MCC baddies.

[Monty]

Actually Steve, I owe you an apology too. Wasnt Warne at all. I must be getting old.

Christ there was another who crossed over, Im getting Tiger O'Reilly but I could be wrong.....again.

Larwood was worked on by a Notts coach whose name I forget. He measured out his run, economised his action and strengthened him up. He also noted Larwoods extremely long arms and got him to utilise them. Look at his arc, the knuckles drag along the ground. And no head movement in the run up.

If he was a horse he'd be Red Rum.

Monty

[Steven Russell]

James Iremonger may have been the Notts coach, Monty. You mentioned another great there, yet another Aussie unfortunately, Bill O'Reilly. He was the spin bowling twin of the NZ born Clarrie Grimmet and they say he bowled leg spin at medium pace. No less a judge than Richie Benaud credits O'Reilly with having taught him how to bowl leg spin! Benaud passed on the same lessons to Shane Warne who was able to absorb them in half the time.

I hope O'Reilly was a cross-over merchant. It seems a rather elegant way to bowl. Incidentally, I wonder how successful Bodyline would have been had Gubby Allen been up for it. He looks to have been pretty nippy.

Best wishes,

Steve.

[Phil Carter]

Monty,

That 1977 Test..to see Randall again...bringing fun into the game... great memories. Seeing Bill Voce and Harold Larwood... now that was a pair that really were something special. Super stuff, thank you for reminding us.

best wishes

Phil

[Steven Russell]

Monty,

That 1977 Test..to see Randall again...bringing fun into the game... great memories. Seeing Bill Voce and Harold Larwood... now that was a pair that really were something special. Super stuff, thank you for reminding us.

best wishes

Phil

And they call football the beautiful game. What utter babble from the sickbed.

[Phil Carter]

J.B. Hobbs
S. Tendulkar
D.G. Bradman
S. Jayasuriya
B. Lara
G. St.A. Sobers
A. Gilchrist (w)
K.R. Miller (c)
S.K. Warne
H. Larwood
J.C. Laker

I know it's an ancient question but would love to see others' views. I reckon my team could do pretty well against anyone in any form of the game.

Best wishes,

Steve.

Hello Steve,

This is almost impossible..but I will give it a go...

J.B.Hobbs
W.Rhodes
H. Sutcliffe
D.Bradman
G.Sobers (c)
G.Jessop
I.Botham
A.Gilchrist (w)
S.Warne
H.Verity
M.Holding

12th man Arthur Wellard if it was a bowling strip with bounce, dropping Rhodes.


Bowling:- Holding and Botham to open, Warne and Sobers 1st/2nd change, Rhodes and Verity in tandem, Jessop as change bowler.

Batting:- Can you imagine Jessop and Botham at the wicket at the same time? Or Bradman and Sobers in unison?

Gilbert Jessop is my favourite cricketer ever, along with the aforemention Harold Gimblett. I have the biography of Jessop, "The Croucher" by Gerald Broiadribb. I totally recommend it to anyone. It puts some of the big hitting of today into the shade. A man who regularly charged down the wicket to quick bowlers.. and scored regularly in record time. He was an expert fielder, great bowler, and unbelievable batsman.

(Gimblett still holds an English Test batting record you know. He is still the last English opening bat to strike a straight 6 off an opening bowler in a Test match v West Indies, 1939 off Leslie Hylton, 2nd over of the innings, Gimblet's first over facing strike.)

Arthur Wellard scored over 25% of his runs, ever, in 6's. He hit over 500 6's in his career. He used to play with loose change jangling in his pocket, ready for the next card school in the pavillion.

Hedley Verity would surely have been a match for Warne in todays cricket. Marvellous slow medium spinner, tragically killed early in his life during WW2. But Wilfred Rhodes, all rounder de-luxe, greatest slow bowler ever in terms of wickets, could bat from 1-11, and the greatest slow bowler on a "sticky"

There's a great story of Rhodes, when playing down south one day, I think it was at the Oval, and it had been raining. When the rain stopped, he and his Yorkshire captain walked out to inspect the wicket. The skip said, "well Wilfred, what do you think lad? Looks as though it'll be plum ready for you at about 3 o'clock."
Wilfred Rhodes bent down, gave the wicket a prod with his fingers,, rose up and said, "Half-past".

best wishes to all cricket fans, wherever you come from.

best wishes

Phil

[Steven Russell]

Dear Phil,

Excellent. I need to look up Arthur Wellard. But what of S.F. Barnes or that great all-round athelete, Charles Burgess Fry? Good choice of Wilfred Rhodes, though. No-one has mentioned W.G. either. The croucher was also a great choice.

