Story Time 175 – The fastest hundred ever made against Jeff Thomson*

It’s Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, disregard all fakes – this involves one of the fastest REAL centuries in first-class cricket. We hunt for a phantom spell via a bowling feat rarer than a double hat-trick, look at some less famed examples to more famed counterparts, and consider the adventures of the Channel Island Over-50s.

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This is the final word Story Time 175 it is coming up to the end of March it’s the last flush of semi pseudo summer in Melbourne it’s whatever it is in London Jeff lemon and Adam Collins with you um some outraged correspondents that we had during the week that when we did

174 uh that number episode of story time we didn’t link it with the 174 that Derek Randle made during the Centenary test Simon Old Trafford was particularly annoyed about that uh I suppose is the only time that we have not taken an opportunity to talk about the Centenary

Test so we we we we stand before you ashamed we missed that opportunity 175 could be the 175 that ranid singi made at the scg or was it the scg then I can’t remember in 1897 and you Adam you’ve been having a fair bit of correspondence from other

People about Jack Hampshire um the umire SL everything Els whose story you told last week yes hello Jeff uh what is it in London it’s very early it’s unusual for it to be 20 6 in the morning with either of us recording but uh such is the requirements this week to get this

Show recordered in time so excuse the Husky voice as we work into this but yes there was a uh a fair bit of followup to Jack Hamp show story I absolutely loved um one piece of follow-up related to the 1989 test series between um India and Pakistan which he umpired in Pakistan

That was on the insistence of Imran Khan so this is in the pre- neutral umpires era um but John holder and Jack Hampshire uh and I’m going to come back come back to the name Jack in a sec was sent out to um Pakistan because Imran um

Realized that for the Integrity of the trip uh with India going over there that neutral umpires were important given the reputation of the bias of Home umpires that’s quite cool that he was ahead of the curve on that um and on and on Jack I should say there was um a little bit

Of followup on this as well he didn’t like being called Jack indeed he did a um he did an interview in the cricket monthly with Scott Oliver which was directed uh my way by Richard Isaac’s fabulous statistician over here in the UK and it’s a really interesting read it

Was just before he died it was in 2016 he passed away in 2017 and it included all this self-deprecating stuff about that 100 at Lords that we referred so remembering that he came in at 4 for 34 in a test match at England needed to win

To stay in the series with the West IND he having racked up the better part of 400 and he you know makes a 100 on test deoo from number six in in those circumstances and he said it was embarrassing he’d never been so embarrassed in his life because

According to him in retrospect it was all edges he didn’t hit a single ball out the middle of the bat so I’m not sure whether that’s a little bit over the top that certainly doesn’t tally with how The Observers of the Innings saw it and were quite generous about his

Strike play but um that that’s um that’s part of that now the um uh the other bit I liked about about Hampshire because we had that whole bit about him having played for Tasmania Smokey Dawson friend of the show saw Smokey at the Tony at Tony Wilson with Tony Wilson at the John

Harms footy Almanac launch today before round one when I was in Melbourne um he was playing John hampsh sure I’ll call him John now on the day that smokey went to his first ever day of first class Cricket at the MCG between Tasmania and Victoria so I like the thr line there

Between um one of our very loyal long-term supporters and and the man we were talking about last week um and yes that um that that story about uh him being a neutral umpire in 1989 was also um relayed by Kamal man who kindly gave me um David Fu’s biography in Melbourne

When I was at the MCG last year and he was at our live show um and yeah it turns out that Imran was calling for neutral umpires for his early from as early as 1986 so I suppose he he paved the way for what we um consider to be

Normal now so a whole bunch of back and forth there from um from a story that we really enjoyed telling on Story Time 174 about a bloke who had a massive life in cricket John Hampshire yeah there was there was so much angst about um home umpires particularly in Pakistan but you

Know you certainly look at the like of likes of Kiger and so on in Australia as well the um the not outers and and all the rest of that kind of thing um but yeah every team that went to Pakistan complained about it and so whe whether

It was justified or not the um the Optics were there to be addressed I suppose early early political um inclinations from Imran Khan and um that links to to sharak Khan who passed away this week who ran the PCB a couple of times from 03 to 06 and from 14 to 17

Osman samien wrote about him during the week saying that that basically the times when the Pakistan cricket board was at its best and when Pakistan cricket was running well was was when he was in charge you know had um professional experience as a diplomat and was able to to make that often

Fractious Cricket environment work as as smoothly as anyone could yeah not an easy gig uh nor has it been an easy gig to play for Kenya uh in recent years and it’s just coincidental that last week we were talking about Colin aoya uh and he retired this week

Since we um recorded 174 at the age of 42 um they lost to Uganda in the third place playoff in the Africa games last Saturday um Andrew Nixon put together a lovely tribute thread to him that kind of nails the longevity of this guy’s career he played boy this is in the

Third T20 ever that was when he was picked up by warshire after the famous 2003 World Cup Campaign which we referred to last week where he took a Fifer against Sri Lanka which helped propel them into the semi-final so from the third T20 where he by the way took 3

For 16 and may 34 not out he probably should have been player of the match um and 21 years on his final match was the 13,492 so a sense of the proliferation in in T20 cricket from the very start to the to what we know today so he played

Against 41 countries so up the ladder down the ladder the snakes and Lads really when you consider where Kenya got to to where they are now um that might be more than naie Jeff I’m not quite sure although I suppose post um is Nai still more I I think now that they every

Country has T20 status right mid 40s I mean I guess it’s easier to rack up heaps of countries now because every T20 counts as an international so it would have been um impossible to have done that before then but still 41’s a huge number Kenya now ranked number 30 in T20

International cricket and they’re ranked number 20 in one day Cricket so you know that again gives a sense of their slide um and he finishes without that Century that we were referring to so the second most runs in international cricket ever without 100 the most being Shan War his

Highest score if you’re wondering was 98 against Australia at the 2011 50 over World Cup so a terrific career K zboa well played yeah um he’s someone who I remember enjoying watching I remember watching that Sri Lanka game live and and being you know enthralled by by the

Upset that it was and Kenya getting into the the semis of That World Cup um we had a note in from Glenn finel as well we were talking about Dan and J Silva and whether his twin tons on captaincy debut was a first sort of rattling things around in our heads trying to

Figure that out um Glenn says he’s pretty sure Greg Chapel did it and yeah I think he’s right um so Dana is would be the second to do it in in his first test as Captain I love the little detail from Glenn he said he was quickly listening to the final word before

Jumping on the tennis court and he just wanted to tell us that I’m 99% sure and he’s right Bruce 1975 which was the the first time that Greg stepped in as Captain for his brother and yeah sure enough player of the match for 123 and

109 not out um on on Deo I’ve been reading quite a bit about Greek Chapel this week and uh that is relevant to an interview that I’m doing for the final word later today which will not be out in the feed before this sometimes we we

