'Bodyline' that shook the cricket world

by A.C. de Silva

BODYLINE CRICKET: The 1932-33 Australia - England Test series ended in such bitterness that the entire future of Test cricket seemed to hang in the balance.

The cause of the upheaval was 'Bodyline Bowling', relentlessly used by England skipper Douglas Jardin with Larwood as the spearhead of the attack.

No episode in cricket history aroused as much controversy as Bodyline. Now long after passions had cooled, Larwood himself had written "The Larwood Story", an inside story worth knowing.

The book is of absorbing interest as an account of the origins of Bodyline too had tension built up, and Larwood's views on the players of his time (particularly Bradman).

Three ingredients

What was Bodyline? It was more than "leg theory" which is a legitimate form of attack. There were three essential ingredients in Bodyline:

1. Terrific speed of the degree that can only be attained by the fastest of fast bowlers, such as Larwood himself, Lindwall, Miller or Wes Hall.

2. Rising ball direction at the batsmen's head or ribs.

3. A packed leg-side field of 6 to 8 in a 'ring' converging by 2 or 3 deep fielders in the arc between square leg and fine leg.

Australian hookers felt to steer away from the deep fielders. Defence resulted in a catch to short-leg or a bump on the body. In short, there was no counter to Bodyline.

For Bradman

Why was such a drastic form of attack devised? Larwood confirms the general view that Bodyline was invented specially for Bradman because Bradman in 1930 had annihilated every known form of bowling (including the pace of Larwood) with the greatest of ease.

When ever-enthusiastic critics used to compare promising players all to readily with Bradman, it is a revelation to hear in Larwood's own words just how superior Bradman was to all other batsmen.

"....Bradman with the bat was the greatest killer of all. Bradman would murder you if you gave him any stuff that was even slightly loose. A fast good-length ball, enough to keep other Test players quiet, would fly to the boundary like a shot out of a gun... Bradman pasted the bowlers during that 1930 series.

"There seemed to be no answer to Bradman's batting in 1930 and immediately afterwards. One could bowl on the off trying to get him to lift one or give a catch behind, but he'd pull the bowler hard to the leg fence. He had the quickest eye of any batsman on Test call..

He jumped down the pitch to the bowler just when he felt like it, which was most of the time, ... good-length stuff went in to the boundary like a bullet. He used all the shots in the book, and a few that weren't ... Don was the only batsman who could sqare-cut the bowler from right over the stumps. The ball could not be seen until it hit the pickets."

"... It had been heard that players like Norman O'Neill, Ted Dexter or Sir Frank Worrell are worthy of comparing with Bradman There is no desire to knock these fine players, but in the opinion of many, they are not in the same street."

Bodyline plot

Larwood and his Bodyline partner and country colleague Bill Voce were let into the Bodyline lot at a dinner to which they were invited by Jardin before the team sailed. After conversation had turned to the Bradman problem. Jardin outlined a plan for a concentrated leg-side attack on Bradman, and asked Larwood and Voce whether they could carry it out.

The plan seemed to offer some hope of subduing Bradman, whereas normal fast bowling offered only the prospect of days in the Australian sun watching Bradman score double and treble centuries. So, they readily agreed.

Now Larwood was a difficult customer to face at any time. He combined lightening speed with perfect control several times he knocked the bat out of the batsman's hands. Ponsord and O'Brien admitted that they did not even see some of the balls they received from Larwood.

Bowling Bodyline, Larwood was a danger to life and limb.

With this type of bowling on, naturally the Australian crowds boiled with rage when they saw their batsmen being more or less assaulted. They hurled abuse at the Englishmen. As Jardin remarked wryly, "our parentage was regarded as doubtful!" The Englishmen were hunted off the field. During one of the quick breaks when Jardin reached out for a glass, a barracking wit yelled; "Don't give the so-and-so a drink. Let him die of thirst!"

At Adelaide, where Woodful was hit over the heart, and Oldfield on the head, feelings rose to such a pitch, that there were fears that the incensed crowd would storm the ground and lynch the Englishmen.

Not cricket, Sir!

It was after this incident that Sir Pelham Warner, manager of the MCC team called at the dressing room to offer Woodful his sympathies. Woodful brushed aside the smooth words and told Warner plainly, "there are two teams out there on the Oval. One is playing cricket, the other is not. This game is too good to be spoilt in this manner."

Jack Fingleton - the Australian team opening bat, in the Bodyline series, in his brilliant book "Cricket crisis" was adamant here has to be answers to Bodyline. He too cited McCabe's innings, but pointed out that in his remaining nine innings McCabe was only once able to exceed 50. Time after time, McCabe's hooks ended up in the hands of the outer cordon leg fieldsmen.

