Young Bradman

53 First grade had gone into business, the other option for cricketers. That did not have to be the business of cricket – writing for newspapers and from the 1920s broadcasting, or in a shop selling sports goods – though Bradman took that in the early 1930s, before he moved to Adelaide. As other cricketers have found before and since, a cricketing name could help a man into a firm, that he then worked in like anyone else (and starred for the works cricket team?!). Even if Bradman had fallen short of what he did become, for whatever reason, and played for New South Wales, and Australia a few times, or for a few years, he could use that fame as an estate agent. For who would you rather buy a house from – a name on an advertisement, or a sportsman you have heard of?! Bradman may also have delayed, and hung on Mr Westbrook’s encouragement for some months, because the ‘plunge’ was so daunting – practically, in finding somewhere to live, for instance, and psychologically, as no-one in his life so far could advise from experience. A city can prove too much for some, such as the rugby league player Jamie Lyon who at the age of 22 left the Sydney team Parramatta in 2004, to return to his far-west town of Wee Waa. He did return to the sport, for a distinguished career in England, and Sydney. While 21 st century sport might ask more of a youth than in Bradman’s time, you could also argue that thanks to telephones and television, boys from the bush are already closer the city. Or do those conveniences only add to the pang of being parted? While we demand to know so much more about sportsmen and others in public life than in Bradman’s day, the style and content of that demand – shrill and constant – in fact brings out only the most trivial from a man’s inner life. And from what Bradman told us, his inner life was not empty. In old age Bradman recalled he had ‘no option’ but Sydney. He gave practical reasons: the travel, and practising on concrete pitches in Bowral in the week and playing on turf on Saturdays. He had time for Bowral’s last matches of the season. Bowral including Vic Bradman became district champions by beating Moss Vale in a high-scoring match (371 and 219, to 319 and 102) over six Saturdays, including a break for Easter, by the end of April 1927. Don and Vic played for Bowral on Easter Monday 18 April in an all-day match against a touring Sydney team, the Marrickville Ferndales. On 14 May, Bowral returned to Moss Vale to play for another cup. Moss Vale won the toss and batted, presumably because they only had nine men, and were all out for 73. Don Bradman, opening with Alf Stephens, on five cut one hard to a fielder, ‘and Bowral heaved a sigh of relief when the catch was not accepted’. When Stephens was caught for 30, Vic Bradman hit his first two balls for four and six – did he feel he had to compete with his younger brother?! - and was caught minutes later for 13. Don Bradman was not out 59 of 114 for four at the end of the day. The next Saturday, ‘the few spectators were given a rare treat’, The Scrutineer reported: Getting his eye in quickly, Don commenced to pepper the bowling, and was not long in reaching his century, after which he gave a remarkable exhibition … Never before has the Moss Vale bowling received such an unmerciful flogging; good and bad balls were treated alike, the balls