Uh we um flag stuff that’s uh going to be in the feed before when we’re recording but um yeah there there’ll be a little bit of Glenn chap Glenn Chapel Greg Chapel Ian Chapel chat on an interview that’s dropping on Monday there could be some Glenn Chapel chat as

Well who knows who knows where where things may go might be are the there will be today I’m going to mention Glen chapel today I assure you okay all right well let’s get into it let’s do story time let’s play a little bit of nerd pledge nerd pledge the game that we play

With nice people on the internet who fund this program and make Story Time happen by sending in contributions they send in uh a number in a currency of their choice and the number of their choice the number relates to Cricket we have to figure out what the number means

This is a double header which means two people have sent the same number they might have different answers they might have the same answers we don’t know slim John sent through $363 in Australian currency um said it was a free hit we could do whatever we wanted with it Daman Sherry sent through

$363 also in doll dues with this clue two centuries in Australian colors but only one recognized but no test centuries now I get the impression from The Correspondents we’ve had Adam that you have an answer that is going to be more than enough for two people yeah we’ve got 20 minutes into

Till our first break and I suspect this will take up all of that J so uh strap in uh and part of this is having a double header I like to give it a little bit more to a double header but this is um yeah we’re going to a really fun

Place here Jeff so get ready for it um to begin Daman sh Sher is not the only member of his family who’s a patron of ours his son Brendan had a pledge with us recently about Adam voger and we just happened to tell the voger story again

On last week’s show so it’s a nice tie back a tie in back through there um yeah all my instincts here on this one by the way Jeff in relation to the clue two centuries in Australian colors but only one recognized was World Series cricket and thus Martin Clark Kent or Superman

As he was you know affectionately known queenslander of the World Series era um who was emerging in the mid1 1970s just a quick diversion on that he played for the international Wanderers in 1976 I think that’s a tour that we’ve never really looked at and it is

Complicated I mean it is it’s the it’s the first of these it’s not the first was looking at it only only last week because I I I wrote a guardian piece about um Mitchell Stark passing Dennis Li and and the sort of brought a significance of that and that it was

Something that you know the 355 wickets kind of seems like not a big deal now where and so I was giving the context of what it actually meant and it me I also spent a fair bit of time looking at Dennis Lily World Series stuff and yeah

So the the the wondrous thing I hadn’t really been across 10 days ago but now I am so interesting timing there from you yeah well like it it’s it’s complex because at the end of the day they go to South Africa during the apartheid uh ban right during the time after the point

Where sports team stopped going there that’s the better way of putting it and I I’ll explain that distinction in a moment so they they play these first class fixtures against this sa effectively the sa test team um it was managed by Richie Beno so it had all this credibility it was captained by

Greg Chapel Ian Chapel’s playing Dennis Lily’s playing Ashley Mallet Alan Turner that Glenn Turner not Alan Turner Turner Glen Turner spoke to us about it during that interview about batting with an during that series only a couple of years after they run in in Christ Church Derek Underwood uh Max Walker it’s a

Really strong International side now we often think about the 80s Rebel tours uh and what we kind of all implicitly or or explicitly think of those um now so these aren’t that though um they’re they it looks bad when you think of when International crickets St being played

In South Africa but the timeline of events so I wanted to just satisfy myself of this 7576 is the last of these two is in June 76 it’s Soto Uprising and that’s seen uh in retrospect as a significant moment in time uh where there was so much Bloodshed and that was

Around the same time as the Montreal games boycotts now um that was I didn’t realize why I mean I’m surprised I didn’t know this why there was such a brewhaha at Montreal with the 25 African nations boycotting they boycotted because New Zealand retained relations with South Africa it was a protest about

New Zealand of all of all things so um cuz New Zealand was still willing to play sport against South Africa when everyone else had pulled out so that’s when the moratorium about sporting teams kicks in in later 1976 when there this agreement that they won’t send anyone

There in any sport so this International Wanderers tour whilst looking a bit sniffy when you when you don’t kind of look into it there was in context because it was before they’ completely stopped playing altogether um even if it had been a few years since the last time

An international team had been there for test Cricket so that’s a that’s a tour that that Kent goes on and had a terrific tour uh made a century couple of half centuries averaged 56 Ian Chapel loved him and made sure that when World Series Cricket came along um that Kent

Was uh getting a game when he was before he’d been an Australian player properly there wasn’t many of them um but um yeah Martin Kent was given a chance to play for World Series Cricket Australia um before he’ played for proper baggy green Australia or baggy gold Australia or

Whatever you want to call it um and he and he took part against the world 11 where he made a century so this is where I thought I’d nail this straight away I’m like oh you beauty you know one of them one of his hundreds for Australia

Doesn’t count well he’s got one for World Series Cricket of course we know the stats for World Series Cricket don’t count this will surely be where we’re going um but it didn’t quite work it was it wasn’t actually for the Australian team it was for the international

Cavaliers um but it did get him back in the Australian World Series cup side though and and um he did end up getting a World Series 100 um in the West Indies in that final chapter of WSC before everyone came back together again he got full honors for Australia in 81 uh at

Home in one day in England in test Cricket on the basis of the clue I still liked where I was at I’m might no you know yeah no centuries but what about if one of the hundreds was for a Australians in a tour game in 1981 but I

Went through all the cards and sadly he didn’t make a century there either so he’s only 100 for Australia was the one in the world series cup nothing in one day and nothing in in test cricket and nothing in the tour games so I was able

To rule him out after an exhaustive look at his career um Daman tells me that he has actually had beers with um with Martin Kent before up in Queensland and he’s a terrific fell uh and you know wishes that he had have been um telling

Me about him and this this to have been the clue but um he also said that I’m broadly on the right track with how I’m interpreting the clues so um next let’s go to someone who’s made a one day ton but not made a test ton and this is

Quite interesting and if you’re like almost slightly sad subsection uh in a way so I have it as a group that includes Trevor Chapel who of course made that 100 against India at the 83 World Cup but never made one in test Cricket Ben mcder Peter Forest James

Faulkner Tim Payne Marcus stonis just that one that you were at Jeff commentating in Auckland in in 200 16 he never made another one stonis and I don’t suppose he will now that he’s been dropped off the national contract list Stuart law who made a half century in

His only test Innings David hussy Cameron white George Bailey who made three one day hundreds remarkably the same as Alan border and an Aaron Finch who who is the exception there with 17 one day hundreds one of the greatest white ball players Australia’s ever but didn’t record 100 in his handful of test

Matches in in 2018 it’s kind of like that I thought about it as like it’s akin to the list of opposition leaders who don’t become the Prime Minister it’s about the same number of people by the way Jeff like there’s about 12 or 15 from memory opposition leaders who never

Got a chance to serve as as PM the most recent of those being bill shorton um and maybe that’s being harsh you know of course it’s not their fault the players that they didn’t have a career that played out that they would make hundreds

