Clem Hill's Reminiscences

behind the wickets off Richardson, had missed an easy one from Kelly off the same bowler when eight were required to win. In my article yesterday I spoke of the great bowling of Tom Richardson in the first Test. I must refer to him again. His powers of endurance were phenomenal. He bowled 68 overs for 168 runs and seven wickets in our first innings of this Test. In the second innings he sent down 42.3 overs for six wickets and 76 runs, bowling for over four hours unchanged. And he kept his pace and length right through. I can see him standing defiantly after the winning stroke had been made, as much as to say, ‘We’re not beaten yet.’ Our top scorer in this match was Frank Iredale, he having made 108 of the total of 412 in our first knock. From the time we had landed in England Frank had been unable to get going. Trott knew the possibilities in him, and gave him every opportunity, but he never seemed to get into his stride. So he was left out of the first Test. Then Trott conceived the idea that a stimulant might buck Frank up as he went in to bat. But Frank was a teetotaller. That little difficulty was overcome. 12 The experiment was tried in the match against Nottingham on the Old Trent Bridge ground, and it succeeded. We did not know what the stimulant was. Harry Trott kept it a secret, but later we heard what it was – good old brandy and soda. Iredale made 80 odd, and he followed with three centuries, each, we presumed, kicked off by the stimulant. Trott was a great captain, both on the field and off. Clever tactics by Harry Trott Just to show you how clever he was, examine his tactics in the first innings of the Englishmen. Ernie Jones opened the attack at one end, and Trott put himself on at the other. It was most unusual for his type – a slow leg break bowler – to go on with a new ball. Nobody passed a remark, but we all chuckled to ourselves. His head was deeper than ours. Grace was stumped by Kelly off him for two, and Stoddart went in the same way when he had 15 alongside his name. Then without the faintest suggestion of a smile on his face, he threw the ball to Trumble, and quietly remarked, ‘I felt certain I could wheedle those two out; now, you have a go.’ He went back to his usual position at point, in which place he was one of the greatest fieldsmen. He was a fine judge of human nature and always got the best out of his men. Nothing ever upset him. He was an inveterate smoker. We were playing a match at Lord’s. When leaving the dressing room to go into bat, he put his lighted cigar on one side. I had hardly got the pads on ready for any emergency when Trott returned, out first ball. He calmly walked up to his cigar, and all he remarked was, ‘Thank goodness, it hasn’t gone out.’ This was the first Test in which Ranjitsinjhi played, and he made his name memorable ever after by compiling 62 in the first innings and 154 not out in the second. He was a marvel; in fact, it was almost uncanny to watch some of his His First English Tour 23 12 It is difficult to know whether, in today’s climate, Trott would be praised for his ability as a psychological captain, or risk opprobrium for inducing his player to take a performance enhancing drug.