Cricket's Historians

272 A Spate of County Histories score of the not out batsman at the fall of each wicket was another first. By the third edition Miller had added biographies of all current first-class players in Australia and the notes were not the mundane routine stuff – one typical opening description gives a flavour – ‘Like Dad’s old Fordson tractor, Scott Hookey doesn’t usually fire first up, but once he’s started he can go all day.’ A quite remarkable point regarding the third edition is that Miller’s office at home was destroyed by fire which burnt much of the correspondence and data received, but he did not despair – he began again. It was most unfortunate that the Wisden organization decided to launch Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack Australia in 1998, based on the format of the English version. Miller was approached to help, but decided to continue on his own. Miller’s last annual appeared in 2001 – an inspired publication sadly missed. Allan Miller is now in waste management. The Wisden Australia , despite commissioning the big names of the day, edited successively by Gideon Haigh, Warwick Franks, Christian Ryan and Greg Baun, ceased after eight editions, the last being 2005-06. There was also a Pocket Wisden Australia that survived four editions. In 1991 came the first of two volumes which would contain every first- class match score for Australia. First-Class Cricket in Australia Volume 1 1850-51 to 1941-42 was compiled by Ray Webster and edited by Allan Miller. The former is a retired bank official, who was born in April 1941 at East Brunswick and educated at Camberwell High School. Volume 2 appeared in 1997 and completed the scores to 1976-77. The match scores, though not quite as detailed as in Allan’s Annual , are well researched and correct many earlier errors. Most significantly the scores contain a note stating from where the details have been gleaned. Australia also saw the appearance in 1991 of a ‘Waghorn’. Early Cricket in Sydney 1803-1856 was originally compiled by James Scott, who died in 1962. The manuscript ran to 1,000 pages. Richard Cashman and Stephen Gibbs edited this down to 261 pages and the result was the publication of many hitherto ‘forgotten’ references to cricket in the first half of the 19 th century.