In in test Cricket as well but I I did think that was an interesting list to when you consider they played the World Cup before they started um their their first class schedule and and their five test matches as well four test matches to to finish the tour yeah I mean it’s I

Suppose matches up with some of the ones that we’ve had more recently you know 2019 Australia going over there and playing a World Cup and then getting into the ashes and you know basically the the next time there’s a World Cup in England it’ll probably be similar given

The the schedule that we’re on now with that quadrennial cycle you know that’s that’s the way it comes around World 50 over World Cups are going to be in England ashers years and and also in Australia away TOS to India years as as far as things are going at the moment I

Suppose that’s if they keep them four years apart maybe they’ll just start playing them every 3 years instead and and just just just ramp things up a bit more but um yeah was was an ER of those sort of nicknames right swampy and Stumpy and all the rest yes yeah yeah

And and you’re right makes those every fourth year Mega years kind of like 75 was 75 was such a gig antic here and um that book that Christian Ryan wrote um feeling is what happens in quarter of a second I think I’m getting it right here about Patrick gar and all the photos

That he took through 1975 does a good job of of documenting great job of documenting that um hell to Christian if you’re listening we love you um now back to lead he he he started um very well on this trip um he he made a whole bunch of

Runs and then and then he got a century in a tour game for the Australians against Essex and um look uh we’re going to leave here for a while Jee we’re going to go back to August 1975 at Chelmsford this tour game begins with Leed making 127 his first uh Century uh

In any Australian Stripes out of 365 for6 declared standard day in a tour game right Jeff we’ve seen them you know Australia Rock up they bat all day they declare they have their fun they get their they get their practice and in a three-day game you’ve got a bat quickly

And and so they do Ross Edwards also got a century everyone’s happy right this game’s being played um just before the the the uh I think the final test match the 23rd to the 26th of August that jumps out for a reason um and it turns

Into an absolute cker from here S6 reply with 338 to8 declared Keith Boyce the West Indies overseas top scores with 79 then Australia Second Time Around make 325 for four declared Alan Turner who led was competing with for the opening spot made 118 and lead made 72 more so

127 and 72 for our subjects they put on 185 for the first Wicket in the second dig after 103 uh for the first dig so a very run heavy first couple of days at the office uh and Essex set 353 to win on the final day the Monday

Um now this was the era of the um the era where the Sunday was the rest day in Red Bull CR because they had a a Sunday League game to get to um and this is relevant um because Essex had Hampshire and hampsher meant Andy Roberts so in

The Sunday game um the Essex Captain Keith Fletcher is sorted out with a bumper by Andy Roberts he smashes his shoulder to the point where he couldn’t take place in the game on Monday and that’s uh and and the Essex armband the captaincy moves from Keith Fletcher to a

Chat called Robin Hobs uh and here is where I found a much much better story DC play the music so Jeff Robin Hobbs Dusty old bastard enough sufficiently to to uh given we’ got a double headed here off the top uh this is the diversion uh that

We’re we’re going to take enjoyed a brief England career between 1967 and 1971 with leg breaks which was very rare for England back then he was the the last leg spe to turn out for England until Ian Solsbury 20 years later so a rarity only took 12 wickets at 40 but to

Even get in the England team as a Ley back then was was noteworthy uh and by now um he’s an Essex veteran had his benefit year in 1974 and he’s the captain against Australia so um by the way Australia in this tour game is being led by Richard

Robinson who’s a Dusty old bastard of his own right but um you know the chapel had elected to skip this one Lily was skipping it as as well now back to Hobbs he copped it in Australia second Innings he ran into douge Walters who smashed

Him all over the place none for 73 from 11 and whilst Australia didn’t have Lily playing they they did have Thompson it was never quicker uh and although he’d only taken one Wicket in the first dig um you know remembering that bat was dominating bow in this game it was

Thompson and Max Walker who were getting busy in Australia’s charge for victory remembering Essex required 353 to win they won 109 for 5 and that becomes 109 for7 because fletch’s shoulders stuffed and can’t take the field and Brian Ed medes is absent ill so Hobbs walks in as

Captain at number nine or as acting Captain number nine so The Story Goes he puts out his cigarette picks up his gry nickels and walks through the gate out to the middle now I should say the added detail I’m about to give here is supplied by uh araba Su upta who wrote a

P s on Crick Mash about um about Hobs and um and this is um how I’m able to tell you a little bit more than I ordinarily would on a scorecard um there’s someone in the crowd I think it might be a former England rugby player I couldn’t quite square square this off

But had said to his son um comparisons to sir Jack end with the name as Hobbs walked through the gate with Essex in a terrible state by this point the fast Bowlers have finished I mean they’ basically put their feet up uh they’re standing at fine leg and third man whatever it is

And they’re like this will be over soon they’ve thrown the ball to Ashley Mallet and Jim higs who famously didn’t make a run on his whole whole tour but did bow League breaks as well Hobbs average with the bat that year Jeff was nine uh his average for England uh when

He played his test matches was five and in the sorry his average was six and he made five in the first dig so let’s measure expectations why do I get the sense that he’s going to make here why do why do I get feeling that there are some runs in the

Future you better believe it it’s a bank holiday Monday last Sunday in August a bank holiday over here sure so his view was Hobs this is is that the crowd deserve some fun he didn’t want them to just meekly surrender to the Australians and he walks out there and immediately

Hits Ashley Mallet for six then he hits four falls off mallets next over and before you know it he’s got a 30 ball 50 that’s a lovely thing right a 30 ball 50 for the acting Captain the veteran he’s nearing 40 at this stage the leg spinner

You know who’s who’s a is’s a bit of a personality a bit of a cad the crowd are getting by definition their money’s worth on the basis of this and that’s his next two Coley made a 30 ball 50 for Royal Challengers the other day and and

That was considered to be pretty good so yeah you know in a multi-day Red Bull game in the 70s too right too right and I and I guess he the idea that he’s done the right thing by the crowd next two balls after reaching 50 smashes Mallet

Over long on for six 66 kept happening 27 off that Mallet over one ball got lost in the river can uh which Jeff as we know that the river you kind of um go over the yes we can when you when you that kind of complicated entry to to to

Chelsford there hits jimy higs back over his head into a window in the flat behind the ground um hits a catch to the grand stand where John lever who’s next in takes a catch 10 rows back um an elderly spectator was so excited by this hitting that he had to be taken to

Hospital on 96 he cares higs away for four he’s recorded his Century in 45 balls in 44 minutes the second 50 was in 12 minutes 12 minutes for second 50 15 deliveries it runs 6614 66. 6121 . 614 to advance from 50 to 100 in 12 minutes and 15 deliveries

Rob Marsh looks up who’s got the gloves and says okay mate we’ve had [ __ ] enough of you you’ve had your fun now get out otherwise I’m going to bring Tomo on and next ball with that threat of Thompson returning he hits a catch to long on off Jim higs and that’s it he’s

