Christmas cricket Down Under
From 25A
According to Worrell, “Goddard had received ‘practically all the kudos’ for the historic triumph in the 1950 series in England, which apparently annoyed the many players who had made a bevy of good suggestions during the tour.” With the support he had taken for granted now withheld, Goddard appeared lost. Stollmeyer later described his field placings as “inexplicable”and lamented that Goddard paid little attention to the strengths and weaknesses of batsmen.
West Indies versus New South Wales, 16, 17, 19, 20, November, Sydney. Scores: NSW, 239; R Flockton, 85, and 274 for 3 declared, J Moroney, 166*. West Indies, 134, and 355; R Marshall, 114, F Worrell, 65, K Rickards, 59, C Walcott, 54. NSW won by 24 runs. At 299 for 4, the West Indies appeared to have the upper hand, only to collapse once again.
West Indies versus Victoria, 23, 25, 26, 27, November, Melbourne. Scores: West Indies, 230; C Walcott, 75, R Christiani, 70, and 181 for 2; J Stollmeyer, 94, A Rae, 62. Victoria, 195. Match drawn. Rain on the last day denied the visitors any chance of victory over the Sheffield Shield champions.
Second Test, 30, November, 1, 3, 4, 5, December, at Sydney. Scores: West Indies, 362; R Christiani, 76, F Worrell, 64, C Walcott, 60, G Gomez, 54, and 290, E Weekes, 56, J Goddard, 57*. Australia, 517; L Hassett, 132, K Miller, 129, D Ring, 65, and 137 for 3. Australia won by seven wickets. Vital chances spilled in Australia’s first inning probably cost the West Indies a glorious opportunity to level the series.
West Indies versus South Australia, 7, 8, 10, 11, December, Adelaide. South Australia, 398; B Bowley, 169, A Valentine, 5 for 112, and 155, L Duldig, 66, A Valentine, 7 for 52. West Indies, 233;
C Walcott, 84, G Noblet, 5 for 50, and 93. South Australia won by 227 runs. Woeful in the field, the West Indies collapsed on a worn pitch which aided spin bowlers.
West Indies versus Western Australia, 14, 15, 17, 18, December, Perth. West Indies, 151; C Puckett, 5 for 45, and 203; C Walcott, 50. Western Australia, 108; J Trim, 7 for 80, and 247 for 9; D Williams, 51. Western Australia won by one wicket, as the last pair added 48, to inflict the sixth defeat in seven first class matches on the visitors, who lost back to back matches to two of the weakest Sheffield Shield sides.
Silver lining
Here’s an excerpt from ‘Straight Hit’ by Keith Miller and R S Whitington (1952),
“The ordinary follower of cricket in Australia and in the Caribbean would look upon this defeat [at Perth] as the bottom step in the degeneration of a once fine team. But there was an Australian who had watched the West Indians’ desperate struggle to avoid defeat through the windows of the members’ stand bar. He had watched the West Indians fall to pieces in some of their earlier matches. This time he watched them fight. Half a dozen glasses of Western Australian draught beer had given him confidence. He walked to the West Indies’ dressing-room door, knocked twice and was invited in.
‘Could I say a few words to your team?’ he asked the exhausted Goddard.
‘Say what you want to,’ was Goddard’s
answer.
‘A lot of people are thinking you are licked, that you might as well take the next boat home,’ the Australian began. ‘But I regard your display today as the first step in your regeneration,’ he continued. Two or three of the West Indians began to take note of what the fellow was saying. ‘I saw you lose the first two Tests against Australia. If you had fought as hard together in them as you fought together today you would now be two matches up instead of two matches down in the rubber. What’s more, if you fight as hard next weekend in Adelaide, you ‘ll win the Third Test.’ And the intruder walked out of the dressing-room.”
While the West Indies pondered the words of the intruder on the 1,500 miles overnight flight back to Adelaide, Walcott was experiencing great discomfort with his back. An x-ray revealed that he had a displaced disc and would be unavailable for the pivotal Third Test. The key middleorder batsman and wicket keeper joined the casualty list of Ferguson, Marshall, Rickards, Stollmeyer and Weekes, who were all suffering from badly strained leg muscles, and Goddard, battling tonsillitis. The West Indies were reduced to ten fit players.
On the Aussie side, Sid Barnes, who was attempting a comeback to Test cricket, was apparently selected for the Third Test. However, the selectors were overruled by a majority vote of the ACB – seven of 13 – several of whose members did not wish to see the controversial Barnes in the Baggy Green again. Jim Burke was then included in a side which had four new-ball bowlers and two spin bowlers. Skipper Lindsay Hassett woke up with back pain, the result of a crossed hip tendon. After further internal haggling
between the selectors and the South Australian ACB representatives, no replacement was named. Hassett, a lame duck, stayed as the twelfth man.
On the eve of the Third Test, the West Indies held an intense two-hour batting, bowling, and fielding practice session as they sought to find the overseas form which they had displayed in India in 1948/49, where they scored over 600 in their only innings in the first two Tests, and 582 in the Fourth Test, and the 1950 series, where they enjoyed scores of 325 and 425/6, 558 and 103*, and 503, in their three victories.
