When Richard Griffiths started to find out more about the life of his great-grandfather, Samuel Griffiths, he realised he was on to a magnificent character. A pretty handy story-teller himself (as we know from Richard’s stories on this website), he started to jot down some of the brilliant yarns he was uncovering, and eventually thought he should take the plunge and write a book.
He knew Samuel and his exploits would have great appeal to readers like his great mate Murray Bird. It didn’t take much to get Muz, an experienced historian and author, involved. Muz pursued further research and developed and polished the draft manuscript, and the result is a tremendous co-authored biography. It has been enjoyed by everyone who’s read it, to the point where the first edition sold out. Thankfully, Richard and Muz have re-printed and there are a few more copies available.
Muz explains further below, and we also include an extract about an unlikely cricket club, for whom a couple of very thirsty English Test cricketers played in the interest of winning a bet, the prize for which was a champagne dinner (brilliant stuff)…
I heartily recommend it.
JTH
Touchstone: Racing, Racing Men and Racehorses
The life and times of Samuel Griffiths 1865-1937 – RM Griffiths & MG Bird.
Richard’s great grandfather, Samuel Griffiths, was a significant figure in the machinations of horse racing in Australia in the early twentieth century. After witnessing his first Melbourne Cup in 1877 at the tender age of 11 years, he was to embark on a life in the Turf that saw him become a, bloodstock agent, handicapper, historian, horse trainer, jockey, journalist, newspaper proprietor, newspaper editor, racecourse judge, roustabout, stipendiary steward, writer and more.
He was a devoted husband and father, adventurer, entrepreneur, race-track philosopher, raconteur and truth-seeker.
He was eccentric, humble, humorous, opinionated, and, most importantly, ethical.
Sam wrote two books – Turf and Heath (1906) and A Rolling Stone on the Turf (1933). He was also a cricket enthusiast as the extract which follows shows.
We printed 150 books for family and friends. Upon receiving some unsolicited positive responses we have printed a few more copies for Almanac readers. They are available for $50 (including postage within Australia). Contact: [email protected]
Some comments about Touchstone:
This book is an excellent read: fascinating, comprehensive and, above all, entertaining. An insight into the life of perhaps the foremost racing journalist and administrator of the first third of the twentieth century. Some great anecdotes too, and beautifully presented.
Dr Wayne Peake – Cultural and Racing Historian
What a tome and so detailed! It is a beaut addition to my collection. It has been shared with some of my friends who share a deep interest in horse racing history.
The Hon. Michael McCormick MP – Federal Member for Riverina
‘Touchstone’ is a particularly marvelous addition to my library as are Sam’s two books. What a rich history he wrote about.
Robbie Waterhouse – Leviathan Bookmaker
Sam told a tale of the touring English cricketers of 1895-96, which is recounted in Touchstone.
Excerpt from Chapter 9 – Bookies and The Big Ship
Sam’s storytelling extended well beyond the race track. One of his pastimes away from the horses was his involvement in the cricket scene around The Heath. He was an active member of a cricket club formed among the owners, trainers and jockeys (OT & J) from the Caulfield district. Sam was the secretary of the club, with his ongoing back issues seemingly curtailing any ambitions to play. He was particularly fond of relaying stories concerning one of the younger members of the club from that era. This member was soon-to-be giant of Australian sport: Warwick “The Big Ship” Armstrong. Sam recalled that:
Warwick Armstrong, whose family has resided at Caulfield for many years, played with us occasionally when he was a tall stripling of about seventeen. He was then a junior clerk in a local bank and already showed promise of becoming a great cricketer. He made a name for himself in schoolboy cricket and quickly graduated to the South Melbourne and Melbourne clubs. He also played football for South Melbourne.
Armstrong went on to become one of Australia’s greatest pre-Bradman cricketers, with an international career spanning over twenty years (severely interrupted by World War 1). The “tall stripling” unbelievably reached a weight of almost 120kgs when he was captaining Australia. Sam noted that:
In 1920-21, aged 41, he became the only Test captain to win all five matches in a series, and scored three centuries. Later in 1921 he won the first three Tests in England – headed the bowling averages for the tour, and hit three centuries in four matches. [English journalists] described Armstrong as – “Australian cricket incarnate”. He was one of the “characters” of Test cricket, an Australian version of W. G. Grace: abrasive, cantankerous, with strong likes and dislikes and cast-iron convictions.
