Almanac Teams: Debuts at Edgbaston, Headingley, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge (Part 1 – Australia)

 

After the teams I did for each Test ground I will do Australian teams touring

This team is Australians that debuted in England at Edgbaston, Headingly, Old Trafford, and Trent Bridge.

The corresponding English debuts will be next, followed by the two London grounds.

It does not include Australians or South Africans who played against each other in the triangular tournament.

The team is a blend of best players in the XI with some that also had a great debut.

I will give a little description on why I chose that player.

I looked forward to all correspondence.

 

Highlights of the teams are:

 

• Eight Australians debuted and 23 Englishmen did so against Australia at Old Trafford
• 17 Australians debuted at Trent Bridge and 23 Englishmen did the same
• Six Australians debuted at Headingly and 16 Englishmen debuted against Australia there
• Edgbaston played host as six Australians and seven Englishmen debuted
• Two Englishmen scoreed 100 on debut.
• Six Englishmen took five wickets on debut and so did one Australian.

 

 

Australia XI

 

Bill Lawry – (VC)

Victor Trumper
Bill Brown

Lindsay Hassett – (C)

Stan McCabe

Arthur Chipperfield

Alan Davidson

Ron Saggers

Ray Bright

Terry Alderman

Ashton Agar

Twelfth Man – Bill Woodfull

 

 

 

Bill Lawry – Edgbaston, Birmingham 1961

57

67 Tests, 5,234 Runs, Average 47.15, Highest Score 210

Lawry carried his bat twice in an innings. Scoring 49* in the second innings against India in a score of 107 in New Delhi 1969 and 60* in the second innings against England in a score of 116 at Sydney 1971.

 

Victor Trumper – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1899

0 and 11

48 Tests, 3,163 Runs, Average 39.04, Highest Score 214*, 8 Wickets at 39.62, Best Bowling 3/60

Trumper sadly passed away just three years after he retired, from Bright’s Disease. Over 250,000 lined the Sydney streets for his funeral procession. His son Victor Trumper Jnr played seven games for New South Wales in 1940-1941.

 

Bill Brown – Trent Bridge Nottingham 1934

22 and 73

22 Tests, 1,592 Runs, Average 46.82, Highest Score 206*

Brown captained Australia once in New Zealand in 1947. In the 1947-1948 India tour of Australia Brown was run out backing up too far by none other than Vinoo Mankad.

 

Lindsay Hassett – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1938

1 and 2

43 Tests, 3,073 Runs, Average 46.56, Highest Score 198*

Hassett was vice captain on the 1948 Invincibles tour and led Australia after Bradman’s retirement in 1948 until 1953. Hassett captained 24 times for 14 wins and four draws.

 

 

 

 

Stan McCabe – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1930

4 and 49 and 1/23 and 1/42

39 Tests, 2,748 Runs, Average 48.21, Highest Score 232, 36 Wickets at 42.86, Best Bowling 4/13

McCabe has three innings that have being described as the best ever. McCabe made 232 against England at Trent Bridge in 1938 from 277 balls, with the innings described by Don Bradman as the best he has ever seen and one he wished he could have played. In the first Bodyline Test at Sydney 1932 McCabe made 187* from 233 balls, forcing Jardine to take Larwood off as he was hooking him to the boundary. In Johannesburg 1935 he made 189* which included a hundred in a session.

 

Arthur Chipperfield – Trent Bridge Nottingham 1934

99 and 4 and 0/18 and 0/6

14 Tests, 552 Runs, Average 32.47, Highest Score 109, 5 Wickets at 87.40, Best Bowling 3/19

Chipperfield was 99* at lunch on day two; he was dismissed third ball after lunch.

 

Alan Davidson – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1953

4 and 6 and 2/22 and 0/7

44 Tests, 1,328 Runs, Average 24.59, Highest Score 80, 186 Wickets at 20.53, Best Bowling 7/93

Davidson highest score of 80 was in the 1960 tied Test. Davidson had come in at 6/92 chasing 233 and put on 134 with Richie Benaud. The tied Test was Davidson at his peak; he also took 5/135 and 6/87 and made 44 along with his earlier 80.

 

Ron Saggers – Headingly, Leeds 1948

5 and 3 Catches

6 Tests, 30 Runs, Average 10, Highest Score 14, 16 Catches and 8 Stumpings

Saggers was the reserve keeper on 1948 Invincibles tour and managed one Test due to injury to Don Tallon.

 

Ray Bright – Old Trafford, Manchester 1977

12 and 0 and 3/69 and 0/6

25 Tests, 445 Runs, Average 14.35, Highest Score 33, 53 Wickets at 41.13, Best Bowling 7/87

Bright was the twelfth man for the Centenary Test before the 1977 Ashes tour. In the 1986 tied Test Bright took 5/94 in the second innings. Bright also captained Australia to a one day loss in Pakistan in 1986.

