Clem Hill's Reminiscences

block, looked round to see how the field was placed and set their jaw. You could see from their demeanour that they meant business and were going to be hard to shift. There was one well known English player who simply had to talk to somebody as he went to the wicket. I suppose it gave him confidence. We found out this weakness of his, and instructions were given that nobody was to talk to him until he had been in for a while. He never did much good after that. George Hirst, a Yorkshireman, bowled me in the first innings of a match at Bradford. He also captured my wicket in the second. As I walked past him, I remarked, ‘You’re pretty hard, George, knocking my stumps back a second time.’ ‘Ah, Clem!’ he said, ‘I have got to bowl you many more times yet before I get square with you for what you did to me in Australia.’ I have related these instances here to try to convey the atmosphere in which matches were played in those days. There was a spirit of joviality about them. How different today! And there was not as much money for the players. 22 Five wickets for none on bad wicket Before I ask you to come back with me to Australia for the tour of Stoddart’s team in 1897-98, there are two matches to which I would like to refer, because of the small scores made in them. The first was played against the MCC at Lord’s. It was my first game on that ground. Those who took part in it are not likely to forget it. We made 18. There were six blobs. I walked in, took block, and walked out again, bowled by Pougher’s first ball. The only excuse that we could offer for such a failure was the state of the pitch. It was very bad; in fact, just like a real Australian sticky one. Pougher bagged five wickets for 0, but in the second innings he did not get one, and although he played against us many times afterwards he had very little success. Our team had some consolation a little later by dismissing Gloucestershire for 17. In the three Tests played that season there was only one lbw decision. Today it is nothing unusual to see two or three in an innings. The larger stump may be a factor today in the dismissal of batsmen in this way, but a more important factor is the habit of players of walking in front of the wicket and using their pads as a second line of defence. Pads were used originally as a protection for the legs against injury. On the way home, through America, we met a bowler at Philadelphia named King who sprang a surprise on us. He could swing the ball both ways, and it was the first time we had met anybody who could do that. Dr Hordern, who afterwards played with him in England, regarded him as a very fine bowler. We had a few runs to make to win when I went in. He clean bowled me with a beauty. I did all I could to defend my wicket, but the swerve completely beat me. I told other players about him, but they only laughed at me. They soon His First English Tour 29 22 This comment seems to be that of a nostalgic old-timer. Australian cricketers were poorly recompensed between 1912 and 1977.