View Full Version : I miss the good old days of Australian cricket
The Australian tour of England in 1893 was such an unhappy affair that the train trip taking them to Sussex ended in a violent fistfight - leaving the compartment splattered with blood.
Their performance on tour was so bad they were attacked by the press, with the Bulletin was concerned over their inability to find an effective hangover cure for their reported nightly heavy drinking sessions.
The misery of the tour was compounded when on the way home during a stop over in America, Australia lost to Philadelphia by an innings and 68 runs.
FreoDocker
31 Mar 2002, 00:34
Originally posted by Player
The Australian tour of England in 1893 was such an unhappy affair that the train trip taking them to Sussex ended in a violent fistfight - leaving the compartment splattered with blood.
Their performance on tour was so bad they were attacked by the press, with the Bulletin was concerned over their inability to find an effective hangover cure for their reported nightly heavy drinking sessions.
The misery of the tour was compounded when on the way home during a stop over in America, Australia lost to Philadelphia by an innings and 68 runs.
Yeh But to be fair .. it was a jug skull for every wicket, a sub for every drop catch and lets not mention the batting.....
After a out hit wicket the whole team had to do a yard glass each. It Could have been Philadelphia or Port Phillip under 11's, after that much grog had been sunk, they were lucky they made it home alive.
Even the days of Boon can not compare to this period.
It was a tour that has never been rivalled in terms of Booze, Brawls and lack of batting prowess.
mentalgrind
31 Mar 2002, 00:44
This brings back memories of country week cricket.
Try playing in 40 degree heat while your hurling your guts up at fine leg. (best I've ever played ;) )
FreoDocker
31 Mar 2002, 00:49
Originally posted by mentalgrind
This brings back memories of country week cricket.
Try playing in 40 degree heat while your hurling your guts up at fine leg. (best I've ever played ;) )
hmmm ... I guess that could be handy for ball tampering :p
clucas91
31 Mar 2002, 12:14
I miss the good old days of Cricket, but I dont think you have to look as far back as 1893 to see them.
Cricket since about 1995 is no fun from a player point of view.
Larrakins are all but gone. (Warne does not count, he has not done anything "funny" in ages)
What I mean is that the days of getting on the piss and playing the next day are over.
I can tell hundreds of stories about "Delhi Belly" and even David Boon being hit with firecrackers. That stuff just no longer occurs, because if it does, the players get fined out of their ass.
I even recall a story about Doug Walters drinking beers at about 8am with Brian Taber on a matchday, then arriving late and smashed and finding out he was to bat straight away.
In his own words "I could barely see Mike Proctor pushing off the sightscreen to run in". He then smacked a ton!
Where has the fun gone?
Dippers Donuts
1 Apr 2002, 01:05
I can remember wandering into bat in a country game with a stubbie of VB in one hand and a ciggie in the other. By that stage I had already had about 6 beers.
Completely forgot to take the bat out with me! Finished the ciggie, went back to fetch the bat and wandered/stumbled out to the crease, still with a 3/4 full stubbie.
No worries I thought, I'll just put the stubbie behind the stumps and clout this sucker around. No need to run.
First ball; yorker on middle stump, clean bowled.
I could live with that but the bloody bugger shattered the stubbie as well! The final humiliation was having to pick up the shattered remnants of the stubbie on the way back to the pavilion.
FreoDocker
1 Apr 2002, 01:18
On Australia Day this year we had a backyard cricketing fiasco.
Batter has a cup of VB in one hand, bat in the other and decides to be a champ and bat with a beer and bat in tandum.
First Ball comes in and he hits it over the fence with one hand, no six and out rule, I think the third umpire had passed out by that stage.
Second ball decides to charge up the pitch to a beamer, brings up the beer to protect his face and gets hit square in the cup, which is accompanied by screams of agony when first of all the beer spills and second of all into the guys eyes.
Ahhh
Scorecard read .... Retired hurt - Beer.:D
Goldenblue
1 Apr 2002, 21:05
Originally posted by clucas91
I even recall a story about Doug Walters drinking beers at about 8am with Brian Taber on a matchday, then arriving late and smashed and finding out he was to bat straight away.
In his own words "I could barely see Mike Proctor pushing off the sightscreen to run in". He then smacked a ton!
Where has the fun gone?
I remember one story from Rod Marsh. Aust were batting and Hughes was out. Walters was sitting next to Marsh and having a cigarette. Knowing it was his turn to bat, he passed the ciggie to Marsh and said to him; "hold this, I will be back in a minute"
:D