Christmas cricket quiz answers
Robert Henderson
match?
A. Maurice Allom on his Test debut at Christchuch in the 1929/30 series
against New Zealand. At 6'9" Allom is probably the tallest Test
cricketer ever. Will Jefferson of Essex is 6'10" and may well become a
Test cricketer soon. RH
2. On the 1932/3 Bodyline tour, England played four fast bowlers in the
series. Two of them were Larwood and Voce. Who were the other two?
A. Gubby Allen and Bill Bowes. Bowes famously bowled Bradman first ball
in the second Test. RH
3. S F Barnes took 83 wickets against SA. How many Tests did it take
him?
A. Incredibly just seven - three in the triangular tournament of 1912
in England (34 wickets) and four on the 1913/14 series in SA (49 wickets
which remains the series record for all Test cricket. The series was
played on the mat) Barnes should have played in a fifth match but
refused after the MCC would not pay his wife's expenses after she joined
him in SA. RH
4. Bradman made his debut in the 1928/9 series. What happened to him
after his debut match?
A. He was dropped for the only time in his career. RH
5. Which English bowler took 1005 wickets in four consecutive English
seasons?
A. The Surrey fast bowler Tom Richardson - 1894-1897. In his best year
he took 290 wickets. All together an incredible feat by anyone let alone
a fast bowler. Richardson also took 88 wickets in a mere 14 Tests
against Australia. Probably the greatest English fast bowler. RH
6. Who is the only man to have ever taken 200 wickets and scored 2000
runs in an English season?
A. George Hirst in 1906 (2345 runs and 208 wickets). Amazing as the feat
was, it becomes even more incredible when one realises that Hirst was 35
years old and bowled fastish left arm. RH
7. What did the player who performed (6) say when asked if he thought
anyone else would perform the feat?
A. "If they do they'll be bloody tired". RH
8. On what occasion did the editor of Wisden famously say that the
decision of the selectors "touched the confines of lunacy?
A. When England went in the final match of the 1909 Ashes series at the
Oval without a fast bowler. RH
9. Brian Close performed the double at the earliest age (18). Who held
the record before him and how old was he?
A. J N "Jack" Crawford in 1906 when he was 19 years old. he then went
on the 1907/9 tour of Oz and took 30 wickets in the series at the age of
21. RH
10. How old was Garfield Sobers when he made his Test debut?
A. 17. he made his debut against England in 1953/54. RH
11. Who were the three Ws?
A. Worrell, Weekes and Walcott. RH
12. Jack Hobbs had four famous opening partners. Who were they?
A. Tom Hayward, Wilfred Rhodes, Andy Sandham and Herbert Sutcliffe. RH
13. E. Achong has a curious claim to cricketing fame. What is it?
A. He a West Indian of was of Chinese extraction who bowled orthodox
slow left arm most of the time but varied in with wrist spin. His
origins reputedly gave the ball which is the equivalent of the right
arm leg break the name "chinaman". RH
14. Who was the only Test player hanged for murder?
A. Leslie Hylton who bowled fast for the WI in the 1930s. He murdered
his much younge wife after she ran off with someone else. He was hanged
wearing his WI tie and blazer in 1955. RH
15. Who was the cricketer who both captained his country and won a gold
medal at the Olympics by taking the boxing middleweight title?
A. J W H T Douglas, an Edwardian Trevor Bailey whose initials were
taken to mean "Johnny won't hit today". He won his boxing medal in the
1908 Olympics and captained England in the Ashes tours of 1911/12,
and 1920/21 and some matches of the 1921 series. He died heroically in
a ship wreck, drowning as he tried to save his father. RH
16. Which bowler has taken 100 or more Test wickets the most cheaply?
A. George Lohmann who played for Surrey between 1884-1896. A strangely
neglected cricketer who has good claims to be the best fast medium
bowler of the lot. His Test figures are the stuff of fantasy: 112
wickets at 10.75 (yes, 10.75) each. These he took in a mere 18 Tests.
