Almanac Cricket: A special opening for a much beloved opener

(The new scoreboard with MC Rob Cameron. In background, Peter Bedford and Jason Bakker)

 

Geelong cricketing royalty gathered at Kardinia Park yesterday to honour one of the city’s most dearly loved and highly respected sporting sons of all time, Ian Redpath.

 

They were joined by the man himself along with a roll call of ‘Redder’s’ former first-class cricket colleagues and protégés as Geelong Cricket Club’s Michael King welcomed guests to the official opening of the new Ian Redpath scoreboard on the railway side of the club’s home ground.

 

A succession of train drivers even joined in proceedings giving a few non-scheduled blasts of the horn as they passed.

 

When the new technologically advanced scoreboard was switched on to showcase its whizz bang stuff, a quiet murmur rippled around the crowd when it crackled, spluttered and cut out altogether twice before the young technician in attendance patiently coaxed it into displaying better manners.

 

And when it did, it worked a treat. The marvellous film highlights footage that followed of the eponymous stylish right-hander thrilled the audience. A couple of cracking cover drives even prompted a few to wave an arm from side to side.

 

Half a dozen speakers then recalled details of their relationships with the guest of honour. All of them, without exception, spoke passionately about the depth of feeling they had for the wiry, quietly spoken former Australian Test opener.

 

(IRR and Jason Bakker)

 

In fact, the unmistakeable take-out experience of the occasion for this writer was their collective emphasis on Redder’s outstanding personal qualities. It was clear they all affectionately regarded him as an exceptional human being first and foremost who happened to be a gifted elite level cricketer in addition.

 

That elite level track record included 67 Tests for a total of 4,737 runs at a very respectable average of 43.4 and top score of 171.

 

And as legendary Geelong sportswriter John Craven notes in his fine book The Conquerors (click here to order copies)

“he did this against many of the world’s most dangerous fast bowlers like West Indians Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, the Englishmen Freddie Trueman and John Snow, South Africa’s Peter Pollock and Mike Proctor, the New Zealander Richard Hadlee and the wildfire Pakistani Sarfraz Nawaz.”

Redpath’s Sheffield Shield record was equally as impressive: 77 games for 5233 runs at an average of 43.2. And then there were many more runs for South Melbourne, his local district team in the Victorian Cricket Association in the years before Geelong fielded VCA teams.

 

Typical of the man himself yesterday though, he enjoyed a wry self-deprecatory laugh at his record in the fledgling One Day International format of the game just starting as his career was finishing: five games, five innings for 46 runs for the very underwhelming average of 9.2 with just the one solitary boundary. Doh!

 

But back to his highest Test score of 171 against England in Perth in 1970, former Chair of Cricket Australia Bob Merriman recalled that the Aussies were in big trouble at 5/107 when Greg Chappell in his first Test match nervously walked out to join Redpath.

 

(L-R: David Kelly, Bob Merriman, IRR)

 

Merriman noted that over the next five eight ball overs, Chappell faced just two of the 40 balls including those from the rampaging English speedster John Snow who had destroyed the Aussie top order. Redpath shielded his young teammate while facing the other 38. But while doing so, he apparently sledged Snow the whole time as a horrified Chappell looked on asking if that was really such a good idea.

“Yeah,” the laconic Redpath replied. “It gets up his nose and his bowling goes downhill.”  

The pair would then add 209 for the sixth wicket partnership with Chappell scoring 108 in his first Test and Australia posting 440, a first innings lead of 43 in a Test that petered out to a draw. The highly impressed future Test captain would later write,

“Ian’s example at the other end made me feel that if it meant that much to him to keep his wicket intact, then I had better make sure I try just as hard to keep mine intact.”

Yesterday though, Redders had the good grace to generously reflect with a warm smile

“actually Snowy was a great bloke off the ground.”

 

(Greg Wells and Paul Sheahan)

 

However, it seems Redpath’s role in partnerships wasn’t always as harmonious. Former Test and State colleague Paul Sheahan made special note of the former’s Achilles heel.

“The only time I had any doubts in my relationship with Red was when we were together out in the middle. When running between the wickets, a call from him was not a command; it wasn’t even an offer; it was more like the beginning of a series of negotiations.”

Cue here – crowd laughter!

 

And then, a personal highlight. Ian was kind enough to give me time and answer a nagging question which has bothered me for 60 years after watching my first Test as an eleven-year-old in 1964 when dad took me all the way from rural Winchelsea to the MCG for the first time.

 

I watched Redders make 97 in his first Test dig before he was bowled by the bespectacled South African medium-fast swing bowler Joe Partridge – Peter Pollock’s opening bowler partner coming into the wind from the other end.

 

No! How could he have let that happen. Well yesterday I found out.

“I had off driven the previous ball for four so when he appeared to bowl the same delivery again my eyes lit up knowing another boundary would do the trick. But I then discovered all too late it was slightly quicker and it was his inswinger, just enough to clip the off stump – the previous one was his straight arm ball. He set me up.”

Towards the end of his career Redders was just as direct and to the point again, this time, on World Series Cricket.

“It was adventurous and lucrative for cricket. I looked at it as my superannuation payout, even though the players who joined up were treated worse than Ned Kelly by a lot of people opposed to World Series.”

And then with the signature self-deprecatory line never far away,

“Packer contracted 39 of the world’s best players, plus me. It had to succeed. Cricket has never looked back.” (The Conquerors, John Craven).

Over a very convivial morning tea, the older greyer stalwarts of Geelong cricket then mingled with the younger more recent warriors as war stories expanded exponentially.

 

(Jim Higgs and Rob Cameron)

 

But the last quip rested with the guest of honour after Master of Ceremonies – local media identity and Footy Almanac member – Rob Cameron quizzed Redders about the sliding door moment when an ill-timed knee injury took him away from footy and led him to his cricket destiny.

 

How would you have gone wearing the navy blue and white hoops, he was asked. With a ready smile and a reference to his whippet like body shape, the answer came quickly.

“Oh I don’t know. I reckon I would have been highly embarrassed running around out there in a sleeveless jumper!”

Cue here – more crowd laughter!

 

Take three votes, Ian Ritchie Redpath MBE.

 

(L-R: Paul Sheahan, Jim Higgs, Peter Bedford, Rob Cameron, Jason Bakker, Ken Jacobs, Michael King and Bob Merriman)

 

 

More from Roger Lowrey can be read Here.

 

 

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