Clem Hill's Reminiscences

And there were giants in those days, just as there are now – W.G.Grace, Ranjitsinhji, Tom Richardson, F.S.Jackson, A.C.MacLaren, T.Hayward, J.T.Hearne, A.E.Stoddart, C.B.Fry, J.T.Tyldesley, W.Rhodes, L.C.Braund, S.F.Barnes, R.E.Foster, P.F.Warner and J.B.Hobbs for England; and Victor Trumper, S.E.Gregory, W.W.Armstrong, C.G.Macartney, W.Bardsley, A.Cotter, M.A.Noble, R.A.Duff, J.Darling, H.Graham, H.Trumble, E.Jones, and Albert and Harry Trott for Australia. What types of men were these – men whose names now live in the history of the game, men who reached the pinnacle of fame and were acclaimed in England and Australia? I will try to bring them back into the arena and to create again the atmosphere in which they scored their greatest triumphs. I shall see again Victor Trumper playing Rhodes and Hirst on a sticky wicket, as if he was batting against a group of schoolboys on one of Charlie Checkett’s good pitches. 2 I shall hear Reg Duff’s hearty laugh and ‘Grummie’ Graham’s facetious remarks, and the serious and stern commands of Alf Noble as he changes my position in the outfield. First encounter with English XI The first of my many encounters with the Englishmen on the cricket field was in 1894. But before I come to them, let me tell you of the good luck that I spoke about in the opening paragraph. It came natural to me as a left-hander to step across my wicket to a ball pitched short on the off side and pull it around to leg. Quite unorthodox at that time, and the sports master at Prince Alfred College, which I attended, threatened to drop me out of the college team if I persisted making that shot. Old George Giffen saved me from that fate. He sent me down a short pitched ball while he was bowling to us for practice on the Adelaide Oval, and forgetting the injunction of the sports master, I hooked it round to leg. Giffen walked up the pitch, and in his quiet, unassuming way, remarked, ‘That was a good shot, my boy.’ Fortunately the sports master heard him. My first slice of luck. There were no more objections to my favourite hook shot. Three years later I made my record score of 360 against St. Peter’s College. I shudder to think of that innings. I was practically bowled in the first over, before scoring, by Joe Edmunds, who works for Elder Smith and Co. 3 The ball just cleared the middle stump. My second piece of luck. What would have been my fate if the ball had been an inch lower will never be known. Perhaps my keenness for cricket would have been lost, and I would have concentrated on football. 4 Previous to this game I had played for South Australia against Western Australia. I was 16 years of age and still at college. Picture me behind the wickets standing back to the deliveries of Ernie Jones. What a terrific bowler he was! Australia could do with a bowler of his speed today. I shall never forget his A Matter of Luck 15 2 Charlie Checkett was the Adelaide Oval curator from 1883 to 1919. 3 Pastoral company which was founded in South Australia. 4 Hill represented the South Adelaide Football Club in senior association Australian Rules football and also made one appearance for South Australia in an intercolonial contest.