John Harms recently posited that he locked onto cricket full-time during the 1974-75 Ashes series when Lillee and Thomson wreaked havoc with 58 wickets between them and Australia ripped the Ashes back. He’s right – we loved the carnage and the hapless Poms. But as Bernard James Whimpress rightly pointed out in response to the younger Harms it’s all about timing and for him the first awakener was the 1960/61 West Indies tour of Australia.
I’m with Bernard.
The series was a magnificent twisting tale with a deep plot and attractive characters. We had hitherto been served some serious dross in the 58/59 Ashes series – Trevor Bailey taking 10 hours to make 95 runs (yes, that’s right Travis) and Ted Dexter’s idea of shutting up shop on Day 4 of a Test meant bright cricket. The Australian cricket public were jaded. But now a mix of high order skilled and articulate professionals with charisma to burn arrived and meant what they said about bright cricket. We were blessed to listen to the articulate and engaging captain Frank Worrall (fresh from completing his Economics degree conferred from Manchester University). We watched as the Windies captured the press and the public and delivered fully, leaving nothing out on the field (with apologies to Pat Cummins) in five high-drama Tests.
The Windies captured our hearts and minds in 1960s. In Australia, where exposure to black athletes had previously been limited to the Harlem Globetrotters, we still had the White Australia Policy.
The televising of the series by the ABC played a big part in capturing the drama in each Test and allowing us access to the Windies team (from the comfort of ours or the neighbour’s lounge room). Previously the tourists were distant, limited in that they were only described in print, or in Newsreels and the like. But now TV stations competed to fete the Windies team and individual players. We were engaged and we couldn’t get enough.
The elevation of Frank Worrall to the captaincy had a significant positive effect on the dynamics and coherence of the team and was seen as critical to their performance on and off the field. Frank Worrall was the first Afro-Caribbean captain to be appointed (by a recalcitrant but besieged West Indies Board of Control). A campaign by Trinidad historian, revolutionary, cricket commentator and MAJA (mate of John Arlott) CLR James aligned the selection of Worrall as skipper firmly within the post -colonial priorities of the West Indies. In other words the rebirth of Australian Test cricket with the help of an on-the charge Windies was in large part due to the erudition of a blood-red foreign Marxist (of the Trotskyite persuason if that helps clarify the rationale). James’s withering rhetoric melted the hides of the Board of Control – helped by the refusal of the then white captain Gerry Alexander to accept the captaincy of the team for the Australian tour. As an aside, because I just thought of it; Alexander performed well with gloves and bat on the tour so the lack of captaincy duties may have contributed to his good on-field performances – another side bar to the selection of Frank Worrall to skipper the side.
By the time the First Test in Brisbane was over, the Windies were bigger and cooler than John and Jackie Kennedy. The first Test did two things. First, history was created as a tied Test (Australia and India had another one in 1986) . Second, it tied Australia and the West Indies into a titanic and captivating struggle such as we often see now in test cricket but hitherto had not. All the talk at home, down the street (Bluey Huish the Mitcham barber was rolling in it as his shop and the footpath were filled with blokes wanting to expound on all matters Test cricket), and among my cricket-mad mates as we played Test after Test in various parks and backyards. We started to mimic the Windies bowlers – I reckon I can still do a passable copy of Garfield Sobers pace and wrist spin action today (action, never accuracy).
The First Test was all down to the last over from Wes Hall. Seven balls: two stolen byes, one dropped catch, one catch, one failed run out then two run outs both with scores leve l- the last being from a brilliant throw from Joe Solomon from side-on to the stumps. The cricket gods froze the scoreline. This drama was in prime time. Cars pulled up on the side of the road, household TVs and radios tuned in and we held our breath during those seven-ball theatrics.
The Second Test was a bit of an anticlimax with normal service being resumed if you were an Australian. The Windies batted and bowled without the verve and aplomb of the First Test. However, the game was not without drama. The Melbourne crowd elevated Joe Solomon to be the first Aussie Joe. His cap fell onto the wicket and dislodged the off bail while playing a shot. Joe used to bat well inside the popping crease. Nevertheless he was given his marching orders and the crowd turned on the Australian captain. They continued to boo and jeer Richie every time he bowled and contributed on the field. Joe was famous for his run out in the First Test and the Melbourne crowd took a liking to him as they continued to excoriate their own skipper.
According to Johnie Moyes in his book on the series With the West Indies, the bowling, team dynamics and confidence ironically gelled during the Second Test loss in Melbourne during the Australian innings when they were chasing 67 for victory). They lost 3 wickets to a fearsome display from Wes Hall with up and down chin music and sideways movement on a crumbling pitch. Worrall had his men ready for the next Test despite the loss.
The depth of talent and skills was on full display as the Windies were formidable in the Third Test. Another major twist in the narrative.
