Rhodes - a top allrounder played late in life

By A. C. de Silva

Cricket: The exploits of that top allrounder Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire in the game of cricket is truly amazing and needs to be understood carefully. Born at Kirkheaten, West Riding on October 29 in 1877, he bid goodbye to this world on July 8 in 1973. He had the misfortune to go blind in his old age - that's in 1952.

Though Rhodes is no longer living, his exploits on the cricket field will never be forgotten. The record for breaking 100 first-class wickets in a season most times is held by Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire. He is regarded as the greatest wicket-taker of all times (4,184), the left-arm slow bowler, who played Test cricket at late age than any other man, captured 100 or more wickets in a season 23 times between 1898 and 1929.

Wilfred Rhodes was Yorkshire cricket personified in the great period of the country's domination, shrewd, dour, but quick to seize opportunity.

For Yorkshire he scored more than 30,000 runs, averaging 30 an innings, for Yorkshire he took 3,608 wickets at 16 runs each. When he was not playing for Yorkshire, in his spare time, so as to say, he played for England and amassed 2,000 runs average 30, and took 127 wickets, at cost of 26.96 apiece.

In his first Test match he was last in the batting order, and at Sydney in the 1903 - 04 'rubber' he took part in the most persistent and prolific Test match last-wicket partnership to this day; he helped R.E. Foster to add 130 runs for the 10th wicket, his share 40 not out.

Career legendary

Eight years afterwards he went in first for England at Melbourne, and against Australia he was the partner of Hobbs in the record first wicket stand on 323.

His career is already legendary; it does indeed read like a fairytale. He was not 21 years old when he first bowled for Yorkshire in a match against MCC at Lord's.

In the first innings, he accounted for Trott and Chatterson; C.P. Foloy, and then J.R. Tufton - six wickets for 63, a modest beginning, true. But at the seasons end, he had established himself as the greatest slow left-hand bowler in England with 154 wickets, average 14.60

During the period in which Rhodes and Hobbs opened every England innings by prescription right, Rhodes put aside his bowling.

In the Australian "rubber" of 1911-12, he contributed only 18 overs. But then the War came, reducing the Yorkshire attack.

In 1919 Yorkshire needed again the spin and flight of Rhodes, so he picked up his bowling art exactly where years before he had laid them down, picked them up as though he had not lost touch for a moment.

He headed the bowling averages of 1919 with 164 wickets, averaging 14.42 in 1,048 overs.

He was nearly 42 years by the calendar.

In 1902 he had gone in last for England at Kensington Oval when 15 runs were wanted to beat Australia; George Nirst, with whom he always opened Yorkshire's attack, was holding the wicket at the other end. England won by one wicket.

Test duty at 49 years

Twenty-four years afterwards, Rhodes in his 49th year, was recalled to the England XI and was one of the main causes of Australia's defeat and England's emergence from years in the wilderness.

On this, his last appearance for England, Rhodes took the wickets of Woodfull, Ponsford, Richardson (twice), Collins and Bardsley for 79.

He had probably lost by then much of his old quick vitality fingered spin; but as he explained: "If batsmen think as I'm spinning' then, I am a remark that makes the point.

At Sydney, in December 1903, on the shirt-fronted Bulli soil of that distant Halyoon day, of batsmen, Australia scored 485, and the might of Australia's champions commanded the crease - Trumper, Hill, Duff, Armstrong, Gregory, Rhodes bowled 48 overs for 94 runs, five wickets. It was on this occasion that Trumper, most brilliant of all batsmen, alive or dead, made his famous remark to Rhodes: - "for God's sake, Wilfred, give me a minute's rest."

Rhodes made himself into a batsman by practice and hard thinking. He was one of the first batsmen to adopt the full-fronted stance, left-shoulder pointing to forward leg.

He was a great player, one of the greatest in cricket's history, not only for his all-round performances noted by statisticians: nearly 40,000 runs scored in 37 seasons and 4,184 wickets taken. He was great because his cricket was outstanding for Yorkshire County.