His 13 Tests against Oz yielded 77 wickets at 13. This is by far the
lowest average on either side for a bowler who has taken 50 wickets or
more in the in Ashes Tests. His career average of 13.73 for 1841
wickets is also the best of any bowler whose career commenced after
1880 and who took 1000 wickets. He was also a great slip field and a
punishing lower middle order batsman. A truly great cricketer. When
Surrey had an attack led by Lohmann, Lockwood and Richardson it was
probably the strongest county attack eve, stronger even than the Surrey
side of the fifties. RH
17. Who was known as the "Black Bradman"?
A. The great WI George Headley who riposted by describing Bradman as the
White Headley. RH
18. What fundamental change to the Laws of cricket took place in 1935?
A. The Lbw law was changed fundamentally by allowing balls pitching
outside the off stump to gain LBWs if the batsman was trapped in front.
Previously, to gain an LBW a bowler had to pitch on the stumps. RH
20. Which naturally right arm bowler played cricket bowling left arm?
A. L O'B Flettewood-Smith. At the age of 17 he was playing grade cricket
bowling medium pace right arm. Then, as he was convalescing from an
injury, he began experimenting with left arm wrist spin. By the age of
21 he was playing for Victoria bowling it and by the age of 24 touring
England with the Oz side in 1934. RH
21. What is unusual about Chandreshaker's bowling arm?
A. He had polio as a child and the arm he bowled with was the one
affected by the polio. Withered or not, he obtained very considerable
pace with a windmill action and was probably the only leg break bowler
to match Doug Wright for pace. He was much faster than Kumble. RH
22. Which lob bowler played Test cricket as a frontline bowler?
A. G H Simpson Hayward who played in the 19091910 series in SA. He
didn't bowl lobs but underarm wrist spin which was very effective on the
SA mat. RH
23. William Clarke formed which famous team?
A. The All England Eleven which more than anything else developed
cricket as a national and popular game in the 1840s,50s and 60s. RH
24. Sobers was the first to hit six sixes in an over in FC cricket. Who
was the second?
A. Ravi Shastri. RH
25. What record did RE "Tip" Foster set in 1903/4 series which still
stands?
A. He made 287 in his first Test innings. This remains the highest
score in first Test innings, the highest score in debut Test, the
highest score in a Test in Australia by an English batsman and the
second highest score against Australia by an English batsman after Len
Hutton's 364. Unfortunately he could not play county cricket regularly.
Had he done so he would in all probability be thought of as one of the
great batsmen of cricket history.
C B Fry is normally cited as the great Edwardian all-round sportsman.
Foster had far more natural talent, being not only a first ate batsman
and marvellous field, but also one of the great centre forwards of his
time. He was also nifty at any game involving a racquet, especially
racquets. RH .
26. Who was the last man to win full England caps at both cricket and
football?
A. Arthur Milton who opened the innings for Gloucester and played on the
right wing for Arsenal. RH
27. Trevor Bailey once played in an FA Cup tie against Manchester
United. Who was he playing for?
A. he was playing for the marvellously named Walthamstow Park Avenue, an
amateur side which reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1952/3
(they were the first amateur side to do it since Corinthinans) and
played Man U . They drew 1-1 at Old Trafford and lost 5-2 in the replay
which was held at Highbury.
Bailey like many top class cricketers (Peter May was another top class
amateur footballer) was also a first rate footballer (centre forward).
It is interesting that he was still playing amateur football at the age
of 29 when he was already an established Test player. RH
28. Which England captain was known as "Jacker"?
F S Jackson. Jackson would be in my all time England eleven for he was
the classic natural Test player whose Test record is vastly better than
his career average. RH
29. W G Grace was once asked who the best batsman in England was after
himself. He replied "Give me Arthur". Who was he referring to?
A. Arthur Shrewsbury, the great Notts batsman of the 1880s and 90s. RH
30. A J L Collins set a record for all cricket, FC and non FC, more than
a century ago which still stands. What is it?
He scored 628 in a Clifton College house match in 1895 (the match was
played Australian style over several different days spaced apart.) It is
the highest recorded score in any form of cricket anywhere. Not content
with scoring 628, he opened the bowling in both innings when the other
side went in and took 12 wickets. RH
--
Robert Henderson
phi...@anywhere.demon.co.uk
Blair Scandal web site at http://www.geocities.com/blairscandal/
Personal web site at http://www.anywhere.demon.co.uk