Gubby Under Pressure

but it really is important that Allen’s state of mind is revealed and some idea of his difficulties, real and exaggerated, is understood. All I would say is, those of a nervous disposition should look away now. It was actually two days before arriving in Australia that Allen gave the first indication that he was apprehensive about the size of the task that awaited him: ‘I look like having a hell of a lot to do.’ And before the end of the first week in Perth, during which the team had been overwhelmed by private and official hospitality, including river trips, car rides, horse races, kangaroo shoots, Gilbert and Sullivan opera and Gala nights at the Capitol Cinema, his worst fears had been realised. ‘I don’t look like getting much time to myself on this trip and the number of functions which have been arranged for us, without our consent, in Melbourne is disgraceful. I have written to Brereton and told him that we will go through with them this time, as we don’t want to let anyone down but that we must be consulted regarding everything in the future. It is Cup Week and there are lots of parties I want to go to, but I have only one free evening out of seven and I am booked to make nine speeches, three before lunch time on the first day. No-one can possibly play cricket under such conditions and I am not going to try and play Test matches with that going on. Adelaide and Sydney have arranged very good programmes and I have written and told them howmuch we appreciate their kindness in doing so.’ It certainly looked as though Allen’s chances of spending much of his spare time off the cricket field, enjoying private parties to the same extent as in 1932/33, was going to be drastically cut short. But he wasn’t going to give up easily and, later in the same letter, confirmed his plans after announcing that he was ‘very well and very happy, but almost too much to do. Now I know why all English captains fail at cricket in Australia. I shall go through with it all during state matches but am going to tell them I simply am not in the market for meetings or speeches during Tests.’ Aweek later in his letter of 26 October, Allen was starting to become concerned that the official side of the tour was not only going to cut down the time available for private parties, but would seriously reduce the amount of time he could actually give to cricket itself. ‘I am really far too hard worked with speeches, interviewing the press and looking after things generally to give sufficient time to the cricket, which is a ridiculous situation.’ Later in the same letter, he elaborates on the plan he has devised to help him cope with his duties: ‘I am going to attend to all the speech making and other boring things during our first visits to the various towns, as I am going to insist on being left absolutely free during the Tests. I am sure the reason why every English captain out here has failed since the war is because he has been worked too hard and I am going to refuse not being allowed to have a chance of doing my best.’ Still annoyed at the arrangements made for the team’s arrival in Melbourne, or at least those that affected him personally, Allen then launched into a cynical description of what they entailed. ‘To show you what an absurd programme has been arranged this time, mind you without us ever being consulted, we have on the first day at Melbourne the following: 10.30 Victorian Cricket Association (speech by Allen); 11.30 Mayor (speech by Allen); 1.00 Commercial Travellers’ lunch (speech by Allen); Practice in the afternoon (if Allen still Managing the show 24