a
Victorian Country XI against the 1930-31 touring West
Indians.
In winning eight of his 10 Ashes Tests as captain
immediately after World War One, the formidable Warwick
Armstrong, who learnt his cricket at leafy Caulfield Park,
remains the most successful skipper in Test history.
Victoria's priorities have always centred around producing
the best home-grown teams. Unlike other states, the Vics -
or Bushrangers as they are now known - have never played an
overseas import. Even the opportunity to secure Frank
Worrell, the famed West Indian immediately after the
glorious 1960-61 summer was allowed to pass, on the grounds
that his presence would have robbed a local of a place.
Prominent overseas players including John Snow, Clive Lloyd,
Rohan Kanhai, Derek Randall, John Emburey, Asanka Gurusinha
and Mark Ramprakash have all had stints in Victoria, but
purely at club level.
New Zealand-born Clarrie Grimmett, the first man to take 200
Test wickets, did play a handful of Sheffield Shield games
in the early '20s before moving to Adelaide for job rather
than cricketing reasons.
The influence of the great Jack Ryder was significant and
over a period of more than 50 years, he served loyally as
player, coach, administrator and selector, the Victorian
Cricket Association recognising his immense contribution
from 1972-73 by the awarding of the Ryder Medal to the
Premier League's Cricketer of the Year.
Known as "The King of Collingwood" or "The
King" for short, Ryder was one of the most respected
personalities in the game, who played for Collingwood for 43
years. Tall and lean he was a batting allrounder of
considerable polish, his highest score of 295 coming in the
same game as Ponsford's famous 352 when Victoria made 1107,
the highest total in first-class cricket.
At stumps on the opening day, having been sent into bat, the
Vics were one for 573, the opening stand alone worth 375!
The scoreboard is one of the famous in cricketing annals:
Victoria
W. Woodfull 133
W. Ponsford 352
H. Hendry 100
J. Ryder 295
H. Love 6
S. King 7
A. Hartkopf 61
A. Liddicutt 36
J. Ellis 63
F. Morton 0
D. Blackie 27*
Extras 27
Total 1107
NSW
221 & 230
Victoria won by an innings and 656 runs.
|
|
Ponsford made 1229 runs
at an average of 122 in six matches that
season. He was equally prolific the following
year, too, with 1217 runs at 152.12 in just
five matches, his colossal streak including a
monumental 437 (out of 793), which surpassed
his own world record of 429 made five years
earlier. Ironically he was colour-blind but
says it never bothered him. Most of the time
he used to see it as big as a beach ball!
Ponsford was good enough even in his farewell
Test match, aged 33 in England in 1934, to
make 266 and outscore Don Bradman in a record
Ashes partnership which still stands today.
At the height of his feats, Ponny seemed
capable of batting for days on end. He simply
hated getting out.
Famed New South Welshman Bill O'Reilly
reckoned he'd rather bowl at anybody except
Ponsford. Woodfull said his long-time opening
partner was the finest player of slow bowing
he ever saw.
"I'd go through the same life
again," Ponsford said in an interview
coinciding with his 79th birthday for
Cricketer magazine in 1979. "You meet
some wonderful people especially in England.
They couldn't do enough for you."
After his premature retirement from Tests,
Ponsford played only one more first-class
match, in his own rain-affected testimonial
held jointly with Woodfull in Melbourne in
1934-35. However, he continued at club level,
helping the Melbourne Cricket Club to four
consecutive premierships, his eight centuries
in his final four years continuing proof of
his keen eye and passion for the game.
PONNY IN AUSTRALIA
Season by Season
Season Mts Runs HS Ave 100s
1920-21 1 25 19 12.50 -
1921-22 1 162 162 162.00 1
1922-23 3 616 429 154.00 2
1923-24 5 777 248 111.00 4
1924-25 10 926 166 51.44 3
1925-26 8 701 158 63.72 3
1926-27 6 1229 352 122.90 6
1927-28 6 1217 437 152.12 4
1928-29 5 448 275* 89.60 1
1929-30 10 729 166 45.56 3
1930-31 9 816 187 74.18 4
1931-32 9 399 134 30.69 1
1932-33 7 475 200 47.50 1
1933-34 8 606 122 50.50 1
1934-35 1 131 83 65.50 -
Tests 28 2122 266 48.22 7
Victoria 55 6902 437 86.27 26
Career: 162 13,819 437 65.18 47
* denotes not out
If Ponsford remains Victoria's finest batsman
of yesteryear, Dean Jones is certainly the
best of more recent generations.