Done one ball after the century he’s had his fun uh he doesn’t want to face Jeff Thompson he says here I can say that I played against Australia when he was playing but I wasn’t going to face Mr Thompson s that so Hobs has finished

With um he’s he’s hit um 7 sixes 124s 46 minutes for the innings in totality including the ball where he’s dismissed strike rate of 27 the game’s over moments later Australia win by 98 runs Hobbs has given the Walter Lawrence Trophy and 250 quid for making the

Quickest ton of the year but mhm not just the quickest of the year I wanted to go through this and my suspicion was correct the quickest 100 Ever In First Class Cricket is technically by Glenn chapel and I say technically I’m not sure whether we should count it it was

In 1993 against GL Morgan a 27 baller and you’ll know why Jeff it was love bowling though it was Declaration batting decow and Chapel Advanced to declaration bowling sorry and and the whole construct for those who aren’t familiar in in three and four day Cricket very very occasionally still see

It it was that was present in the final round of county cricket in 2016 when both teams desperately need a result one way or the other when the draw isn’t going to work they it’s in the interest of getting the third Innings finished as quickly as possible so the fourth

Innings can start and thus you might have a scenario where what we called lobs were bold um to try and make sure the scorecard was added to as quickly as possible and get to the fourth Innings that was the case for Chapel who’s in first spot Mark patini another County

Veteran who made a 27 ball 100 for Essex in 2006 Murray Goodwins 32 baller same circumstances for Sussex against middle sex also in 2006 Tom Moody 36 baller um which I didn’t know about I must admit that was for warshire against Glam Morgan in 1990 in the middle of all of

That a 34 bowler a real 100 David Hooks um at Adelaide AAL against Victoria in 8283 the most famous Shield Innings I mean certainly of that era we went through it in some detail only a few weeks ago and second on the the list of credible hundreds is Robin

Hobs the quickest 100 In First Class history after David Hooks comes from a bloke who was averaging nine some old leg spinner who walked out there to give the crowd a bit of fun and he recorded the second quickest 100 In First Class history talk about the sample size here

You averaged nine and did this I we’re not talking about David Hooks here we’re not talking about those guys I mentioned before though Mari Goodwin’s got a first class triple uh you know all those guys have got accomplished batting careers apart from this odity this guy who was a

Bowler who who was coming in at number nine with his team staffed and it turned out that this as well ended up being his final game at chelsford it was his farewell to the ground people didn’t know but he was finishing up at the end

Of that season um so after 14 years as an Essex player um he retired at the end of uh the season and went back to Miner counties with suffk he actually came back out of retirement in 1979 to Captain Glamorgan for and he stayed there for a few years and and ultimately

Finished as a pro well into his 40s in in 1982 um took uh 1,099 first class wickets all up he’s the last leggy to to reach that milestone in England at an average of 27 and only 2.8 runs in over so a proper career a proper bowler but

Also a proper character smoked malor Reds with Princess Margaret um once on a tour with England stayed out till 4:00 a.m. then burst into Jeff boycotts room hammered the day before a test match had a fascinating life as an England tourist played a match that was pulled off in

Pakistan but the match had already started um and I mean all of uh the prep for this answer Jeff I’m thinking wouldn’t it be just terrific for us to get Robin Hobs on he seems like our kind of guy um but I’m desperately sorry to report that he passed away last week um

Complications from surgery from B cancer he passed away at age 81 so in a way um I guess our timing is perfect it’s a tribute to a man who made only two tons in that long career but the second being the second fastest ever um Robin Hobs uh

What a lad uh those 45 minutes that that will will stay in in the game forever rest in peace um as for Bruce Le just to quickly finish off you know that thing sorry Jeff the thing we talk about about having that day that one day in your

Career where where everything works I suppose if he’d um if he’d made another 70 and got them over the line for the win that might have been even better but um yeah just to to have the day where it all came off yeah just to finish off

Jeff quickly on on Bruce LED um who you know Daman was asking me to write about but I’m I’m sure he’ll accept that answer as as a as a nice diversion um he he um did get his chance for Australia like Kent in in World Series Cricket

Couple of Super Test hundreds one at footy Park which must have been some knock when you consider how bad those pitchers were on the um on the on the on the footy grounds where they had the drop in pitches against you know the superb West Indies attack um also got

Won against the world 11 in Sydney um and um back to official Cricket he got his Australian caps but lasted longer than Kent he had a terrific start he um made his test Deo in 7980 against the wy’s at the Gaba No Easy Task and made

92 and 75 on test too so he’s eight runs away from you know being on another very significant list I mean I said before he’s on that list of 12 players who didn’t get a test time but did get a one-day time which will come to in a sec

But he could easily eight runs further have been um on the uh the list of men who’ve made 100 on Testo which stands at 20 for Australia at least um and I suppose that experience from Super test would have been helpful playing against the Windy’s Ghana nicked him off in in

Both Innings as I say 95 and and 92 and 75 unfortunately never got any more than that in test Cricket 92 stayed at his test highest but he was super consistent for Australia in 7980 which earned him a trip to England in 1980 a second trip

There having been there in 75 five he played the Centenary test at Lords um and um you know he was very good at kind of getting the ball um getting the Shine off the ball that kind of era of opener and that’s reflected in quite a high

Average he averaged 35 without 100 which when you sort of move the um puzzle pieces around it’s quite quite difficult to average that high without sentes made 1150s in his 21 test matches did get a terrific uh’s use that adjective for a third time uh centy in a one- day Chase

Where they hold down 237 and against the WS again in November 81 and and Lead batt the whole way through that was the 100 that that’s being referred to in the clue 117 not out where they beat the Windy’s in a one day unlucky not to to

Play more one day Cricket his last game was a 91 not out in Pakistan but had a great end to his shield career once he finished as an international played in back-to-back Shield finals and including the first in 8283 they won both of them and in 8384 his final first class game

Um he made 63 and 54 shame put him in his backyard Australian 11 pure gut sled was a hero because of his No Nonsense technique and great courage um I think it’s fair that that Shane War gets the the final word on a very long answer oh

And all that why the number um 363 it’s the test cap 306 the one day cap 57 for Bruce Leed and that has all been for Damen Sherry and slim Johns to start uh Story Time 175 beautiful the Bruce lead story thank you for the double header jents up the

Top uh if you want to send in a nerd pledge you go to patron.com thefinal word um you may be part of a double header you may be part of a triple header we’ve even had quadruple headers or you might be all on your own as our next Pledger will be after the

Break it’s a final word it’s Story Time and our next nerd pledge comes in from a regular Pledger Alex Brown it is $4 even it’s in New Zealand Dollars which is no surprise given the uh Fern tattoo that I assume goes all the way from shoulder to Elbow

Underneath Alex’s business shirt Adam it comes with a clue it does just updated my pledge to four it would let me pick it sorry it would if it would let me pick 04 I would have instead so you’re looking for a 004 Jeff yeah so initially I thought dotball doball boundary dot

