Match: South Australia v New South Wales 16-21 December 1927 by Bernard Whimpress

Almanac regular Bernard Whimpress has a new cricket book out, check out information and details for purchase below.

 

 

Match: About a Book

 

The Sheffield Shield game between South Australia and New South Wales at Adelaide Oval from 16 to 21 December 1927 has long interested me.

 

Highly significant for being Don Bradman’s debut in first-class cricket it was a phenomenal contest in which the 19-year-old battled for ascendancy with champion leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett and while Clarrie suffered with figures of 3 for 160 out of NSW’s total of 519 in the first innings he turned the tables on the visitors with 8 for 57 in the second innings.  By scoring handy runs in each innings Clarrie would also have won any man-of-the-match award as SA gained a thrilling victory by one wicket.

 

The Bradman-Grimmett rivalry would continue as opponents and even as team-mates (Test and state) for the rest of the interwar years but there are other individual matches within the game which receive attention: between rival captains Alan Kippax and Vic Richardson, between Bradman and the precociously talented Archie Jackson, and between Bradman and gargantuan run-scorer Bill Ponsford.

 

Don Bradman made 118 as one of three century-makers in the first innings and was second-top scorer with 33 in his second hand so in deciding to publish this story as a collectable limited-edition booklet a couple of Bradman numbers came to mind. I could have taken his score in this game or 117 as representing the number of centuries he attained in his first-class career. I chose the latter.

 

 

Match can be ordered from Roger Page at [email protected] or from Bernard at [email protected]

 

 

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About Bernard Whimpress

Freelance historian (mainly sport) who has just written his 40th book. Will accept writing commissions with reasonable pay. Among his most recent books are George Giffen: A Biography, The Towns: 100 Years of Glory 1919-2018, Joe Darling: Cricketer, Farmer, Politician and Family Man (with Graeme Ryan) and The MCC Official Ashes Treasures (5th edition).

Comments

  1. Good Job Bernard. I notice Arthur Mailey was in the NSW team. It must have been his final season. Was it the year before he conceded 362 runs from his bowling in one innings of a Sheild match @ the ‘G’?

    We hear a lot about O’Reilly & Grimett, but Mailey being a generation earlier would have done very well if not for the dashed inconvenience of a World War.

    Glen!

  2. Bernard Whimpress says

    Thanks Glen
    On Mailey it was The year after his 4 for 362 in Vics 1107. Incidentally i have written abortus this in another recent booklet, Turnarounds, also available grom Roger Page and myself.

  3. Bernard Whimpress says

    Glen
    I meant to add that Mailey’s 99 wickets in 21 Tests was a pretty fair effort.

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