LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

67 best thing was to try and make him laugh.’ It doesn’t sound any funnier 80 years later but Swanton went even further to try and excuse the comment by saying that Robbie himself had found the exchange amusing: ‘In later years at least, the culprit did laugh about it, long and often.’ Neither of the two sons of the so-called ‘culprit’ can remember Robbie ever recounting the circumstances with the same good humour that he recalled many other events during his long and varied career. In a letter written on Christmas Eve to Gubby’s father, Robbie seems anxious to reassure a worried parent by saying: ‘We have blended ourselves into a team and Gubby has been magnificent,’ and then later, ‘Gubby is in great form and as fit as a fiddle.’ Little did Robbie know that his friend was about to enter a period where the pressures of leadership would seriously affect his ability to keep his emotions under control. The Third Test started on New Year’s Day in Melbourne with England holding Australia to 181 for six on the first day, although the dismissal of Bradman for only 13 was an embarrassment for Allen, according to Bradman during an interview in Wisden Cricket Monthly in 1983. As Verity ran in to bowl, Robbie suddenly realised that, positioned alongside the square-leg umpire, he was not where Allen had wanted him to be and he swiftly moved ten yards closer to the batsman. Bradman said that he had memorised all the field placings just before Verity began his run and when the ball arrived he turned it off his thigh without attempting to deflect it downwards, because he believed there were no fieldsmen nearby. Robbie took the catch; there is nothing in the Laws of Cricket to say that he shouldn’t, although it had generally been understood that, apart from advancing a few steps towards the batsman as the bowler runs in, fieldsmen should not change their position. At close of play Bradman remonstrated with Robbie over the incident and received such sincere and profound apologies that he invited Robbie to stay for the week-end at his home in Adelaide during the Fourth Test to develop their growing friendship further. (It might be thought that their relationship derived from Bradman’s masonic affiliations; Robbie though was never a freemason. Their friendship seems to have developed through a shared interest in the techniques and technicalities of cricket.) Heavy overnight rain delayed the start of play on the second day until after lunch. The Australian innings lasted little more than another half- hour when Bradman declared at 200 for nine, putting England in to bat at 3 pm on one of Melbourne’s notorious sticky wickets. Cardus wrote: ‘I could scarcely believe my eyesight as I saw the ball’s preposterous behaviour. It described all manner of angles and curves: it was here, there, everywhere, spitting, darting, fizzing.’ When the follow-on had been saved, both Robbie and Wyatt advised declaration with more than an hour of playing time available and an opportunity to take advantage of the horrendous conditions and grab several Australian second-innings wickets, even if Bradman reversed his batting order and sacrificed the tail- enders. When Hammond was out at 69 for four Robbie was on his knees imploring Allen to declare but Allen dithered and lost five more wickets To Australia with Gubby