 

Terry Alderman – Trent Bridge, Nottingham  1981

12* and 4/68 and 5/62

41 Tests, 203 Runs, Average 6.54, Highest Score 26*, 170 Wickets at 27.15, Best Bowling 6/47

Alderman toured England in 1981 where he took 42 wickets and 1989 (41 wickets). Alderman took five wickets in an innings nine times from 23 innings in England with ten wickets in a match once.

 

Ashton Agar – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 2013

98 and 14 and 0/24 and 2/82

5 Tests, 195 Runs, Average 32.50, Highest Score 98, 9 Wickets at 52, Best Bowling 3/46

Agar has the highest score ever for a Number 11, he came in at 9/117 chasing England’s 215 and put on 163 with Phil Hughes. In the second innings he was promoted to Number 8 where he made 14.

 

Twelfth Man Bill Woodfull – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1926

35 Tests, 2,300 Runs, Average 46, Highest Score 161

In his debut only 17 overs of play were possible with the only score from England: 0/32. Woodfull was Australia’s captain in the 1932-1933 Bodyline series. There is life size statue of Woodfull at Melbourne High School where he taught. He was offered a knighthood but declined it as we did not want to accept one for his cricketing deeds, he would have for being an educationalist.

 

 

Others

 

Henry ‘Tup’ Scott – Old Trafford, Manchester 1884

12

8 Tests, 359 Runs, Average 27.61, Highest Score 102

Scott captained Australia in three Tests in 1886 tour of England.

 

Jim de Courcy – Old Trafford, Manchester 1953

41 and 8

3 Tests, 81 Runs, Average 16.20, Highest Score 41

De Courcy scored four first class centuries on the 1953 Ashes tour.

 

Brian Booth – Old Trafford, Manchester 1961

46 and 9

29 Tests, 1,773 Runs, Average 42.21, Highest Score 169, 3 Wickets at 48.66, Best Bowling 2/33

Booth captained Australia twice during the 1965-1966 Ashes while Bob Simpson was injured. He also represented Australia in hockey at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

 

David Colley – Old Trafford, Manchester 1972

1 and 4 and 3/83 and 1/68

3 Tests, 84 Runs, Average 21, Highest Score 54, 6 Wickets at 52, Best Bowling 3/83

 

Bruce Francis – Old Trafford, Manchester 1972

27 and 6

3 Tests, 52 Runs, Average 10.40, Highest Score 27

Francis helped Kerry Packer organise World Series Cricket and then organised the rebel tours to South Africa in 1985 and 1986.

 

Michael Whitney – Old Trafford, Manchester 1981

0 and 0 and 2/50 and 2/74

12 Tests, 68 Runs, Average 6.18, Highest Score 13, 39 Wickets at 33.97, Best Bowling 7/27

Whitney was playing cricket in Lancashire in 1981 when injuries to Geoff Lawson and Rodney Hogg meant he was drafted into the touring team as a backup fast bowler. Whitney later worked as a referee on tv show ‘Gladiators’ and hosted another award winning show ‘Who Dares Wins’.

 

Brendon Julian – Old Trafford, Manchester 1993

0 and 2/30 and 1/67

7 Tests, 128 Runs, Average 16, Highest Score 56*, 15 Wickets at 39.93, Best Bowling 4/36

Julian was called into the Test squad to open the bowling when Craig McDermott and Damien Fleming were injured in the 1995 ‘Sir Wank Forrell’ trophy (as he later called it when hosting on television).

 

Michael Slater – Old Trafford, Manchester 1993

58 and 27

74 Tests, 5,312 Runs, Average 42.83, Highest Score 219, 1 Wicket at 10, Best Bowling 1/4

Slater was dismissed nine times out of 23 upon reaching 90 in Test cricket.

 

Frank Laver – Trent Bridge 1899

3 and 3

15 Tests, 196 Runs, Average 11.52, Highest Score 45, 37 Wickets at 26.05, Best Bowling 8/31

Laver may have written one of the first cricket diary books, writing ‘An Australian Cricketer on Tour’ based on his tours of 1899 and 1905 tours of England.

 

Tommy Andrews – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1921

6

16 Tests, 592 Runs, Average 26.90, Highest Score 94, 1 Wicket at 116, Best Bowling 1/23

 

Hunter Hendry – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1921

12* and 2/18

11 Tests, 335 Runs, Average 20.93, Highest Score 112, 16 Wickets at 40, Best Bowling 3/36

Until his death in 1988 Hendry was the oldest living Test cricketer at age of 93.