With 10,412 runs, average 52, he remains the
highest runmaker in Victorian history ahead of
Matthew Elliott (over 8700 runs), Bill Lawry
(7618), Ponny (6902) and another opener Ian
Redpath (6103).
The highest of Deano's 31 centuries was 324 in
a day-night game against South Australia
during his most prolific domestic season in
1994-95 which produced 1251 runs at 69, second
behind only one other, ex-Test captain Graham
Yallop and his all-time Australian domestic
runs record of 1418 runs at 67 (in 1982-83).
|
|
The state's leading
wicket-taker is Paul Reiffel who remains
in the game as a senior umpire for
Cricket Victoria.
With 337 wickets, Reiffel surpassed the
feats of fellow fast bowler Alan
Connolly (330) during his farewell
season.
Reiffel's finest year was in 1999-2000
when as a first-time captain he took 59
wickets and spearheaded Victoria's
appearance into the Pura Cup final.
Only one other, left-arm leg-spinner
"Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith (with
60 wickets in 1934-35) had taken more
wickets in a single season. Fleetwood
also claimed 50 in the Bodyline summer
of 1932-33.
While Armstrong, current state selector
Ray Bright and Tony Dodemaide can claim
to be the best-performed allrounders of
them all, their deeds are quickly being
overhauled by present international Ian
Harvey, one of Victoria's two stars
currently contracted to the Australian
Cricket Board.
The other, leg-spinner Warne has had an
extraordinarily successful career and at
the start of the new-season Ashes
contests with England was eyeing 500
Test wickets, a mark reached by only one
other, West Indian Courtney Walsh.
Originally from Black Rock via Hampton
High and Mentone Grammar School, Warne
played a season of sub-district cricket
with Brighton as a 17-year-old before
moving to St Kilda where he remains one
of the famous old club's most legendary
players.
Ironically at Brighton where he played
half the season in the seconds, his
captain told him he'd be better advised
to concentrate on his batting as he
didn't see a future for his wrist spin!
Warne was to take a hat-trick in
home-town Melbourne against the old
enemy England, his much-remembered
dismissal of Mike Gatting with his first
ball in Ashes cricket in England in 1993
being described as "the Ball of the
Century".
So hectic has Australia's schedule
become these days that many of the
frontline Test players play only
occasionally for their states.
Warne was reinstated as Victoria's
captain this summer in the hope that it
could clear his path to a similar
recognition nationally.
Warne's long-time partnership with
Victoria's wicketkeeper Darren Berry has
been a highlight of recent domestic
level matches, Wonthaggi-born-and-bred
Berry, another product of Victoria's
extensive development schemes in the
bush, having become the most capped
player in Victorian history as well as
amassing the most dismissals by a
wicketkeeper from any state.
So many elite players have worn the dark
blue cap and with 25 titles, the last in
1990-91, Victoria has been the most
successful state, bar NSW (with 42
titles) in Australian cricket.
The state has four times won
back-to-back titles, in 1897-98 and
1898-99; 1923-24 and 1924-25; 1933-34
and 1934-35 and 1978-79 and 1979-80.
Berry remains the only playing survivor
of the 1990-91 premier team, although
Darren Lehmann also still plays, with
South Australia.
Staff-wise in just 30 years the VCA has
increased its personnel from secretary
Jack Ledward and assistant Bryan
Cosgrove - plus a solitary, part-time
typist - to 40 and more.
Its headquarters have also changed from
No.1 Exhibition Street to a palatial and
refurbished building at 86-90 Jolimont
Terrace, just a stone's throw from the
MCG, which is also going through change
with the building of a new northern
grandstand in time for the 2006
Commonwealth Games.
Whereas Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup
cricket, especially early in a season,
has been played away from the MCG at
venues such as Optus Oval, Punt Road and
the Junction Oval - the 2004 state squad
practice base - all Victoria's home
matches are at the MCG.
