‘Bottles and cans were flying so I took us off’
RAY ILLINGWORTH is the only England captain to have won an Ashes series of five Tests or more on Australian soil without losing a match. Now 85, he shares his memories of the 2-0 victory in 1970-71 with RICHARD GIBSON.
‘It was the proudest moment of my career. People don’t realise how hard it is to go out there and win,’ says Illingworth. ‘We were described as an old man’s team but the one thing you get with age is experience and we got out of difficult situations.’
Not least in the decisive seventh Test at Sydney — an extra match was scheduled after an abandonment in Melbourne — when fast bowler John Snow struck Australian Terry Jenner on the head so venomously that the ball rebounded to cover.
Snow was the Englishman the Aussies loved to hate. He was grappled by a fan at fine leg and with objects being hurled on to the field, Illingworth took action. ‘It wasn’t the first time it had happened. So, when Snowy was grabbed by the fan and stuff came raining on again, I took them off,’ he recalls.
‘I made it clear we’d return to the field once it was cleared but I was not going to have players out there with bottles and cans flying around their heads. Don’t forget the lovely fella who used to move the sightscreen at the SCG got hit on the head and was carted off to hospital.’
It was an acrimonious tour. At its centre were Illingworth, Snow and the Australian umpire Lou Rowan. Things escalated in Sydney after Rowan warned Snow about bowling bouncers.
‘It was short of a length and would’ve hit him (Jenner) in the stomach. He was ducking and we shouted for lbw. That’s how near it was,’ bristles Illingworth.
England believed they were dealt injustice throughout: in the first Test, Keith Stackpole should have been run out for 18 by Geoff Boycott’s throw, but Rowan gave him not out and he hit a double hundred.
Illingworth is still angry that England did not win a single lbw appeal in a dozen innings.
Yet Australia were dismissed for under 265 six times, with Snow claiming 31 wickets. ‘He’d run out of steam by the end but bowled beautifully. To bowl out Australia cheaply six times is good but without one lbw is bloody marvellous. If England get Australia out for under 300 six times this winter they’ll win.’