Table Of Content

Legends of the BAGGY GREEN Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page ii Bookhouse Legends of the BAGGY GREEN Dubious behaviour & achievements from cricket’s chequered history ALEXANDER BUZO Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page iv Bookhouse Firstpublishedin2004 Copyright©AlexanderBuzo2004 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedor transmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical, includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorage andretrievalsystem,withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthe publisher.TheAustralianCopyrightAct1968(theAct)allowsa maximumofonechapteror10percentofthisbook,whichever isthegreater,tobephotocopiedbyanyeducationalinstitutionfor itseducationalpurposesprovidedthattheeducationalinstitution (orbodythatadministersit)hasgivenaremunerationnoticeto CopyrightAgencyLimited(CAL)undertheAct. Allen&Unwin 83AlexanderStreet CrowsNestNSW2065 Australia Phone: (612)84250100 Fax: (612)99062218 Email: [email protected] Web: www.allenandunwin.com NationalLibraryofAustralia Cataloguing-in-Publicationentry: Buzo,Alexander,1944-. Legendsofthebaggygreen:dubiousbehaviourand achievementsfromcricket’schequeredhistory. ISBN1741143853. 1.Cricket-Corruptpractices. 2.Cricket-Rules- History. 3.Cricket-Australia. 4.Testmatches (Cricket). I.Title. 796.358 Setin12/17ptBembobyBookhouse,Sydney PrintedbyMcPherson’sPrintingGroup,Maryborough 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page v Bookhouse Contents Contents 1 Oo-wah! 1 2 It’s a stew 5 3 Civilising global cricket 19 4 Shouldering arms 35 5 Field chat 49 6 No melons for Mr Gregory 61 7 Asterisks and the gladiators 77 8 Ward’s wards 87 9 The third Hollywood 99 10 Liberal boofheads 109 11 Box office saboteurs 123 12 Wiping out Chux 133 13 Scoundrel time 143 14 Water boys 153 15 The Eric Hollies award 161 16 Would you like to buy twelve white jumpers? 173 17 Country practices 181 18 Flannelled Addisons 187 19 Memories of development 197 20 The 1942 Ashes tour 213 Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page vi Bookhouse Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page vii Bookhouse To John and KayWard, with thanks. Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page viii Bookhouse Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page ix Bookhouse Bh0915M-PressProofs.QX5 27/9/04 10:40 AM Page x Bookhouse

Description:

Full of brigands and bogans, legends and sledgends, Legends of the Baggy Green is an acerbic commentary on the codes and manners of cricket behaviour. Part social history, part blooper tape, this book takes sports comedy back to where it all began.

The sins of modern cricket-sledging, chucking, match-fixing, plus the heinous practice of putting the ball in the freezer to make it bounce higher - are all here, along with a rogues' gallery that includes everyone from 'Horseshoe' Herby Collins to Salim 'The Rat' Malik.

From the watermelon presented to Syd Gregory to the brown paper bag full of cash that was given to the late Hansie Cronje, there is full disclosure in Legends of the Baggy Green, as well as comment on the commentators who have observed cricket's transit from Lord's to Hollywood, and from the Gabbatoir to the Elysian, desalinated fields of Sharjah.

The outburst by 'Oo-ah' Glenn McGrath in the West Indies in 2003 put cricket behaviour on front pages all over the world. As is usual with McGrath, women sighed, men admired and boofheads fumed, but what was really going on? What the hell has happened to the game we loved and respected?

There is ample scope for both humour and criticism here, and playwright, satirist and genuine cricket 'tragic' Alex Buzo has sharpened his pen to provide plenty of both.