Famous Cricketers No 96 - Clarrie Grimmett

98. Australian XI v Western Australia, Perth, March 21, 22, 24 (Australian XI won by an innings and 25 runs) c F.J.Bryant b M.Inverarity 40 324 14.2 1 75 6 F.J.Bryant st C.W.Walker 167 H.K.Lang c P.M.Hornibrook W.J.Horrocks c V.Y.Richardson E.H.Bromley st C.W.Walker W.A.Evans st C.W.Walker H.E.Fidock c C.W.Walker 18.2 4 53 2 R.J.Wilberforce st C.W.Walker 132 1 M.Inverarity c and b SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 50 Ct Sheffield Shield 6 11 1 200 53 20.00 1 4 Other matches 5 6 1 89 40 17.80 - 4 Season 11 17 2 289 53 19.26 1 8 Career 98 138 21 2458 71* 21.00 7 72 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Sheffield Shield 301.7 32 1210 43 7-136 28.13 4 2 Other matches 172 20 733 39 7-173 18.79 5 1 Season (8b) 473.7 52 1943 82 7-136 23.69 9 3 Career (8b) 2295.7 236 } 13433 535 8-57 25.10 46 11 (6b) 1735.4 436 1930 – Australia in England The Australian side in 1930 was essentially a new party, containing only four players who had previously toured England, namely the captain Woodfull, Ponsford, Oldfield and Grimmett. Grimmett at 38, the oldest in the party and with nine caps, more experienced than any other player excepting Woodfull and Oldfield was considered by many to be the only real bowler of consequence. Wall, a’Beckett, Fairfax, Hornibrook, Hurwood, and McCabe were all having to bowl in English conditions for the first time. When the First Test arrived at Trent Bridge after the first twelve matches, the opinion still rested in England’s favour. Australia, it was true, were still undefeated and Bradman had established himself as a batsman of real class, having earlier reached a thousand runs on the final day of May but the bowling was still considered to lack real bite. The exception was Grimmett, who, in ten of the twelve games, had taken 66 wickets at a cost of only 11.18. Beginning with 5-46 at Worcester and 7-46 at Leicestershire in his first two fixtures, he then succeeded all expectations with all ten wickets at a cost of 37 against a full first-class Yorkshire side. This was followed by a further six wickets against Lancashire and 5-48 at Oxford University before destroying Hampshire inside two days with 14-95. It was in fact his first innings analysis of 7-39 on the opening day, which gave Bradman the opportunity to score the required thousand runs by the end of May. The First Test at Trent Bridge, was won by England by 93 runs, in spite of Grimmett’s 5-107 and 5-94, his first haul of ten wickets in a Test match in England. However Australia squared the rubber at Lord’s, Bradman hitting 254 and Grimmett having enough time to bowl England out in the second innings with figures of 6-167. His match total of 272 was the most runs conceded in a Test in England by an Australian bowler. The Third, Bradman making 334 and Grimmett taking 5-135 and the Fourth, ruined by the weather, were both drawn. In the deciding Test, with Bradman scoring 232, the match was won by an innings. Although Hornibrook took most wickets, Grimmett’s match total of 109.2 overs, giving him 656 deliveries, was the highest by a bowler in a Test in England and second only to Giffen’s 708 at Sydney in 1894/95. Without doubt Bradman proved to be the outstanding batsman of the series, but it was both his number of runs and the speed in which he scored them, which allowed Australia the time to bowl England out. Grimmett finished with 29 wickets at 31.89, fourteen more than any other bowler and the most by an Australian in England, beating the 27 by E.A.MacDonald in 1921.In the tour as a whole he headed the Australian averages with 144 at 16.84 apiece, claiming five wickets in an innings on 15 occasions and ten wickets in an innings on five occasions. It was no surprise when he 27