"BARRACKERS"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 53, 6 March 1929, Page 17

"BARRACKERS"

&ÜBTRALIM VAEIETY

CRICKET REMINISCENCES

What odd ideas some people do have about Australian "barracking," writes "An Australian Cricketer" in the "Daily Mail." Many Englishmen who have never watched the process for themselves diaw perfectly harrowing pictures of the M.C.C. team surrounded by 50,000 hostile spectators. They visualise poor Chapman's men as flannelled Daniels in a den of incredibly ravenous lions. The reality is different. A "bHrracker," according to. Webster's^ Dictionary, is "a noisy partisan." Noisy the Australian barrackor certainly is; a partisan he is not. For n good many years I have studied the behaviour and psychology of the crowds in'five Australian capitals under all sorts of condition*-^ grilling heat' and wintry cold, Is the tedium of delays due to rain, bo the thrilling climaxes to closp Tests when sportsmanship i 9 tried to the utmost,' in, the happiness of victory and the bitterness of defeat ' And I can honestly say that if I had shut my eyes I could not have guessed from the comments and applause which ■ side was batting or which way the game was going. If anything, I think our own players, faie worse.' A good many visiting ..crick etcis have had to run the gauntlet ot comment and satirical advice. But none, I think, has been quite so sorely tried' as Warwick Armstrong, whose huge bulk, £id deceptively ponderous movements ade him ' fair, game. FLASHES OF WIT. Barracking cornea, of course, from a very small section of the crowd-perhaps a hundred out of forty or fifty thousand. Often it is merely inane, as most chattelis the world over; but _ sometimes there is a genuine flash of wit. One Test was being played at bydney while a Bill was before Parliament to settle industrial disputes by arbitration. The match had dragged on and on in the heat, and even" the players seemed somnolent. "Why," suggested-a weary voice, "why not settle it by arbitration; I remember, too, seeing ./ender oowl for hours.one day without dislodging two stubborn batsmen. At last he went off, put on his sweater, pulled it down nearly to his knees; and turned towards the pavilion. "Good-night, Fender" called a bored voice, "I see you've got your owht- ' 6llt\v°as"in another null Test that an impatient spectator -moved to vocal Pr"SshV" came the' mild reproof. "You'll wake 'em up." Even the players were Taken by laughter, and began to put racker" begin? The only dictionary that born? "GET A TIN-OPENEfi." { Mostly they called him "Sardine"' while, during his. first appearance iii Sydney, &&&&&£ in the "Daily Mail." But there were those who called him '-. " Jardineer," , -meaning ■ -Jardiniere." That was because he wore . conspicuous Harlequin cap, which wwa novelty to the barraekers on the Sydnej Cfha fcfameTf dthe Sydney barrackers has. gone abroad. Comment is generally »od humoured, impartial, and sporting. Both sides have been, treated alike. That seems to be the unwritten rule of the ground. "You're not a fish/Sardine," the Surrey man was told, "you»re a b coming peacock"—another reference to the Harlequin Ca"Hi Kippax," somebody'called:. out to ' the New South Wales captain .when Jar- ; dine could not,be .dislodged, get a tm- ; ; °P"Kew South- Wales ought to take '-to bowls," yelled a barracker when seven, hundred was" registered for . the loss ol seven wickets. ."■.. :' ■■"'.,■ "But they can't bowl," came the swiit retort from a neighbour. ' Leyland, of Yorkshire, was batting, and his presence- suggested motor-cars. Ihe burly Chapman was Leylatid's partner and ho hit a 8! ••■ ■ •-'■ . ■ ' :,- "Horray, Baby Austin," he was greeted, and Chapman laughed as appreciatively as any. The motor-car reference continued for quite a while. Maurice Leyland was described as Morris • Cowley, and Maurice Tate as Morris Oxford. With the score in the eighth century, the crowd remained happy. "Call the fire brigade," was one loud-voiced appeal, "and put them out." Perhaps it was not very witty, but it was humorous. • And, above all, there was not a whiff of,malice in it. The cheering when Hammond reached 200, and when Hendreii' hit two 6's off■ consecutive,balls, was uproarious. And while all this was going on—the incident is'vouchsafed for by a correspon-. dent to a daily newspaper—-an old man, rather shabby, with pale blue eyes, sat by. himself. After a time he asked a neighbour who the. batsman was. He was told that it was Hendren. "What name?" he said. "I didn't catch it. I'm a little deaf."

He was told again. "Who's that batting now?" he inquired m little later. "Hamnioud," he was' informed. Jackson cut off a 4 brilliantly near the boundary, and: there.was a loud 'cheer. "Who was that fieldsman?" the old man asked. He was referred to the up-to-date scoring board, and to the red light against the fieldman's name..

"The old eyes are not good enough for that," he explained. "I ,can only just see the wicket." . He was obviously poor, but he had found the two ,shillings'for" admisison to the ground.v."He Was deaf, and nearly blind. But no matter. He there to get the most" that he could" out of it.; Possibly in his day he was as bright a barracker as the best, of them.