 

Ben Barnett – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1938

22 and 31 and 0 Catches

4 Tests, 195 Runs, Average 27.85, Highest Score 57, 3 Catches and 2 Stumpings

Barnett was a prisoner of war of the Japanese at Changi Gaol for three and half years and captained Australian POW sides playing English sides there. There is a greatly emotional story in Greg Growden’s excellent book ‘Cricketers at War’ on how Barnett met the Japanese senior officer from Changi Gaol after the war and he forgave him for the atrocities he had endured.

 

Jack Hill – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1953

0 and 4 and 3/35 and 1/26

3 Tests, 21 Runs, Average 7, Highest Score 8*, 8 Wickets at 34.12, Best Bowling 3/35

 

Grahame Corling – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1964

3 and 1/38 and 2/54

5 Tests, 5 Runs, Average 1.66, Highest Score 3, 12 Wickets at 37.25, Best Bowling 4/60

Corling got fellow Test debutant Geoff Boycott out for 48 in their first innings.

 

Trevor Chappell – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1981

17 and 20

3 Tests, 79 Runs, Average 15.80, Highest Score 27

Chappell scored 110 against eventual world cup winners India in the 1983 World Cup. Australia won by 162 runs inspired by Chappell and Ken MacLeay taking 6/39.

 

Shaun Tait – Trent Bridge, Nottingham 2005

3* and 4 and 3/97 and 0/24

3 Tests, 20 Runs, Average 6.66, Highest Score 8, 5 Wickets at 60.40, Best Bowling 3/97

Tait was a member of the 2007 World Cup winning team and took the second most wickets with 23 for the tournament.

 

Merv Waite – Headingly, Leeds 1938

3 and 0/31 and 0/9

2 Tests, 11 Runs, Average 3.66, Highest Score 8, 1 Wicket at 190, Best Bowling 1/150

Waite sole wicket was Denis Compton bowled for 1.

 

Bob Cowper – Headingly, Leeds 1964

2

27 Tests, 2,061 Runs, Average 46.84, Highest Score 307, 36 Wickets at 31.63, Best Bowling 4/48

Cowper’s innings of 307 lasted for 727 minutes.

 

John Inverarity – Headingly, Leeds 1968

8 and 34 and 0/3

6 Tests, 174 Runs, Average 17.40, Highest Score 56, 4 Wickets at 23.25, Best Bowling 3/26

Inverarity was selected as vice-captain of the 1971-1972 Australian side to play the World XI. Inverarity was chairman of selectors of Australia from 2011-2014.

 

Simon O’Donnell – Headingly, Leeds 1985

0 and 24 and 1/77 and 3/37

6 Tests, 206 Runs, Average 29.42, Highest Score 48, 6 Wickets at 84, Best Bowling 3/37

O’Donnell was a member of the 1987 World Cup winning team and has hit the biggest six at the MCG at 122 metres.

 

Greg Campbell – Headingly Leeds 1989

1/82 and 0/42

4 Tests, 10 Runs, Average 2.50, Highest Score 6, 13 Wickets at 38.69, Best Bowling 3/79

Campbell is the uncle of Ricky Ponting and is CEO of cricket in Papua New Guinea.

 

Simon Katich – Headingly Leeds 2001

15 and 0*

56 Tests, 4,188 Runs, Average 45.03, Highest Score 157, 21 Wickets at 30.23, Best Bowling 6/65

Katich along with Matthew Hayden holds the record with nine for most consecutive Tests making a 50.

 

Warren Bardsley – Edgbaston, Birmingham 1909

2 and 6

41 Tests, 2,469 Runs, Average 40.47, Highest Score 193*

Bardsley in his fifth Test against England at The Oval in 1909 became the first Test cricketer to score a hundred in each innings – he made 136 and 130. Bardsley at the age of 43 years and 216 days was the oldest ever captain on debut when he filled in for Herbie Collins at Lords in 1926.

 

Bill Whitty – Edgbaston, Birmingham 1909

0* and 9* and 0/43 and 0/18

14 Tests, 161 Runs, Average 13.41, Highest Score 39*, 65 Wickets at 21.12, Best Bowling 6/17

 

Alan Turner – Edgbaston, Birmingham 1975

37

14 Tests, 768 Runs, Average 29.53, Highest Score 136

Turner was involved in a collision with Jeff Thomson in 1976 where Thomson dislocated his shoulder and was ruled out for the summer.

 

Martin Kent – Edgbaston, Birmingham 1981

46 and 10

3 Tests, 171 Runs, Average 28.50, Highest Score 54

Kent also played 10 Tests for the Australia XI during World Series Cricket.

 

Graham Manou – Edgbaston, Birmingham 2009

8 and 13* and 3 Catches

1 Test, 21 Runs, Average 10.50, 3 Catches

Graham’s wife is Australian Olympian Tamsyn Manou (nee Lewis).

 

 

 

 

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