In the Fourth Test the Windies continued to dominate a depleted and struggling Australia for all but the last two hours of the last day. The drawn Test just continued to add to the aura of the series.
Australia was on the back foot for the whole game. They had injuries to Alan Davidson the lead strike bowler and his partner Ian Meckiff. Neil Harvey was also out. Lindsay Kline replaced Johnnie Martin as Australia continued to search for a spin partner for Richie Benaud. The Australian team looked patched and rumpled where the unchanged Windies looked woven and sleek. The following are what I remember from my first five-day test as a nine year old.
It was stinking hot each day. We were parked on the South-eastern mound where the Jack Oatey et al stand is today. My father Max and his mates were surrounded by their eskies and everyone was standing up so we had to stand on them to see. The Australian bowlers struggled in the heat and Rohan Kanhai made them pay with a century in each innings. The depth and quality of the Windies batting was on show as they built their advantage and Australia struggled. It seemed to me that Benaud was holding back the floodgates with his bowling with limited support from his team mates.
I’ve always taken an interest in South Australian members of the Test team through the years. Their contributions are legend however the Croweater rep in the Fourth Test was confined to Les Favell who made 1 and 4 as he opened with Col MacDonald – both times caught behind from wafting shots. I was intrigued by his get up. He was rotund and as such the waist of his creams needed to cover the corpulence. In the field he was forever hitching up the creams. When he batted however his hitching became obsessive. He didn’t fiddle with his batting gloves like they do today but after every ball he hitched his creams ever higher, towards the bottom of the half button front of his shirt, as he attempted to focus on the task of making runs. This for some reason remains an abiding memory of a great servant of South Australian cricket as he trod the Test arena and attended to his strides.
I remember that Max, his mate Darrel and their resident expert panel, reckoned the game would be over early on the final day, Wednesday February 1. Accordingly, they underestimated the TITS (time in the sun) so by the time Lindsay saddled up with two hours to go in the final session they were a bit toey. They were torn between heading to boozer for a couple of hours contemplation before 6 o’ clock closing, and watching the bitter end starring Slasher Mackay and Lindsay ‘The Bunny’ Kline. They stayed. Every bowler was tried two or three times. Our brains trust opined that Frank was panicking and rushing his bowlers through. I remember Wes Hall and Frank Worrall taking the new ball with about an hour to go but not much happened other than a straight bat from Slasher and our Lindsey. The shadow from the members stand was starting to creep on the pitch and we struggled looking into the sun. But still they held on. As Wes Hall came in for his last ball of possibly the last over at just before 6 (yes, the clock is still there) he pulled up and lost his step. The fleetfooted youth behind the pickets ran onto the field on auto pilot and had to be cleared out just to add to the new ways to extract tension in this series. Slasher took the last ball in his ribs – resolute to the last chew of his PK. As the ball dropped to his feet he slumped and tried to walk off. Windies team members helped him off in a typical display of the high level of sportsmanship that prevailed in the series.
We found out later that Rundle Street had been pandemonium. Drivers just left their cars and headed to the TV shops – Radio Rentals and Sven Kallins – en masse to watch the drama on the boxes.
After the close-run thing of the Fifth Test Australia had won the series 2-1. However, as the spirit of the post-series formalities showed Australia had been captured and captivated by the West Indies as people and cricketers and the scoreline didn’t matter much. Thousands attended the ticker-tape parade for the two teams and watched the genuine warmth and respect showed by Richie Benaud and Frank Worrall as they engaged.
That series locked me in.
Read more from Nank HERE.
Read John Harms’s piece on 1974-75 HERE.
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Thanks Nank. A lovely read, including learning a few new words via the ‘define’ option. I’ve read a lot about, and marvelled over, that series. I wasn’t aware Richie got booed by the crowd over Solomon’s dismissal. My first series of consciousness was the 67/68 tour by India. The following year when the West Indies again toured, the anticipation was was high. Could the 60/61 drama be replicated? Not quite.
Enjoyed that Nank.
Legendary series. I think I’ve told the story of my father leaving at Tes on the last day of the Gabba Test, to visit my mother, then his girlfriend.
I so remember the phenomenon of people watching in shops. We were on holidays in Adelaide (from Shepparton) during the 1971-72 Rest of the World series and watched Sobers smashing the bowling around in that celebrated innings – looking at the Tvs in the shop window of one of the department stores in the city. With a stack of others who had gathered.
That was Favell’s last Test Nank I guess you saw him a few times in Shield games thereafter?
Did you catch Sobers during his Prospect/SA days?
Nice one Nank. For me it’s the 72 Ashes as the strongest foundation memory.
Great stuff. Just before my time. Wish I’d seen the 63/64 South Africans with the Pollocks in their prime.