Ball and I was thinking end of an Innings like end of a Chase where someone’s hit a four from the penal at ball and they need X number of runs from the last ball and they don’t get them you know some some sort of defending the

Total story so I I essayed this thought to Alex and Alex said no no think think bowling figures now this is interesting not not for not because you could do this two ways right because we as you’ll know from commentary you always flip the bowling analysis so like a scorecard

Will read EG Jason Gillespie 10 overs two maidens 17 runs five wickets but if somebody talks about the bowlers that analysis they’ll say uh they took five for 17 five wickets so the wickets come first even though the runs come first on the scorecard and even when we read it

Out so you do the RP at the end of the Innings or whatever on air you go uh 10 10 overs two maidens 5 for 17 even though it’s 17 for five on the scorecard it’s a weird Quirk about the way that that everybody interprets the

Information so it could be a couple of different things I think that’s because like you would never you would never use like you would never say 17 for I I that’s one of those things it’s like when I hear someone say I don’t know Victoria AV vering South Australia Today

Was cringe it’s like fingers down the chalkboard for me similarly when I hear someone say oh and they’ve got the figures of 17 for5 I have that same reaction uh so that must just be the convention well not I mean it obviously is the convention that you would read it

Correctly even though when you’re writing it out in long form you’d put 1025 102 175 in the scenario you spell out yeah it’s it’s a quirk though right cuz you fall of wicket as the Wicket first um and and you speak about a bowa’s abbreviated figures of just

Wickets and runs it’s wickets and runs but when when the full analysis is written out its runs and then wickets because that’s what the scorer records I guess is the more important part is is the runs that are scored so you could read this so 0 040 could be zero overs

Zero maidens four runs conceded zero wickets taken um which would be possible if you if you bowled less than a full over and got hit for four um or you do it the way that you would do it speaking which would be zero overs zero maidens four wickets zero runs conceded right so

Basically I thought okay think double hat-trick think four wickets in four balls within an over that’s not completed this this is the kind of thing that could happen right um double hattricks by the way four and four surprisingly High number of incidences In First Class Cricket 47 times I

Thought it would be lower than that but um it’s happened quite a bit the real Quirk of this is that almost none of these result in a bowler having Innings figures of four wickets for no runs so only once out of those 47 times does it

End in in an Innings analysis um in a final analysis of four for none after taking a double hattick all of the other you know 46 of the 47 concede runs at some point while also um taking four and four balls at one point so ending up

With figures of four for none is a lot rarer it’s only happened 12 times in all first class Cricket um 1844 is the first time sir Frederick Hutcherson hervy Bathurst did it um for an England team playing against Kent in 1844 you get a couple more in the 1800s you get one

Before World War II you get Lala amanath in a 1950s rangi game a couple of good Sri Lanka ones that you’ll enjoy Adam panadura sports club one of the ones that you keep an eye on versus the Sri Lankan Air Force Sports Club panadura is where we had our our 50-year old player

Earlier this year or would have been sorry late last year wasn’t it the in the in the first time we had a 50-year-old guy running around for 20 odd years and it was for panadura uh and then the Sri Lanka board under 23s 11 versus the Sri Lanka

Schools team The Grudge Match um for what was then the board of cricket control Sri Lanka invitation quadrangular tournament um there was one for Barbados a four for none but the three in the last 10 years in India Adam that deser a mention I think Akash band leg

Spinner playing for hydrabad against the Himel Pradesh team they’re the team from the Himalayas area from daram Sha um where you know people would have seen a lot of darham Sher recently through the World Cup and the England India Series so Aros bandary finishes off the first

Innings of the match with four for none to bowl out Himel Pradesh for 36 36 runs all out and then hydrabad his team they’re all out for 126 so the third Innings begins after 18 one overs of the match but doesn’t start till day three because they’ve had lots of bad weather

The third Innings the team that was all out for 36 first up makes over 300 second time around so Hydra chasing 212 they’re 12 runs away from a win on the last day and then bad light intervenes and the whole thing’s called off um and

This is after a couple of guys took more than 100 Balls to make 60 so they didn’t exactly have the foot to the floor at the end a nice little tribute uh there from the Indian national T to B out for 36 Adel in in in 2020 I think just a

Little nod there to that first class fixture him himal PES um they they did it first we’ve got we’ve got one from our friend AA Patel whose work we’ve enjoyed did it for India a versus South Africa a took four for none in what must be the most diverse 4 for none um

Basically everyone else is wrapping up the tail AAR Patel includes the opening bat so this is you’ll enjoy this he’s bowling first change in the in the fourth Innings of the match um but he comes on to bowl the fourth over of the Innings so there’s already a bowling

Change after three overs um he bowls six overs in total in the Innings this includes bowling RZA Hendricks in the fourth over bowling tber bavuma in the 16th over and getting a catch from danne Villas in the 24th over and danne Pete in the 28th over so somehow across this

Innings his six overs spread out between the fourth and the 28th conceding no runs and taking four wickets along the way it’s quite an achievement yeah Golden Arm stuff I wonder why he was taken off at the end of his first spell that seems odd given he’s on fire but

Anyway there you go um and he’s not quite the only bowler to to remove an opener in his four for none this is Himel Pradesh at it again in a low-scoring game 103 plays 163 and then Himel prades on top they bowl out carola

For 83 so the chase is only 24 to win Himel prodes they run it down unless than five overs but along the way they lose four for none to a left arm Orthodox spinner named karamel monish so at the stage where they lose four wickets for five runs and they still

Have seven to get they might have been thinking they might actually lose this game chasing 24 anyway these are all four for nuns that have taken between uh two and seven overs of bowling that that that involve that many overs so I needed one that was completed within a single

Over and I did say there was a double hatrick that was also a 4 for9 analysis this is South Africa 1927 the curry cup Elbert Borland comes on to bow for Nal against gri land West who are six for 120 he bowls a DOT ball four balls later

They’re all out for 120 he’s taken four for none in five balls 0.5 overs zero maidens four for none if you do it in the way that we were talking about earlier Nal win by an inning second time around he bowls 24 overs and takes one for 54 so Cricket doesn’t always work

Out for you so like yes I found one that matches the analysis but the problem here is that Alex Brown always pledges about New Zealand players so I know that he knows that you know that none of these players are from New Zealand and he sent me another little clue where he

Said it involves uh one of the great middle names in test Cricket so I thought okay middle name it’s got to be Christopher zinzan Harris surely you know but every everybody everybody knows and enjoys the name of Chris Harris yes yes yes I’m I’m glad we’re going to talk about Harry he’ll enjoy

This anyway please continue so you know his his dad was Park Gerald zinzan Harris um and and both of his dad’s Sons so Chris and his brother were had inherited the middle name of zinzan um and he did take four wickets very cheaply against Scotland in the 99 World

