Famouos Cricketers No 92 - Ian Chappell

Ian Michael Chappell Ian Michael Chappell was born on 26th September 1943 at Unley, South Australia, the grandson of Victor Richardson who would have been a recognisable figure to anyone who saw his grandson play. He had the same swagger, the same play-to-kill attitude as the eldest Chappell brother. He also had the looks of a film star, and was popular with the ladies. Ray Robinson wrote that “Richardson walked onto the Adelaide Oval as if he owned the place”. After missing out on selection in the Australian side which went to England and South Africa in 1921 there were no other Tests until the Ashes series of 1924/5, and Richardson went straight into the team for the First Test in Sydney. He scored 138 at Melbourne in his second match, but did not play after the Third. He returned as an unsuccessful opening bat in two matches in 1928/9, but scored 231 for South Australia v MCC. South Australia lobbied hard for him to be appointed Australian captain in 1930. He stood up to the bouncer barrage of Larwood better than most in 1932/33, opening the batting in the last two Tests and scoring 83 in Brisbane. After he retired Richardson became a well-respected commentator on the growing radio cricket commentaries. It did not need a legend of a grandfather to point the Chappell grandchildren towards cricket, however. Martin Chappell, who married one of the Richardson daughters, had a proud career of his own. He only ever got as far as being a member of the State squad who was never called on to make his debut, but Martin made his mark in Grade cricket, and when Glenelg were champions in 1950/51 he was the only cricketer in the competition to pass 500 runs, his 513 giving him an average of 42.75. “He dearly wanted to play first-class cricket but never made it,” Ian recorded in later years. Young Ian began accompanying his father and scoring for the C side, not, as he later admitted, through any interest in scoring but in the hope one of the team would not turn up. When at last that did happen he stayed in for half an hour, only to be mortified when his father accused him of backing away from the fast bowler and sent him off for extra coaching with local youth coach Lyn Fuller. From his home in the Adelaide seaside suburb of Graymore Ian Chappell went to school at Prince Alfred College, a school which had already produced two Australian captains in Joe Darling and Clem Hill. The headmaster in Chappell’s day was John Dunning, the off spinner who played four Tests for New Zealand between 1932 and 1937. Prince Alfred played in grade cricket rather than against other schools. Chappell got his earliest taste of representative cricket when he went to a state competition in Perth as part of the South Australian under 14 side. The resemblance to his grandfather, in style of play, attitude and mannerism, was very noticeable. Martin constantly remarked on it. Vic Richardson himself kept very aloof, leaving the boy to stand on his own feet, but he was often spotted watching from over a fence, or behind a tree, or watching from his car. “Vic only ever gave me a couple of pieces of advice about cricket,” said Ian later. “One was always to dress like a cricketer even if I couldn’t be one, and ‘If you ever get the chance to captain Australia, my advice is don’t captain like a Victorian’.” Ian left school at the age of 17 for a clerical job in a stockbroker’s office, a job he kept until he joined Ramsbottom in the Lancashire League as a professional cricketer in 1963. His chance in the State side came after he scored 60 for Glenelg against Prospect, an undistinguished score until you realise the opposing bowlers included Garry Sobers. That was followed by a century against West Torrens, a score he felt likely to get him a place in the South Australian 2nd XI, but instead he was picked in the State squad to play New South Wales, and acted as 12th man. Sobers had 3