Clem Hill's Reminiscences

In later years, however, Barnes, the great English bowler, worried him. Over and over again Trumper left the dressing room stating that he would have a go and try to knock Barnes off. He was determined at last to do or die. But instead there was our champion driven further and further back on to his wicket, and made to play a defensive game. I have seen Barnes bowl at Trumper without an outfield. 44 With all his greatness, Trumper was a little superstitious. Bowlers held no terrors for him, fiery or sticky wickets did not unnerve him; but he feared that if he saw some clergymen while he was going in to bat he would not score. Sometimes he did fail to get going after having seen them. On one occasion in England he returned to the dressing room and said, ‘I knew I would not score with all those clergymen about.’ To my surprise, I found on looking up the records that he was a fair bowler. Against Cambridge University he captured 5 for 19, and against Essex 5 for 33. Trumper always wore an old Australian Eleven cap when batting. It was bottle green. He was wearing it when he made 135 not out at Lord’s in 1899, and he continued wearing it until he retired from Test cricket in 1912. It was faded, but he would not give it up for the many new ones he had. There was a row if one of the humorists of the team took his cap and hid it. He could make runs with any old bat. As we were beginning a county contest an amateur batmaker came along with an unwieldy looking piece of willow which must have weighed over 3lb, and asked the champion whether he would try it. Trumper said, ‘Yes, so long as it has a spring in it.’ He made 100. 45 There was nobody in the team quicker at getting dressed. We would come in from the field after the day’s play, sit down, light our pipes, and have a drink. Before most of us were out of our flannels he would have finished his bath, dressed himself, and we would hear him say, ‘See you later,’ and he would be off. During the 1905 tour Victor and I had our wives with us. Mrs Hill could not understand, as she waited for me, how he could be dressed and away so quickly while I took so long. He did not fold his clothes up neatly like most of us did, but heaved them into his cricket bag, and if it did not close he would press the clothes down with his foot until it did. What a mess his clothes were in when he came to unpack. But that did not worry him. I said that when we came into the dressing room we used to have a drink. Fewer of the cricketers in those days drank tea than is the case now. More of them smoked, and they went to bed later. One well known English Test player rarely turned in before 2 a.m. He seldom had breakfast – just a couple of brandy and sodas. The exercise in the field made him perspire, and at the adjournment he was ready for a good lunch. After that he was as fit as anybody on the field. But His Third English Tour 69 44 An obvious testimony to Barnes’ skill and accuracy. 45 Superstitious about some matters and not others.