Clem Hill's Reminiscences

having handled the ball. The rule has now been altered. A batsman can remove a ball which lodges in his clothing or the top of his pad. 32 The three best umpires I played under were Jim Phillips, Bob Crockett and Robert Thoms. Phillips was a Victorian and played for his state in 1886. A medium pace right-arm bowler, he was the first to bowl off theory. He once secured six wickets in Adelaide. He umpired both in Australia and England, and both sides were always satisfied with his decisions. I think he umpired in more Tests than any other person. The only time I recall that the Australians had any feelings against him was in a Test match at Nottingham in 1905. McLeod, who was batting, appealed against the light, but Phillips would not listen to him. McLeod always declared that he could hardly see Phillips at the other end, let alone the ball, the light being so bad. Australia was playing for a draw and lost just on time. Phillips studied metallurgy when he was 45, and sat with young fellows at the examination for his degree. The secret of his and Crockett’s success as umpires was that they gave their decisions promptly, and never discussed the why and the wherefore of a man being given out. They were great judges of cricket, had a complete knowledge of the rules, and were unbiased. I remember an incident in which Phillips was concerned. We were playing Oxford University. A young fellow came up to him at the close of the day’s play and remarked, ‘I say, Phillips, I think you were mistaken, in giving me out.’ Phillips, a big man with red hair and a face as stolid as a sphinx, looked at him disdainfully and replied, ‘That’s all right my boy. You look in tomorrow morning’s papers, and you’ll read whether you were out or not.’ Robert Thoms, an English umpire, had a world-wide reputation and, although his umpiring days were ending when I went to England, I was convinced that he must have been a keen student of the game and a remarkable judge. No one enjoyed good batting, bowling and fielding more than he did, and all through the innings he kept a running fire of comment. 33 At Essex one day Syd Gregory did a smart piece of fielding and made a truly marvellous return. The ball hit the wicket, and the batsman was out by a couple of yards. Thoms said, ‘Cricket such as that is well worth the two shillings alone, and yet those around the ring have to pay only a shilling to watch a whole day’s play.’ Umpire’s joke on players Phillips was a good companion to travel with. He entered into the practical jokes with any amount of zest. On the way to England with the 1899 team, McLeod, Trumble and Johns had an exceptionally big, four-berth cabin – the envy of all of us. After leaving Ismalia 34 Phillips decided that he would upset His Second English Tour 46 32 This incident is listed under Unusual Dismissals in Bill Frindall’s book, Wisden Book of Cricket Records , Fourth Edition, 1998. 33 Thoms umpired nearly 250 first-class matches between 1864 and 1900, and was a regular umpire in matches involving Australian sides. 34 Near the Suez Canal.