GRIMMETT GREATEST BOWLER IN THE WORLD, SAYS BRADMAN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19271, 7 January 1931, Page 9

GRIMMETT GREATEST BOWLER IN THE WORLD, SAYS BRADMAN

“It Is Impossible To Tell Where Or How Ball Is Going To Break.”

IN THE FOURTH of his series of special cricket articles, published below, Don Bradman says that Clarrie Grimmett is the greatest bowler in the world. He describes a match at Adelaide in which he first played against him and in which New South Wales were unexpectedly beaten.

By

DON BRADMAN.

(No. 4)

Our trip from Sydney to Adelaide was one that I shall never forget. For the first and only time in cricket history the team was sent via Broken Hill, where we stayed a short while and played a match. It was the first time I had ever spent a night in a train, and, not being accustomed to it, of course had very little sleep. The weather was very hot—being practically midsummer in one of the hottest parts of Australia and I tried to keep myself cool with the aid of an electric fan (the direct result of which was to give me a cold in the eye) and I felt anything but well when we reached Broken Hill the next morning. _ On the same journey, Archie Jackson developed a boil on his knee, so that instead of our enjoying a trip down one of the silver mines with the rest of the team, our manager (Dr M’Adam) politely made Archie and me go to bed in preparation for the match next day. The match was duly played, and what an experience! There was not a blade of grass on that oval from one end to the other; the soil was a deep red with, in some parts, dust a couple

Oi inches deep, a concrete wicket, and —I have never seen this anywhere else-—the bowler had to run up on a concrete approach. Considering that the ground had not received any rainfall to speak of for about two years, these conditions were not to be wondered at. Anyway, some of us played in sand shoes. I played in my ordinary walking shoes —anything but cricket boots with sprigs in, for they were useless. We couldn’t allow our fast bowler to bowl for fear of injury, and the locals put up a very good showing, with the result that we eventually had to fight hard to win. At the conclusion of the game I somehow managed to get the ball, and still have it as a souvenir of the first match I ever , played with a New South Wales Sheffield Shield side. Then came my real chance under the very best of conditions at Adelaide. In the South Australian side was Clarrie Grimmett, and 1 felt that if I could do well against such a redoubtable bowler I was well on the way to my goal. N. E. Phillips and Tommy Andrews took the edge off the bowling, and when I went in Alan Kippax was playing brilliantly.

Scores 118 In Adelaide Match.

Alan, I remember, was far from well that day and had to retire twice, owing to indisposition caused by the excessive heat, but together ws put on 111 for the sixth wicket, and eventually I was out after scoring 118, having felt that I had made a creditable debut. In spite of our huge total of 519, we eventually lost the match by one wicket in one of the most exciting finishes ever played. Their last man was in and four runs were required. The ball was bowled, shot along the ground, beat the batsman and went so close to the wicket that the wicketkeeper failed to stop it, and they ran four byes while the fieldsman chased This excitable finish and wonderful victory was largely brought about by the magnificent bowling of Clarrie Grimmett in our second innings. He was practically unplayable, taking eight wickets for 57. I was one of his victims, after having scored .33 (our top scorer made 34), but felt when the match was over that I had gained a considerable amount of cricket knowledge of which I had known nothing before. Clarrie Grimmett and I are excellent friends, and there is no player with whom I would feel

more at home in asking- advice. In fact, it is characteristic of the make-up of most top-flight cricketers that they are always ready and willing to give a word in season to the young player, provided he is keen and anxious to learn. Unfortunately, players are very often misunderstood, and the impression gained is that they have, no desire to assist others. It is entirely wrong, and in my experience no elder player has ever declined to give me advice when I asked for it. One evening during this South Australian game I felt honoured when Clarrie asked me along to his home. We spent a very pleasant evening together, and Clarrie’s tales of his previous trip t.o England interested me very much iildeed. It is an education to watch Grimmett spinning a small soft rubber ball on a table. He just simply makes a fool of one, and it is impossible to tell where or how it is going to break. At that time I thought Clarrie Grimmett the best bowler I had then met. To-day I unhesitatingly say that Grimmett is the best bowler I have ever met, and in my opinion the greatest bowler in the world. With it all he is a most modest, unassuming fellow, and an extremely likeable personality.

Watching Two “ Billys ”In Melbourne.

And so, leaving Adelaide with pleasant memories, we journeyed on to Melbourne, to make the acquaintance of the two “ Billys ” —“ Billy Ponsford and “ Billv ” Woodfull. the latter afterward destined to be my skipper in our English tour. It was my first appearance on the Melbourne ground, and with a modest 31 and 5 against Victoria I considered my-self a failure. Although a little disappointed with my non-success, X was pleased to see two magnificent scores by both the men I was anxious to see in action, notwithstanding the fact that I helped to chase the runs. This gave me an opportunity _of watching their methods, and so increased my cricket education. To my mind, watching the class player is one of the happiest and most effective means of learning the art of cricket. Coming back home, my first appearance for New South Wales on the Sydney Cricket Ciround was against Queensland. It seemed like the realisation of an ambition walking out to bat, but very soon that dream was altered, and I was taught what I still consider to be the best lesson I have ever learnt in cricket. The previous batsmen had got out off the last ball of an over, and when I went in Alan Kippax was taking strike to slow bowler Gough. The first ball Kippax gently pushed to mid-on, and we ran one. It all ap-

peared so simple to me that, before the next ball had been bowled, I made up my mind to do the same thing. Sure enough I tried, but instead of the ball coming slowly and turning, as X anticipated, it went straight through and fast, taking with it my middle stump. Motto: Never make up your mind what to do with a ball before it is bowled, and also gauge the pace of the wicket before you attempt a risky shot. It seemed a long way bade to the pavilion, but I considered that getting a “ duck ” that day has saved me getting many since. In this game Alan Kippax played the game of his life. Those who saw the late Victor Trumper tell me that Alan is more like him than any other batsman we have._ Would that I could have seen an innings by this great Australian master. A rather curious incident happened while Kippax was batting. Stepping out to hit a “ no-ball,” he played the ball on to his wicket. O’Connor, the wicketkeeper, seized the ball and pulled out a stump and appealed for a runout. Kippax was still out of his ground, but the umpire decided “ not-out.” Even to-day, in Sydney cricketing circles, that incident is sometimes discussed, and arguments raised for and against the correctness of the decision.

(“Star" copyright.)