Young Bradman

84 Australia runs in ten innings, beating his 893 of the season before. That included only one century; a first-class world record 452 not out, at the SCG against Queensland in January 1930. Mailey described the innings as ‘spectacular and safe’: ‘I cannot recall any obvious chance given by him.’ Some said Bradman gave a catch on 364. ‘I was 205 not out on the Saturday,’ Bradman recalled in old age: I had the Sunday to rest, and went back on the Monday and I added another 247 runs by tea time on the Monday … when Alan Kippax closed the innings. Now that meant I made 137 runs between lunch and tea. I have always thought if he had allowed the innings to go on and if I had batted again from tea time until stumps, there was just a possibility I might have made 400 in the day. In that case, instead of declaring on 761 for eight, New South Wales would have made more than 900. As Queensland, set a mere 770, were all out for 84, did New South Wales need more runs?! Norman May asked Bradman in 1988: did you consciously go for that record? ‘Not when I started, of course,’ he replied: You don’t go out and start an innings to contemplate a record, because so many things can go wrong. But what happened was, I was in very good form, and I had got to a certain stage around about the 300 mark, I was going so well, that I then began to realise there was a chance that I might be able to make this record and I did say to myself, I will get this if I can. New South Wales in Queensland, November 1929. Left to right, back: Cassie Andrews, Archie Jackson. Middle: Stan McCabe, Harry Dupain, Hal Hooker, Reginald Bettington, Alan Fairfax, Arthur Chipperfield. Front: Alec Marks, Bert Oldfield (captain), AR Rowe (Manager), Arthur Mailey, Don Bradman.