Lives in Cricket No 29 - AN Hornby

59 of his analysis of four for 13 in NSW’s second innings capitulation. But the match will always be remembered for crowd trouble on the second day which soured relations between the visitors and their hosts. At the same time it underlined Hornby’s bravery or foolhardiness, depending on what view one takes of his actions in the wake of the shenanigans. As was customary in those days, Harris’s side was accompanied by its own umpire, a 22-year-old Victorian called George Coulthard, a professional at Melbourne CC. He had been recommended to Harris by the club on the touring party’s arrival in Australia, and had stood without incident in the match between Australia and Harris’s XI that was retrospectively recognised as a Test match. On that second day, which was a Saturday, with more than 10,000 spectators in the ground, the home side collapsed after lunch and was forced to follow on. NSW had moved to 19 without loss in their second innings when, as Wisden put it with masterly understatement, there came ‘The Disturbance’. It all kicked off, if you’ll forgive the use of a footballing phrase, when local hero Billy Murdoch was adjudged run out by Coulthard for ten. The 19-year-old had top-scored in the first innings, carrying his bat for 82, and NSW supporters were pinning their hopes on a similar performance from Murdoch in their second knock. It was, by the very nature of most run-out decisions, a close call, but the majority of players and spectators felt, obviously without the modern-day benefits of slow-motion playbacks, that Coulthard had just about got it right. Coulthard, however, was already under pressure for a ruling on the first day which had been criticised by the Sydney Morning Telegraph . Fanning the already flickering flames was the fact that it was believed that some large bets had been struck by spectators with local bookmakers – and lost – on the Murdoch dismissal. Before Murdoch had even reached the pavilion, a near-riot had broken out among the members. As Harris’s side waited, no batsman emerged to replace Murdoch, and Harris himself had to go to the pavilion to ask Dave Gregory, the NSW captain, what was going on. Gregory refused to send in his next batsman and insisted that the umpire be changed before the match could continue. Harris stood firm and refused. The Voyage of discovery 2