The 2004 Sheffield
Shield Final was a great and
comprehensive victory for Victoria:
|
 |
|
Victoria
1st innings
Jason Arnberger lbw b
Hauritz 90 M 192 B 169 F
11 S 2 FoW: 1-165
Brad Hodge c Hopes b Dawes
89 M 205 B 171 F 14 S 0
FoW: 2-336
Matthew Elliott c Hartley
b Bichel 155 M 411 B 302 F
22 S 0 FoW: 3-342
David Hussey c Hartley b
Noffke 16 M 47 B 37 F 2 S
0 FoW: 4-369
Cameron White c Hartley b
Simpson 54 M 168 B 127 F 5
S 1 FoW: 5-504
Jon Moss c Law b Hauritz
98 M 243 B 186 F 13 S 1
FoW: 6-516
Andrew McDonald c Perren b
Dawes 42 M 100 B 81 F 6 S
0 FoW: 7-614
Ian Harvey b Noffke 62 M
155 B 109 F 8 S 0 FoW:
8-656
Michael Lewis lbw b Noffke
11 M 44 B 32 F 1 S 0 FoW:
9-708
Darren Berry c Law b
Hauritz 61 M 90 B 65 F 6 S
1 FoW: 10-710
Allan Wise not out 1 M 4 B
5 F 0 S 0
Extras (b 3, lb 14, w 2,
nb 12) 31
Total 710 (all out, 212
overs, 834 mins)
Bowling
Bichel 37 4 170 1 (3nb,
1w)
Dawes 38 9 97 2
Noffke 31 4 104 3 (7nb,
1w)
Hopes 24 5 80 0 (2nb)
Hauritz 50 13 145 3
Simpson 22 5 66 1
Law 9 2 26 0
Perren 1 0 5 0
Queensland 1st innings
Clinton Perren c Berry b
Lewis 40 M 115 B 81 F 4 S
0 FoW: 1-85
Stuart Law c Hussey b
White 18 M 49 B 40 F 1 S 0
FoW: 2-122
Chris Simpson lbw b White
8 M 11 B 12 F 2 S 0 FoW:
3-132
James Hopes lbw b White 5
M 33 B 18 F 0 S 0 FoW:
4-148
Jimmy Maher lbw b Moss 72
M 234 B 184 F 5 S 0 FoW:
5-157
Chris Hartley lbw b Moss 0
M 9 B 7 F 0 S 0 FoW: 6-157
Andy Bichel lbw b White 19
M 53 B 41 F 2 S 1 FoW:
7-201
Ashley Noffke c Lewis b
Moss 13 M 39 B 27 F 2 S 0
FoW: 8-228
Nathan Hauritz b McDonald
0 M B 2 F 0 S 0 FoW: 9-229
Joe Dawes b Harvey 21 M 75
B 66 F 3 S 0 FoW: 10-275
Martin Love not out 65 M
206 B 164 F 7 S 0
Extras (b 3, lb 5, nb 6)
14
Total 275 (all out,
105.5 overs, 418 minutes)
Bowling
Wise 10 4 21 0 (1nb)
Harvey 14.5 3 41 1 (1nb)
Lewis 24 10 66 1 (2nb)
McDonald 16 4 55 1 (2nb)
White 30 6 66 4
Moss 11 4 18 3
Victoria 2nd innings
Jason Arnberger c & b
Hauritz 72 M 107 B 89 F 5
S 4 FoW: 1-119
Matthew Elliott not out 55
M 121 B 81 F 6 S 1
Brad Hodge not out 5 M 13
B 11 F 0 S 0
Extras 8 (lb 5, w 2, nb 1)
Total 140 (1 wicket dec,
30 overs, 121 mins)
Bowling
Dawes 7 2 22 0 (1w)
Bichel 6 0 22 0 (1w, 1nb)
Hopes 9 2 37 0
Hauritz 8 0 54 1
Queensland 2nd innings
Jimmy Maher c White b
Lewis 0 M 1 B 1 F 0 S 0
FoW: 1-0
Martin Love b Lewis 14 M
31 B 22 F 1 S 0 FoW: 2-15
Clinton Perren lbw b Lewis
32 M 63 B 50 F 4 S 0 FoW:
3-56
Chris Simpson c Berry b
Lewis 15 M 27 B 24 F 2 S 0
FoW: 4-86
James Hopes c White b
Harvey 31 M 61 B 41 F 3 S
0 FoW: 5-152
Stuart Law b White 72 M
147 B 114 F 9 S 0 FoW:
6-174
Andy Bichel c Elliott b
Lewis 3 M 3 B 3 F 0 S 0
FoW: 7-177
Ashley Noffke lbw b
McDonald 13 M 46 B 41 F 2
S 0 FoW: 8-211
Nathan Hauritz c Lewis b
McDonald 33 M 31 B 31 F 6
S 1 FoW: 9-249
Joe Dawes c Berry b Lewis
2 M 5 B 5 F 0 S 0 FoW:
10-254
Chris Hartley not out 31 M
115 B 73 F 3 S 1
Extras 8 (b 4, nb 4)
Total 254 (all out,
68.3 overs, 269 minutes)
Bowling
Lewis 17.3 4 59 6 (3nb)
Harvey 14 4 43 1
McDonald 15 5 34 2 (1nb)
Moss 5 2 19 0
White 13 1 83 1
Hodge 4 1 12 0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