Cup he takes four for seven does Harris but not four for none and I I tried everything I could to make this workout and I was going through the ball by ball Recaps which are an absolute Mess by the way like Crick info was doing it back

Then but um but there are a bunch of errors that have been introduced into the the the the ball by ball stuff and I was trying to reconstruct it um couldn’t quite do it it it so nearly worked because before he takes his first Wicket Chris Harris that day in his first over

He bowls five wides so at one point after about four balls he his his analysis read zero overs zero maidens five runs zero wickets and then he goes on to take 4 for two so I’m looking for four and I’ve Got 5 before he goes on to take four

For almost but but it didn’t work Adam didn’t work so so I thought okay what if I’m wrong about the wickets what if I should read it the way the scorecard dictates what if it is zero over zero maidens four runs zero wickets um that analysis has been bow once like exactly

As is not 0 point something overs zero overs that has been Bow by must be must be like a nobble I was going to say a no ball that has um some relevance or it can’t be a wide cuz you could get four wides you can get a yeah anyway you saw

Me you can get a wide that deflects off the keeper um for three more runs and you could run four so that would be possible and that would be zero zero deliveries bold recorded you know no no legal delivery bold or it could be a no

Ball that also gets hit for three um or whatever it is or it could be I suppose it could be a series you could Bowl four wides in a row four single wides down the legs side whatever it might be David go when they’re about to lose the test

To New Zealand in 1986 with New Zealand chasing a small Target Jeremy Cony and Martin Crow at the crease um GA comes on and throws one which gets hit for four and and gets called as a no ball and and it’s confusing because um that in that era no balls didn’t concede an

Extra if you scored runs off the delivery so if you didn’t score off it you got one in the extras column but if you did hit it then you couldn’t be out of the ball but it you just got the runs that you that you got for it so there so

I was looking at this scorecard and there are no extras recorded in the Innings at all um not one and yet GA has got zero overs four runs zero wickets so it it didn’t make sense but it now does make sense given the the rule change

Since then yeah it is it is a quirk isn’t it we’ve spoke about it in the context of Bob Willis before and the no balls not counting against him but how how no balls have been interpreted by scorers over time um and it sounds to me

Like David G needs to get his action checked at the University of Western Australia um if he’s walked in and chucked one he should buy one of our t-shirts we should give him one of our new final word t-shirts which I for forgot to plug earlier um un get your

Action tested at the University of Western Australia I have have you um Link in the show notes uh where they’ve been doing a rip roaring trade over the first couple of days so um get the hottest item in town and by town I mean wherever it is that you live um it’ll

It’ll surely be hot there a great design from Anthony Coster and the guys at League T’s um get your action tested at the University of was Western Australia so ga does have figures of NN four n he does have a good middle name the Ivon with the the O spelling but he’s not

From New Zealand so that still wasn’t going to work so I needed like a zero point I it you don’t think this works you know think isn’t this quite famous I’m sure this has come up before this the the G the winning runs for New Zealand don’t

You think that’s enough to oh maybe oh clearly not if you’ve got a better answer I would have thought that’s bang on 004 with gab cons bowling the ball that gave New Zealand a test Victory like that’s quite that’s quite signicant con and Crow yeah and New Zealand win

Look it could be that could satisfy Alex but I’m going to throw in one more possibility in case it doesn’t if I if I look at 0 point something overs and I’m willing to count that now lots of people have bowled 0 point something overs conceded four runs um and that’s their

Analysis because obviously a lot of the time you you bowl the over that that concedes the winning runs in a small Chase or whatever it might be and that’s your your first over of the day right that happens there there are hundreds of of such examples in international

Cricket um what if we look at a fell named Chris cougal line who yes is the father of that other one that we don’t like to talk about 1988 he plays two test matches um in India and that’s his entire test career um he he’s got to be

In the convo for the least flattering test record of all time I reckon so batting off spinner um list at six or seven in the order in these games he bats four times makes a pair on debut makes three Ducks out of his four Innings and makes seven runs in the

Other for a batting average of 1.75 in his career um bowling he gets to Bowl 13 overs in his entire um the first test Innings uh the second test I don’t think he gets to bowl in the second Innings there the second test in the first

Innings he gets three overs out of 106 so clearly they they really rate his off breaks in India um he takes one wicket for a career average of 67 with the ball to go with his 1.75 with the bat um so you know bit of a family tradition of

Being picked as an a rounder who doesn’t contribute anything and his final act in test matches he India chasing 21 in the fourth Innings uh snedden bowls an over Chatfield bowls an over and then Chris cougal line comes on and bowls one ball which gets hit for four to lose the

Match 0.1 overs zero maidens four runs and zero wickets as per the scorecard his middle name we were looking for for uh interesting middle names in test Cricket Christopher Mary cougan an unusual one I think you might say in the annals of men’s test cricket players so

There you go Alex Brown there are a couple of options for you one of them’s got to fit um and let me know which it is I think the one with with David di go and JV Cony um is more likely to be it that’s just my gut feel my my instinct

Is I think that’s come up in the pub or something I feel like this is now that you know as you went through it I feel like this has been part of our conversation but maybe not on the show either way great to have Alex back and

Looking forward to running into him at a cricket Round somewhere throughout the course of 2024 uh I’m up next I’ve got uh lee gildard uh and 604 GBP and I was kindly given a free hit on this one um Lee said that he was looking forward to seeing uh

Where I would go to with it I have a bit of a theme here um Jeff throughout the 604s so just work with me here um okay the other Ryan side bottom cap 604 for England um so the other being the theme um we spent so much time over the years

Talking about our Ryan side bottom and I just thought this would be a good opportunity to do a recap on our Ryan side bottom of course the the brother of Collingwood Superstar Legend really you’d say after kicking the winning goal in the Grand Final last year and his

Longevity and what he’s done across a um a career that started gosh it feels like an appr previous generation still going strong although he might be under a bit of pressure at the moment but let’s not worry too much about that but yeah still side Bottom’s brother Ryan side bottom

Um who finished up in 2022 with warshire this is a great story of itself he played one game for Victoria in 2013 um but had foot issues and and wasn’t able to make the cut I think he played for Carlton in grade Cricket um then went and played League cricket in

Birmingham with no expectations just went over to England to have the experience of playing in England it was wasn’t about like trying to become a professional it was about trying to make the most of the fact that he had a British passport um but as these things

Do in England from time to time one thing led to another and he was making his debut uh in county cricket at Lords against middle sex in 2017 and and S bottom took six wickets in a win and from there he was Inked in he was contracted with warshire from 2018 he

Played 26 times for that club over the years that follow but he was dogged by injuries and and got a really long stretch at it although he did have one stunning game where he had match figures of 10 for 64 so he was a there was a

Moment in time I I remember watching him in the Nets with Ed Smith in in 2018 and that time stamp’s important because um jofra Archer we all assumed at that point it was going to take him s years to be eligible for England um and then they changed the qualification to three