One of Sam’s most amusing anecdotes involved a spat that broke out within the membership of the OT & J cricket club. Internal rumblings within the team led to some drama and hijinx for a touring English cricket team.
In 1894 an argument between captain Jimmy King and vice-captain Joe Gardner led to a challenge from Gardner that he would pick a team to beat one chosen by King; the game for a champagne dinner to be played on our ground at the rear of Heywood’s Hotel, Caulfield.
Everyone, except King and Gardner, assumed that the players would be chosen from the OT & J members, however both protagonists clandestinely set out to bring together the strongest possible team. They both went to extraordinary lengths to win the challenge match.
The Big Ship c1921.
As it would happen the touring English team of 1894, captained by AE Stoddart, had arrived in Melbourne for a Test match against Australia. Somehow, three of its members – Lockwood, Briggs and Sharpe – were “recruited” to the OT & J intra-club grudge match; as were a couple of Australian players. In fact, “there were only three or four Caulfield men on each side!” Not that it was to matter too much, as Sam revealed when he noted the outcome:
Oddly enough none of the champions did much good. The wicket beat them. We used to play on a matting. [It was] faster than anything the Englishmen had ever experienced. I forgot which side had won. As secretary I had the score book for some time and have often regretted that I did not retain it as a memento.
The champagne dinner went ahead and was followed by a “smoke concert” (smoke concerts were men-only affairs involving a lot of smoking, drinking, live music and talk of the punt, footy, cricket and politics). Most participants left the celebration early, however Lockwood and Briggs stayed on, and when several music-hall artists arrived “the fun became fast and furious”. Such was the revelry, both Lockwood and Briggs missed the last train back to their city hotel. They refused an offer to stay the night at the hotel in Caulfield, and Lockwood and Briggs commenced the seven mile walk into town. A local policeman advised Sam that he had “seen a tall man and a short one making their uncertain way along Balaclava Road towards St Kilda”. It was past one o’clock in the morning and day one of the test match was to commence at 11am.
The intrepid Sam set off after them and eventually found them asleep under a tree in Caulfield Park. He relayed the conclusion of the story his way:
With some difficulty we persuaded them to return to the hotel and did not leave them until we had audible evidence that they were in the land of dreams. At 6:30am we roused the sleepers and gave them a cold shower and a cup of hot coffee. Far better than the hair of the dog that bit you. The morning was hot, and they perspired freely. After another shower and a brisk towelling, they were ready for a good breakfast. After another rest, King took the two to town. He landed them at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in good time and in perfect condition.
It was well he did. The Englishmen lost the toss and our babes in the woods had to open the bowling. Never during the tour did they bowl better. Few among the vast crowd who cheered Lockwood and Briggs for their fine bowling had the slightest inkling of what those players had gone through in the early hours of the morning.
For the record, Lockwood took 1 for 17 and Briggs 2 for 26, to assist in bowling Australia out for 125. Later in the day England were bowled out for 75 with Bill Lockwood (3) and Johnny Briggs (5) contributing 8 runs between them. England turned things around in the second innings (perhaps Lockwood and Briggs had sobered up!) and they went on to win by 94 runs.
Touchstone is available for $50 (including postage within Australia). Contact: [email protected]
Read more from Murray Bird HERE.
Read more from Richard Griffiths HERE.
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Terrific read, Richard and Murray, I don’t think that sort of escapade would happen these days! Then again, perhaps some of the current crop of Poms should take a leaf out of the Lockwood and Briggs ‘training manual’ and give it a go! I don’t think they could do any worse than they are at the moment!
Thanks Col!
Who knows what they will get up to in Noosa this week!!!
When you think about it, that first test when the poms were 1/90 second innings – it was like the shield wall breaking at the battle of Hastings in 1066. In charge, rush of blood, threw the game away.
Cracking yarn.