Trivia & Quizzia 2013 (an occasional series, by whoever wishes)

That's the right diagnosis, but I think overegging the whatsit ...

I think those are actually his big hands, not gloves! (Admittedly not very clear in an old cigarette card reproduction.)

D. Brian Close.

E. Gregory was playing on his own, with a bent bat and no ball.

D: True.

E: Yes, that bat is worrying. Like that old trick "waving" a pencil between your thumb and index finger. Maybe it was a 1920s vintage fisheye lens.

Two things:

1. Krikri's avatars rock, as does Krikri.

2. I forgot I Tribed it for ages. Drug-addled. I tell you. Drug. Addled.

1. Do you know Krikri, or are you just extrapolating that from his avatars and merest handful of posts?

2. Tribe is a worthy local hero, with a fortunate name. (No, not George.)

Q1: Why exactly is the gentleman (well, player, actually) in the middle looking both pleased and relieved?

Q2: Who are the two men on either side of him?




(Hint on Q1 - it isn't because he has managed to ram a stump up the umpire's arse without the latter noticing it yet.)

The picture is difficult to enlarge to see clearly, but I think it is my 'other self'. and I am going to suggest that it is the end of the final bodyline test at Sydney in 1933. If that is correct, then Walter is pleased because he has just made the winning run in the match, and relieved because such a stressful and unhappy series is over. The other two men are Oldfield and, perhaps, umpire George Hele, who wrote a book called 'Bodyline Umpire'.

All the information there is correct, except I think (by the stance, and the conk) it is the other umpire, George Borwick.

Hammond had just ended the match and series with a huge six (ending on 75*). And is clearly delighted at that. (Perhaps that is also a souvenir stump in his right hand? - more grounds for celebration in that case, though Bertie appears to have collared two!)

However, the grin suggests mighty relief as well. If Walter had not already been inclined to mental torment, and a marked depressive tendency, this series would probably have sent him there. He was initially all for the war plan his captain put forward - to take it to the Aussies, and above all to counter Hammond's constant nemesis Don Bradman (or "the little bastard", as Jardine insisted on calling him), who had wreaked such havoc with the England bowling - and entirely eclipsed England's star batsman, Hammond - in the Ashes of 1930.

When he saw cork crunching bone at something like 100 mph, he was one of those on the England team whose views began to change, and though he publicly kept "on message" for the duration of the tour, Hammond's post-tour utterances took a dim view of such a policy of repeated deliberate targeting of batsmen's heads and chests. Starting before the official tide of opinion in England began to turn that way, I think.

I think a couple of us might be able to guess the identity of the little chap second from right.

But
1. Who is his (standing) team mate? (And 1b. why is this perhaps an odd alignment?)
And
2. Whom are they both pleased to meet in this picture?

(There are probably bonus points for 3. and 4. - the other two gents in the picture - and 5. the year. But as I am only 92% certain of these, I don't have the authority to give these points!)

They are meeting Frank Woolley, in, I suggest, 1938, as that was the only year that Fingleton toured England as a player. Referring to my copy of the 1939 Wisden, I see that the Australians played Kent on the 13 - 16 August, and Bradman, Fingleton and Woolley all played in that game. Woolley retired in 1938, aged 51.
1b - DGB & Fingleton hated each other!
The other two chaps: Is the seated one Badcock? The gent in the suit must be the Aussie team manager, Mr W.H. Jeanes.

Aye - that sums up both the information I have, and the (fairly certain) speculation I would add to that!

As you say, Fingleton is in whites, Woolley too, which places the photo pre-War. This also matches the approximate appearance/age of Jack and the Don. Woolley certainly looks grizzled enough to be at an age of late eventual retirement. And the heavily-eyebrowed, swarthy Badcock (if not quite as swarthy as The Black Prince would be, ten years later - at first I thought the seated figure was indeed Ernie Toshack!) would again fit exactly that time. The presence of Jeanes (Aussie tour manager in both 1938 and 1948) points to an "away" location, in other words not the 36-37 series.

Taking that all together, it would certainly seem to be a picture Woolley, just about to retire after his illustrious career, dropping in to the visitors' dressing room at Canterbury, either to greet or say farewell to an even greater legend. The pleasure and respect are clearly mutual. (Frank was not to know that both Don and Jack F were to get seriously crocked at the Oval a week later!)


As for Clayvel Lindsay ("Jack") Badcock of Tasmania, he must possess just about the most lopsided batting record in Test history:

160 runs in 12 innings (all against England, one of them *) - 118 of which were in one a crucial, matchwinning and Ashes-series-deciding innings at the MCG in 1937! He didn't get to double figures in any of his other 11 Test innings, and had four ducks.

One picture, 5 questions.



1) In or out?
2) Who?
3) Where, when?
4) Why was the match significant for the batsman? (two or three answers possible)
5) Why was it also significant for his team?

Trott's debut?

Correct, as part of Q4!

Any more?

Oval 09 of course.

Got run out in the first innings from Katich at short leg, so I don't think it's that.

Bugger it, dunno which it is.

It is that.

Century on Test debut though (in the second innings), so a decisive contribution in England winning the match (Oval = 5th Test), the series, and the Ashes.

Speaking of which, .....



Note the same white handle grip.

This place is deserted, but I might as well try and find me a coupla dead horses to flog.

A. Who are these three gents, and what's got them worried?

B. Name the series (different matches btw), and name as many of those pictured as you can.

C. What did these two players have in common?
(If you can work it out, there are at least four points of similarity.)

D. Year? And how many of these can you name?

PeterCS wrote:D. Year? And how many of these can you name?

Bradman, McCabe and Tiger are there but no Hassett so I'd guess it was taken during the 36/7 series.

I think that's Fingleton next to DGB. I can't see Fleetwood-Smith who I think played in that series though. I think that might be Oldfield at the end of the first row on the right.

PeterCS wrote: This place is deserted, but I might as well try and find me a coupla dead horses to flog.

A. Who are these three gents, and what's got them worried?

Middle guy looks like Patsy Hendren. Assuming that the Indian player is his team mate I guess it has to be Duleep. Not sure who the guy on the left is without throwing out random names of teammates I can think of.

Also not sure what they are worried about. The balcony in the background might be Lords.

The bloke on the left looks the same as the bloke in the avatar at the top of this page.

Is it the site of DGB that has them worried?  or Woodfull even