The greatest bearded cricketer of all time

Gerry Vaidyasekera

CRICKET: Watching South Africa's agile bearded batsman, Amala, moving about in the deep field, a veteran cricket writer like myself, cannot help but flash back fond memories of the champion cricketer of the Nineteenth Century.

Dr. William Gilbert Grace of Gloucester was he. He dominated England cricket in the Nineteenth Century like a Colossus. He was the sole authority and no one could question his decision.

In the last century, Sir Donald George Bradman of Australia, succeeded him as the sole dictator of world cricket.

He frowned on Clarence Victor Grimmett, Don Tallon the wicket keeper and the young promising Ross Gregory. They were dropped out of the 1938 Australian team to England under his captaincy.

Once in an exhibition match. W.G. was bowled out early in the innings by a local fast bowler. Calmly and cooly, W.G. replaced the bails on the top of the stumps, and with a gruff voice, shouted to the bowler, "The large crowd has come to see me bat and not to see you bowl." The match continued as if nothing had happened.

His records set up over a hundred years ago still stand and will stand for all time. His score of 344 for Gloucester V Kent at Canterbury in 1876, the first triple century recorded in Cricket. He hit 126 hundreds between 1865 and 1906, amassing 54, 896 runs.

In the popular Penguin Books, entitled Eminent Victorians, they offered WG. a Chapter written by that versatile writer, Neville Caedus. He spent an entire night attending to a woman with labour pains, and on the next day scored a double century. Such was his striking physical fitness.

The First Test to be played in England was between the two old rivals, England v Australia at the Oval in 1880. The Three Graces, not Faith, Hope or Charity, but Dr. Edward Mills Grace, Dr. William Gilbert Grace and George Frederick Grace, the three brothers from Gloucester.

The two doctors started England innings with a century stand. W.G. hit the First Century for England on his baptism Test. He hit a glorious 152. Three Lankans, Brendon Kuruppu with 201 not out, Romesh Kaluvitharne with 131 not out and T. Samaraweera with 103 not out performed this feat.

The youngest, Fred, obtained a pair of Test specs, the first recorded in Test history. But he earned undying fame by bringing off a classic catch that cricket writers recall as the Catch of the Century. George John Bonnor, of massive build was the giant of the Australian Team and much feared by the Englishmen.

In this Test, Bonnor lifted the ball so high in the sky that the England team leaving young Fred to attempt the catch. Fred was like Casabianca whence all but he had fled. The batsmen had run two when the ball lodged in the safe hands of Fred to the delight of the large crowd.

Poor Fred died a week later. It was strongly believed that Fred's heart stopped beating as he focussed his eyes on the ball.

W.G. opened batting for England in a Test, and Samuel Peter Jones, the pace bowler opened bowling for Australia. A fast rising ball from Jonah, as Jones was popular, crept through the long flowing beard of the six footer giant.

In anger, W.G. shouted, "Steady, Jonah, Steady". To which Jonah replied, "Sorry, Doctor, it slipped". Sorry Amala, we have no bowlers of the class of Jones to work out a repeat performance.