Famous Cricketers No 54 - Stan McCabe

STAN McCABE Stan McCabe became one of cricket’s immortal names after playing three brilliant Test innings that will forever give him a place in the game’s ‘Hall of Fame’. Anyone who saw them always wrote what a privilege it was. Bill O’Reilly stated they were the three greatest innings he ever saw and he would have seen many of Bradman’s and Ponsford’s. Bradman himself still reckons the 232 at Trent Bridge to be the best innings that he has ever seen. Stanley Joseph McCabe was born on Saturday 16 July 1910 at Grenfell, New South Wales and was the third of four children born to William and Catherine. His early schooling was spent at St Joseph’s College in Sydney where he first took to cricket. He played his first game for the first eleven against Newington in 1924/25 season, but was that eager to get off the mark and was run out for a duck. McCabe made his first century in the following season, scoring 111 not out in 80 minutes with 17 fours against Sydney High School. Further hundreds followed for Forbes Colts, with his highest being 260 out of 505 against Eugowrans in the 1926/27 season. McCabe was spotted by ‘Chappie’ Dwyer, a former state player and selector, who was captain of the Mosman Club (where McCabe continued to play until the war). Dwyer first saw him on a visit to Grenfall in 1926 and was so impressed he encouraged Stan to move to Sydney to improve his cricket further, which he promptly did. McCabe was called up to play for New South Wales Colts against Queensland Colts, making his first appearance on 20 October 1928, when he opened with Wendell Bill and scored 32, but it was not long before his talents were shown off for the full state side, again playing Queensland at Sydney, when he started his first-class career at the age of 18 years and 169 days. Batting at number six, he scored 60 in the first innings in 107 minutes with 7 fours and was promoted to five for the second innings, scoring 34. McCabe was dropped for the next match as players returned from Test duty, but reinstated for the Victoria game because of an injury to Kippax. From then on he was never left out of the team again. His early working life was spent at Mick Simmons Ltd., who specialised in sports goods; he stayed with them until opening his own shop in George Street, Sydney on 1 May 1939. McCabe was to remain here for the rest of his working life. During those early seasons McCabe showed plenty of promise, several times getting into the fifties. It was not until he had been selected for the 1930 tour of England that he scored his first hundred against Tasmania. The 1930 tour was very much a learning experience and his performances were only average; what kept him ahead of the others was his useful bowling. Two series against West Indies and South Africa followed in much a similar vein as 1930 with him still failing to get that elusive century. After this tour the Australians visited France and this is where McCabe got the nickname “Napper” because he wandered off while the tourists visited a French palace. When he appeared through a doorway of Napoleon’s bedroom, a teammate called him “little corporal” as he looked with his thinning hair like Napoleon. From then on the name “Napper” stuck. Kippax in the summer of 1931 led a team to Northern Queensland and in a tour game McCabe hit a rapid 173 at Gympie, which included 18 sixes. Before England were due to tour in 1932, Mailey took a team to Canada and United States of America, where they played 51 matches, McCabe scored 2361 runs, averaging 54.9 and took 189 wickets at 6 each, with a best of 11/33 against XVIII of Western Ontario. His first Test century came in 1932 with his magnificent 187 not out against the full might of the bodyline bowling of Larwood and Voce. McCabe’s best overseas tour was in 1934 where he scored over 2000 runs, with a career high of 240 against Surrey, even outscoring the mighty Bradman. McCabe, who was called the “aristocrat of the side”, often drew most of the notices for his attractive play; critics compared him to Trumper. They tended to class Bradman as the run-machine of the team. The prestigious honour of being named one of Wisden ’s Five Cricketers of the Year followed in 1935. 4