How much blame attached to Larwood in the Bodyline affair? Was he a mere tool in the hands of Jardin - as the Australians said, Jardin's "Hatchet Man"? It appears from his book that he agreed to bowl Bodyline without realising what it would be like in actual practice in terms of bruised ribs, cracked skulls and ill-feeling.

One cannot blame him for agreeing to bowl it, but surely he should have abandoned it when he saw how dangerous and unpleasant it turned out to be.

Ironically, Larwood emigrated to Australia in 1950 in disgust after being made the scapegoat of the scandalous affair. He died at the age of 90 years in Sydney in 1995, while O'Reilly died at 86 years in 1992.

Douglas Jardin - the captain of the 1932 - 33 England team in the 'Bodyline' series with Australia, was one of the greatest captains England has ever had. He won the Ashes for England in the 1932 - 33 series in Australia through sheer force of personality and uncommonly shrewd generalship.

A six footer, it was impossible to view him without awe and respect.

****

Scores of 'Bodyline' Tests

Cricket is a game that has gone through many turbulent periods. One of the most talked of periods is the 'bodyline' series played between Australia and England in Australia in 1932-33. England won the series - 4 Tests to one.

First Test at Sydney. England beat Australia by 10 wickets.

Australia: 360 (S.J. McCabe 187, V.V. Richardson 49; Harold Larwood 5 for 96, B. Voce 4 for 100) and 164 (J.H. Fingleton 40; Harold Larwood 5 for 28).

England: 524 (Herbert Sutcliffe 194, Wally Hammond 112, Nawab of Patuadi (snr) 102; Wall 3 for 104, Bill O'Reilley 3 for 117) and 1 for no loss.

Second Test at Melbourne. Australia beat England by 111 runs.

Australia: 228 (J.H. Fingleton 83; B. Voce 3 for 54) and 191 (Don Bradman 103 not out; Wally Hammond 3 for 21).

England: 169 (Herbert Sutcliffe 52; Wall 4 for 52, O'Reilley 5 for 63) and 139 (O'Reilley 5 for 66, M. Ironmonger 4 for 26)

Third Test at Adelaide. England beat Australia by 338 runs

England: 341 (M. Leyland 83, R.E.S. Wyatt 78, E. Paynter 77, M. Verity 45; Wall 5 for 72) and 412 (Douglas Jardin 56, Wally Hammond 85, L. Ames 69, Leyland 42, Wyatt 49, Verity 40; O'Reilley 4 for 79, Ironmonger 3 for 87).

Australia: 222 (S. Ponsford 85; Gubby Allen 4 for 71) and 193 (Woodful 73 not out, Don Bradman 66)

Fourth Test at Brisbane. England won by six wickets.

Australia: 340 (V.V. Richardson 83, Woodful 67, Don Bradman 76; Larwood 4 for 101) and 175 (Larwood 3 for 48, Allen 3 for 44).

England: 356 (D. Jardine 46, Sutcliffe 86, E. Paynter 83; O'Reilley 4 for 120, Ironmonger 3 for 69) and 162 for 4 wkts (Layland 4 for 86).

Fifth Test at Sydney. England won by 8 wkts.

Australia: 435 (Don Bradman 48, O'Brien 61, S.J. McCabe 73, L.S. Darling 85, Oldfield 52, P.K Lee 42; Larwood 4 for 98, Verity 3 for 62) and 182 (Woodfull 67, Don Bradman 71; Verity 5 or 33).

England: 454 (Sutcliffe 56, Walter Hammond 101, Harold Larwood 98, Leyland 42, Wyatt 51, G.O. Allen 48; O'Reilley 3 for 100) and 168 for 2 wkts (Walter Hammond 75 not out, Wyatt 61 not out).

***

Bodyline - the most violent and bitter conflict

BODYLINE: Now from the man who brought 'Chariots of Fire', comes 'Bodyline' - the story of the most violent and bitter conflict in the history of cricket was on the screen.

Cricket in England vs Australia clashes became quite fiery in the 'Bodyline' Test series in the winter of 1932-33. Douglas Jardin was the English captain at that time and his able paceman Harold Larwood too was firing it all at the Australians. 'Bodyline' being the topic of conversation, it was decided to put the relevant issues on the screen. The script was written.

Harold Larwood, the great England fast bowler who was one of the three central characters in this bloody 'Bodyline Test' series in Australia, emigrated to Australia in disgust after being made the scapegoat of the scandalous affair.

***