Years just before the 2019 World Cup so that Archer could play in that tournament you might remember Jeff well m in 2018 when Ryan sbot him um you know it was said to me that he was one of the quickest Bowlers in England and at that

Point he was in his late 20s and I was watching him Bowl um with the chief selector Ed Smith at the time and he didn’t know an awful lot about him but he was working over Kat and Jennings in a net session when England were playing at um edgebaston the following day so

They were using the warshire bowlers as net Bowlers and he um he I remember one delivery that took Jennings off stump out of the ground and Ed Smith’s like GE this is a guy worth watching um but it’s just the way the it didn’t quite line up

Because by the time he’d reached his three years cuz it changed from 7 to three this is when these injuries started becoming a real problem for for side bottom at warshire he was however part of the the winning County Championship Squad in 2021 so he did seize that second chance absolutely had

One final crack with ess6 last year in preseason but but it didn’t work out so that’s the other Ryan side bottom the the other Melbourne test of 1937 which we spoke a little bit about recently just remembering that there’s the Staggering test of 1937 at Melbourne

The third in the series started on New Year’s Day when it’s 200 for9 declared against 76 for9 declared flipping the batting order Sticky dog rest day Bradman 270 I’m pretty sure if you’re listening um to this podcast you will know a little bit about what happened in the January 1937 when Australia were

Two- n two-nil down in the series and go on to win it um 32 but the other Melbourne test in 37 was when the score line was set even at 2 all going into the finale which you know that’s pretty bloody exciting we I don’t know how often that’s happened in test history

But you know you can kind of count it on one hand where it’s been two all going into the fifth um and we have spoken about this test relatively recently this is at the end of February so nearly two months on from what happened in stunning

Scenes in January and this is the one where old Jack Badcock made his own test Century we we um told that story recently about Badcock and the disparity in his first class numbers compared to what he achieved for Australia and having that one special day and in that

Test match in that Innings Australia made 604 which is our number um there’s a Bradman ton in there as well sure enough Stam mape as well and Australia win the test by Innings and 200 runs and complete uh the The Comeback they were two-nil down and won the ashes 3-2 at

Home the other Adelaide test of 2012 um you know we all think about what happened um when Australia made 550 550 on mostly day one and then faf dupc on Deo saves the test with 110 KN out on the final day what about the other Adelaide test of 2012 um again quirk in

The schedule saw India there earlier that year they played the India series deeper into the summer of 2011 2012 and Australia made 604 for7 declared in that match at Adelaide with Ricky Ponting his final test Century or sorry not his uh was it his final test time Jeff yeah it

Would have been cuz he made the 100 at Sydney the week before which was his 40th and then rocked up to ades the dou I remember that correctly y that’s right yeah so 220 221 for Ponting 210 for Clark to the other Adelaide test of 2012 the other attack leader um James

Anderson 700 test wickets Stuart broad 604 test wickets um so so there’s the little the end of our little thing there with the others finally I took a look back at test 604 now there’s nothing really doing here um in in in test 604 New Zealand playing England it’s after the 6566

Ashes England as they did quite a bit in that era they went over to New Zealand and continued their tour playing some test matches there but one thing that jumped out of me at looking at the scorecard was the name of the Umpire uh dick short

H dick short was the Umpire I mean you couldn’t make it up could you and given this is a free hit I thought well let’s let’s look some more into dick short um uh he was born in 1922 not a great time to be born really in England he ended up

Moving to New Zealand Richard William Robert short a lot of options there but I don’t know how his family landed on Dick short um he oversaw nine test matches between 1959 and 1973 never more than two in a year so I suppose he would have been the Umpire in in um in one

Part of New Zealand um he did um oversee a test match where mushak Muhammad made 200 and took a Fifer um so that’s uh not bad he was also in charge when the West Indies chased down 350 over five per over but there’s very little about him

On the net I did ask Cony overnight whether he could tell me some more about Dick short given um he’s been such a prolific historian on New Zealand Cricket as well but he hasn’t got back to me as yet maybe he’ll hear this and be prompted to send me an email during

The week but um dick sha passed away in 1994 in Auckland at the age of 72 but a name as striking as that I I I wish to learn more uh but for Lee 604 uh there’s a few other um options for you and and also I mean the other 1937

Test is the one that Lori Nash plays in his his final harah when Bradman finally gets his way and overrides the selectors who you know who dislike Lori Nash because he’s abrasive um by mouth and aggressive by delivery style um and they keep refusing to pick him and Bradman

Finally gets his way this my my Lori Nash episode has a B on it I can’t remember the exact quote but it’s along the lines of Lori saying well the ashes on the line are two all who else were they going to turn to his usual patent roughed them up yeah

Well he took four for he take in that first Innings I think and um and maybe another one or two in the in the second Innings after enforcing going to follow on so um that’s his his last go in in 1937 after they refused to pick him

During body line because they they were worried that war would break out between the two countries if Lori and Ash got involved um right very good very good okay I think we need one more break and then I will finish this off with the last number today Story Time

175 uh it is it is it is close to the end we’re we’re just doing we’re doing four today that seems like enough for the episode given that we had a fair bit of material to work with um got some more sort of halfs solved ones that

We’ll come back to next week Matt May looking at you Greg Sykes is this Pledger Adam it is another New Zealand Dollars amount it is $287 with a brief clue yes uh I played against him that’s that’s the clue Greg Sykes uh and the fact that you know it’s

In inz in ZD you can you can do a bit of um you can you can you can do some scorecard fun here i’ have thought yeah yeah um well I got a little bit more more from Greg which said um which said one test wonder and you know and said um

You know bear in bear in mind that Greg is of a a similar age to us so that allowed me to put a bit of time frame on it so it could nearly be Michael Mason remember the number is 287 Michael Mason made 288 first class runs and played one

Test for New Zealand in 2004 um David SE made 282 first class runs so that’s not 287 but he did have a first class bowling average of 28.7 so that’s where I’m going David SE played one test left arm quick his only test for New Zealand was in buo in 1997

Um the Thriller I think we’ve talked about this game on the show but maybe years ago um Zimbabwe play really well in this game out of the blocks with 461 guy Whittle who is seemingly on the show every week at the moment makes 203 not out it’s an important game because

They they they nearly win it and Andy flower doesn’t make many runs in either Innings so it’s in that era where they’re relying on him a lot uh SE David seul none for 81 and then Zimbabwe like they should have New Zealand they’ve got him six

Down for 162 New Zealand on the rack and then vtori down the order makes 90 Asel is made 92 and who else but Christopher zinzan Harris with a a very very slow and 71 gets them to 403 so they’re not far behind the 461 that Zimbabwe made in

The end and and the opportunities may be gone but Zimbabwe not finished they make another 200 plus score they declare David seul none for n off his four overs they’re mostly bowling spin at this point rather than the left arm Pace the target is 286 New Zealand are not fully