No doubt our Antipodean friends will propose Victor Trumper and Fred Spofforth.

What a difficult task. I hope those Martians know what they're in for.

Best wishes,

Steve.

[Phil Carter]

Hello Steve,

A 2nd XI would play the Venutians..on a hot dry one. All those you mention.. all we have mentioned from the start of this thread, wouldn't go amiss. Barnes... yup.. thats a great choice. To think that one would NOT have Tendulkar or Larwood in... it's unthinkable. Very very difficult choices. I only had 5 of yours in mine.. but would agree that your team is as good.

Wellard played for Somerset at the same time as Gimblett. A personal friend of mine, who is now in his early 70's, used to drive Wellard around in the 1960's to play in local games. He has told me of so many things about Wellard..a character and a half.

Of course, we have also left out the great George Gunn! Used the heaviest cricket bat ever. When asked why, he said, "Well when you go out to face those quick bowlers, you need support. After all, you dont use a small hammer on a 6 inch nail do you?"

C.B.Fry by the way, was once a director of Chelsea Football Club!

And what about the Great Viv Richards? It is impossible!

To try to get 121 great cricketers and divide them up would be hard! The Greatest 11 XI's. Ever. Now there's a thought.

best wishes

Phil

[Steven Russell]

Dear Phil

It would indeed be a hot, dry one on Venus. Arthur Wellard is my 1st topic for research tomorrow.

C.B. Fry continues to astound after so many years. I did not know of his Chelsea connection. I have read that he held the world long jump record for many years, could leap onto the mantlepiece from a standing position in front of the fireplace (backwards), helped set up the League of Nations, and was asked if he wanted to be King of Albania but declined. And to think I wasted all those childhood years reading about Biggles.

If I may quote you, Phil, "Best wishes to all cricket fans wherever you come from."

Steve.

[Phil Carter]

But what of ...that great all-round athelete, Charles Burgess Fry?

Hello Steve,

I had a little look at some of things said by CB, and this stood out..

No man has ever driven a cricket ball so hard, so high, and so often in so many different directions. No man has ever made cricket so dramatic an entertainment.

He was talking of Gilbert Jessop, "The Croucher". Talking of Jessop, a few more quotes..

Richie Benaud: "Perhaps the best one-day player to have ever lived and never played that form of cricket."

Sir Jack Hobbs: "He was undoubtedly the most consistently fast scorer I have seen. He was a big hitter, too, and it was difficult to bowl a ball from which he could not score. He made me glad that I was not a bowler. Gilbert Jessop certainly drew the crowds, too, even more than Bradman, I should say."

These two quotes are from the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

best wishes

Phil

[Steven Russell]

Good stuff, Phil!

Best,
Steve.

[Adam Went]

So I see that it's going to be Australia VS England in the 20/20 final! Excellent!
What a hero Mike Hussey is, eh?

Cheers,
Adam.

[Phil Carter]

Hello Adam...
yup...some crazy hitting...no way he can do that twice on the bounce..

And what sort of captain puts a medium pace spinner on a flat track on to bowl the last over in a T20? Schoolboy error.

As far as the final is concerned, it is Englands 5th cricket final over the years... and we have lost every one before....so here's hoping!

Did you manage to read up on Wellard by the way?

best wishes

Phil

[Steven Russell]

Still haven't got roung to reading up on Wellard yet so thanks for reminding me, Phil. I'm looking forward to tommorrow's final albeit with a sense of foreboding. Apart from Swann, I'm not convinced by our attack. Hope they prove me wrong.

Best wishes all and may the better team win (if it's us).

Steve.

[Adam Went]

Hey Phil,

The thing with Mike Hussey is that he ALWAYS bails us out any time we are in trouble. I quite honestly cannot remember the last time that we desperately needed an innings from him and he didn't deliver. Backs to the wall type stuff seems to inspire him.

Won't get to see the final, as it will be on in the early hours of the morning Australian time! But I hope that it's a good match, and yes, may the best team win......keep your eye out for David Warner, excellent young opening batsman, and my tip for top scorer.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Phil Carter]

....keep your eye out for David Warner, excellent young opening batsman, and my tip for top scorer.

Cheers,
Adam.

Hello Adam,

KP seems to be in fantastic mood atm... and watch out for Morgan!

May the best team win!

best wishes

Phil