Young Bradman

45 Chapter four: First grade But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home; they must be sought abroad. James Joyce, An Encounter, from Dubliners ‘The strange thing about it, was … they were looking for bowlers, and I was getting quite a few wickets in the country, as well as making a few runs,’ so Bradman recalled in old age, with more un-Australian under-statement, ‘so I was invited to this practice, and when I got there, and apparently I batted fairly well at the nets, they forgot about my bowling, which may be a good thing.’ Bradman’s timing was as ideal off the field as on it. After thrashing England since the 1914-18 war in two series in Australia, and in England in 1921, Australia lost the deciding Fifth Test at The Oval in August 1926. On 12 October the Sydney Morning Herald described the previous day’s ‘splendid muster of specially selected junior players’ as ‘the search to discover talent to regain ‘the Ashes’’: ... and for two hours there was the stirring sound of the bat meeting the ball, and occasionally, only occasionally, unfortunately the merciless rattle of falling ‘timber’ ... the onlookers were impressed with the seriousness of it all. Grey-headed veterans, whose names were household words in the ‘eighties and ‘nineties, conversed with the youngest of the players. The 1926 Australian team in England, left to right, back: JL Ellis, ‘Stork’ Hendry, Jack Gregory, Jack Ryder, Arthur Richardson, SG Everitt, S Smith (manager). Middle row: Arthur Mailey, Clarrie Grimmett, Warren Bardsley (vice-captain), Herbie Collins (captain), Charlie Macartney, Tommy Andrews, Johnny Taylor. Front: Bill Woodfull, Bill Ponsford, Bert Oldfield.