My first Test in the flesh was the 4th Ashes Test in 1966 against MJK Smith’s modest tourists. Not memorable.
My heroes were the SA teams of the 60’s and 70’s under Favell. Both Chappell’s. Mallet and Jenner. Barry Jarman. Bunga Hurn (I once told Shannon I’d seen his father open the bowling on Adelaide Oval and he corrected me – “grandfather”). Jeff Hammond off the long arced run up.
Opposition would set 2 gullies; a backward point and a deep third man and bowl short outside Favell’s off stump. He was a compulsive cutter and puller. Chocolates or boiled lollies.
I can remember Favell doing an Advertiser coaching clinic in the quadrangle at Renmark Primary School. All of us lined up like soldiers on parade with a stump or a mop or whatever we could find (no-one had their own cricket bat – or protector – back then). Forward defence in unison. Backward defence. All the shots Les never played.
This is a lovely obituary that Ashley Mallet wrote on his passing.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/my-favourite-cricketer-ashley-mallett-on-les-favell-578287
Thanks for the comments chaps.
Daryl yes Richie copped it because he did not recall out Aussie Joe. It went on for while I remember. He didn’t get much of it on his home ground in the third test but a bit of yabberism was there.
JT I wonder if TV sales spiked after the the first test
Barry its great for each of us to have a particular standout test seriesin out (now long term) memories
Mark I used to be a sobers devotee and saw him in the shield game. I think he gave a coaching clinic at Pulteney but not sure. I’ll ask [email protected] brother Peter
Peter great memories too. I remember watching us get fitted out by pollock and Eddie Barlow at Adelaide . I played for Sturt schoolboys against Jeff Hammond (prospect). His late outswinger and pace were hard to stop. Les Favell was tireless often wirh Neil Dansie in giving clinics. Les favell teaching forward defence was like Clarrie grimmett teach in batting skills. Cheers
Thanks for your vividly recollected memories, Nank. I wasn’t here for much of this, but Les Favell ran the first coaching clinic I attended at Angaston Oval, in the mid-70’s. And as PB noted, there were dozens of us lined up, playing forward defence shots. I played mine with my new polyarmoured (as opposed to polyamorous) cricket bat which was later that morning signed by Les and the West Indians.
Another great memory Micky. Les would not have taken to low cut trousers. He loved to play cross bat shots . He was a superb cutter and compulsive hooker
The Tits bit needs a bit of amplification . Max and his mates were meticulous in their hydration preparation . 8 hours worth of TITs. They favoured the 26 oz er Southwark poured into those anodised beakers which were around the same size as the butcher glass at 7 oz. 1 bottle did 4 blokes . As anyone with rural roots knows the butcher was known as the throw down or the three swallows. Much favoured by stock agents talking in three conversations at once. Max and his mates were of that persuasion and stuck to the throw down concept at the cricket as I observed. No doubt due to the heat. So each esky contained around 8 bottles with a bit of rooms for our softies . That’s a bottle an hour per bloke .So the brains trust reckoned they should up the consumption ante aiming at a 3 -4 o’clock finish. Time enough for a run to the head or the cathedral. Do by the time Lindsay appears re d they were dry and toey. The next two hours were spent in grudging homage to the wowser god
Thanks Nank. It was the definitive series for me also. Les Favell’s creams seemed to be a creamier hue than those of the other players – and pulled up higher in the direction of his armpits. I saw both Kanhai centuries and the Gibbs hat trick but unfortunately missed the final day. The in the next Ashes Test at Adelaide I was fortunate to see two heroes, Harvey and O’Neill put together a huge partnership after David Shepherd had dropped a couple of sitters.
Also, Barry Nicholls has written a great little story of attending coaching clinics at SA country schools with Les. I wonder of he is in a position to revisit it here?
Cracking read Nank. I remember well the flamboyant, energetic Windies players and their style of cricket captivating cricket lovers during this tour. The long run up of Wes Hall, the flashing blade of Rohan Kanhai, the energy in the field was only a fraction of the skills on display that was absolute heaven to this cricket loving 10 yo.boy. Thanks again for stirring up some wonderful memories for me.
Yep, me too, remember well my first day of Test cricket when Lance Gibbs got his hat trick. Never seen anything like Wes Hall, pushing off from the sight screen, seemingly. All true about Les Favell, out first over or made 100. Passed his philosophy onto Ian Chappell as I understand. When Sobers came back to play for S.A. we had never seen anything like it.
I should clarify: I’d followed 70-71 very closely, and then, like Barry, 1972 – lots of radio time in bed. It’s just how much I enjoyed that 1974-75 side, the players themselves, and their performances. Especially Lillee and Thomson. But all of them really.
So much here. But too many reds. Maybe later!