LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

133 late in the afternoon of the final day. Robbie went home depressed that, despite all his efforts over the years, nothing had changed. Later that summer the arguments over illegal bowling actions continued and at the ICC annual meeting in July, where Robbie and Ben Barnett again represented Australia, all the members accepted George Mann’s committee definition for one year only, to begin in 1967. Bradman wrote to Robbie: You said you would write me after the ICC meeting but no letter to hand. I’ve seen Ben Barnett’s report so I’ll get in first. Apparently MCC, without answering the penetrating questions from Australia, was just determined to have her own way. The over-extended arm business was not submitted to other countries before the meeting and should never have been raised. Moreover, the wording is an open invitation to anyone who cares to throw, to do so and claim they are merely straightening an ‘O/E’ arm. Apparently Australia is now the only country prepared to take action. I’m fed up. Robbie replied: ‘At the moment, as I see it, there is no solution to this terrible problem, so it’s back to the admin boys who are doing everything in their power, just as Australia has done for the past four years. I attended the ICC in July and hardly said a word.’ Due to the decline in his health, this would be Robbie’s last handwritten letter to his friend. In 1966 Robbie played his last game at Lord’s, appearing for the Cross Arrows against the Middlesex Young Amateurs on the Nursery Ground in September. Richard had returned from Australia: I had the great good fortune to play under his captaincy in that last match. Although clearly unwell [he had virtually lost the use of his left hand — perhaps Parkinson’s] he took the captaincy and put the Middlesex team in first and got me on to bowl early. They couldn’t read me at all and were bundled out for 120. We opened up with two young men who went on to play county cricket, and by mid afternoon were cruising to a ten-wicket victory. To the astonishment of the two young batting pros, at 60 for none there was a loud clapping from the boundary as RWV called them in and declared — in a one innings match! He invited the Young Amateurs to go in again and set a target and during their second innings their opener sent a skier to RWV at deep mid-off which he caught one handed, shielding his weak left hand. The Young Amateurs declared leaving the Cross Arrows to get 120 in 75 minutes and we got them in the last over in front of an excited crowd. When I went over to applaud one of the openers after the game, he said: ‘What a stupid thing to do. We could all have gone home early!’ A typical response from the growing professional voice in the game, but typical of RWV to put pleasure and the public first. But at least some of Robbie’s campaign for brighter cricket to bring in the crowds was paying off at last. Following the popularity of the one-day International Cavaliers matches on Sundays, sponsored by Rothman’s in the summer of 1966, the inauguration was announced of the Cricket World Cup in 1967, a triangular tournament of one-day matches between England, West Indies and the Rest of the World. The development and success of Final Years