Young Bradman

35 School and district years but the privileged few in the city and the rest. Crown Street Public School in the middle of Sydney, where Victor Trumper and Monty Noble went, in 1899 had a practice wicket made of asphalt, six feet wide and about 30 yards long. High walls at each end and on each side made it ‘like a narrow lane’, so the batsman had to play straight or cut square. A ball bowled into a gutter on the leg side played tricks. At least Australia had pitches. A club cricket conference in London in 1928 heard complaints of how few boys could take part ‘in our great national game’. Among examples, playing fields in Sheffield were two or three miles from the city centre where most lived; Manchester boys had to play ‘on the rough unprepared pitches in the public parks’. In his 1930s autobiographies, Bradman admitted that he had ‘no great opportunity’ for cricket as a boy; and one summer, probably when he was 15, played only lawn tennis, which he was better at. As with so many decisions in anyone’s life, Bradman was pushed and pulled; he might have been not quite old enough to play cricket among adults, and he had other options. In August 1924 for instance he was full back in the Bowral Reds junior grade ‘football’ (that is, rugby) team against Bowral Blues. In September and October 1924 at least he was playing for The Pines tennis club in Bowral against other local clubs. If cricket had mattered to him Punch cartoon of April 1930, titled ‘Repercussions of the Australian visit’. A small, working-class boy says: ‘Ere, we can’t ‘ave kids like you. Go and play with yer own lot.’ A yet smaller boy replies: ‘Lumme, don’t you want no young blood?’