Doctor's competitive spirit took him to extremes

by A. C. de Silva

CRICKET: Many strange acts are committed on the cricket field which may seem eccentric to the casual spectator, though to the players who commit them they are quite understandable if not perfectly natural. These incidents occur in the heat of the moment and defended, or otherwise, at leisure.

In no branch of sport has anyone ever enjoyed such unquestioned supremacy as that of W. G. Grace on the cricket field.

When he was in his prime no sun was too hot and no day too long for him.

He passed his examination as a surgeon in Edinburgh.

As the old timers used to say: "W. G. Grace never actually broke the rules, but it was amazing what he could do with them." The Doctor's competitive spirit drove him to what others might call extremes. He, on the other hand, had his public to think of. "They've come to see me bat, not you umpiring," he told one official who have 'W.G.' out before he felt his time was due - so he replaced the bails and continued with his innings.

"When you win the toss, bat" - that was Grace's firm belief. If the weather or the wicket suggested otherwise, he had an alternative dictum: "If in doubt, consult your teammates, then bat." After all, the doctor himself feared no bowler, in any conditions.

All Grace anecdotes, to be appreciated, have to take into account not only his reputation as the 'Champion' cricketer, but also his huge frame and, by contrast, his curiously pigh-pitched voice. Some stories which have attached themselves to this classic cricket eccentric may have become a little exaggerated or confused over the years, but here's a few further reported highlights from the career of the "great law-maker".

While playing for Gloucestershire against Surrey in 1878, 'W.G.' was running between the wickets when the ball was thrown in and lodged in the ample folds of his shirt. Having taken three runs already, he profited from this chance possession of the ball to run three more until the Surrey fielders blocked his path and stopped him.

Harry Jupp demanded that the Doctor give up the ball, but he refused to do so for fear that the Surrey players would have him dismissed for handling the ball. The dispute lasted several minute and was resolved only by consulting the umpires, who declared that Grace was not out and that three runs should be counted.

Grace was doubly struck at Clifton on another occasion. First he was struck for runs against a difficult off-break bowler. In one over he fenced at the first five balls with no success, then lashed at the sixth with a hook shot. Unfortunately he got a bottom edge and the ball dropped into the top of one of his pads and stuck there. While those around him goggled, the Doctor waddled to the boundary with ball in pad, crossed the line and demanded four runs, To his obvious disgust the umpire made no gesture.

He had better luck with the umpire on the day he made a towering hit into the outfield during a country match. While on his second run, he could see that a fielder had arrived under the ball, so he immediately declared the innings closed. He was also pleased with his next move, which was to browbeat the umpire into giving him not out on the grounds that the ball was caught after his declaration.

'W.G.' pulled off another surprise declaration in an 1893 match, suddenly declaring the innings closed with his own score on 93. When asked why, he replied that it was the only score between 0 and 100 that he had not made.

And that's tripe!

The confidence of Arthur Mailey took a battering as he ground away for New South Wales with his leg-breaks and googlies while Victoria notched up its world record innings of 1,017. Arthur, however, had an excuse. Turning in figures of 4 for 362, he said they had been ruined by an idiot sitting in the Members' Stand in a cap and raincoat, who had dropped four catches off his bowling!

It was a typical remark by Mailey, an amusing character who delighted in drawing caricatures of his fellow cricketers and who entitled his autobiography 10 for 66 and all that, after his most famous bowling analysis. On retirement, after a spell in journalism, he became a butcher in Cronulla, and scrawled on his windoe:

"I bowled tripe, I wrote tripe, and now I am selling it."

Gunn time

George Gunn, the great Nottinghamshire opening batsman, was almost a law unto himself. He was in poor state of health and it was offered as a excuse for getting out cheaply. He was particularly concerned with the behaviour of his digestive system. Celebrated his 50th birthday by hitting 164 not out against Worcestershire at Worcester.

He saw the lunch-break as a pillar supporting much of the surrounding day; as such it was surely immovable from its traditional starting-time of 1.30 p.m. One day Notts was playing Glamorgan at Cardiff. Gunn's score was in the eighties when 1.30 arrived. At the end of what he took to be the final over before lunch, Gunn turned for the pavilion. The umpire called him back and told him that it had been specially agreed to take lunch that day at 2 o'clock.

Gunn was most indignant. Facing the next ball, a straight delivery, he raised his bat high and allowed the ball to hit the wicket. Now A. W. Carr, his captain, was equally furious, and when Gunn reached the pavilion demanded what he thought he was up to.

"Well, Mr. Carr", replied Gunn, "My didigestion is scheduled for half-past-one and that has to be kept."

In the course of his career, Gunn played 62 three-figure innings and registered 35,190 runs, average 35.90.

He was an excellent slip fielder where he held most of his 438 catches.

He shared in one rare, if not unique performance in 1931 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston when he and his son - the late G. V. Gunn, each scored a century in the same innings.

Enough's enough......

Eccentric strike action in Poona brought a sad ending to the innings of B. B. Nimbalkar of Maharashtra in the 1948-49 season. With 443 runs to his credit, he was within 9 of Don Bradman's then world record of 452 not out.

Lunch was taken and Nimbalkar was full of confidence that the record would soon be his. He was justifiably staggered when Kathawar, the fielding side, refused to take the field after lunch. It said it had had enough, conceded the match and went home.

Trd Dexter and the Nawab of Pataudi went out to toss before the Test at Hyderabad. "Well tiger", inquired the England captain, "what are going to do?"

"No Ted, what are you going to do?" replied the Nawab.At this, a puzzled frown crossed the brow of Dexter. "Look here," he said. "you won the toss, didn't you"

And the Nawab, nothing if not an opportunist, said, "Fine, If I won it, we'll bat."

He didn't bother to explain that with his right eye virtually sightless, the coin had been little more than a blur. Which scarcely seemed a good omen for a man about to lead the President's team against the MCC. But worse was to floow. Before going out to bat, he fitted a contact lense to his damaged eye, and he was soon seeing two balls, six to seven inches apart.

Top score

By picking the winner one, he managed to score 35 runs before tea. He then removed the contact lens and, keeping the bad eye closed, completed a top score of 70 before being caught by Ken Barrington off the bowling of Tony Brown. It had been an unusual knock played by a most unusual man. His full name is Mohammad Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi, but he had been better known to his colleagues as the Noob, Draccers (Dracula), Syd and Tiger.His father had ruled a small state in the Punjab which had some 25,000 inhabitants. But the son followed less regal ways. However, there were occasions when this was forgotten. In a Test match at Kanpur, he struck Colin Cowdrey on the pad and promptly appealed.

"That is out. Your Highness," replied the umpire.

Like his father, he captained India on the cricket fields of the world. And again like his father, he insisted upon such forays as the oursuit of pleasure. "After all, 'he'd say, "It's supposed to be a game, not a war."