David Hookes's Last Test (Also Steve Waugh's first Test)

This has run in a few places before, but this seems an appropriate, well, forum... I wrote it just after Hookesy died.


Many will recall the centenary test against England in 1977. His first test, and five successive fours off Tony Greig.

I'd moved to Canberra in mid-1985, but went back to Melbourne for the Boxing Day test against India. I was very excited, as I was a teenager going on holidays without my parents for the first time, and looking forward to the cricket.

This match featured a young guy by the name of Steve Waugh, who many tipped for great things, making his debut.

It was also the last time in the baggy green cap for one David William Hookes. He scored 42 in the first innings, but in the second dig wound up with a first-ball gozzie. Fortunately for Australia, rain came and washed out the tail end of the match, meaning India didn't win. Come 4pm on the final day, it was obvious that the rain was not going to let up, and if I recall correctly, the team for the Sydney test had been announced. Without Hookes.

After the match had been declared a draw, I was one of the few left at the ground, and after hanging around outside the team rooms for a while, a group of supporters walked across to Jolimont railway station. For those who don't know, the station is en route to the Hilton Hotel, where teams, officials, etc used to stay for the MCG test.

Before our train arrived, we looked up at the pedestrian overpass, and saw three Aussie test cricketers making their way over the bridge to the hotel. I don't remember who two of them were, but I do remember David Hookes. He'd obviously decided to mark his omission from the next test, and the probable end of his career in the traditional Aussie manner. He was having trouble walking, and looked like he'd demolished half-a-day's output from the Carlton and United Brewery.

I'd heard the news that his test career was probably over, and decided some encouragement for one of my childhood heroes was necessary... and my teenage voice sang out loudly "ONYA HOOKESY YOU BLOODY LEGEND!"

He looked down in my general direction.

He probably didn't see who'd said it, but he waved, and gave a thumbs up…


I can't think of a more apt way to say farewell, than to repeat it.

ONYA HOOKESY YOU BLOODY LEGEND!

Nice story Zat

1 question about Hookes. Why was he overlooked for the 85 tour of England?

Surely a better bet than Hilditch especially as Wayne Phillips was opening for most of his test career up to that point.

Cheers Zat - great stuff.

JKLever wrote:Nice story Zat

1 question about Hookes. Why was he overlooked for the 85 tour of England?

Surely a better bet than Hilditch especially as Wayne Phillips was opening for most of his test career up to that point.

Hookes was dropped from the national team after a relatively unsuccessful tour of the WIndies in 1984 (Although I think he did better than Kim Hughes and Dean Jones on that tour).

A fairly ordinary Shield season followed in 84/85 saw him slip out of contention. Even though he was the 70s/80s equivalent of Mark Waugh to the nth degree, in that he never went on with the job, I loved watching him bat when he was 'on'.

Somewhere in the Zat cricketing library, I have the January 1986 edition of 'Cricketer' magazine, signed by Steve Waugh and David Hookes. I've been told it's worth quite a few dollars.

CC.

Remember how just after Hookes's death Rob spend many fun filled hours making fun of the genuine distress many where feeling? Good times.

No.
But I do remember you having to bite your tongue not to be disparaging about Hookesy until after the funeral, when you totally went to town.
How difficult is it for you not to be a miserable hardarse?

Are you talking to me?

must have the hood stuffed into your ears

Invader Zim wrote:Remember how just after Hookes' death Rob spent many fun-filled hours making fun of the genuine distress many were feeling?  Good times.

There really was some awful vindictiveness back in those days. For long periods then Rob S seemed quite incapable of posting without emitting venom.

Nearly 30 years have passed now since the Hookes - koala baton change.

Robi or Robin?

Rob S just seemed to be unrelentingly hateful. Rob I/MBF/fishlips was gentle in comparison, although he had his moments too. I think he had a particularly bad patch around the time C4 collapsed and we all came here, but back when I first visited c4 he was ok.

I had it the other way around. Robi was to SA as TREV is to Aus.

No-one has been as hard on South Farcia as Trev has been on Australia.

As far as I know Trev has never accused your national captain as being gay and a muderer.

Maybe not, but he has stated that the team are almost as worthy of his contempt as an Assad-backed Syrian mob ...