Sure about whether they should go for it or not they they score a bunch of 20s a couple of 50s they get up to 24 40 by the time Steven Fleming gets out he’s the captain he’s made 75 he’s the one they’re building the Innings around so

They’re six down and they’re about 40 short they add another 20 and then Adam peror the Wicket keeper gets out they’re still thinking about going for it Chris Harris is out there again with vtori they add another 15 they get into the last over of the day they need 11 to win

And then vtori gets run out and so at 8 down they’ve got David SE in next at number 11 on debut and they say well we’re not going to try to score 11 off four balls we’re going to block it out which they do zenan 12 not out of 23

Balls feels like it’s close enough they could have given it a dash Adam oh I’m just thinking here that I mean we know what happened at buo in 1996 right I mean that was the scores level draw um we’ve nearly had history repeat in in

Terms of well I mean it would have taken a bit for the scores to have remained even but having two testing in consecutive years where where it’s played that way that’s that’s pretty cool and just on um on on on Harris by the way on zinzan I I have met his young

Lad who I think he’s young lad’s a bowler I think he said he’s a fast bowler we we had dinner at at one of our colleagues houses at the Christ Church test match and um uh the great G Galloway put us up and um uh and zinzan

Was there and yeah his boy was there and yeah I think I wonder whether he gave him the middle name wonder whether there might be another generation of New Zealand cricketer with with the zinzan um a middle middle name that that that’d be pretty cool um I suppose we’ll find

Out but yeah I’m I’m I’m very interested in this idea of buo being um a place where close results happen and whether we should in turn um play more test Cricket there rather than it seems like these days I only really play at herrar Jeff whenever Z playing it feels like

They’re always playing at the at the at the sports club there at herrar and no longer at buo which used to be the sort of second ground you would see um tester International any sort of international cricket play that for a long time there yeah yeah it was usually the two um I

Guess costs come into it and just having one ground that that you keep prepped for international crickets probably cheaper as well um and and not that much international cricket is is played in Zimbabwe these days um yeah and not you know in Australia’s done absolutely nothing to help that so right anyway

David seel he he’s only 19 when he plays this test match so you you can understand that he goes wicketless on a a batting friendly sort of surface where where spin is the main thing that’s working from a bowling point of view he’s he’s an AO boy so that wild part of

The south island that um that I was driving through a couple of weeks ago he debuts for a taro at 18 he has a few games in his first season has a really good second season and then he’s on a New Zealand Academy trip to South Africa

At the same time as this Zimbabwe tour is happening for the senior team he’s having a good tour he takes 13 wickets at 18 in a few games against the South African Academy and then there’s an injury in the the New Zealand Squad they want fast ball and cover so they bring

Him in as the player who’s who’s prob he’s not expected to play but he’s he’s going to have the experience of being on the tour and then in herar um they have a fast bowler called Heath Davis who is like quick but erratic he’s playing his

Fifth test match he famously bowls 24 no balls in the Test match and you know and he is known as being a tear away bowler and and has his problems with no balls that’s that’s a a known thing but for no boss I want you know I wonder without

Wanting to reflect unfairly on him I wonder if people in the management got suspicious about that and were like this is you know they they weren’t confident about picking him in the next test match like if they wondered whether something else was going on you know not to not to

Suggest that was actually true but I wonder if that was a thought that crossed people’s minds because they they don’t pick him in the next test match and he never plays for New Zealand again yeah I mean I think that’s it’s uh in New Zealand Cricket circles I think that

The the challenges that Heath Davis had off the field were were fairly pronounced and um yeah that they would have uh ended up seeping into his Cricket that that kind of stands to Reon I think I know Barat knows quite a bit about this story and was um and and was

Talking to a couple of colleagues about it when we were in Christ Church but yeah that that all lines up I think generally speaking so so they bring in Seal for the second test tough intro for aola who’s probably not ready to play test Cricket um he carries on with first

Class cricket plays 10 seasons all up for a taro takes more than 200 wickets finishes first class Cricket at the age of 28 keeps playing in the hawk cup at sort of a level down for aago North all the way up to 2015 um Greg syes playing against him

I’m not sure about this so um so David seel tours England in 1996 for the New Zealand under 19s and takes 10 in the match at Worcester to to win an under 19’s test and also two as Australia for an under 19’s trip but I don’t think

Greg syes was playing in either of those under 19s um teams with with some pretty good players at the time I don’t know where they would have clashed I did look up players named Greg Sykes and the only one I could find was uh someone playing

For the Channel Island over 50s team in 2006 so that’s not going to be our Greg syes and also David SE wouldn’t have been playing against the Channel Island over 50s in 2006 um he did SE also played a season in ampine in 2003 in in

D local Cricket so you know maybe they met up in a in a cafe in 2003 and um you know shared a tulip or whatever it might be but yeah wherever it is that they cross paths um I don’t know I’m sure Greg can tell us um finished up in

Cricket did did SE and and um chilled out in rolliston which I was driving through only a couple of weeks ago just outside Christ Church he’s a local Sparky there and looks after people’s fuse boxes presumably using the left hand um to to to grate a plum

And yeah that’s that’s all I can tell you for now about David seel thank you uh Greg Sykes for giving Jeff the chance to talk about that I can hear at least one of my children are awake Jeff so this is probably the cue for us to wrap

Up this recording of Story Time 175 but it’s been a good one I’ve enjoyed it I think that we’ve found a nice rhythm with these of late with um you know fewer numbers but but stories with a bit more detail to them it it will likely

Mean that we do a few more story times in the next month or two we haven’t quite worked out how we’re going to pull that off but in theory at least we’d like to kind of do some two-parters which we have done before but it’s been

A little while um but the reason why we’re able to keep making these these shows and we’re very proud of them is that we have this tremendous community of patrons and people who more generally support the show and um so many of those people are also participating in the

Edenburgh marathon half marathon just a quick reminder on the way out there for the Lords tabs that if you haven’t donated we’re over 10% of the way to our Target of £330,000 which doesn’t sound like a lot but you know 3,000 is still a lot of money and um let’s get the next

3,000 and the 3,000 after that and the 3,000 after that and reach that Target by um the bank holiday weekend of May 2024 when we’ll be up in Edinburgh doing our thing I went for a run yesterday Jeff a lot of our people did so um back

Us in back in the tabs more widely and um and while you’re there if you’re not already um become a member of our Patron patron.com thefinal word get your nerd pledge in and um let us settle back and and tell a story for you you all right

Very good that is it that is Story Time 175 um thanks for hanging out with us we’ll have more coming up in the week ahead um and I hope that you you listen to this maybe like Glenn fin Kell while you’re having a hit of tennis maybe

While you’re walking the dog maybe while you’re on a long drive somewhere whatever it is that you’re doing hope you have a nice weekend have a nice weekend