Third Test, 22, 24, 25, December, Adelaide
The West Indies made three changes to the Second Test XI; Guillen earned his Maroon cap replacing Walcott behind the stumps, Marshall replaced the out-of-form Rae, and all-rounder Atkinson came for Jones
On the eve of the Test, it had rained heavily, and as had happened in Melbourne and Sydney, the wicket-covers had been penetrated. In light drizzle, Arthur Morris, who was leading Australia, won the toss and decided to bat. Within two hours, the series was alive again, as the hosts had crumbled on the damp pitch to 82 all out in the 26th over, never recovering from 43 for 5 at lunch. Worrell, bowling unchanged throughout the innings, was the wrecker, with returns of 6 for 38 from 12.7 overs. Bowling from the Northern or Cathedral End, Worrell exploited a soft spot outside the off stump at the Southern, or River End. Gomez delivered three overs before Goddard replaced him, taking three for 36 from eight overs. At the Northern End, the ball kicked and came off the pitch at varying paces
The upbeat West Indians, possibly benefiting from the use of the roller between innings taking the sting out of the pitch, got a solid start with Stollmeyer and Marshall, who added 25 off five overs. Then it was Bill Johnston’s turn to emulate Worrell, wreaking havoc, with his medium-pace leg spinners, as he reduced the visitors to 51 for five in less than an hour. Goddard, figuring that the match was going to be decided on second innings scores, consulted the rule book, and found that Law 15 stated, “The captain of the batting side may declare an innings closed in a match of three days or more at any time on the second and succeeding days.” With declaring not an option, the skipper then issued specific instructions to go for runs or get out, as Johnston captured six for 62 off 12 overs, restricting the West Indies to 102, a lead of 23. Weekes’ 26, made while limping from a pulled muscle, was the top score.
Australia adopted the tactic employed by Captains Jackie Grant and Bob Wyatt in the First Test of the 1935 series between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval, Barbados, of reversing the batting order in the second innings on the rain affected pitch. With 25 minutes remaining, first innings’ numbers seven and nine, Ian Johnson and Gil Langley, respectively, opened the batting. The day’s drama was not over, as Valentine delivered two maiden overs and captured the wickets of Johnson and hometown boy, Geff Noblet, who batted tenth in the first inning. Australia, 20 for two. Twenty-two wickets had fallen on the first day for 207 runs in 271 minutes, 14 of which had been snared by the left-handers, Worrell, Johnston and Valentine.
When the match resumed on Christmas Eve after the rest day, the pitch had lost its sting and the bonafide tailenders, Langley and Doug Ring swotted boundaries off the famed spin duo. Langley was eventually bowled by Valentine, for 23, in 82 minutes, whilst Ring plundered his way to 65 not out at lunch, having struck two massive sixes and eight fours. At 145 for three at the break, the momentum was shifting Australia’s way. Not for long. Three wickets fell in 34 minutes, as the Australians slumped to 172 for six, as the match swung again. Despite the efforts of Miller, 35, Hole, 25, and Burke, 15, the hosts could only manage 255, a lead of 232, as Valentine’s magical spin returned six for 102.
Stollmeyer, 33*, and a limping Marshall (Rae as a runner), 18*, began the chase late in the afternoon and saw the West Indies safely to stumps at 54 without loss.
Christmas Day
Stollmeyer and Marshall took the score to 72, when the latter was caught behind, trying to cut Ring. The former followed soon after, 85 for two. The openers had laid a solid foundation, now it was up to the others to chip in. Worrell, who was in torrid form, and Weekes, consolidated the innings, as the West Indians coasted to lunch, at 139 for two – 94 needed, eight wickets in hand., victory in sight.
The momentum swung swiftly once again after lunch, as both Ws were caught off defensive strokes. 141 for four. Two new batsmen at the crease, Christiani and Gomez. The crowd grew quiet as the tension mounted and nerves frayed. Lindwall dropped a sitter off Gomez. Christiani advanced down the pitch, sometimes driving, patting the ball on other occasions. It was early morning back in the Caribbean; listeners were glued to their shortwave radios. Christiani and Gomez lived charmed lives, surviving appeals for stumpings and LBWs. Christiani wiped his glasses several times. Gomez adjusted his pad and wiped his brow. They dug in, refusing to wilt as the battle raged.
The score entered the 180s, as Morris claimed the new ball. Lindwall thundered in, a short ball, high and fast, knocking the bat out of Gomez’s hands. The ball ballooned to Ring at point, who ambled over, got both hands to it, and then dropped it. Last chance! Growing in confidence, sensing the tide swinging in their favour, the pair took boundaries off Lindwall and Johnston. Ring returned, and Christiani swung him to the long-leg fence. Finally, at ten to four, Christiani drove Ring to long-on for two for the winning runs. Gomez, 46* and Christiani, 42*, had added 92 , guiding the West Indies to an improbable victory, delivering an unexpected Christmas gift to the fans back home. Two weeks before, on the same ground, they had been dismissed for 93.
In celebrations that night at the Glenelg’s Pier Hotel, where the West Indians were billeted, Jones was on the piano, Guillen, Eytle, Stollmeyer and Gomez led the calypso singing, as they enjoyed the only Christmas Day Test victory.
Postscript
The ACB had scheduled play on Christmas Day in the hope that the holiday would attract a greater attendance, much to the consternation of the Australian players who would have preferred to spend the day at home with their families. Less than 3,000 spectators showed up for the last day, the rest of the fans concluding that the result was a foregone conclusion. Hard-core fans had listened to the commentary on radio, savouring the excellent match description provided by Australians Vic Richardson, Johnnie Moyes, Alan McGilvray, and Guyanese Ernest Eytle (who was based in England and worked for the BBC), known in Australia as the “Golden-voiced colt”.
In 1967, Australia and India played on Christmas Day during the First Test, also at Adelaide, with Australia winning by 146 runs on 28 December.
The West Indies narrowly lost the Fourth Test by one wicket, as Ring and Bill Johnston added 38 for the last wicket. Australia won the Fifth Test by 202 runs. As the 1953 Wisden Cricketers’ Alamanck duly noted, “Notwithstanding the batting disappointments, the West Indies might easily have won the rubber three to two.”