The 1977 Centenary Test

[Jascave]

The 1977 Centenary Test between Australia & England is one of the great Test matches of all time.

Highlights of the Centenary Test:

-200 legends of Ashes cricket: from Bradman to Larwood, from Benaud to Dexter being present at the game.

-Australia being dismissed for 138, Rick McCosker got hit on the jaw by a bouncer from England's Bob Willis and was also out bowled.

-England shot out for 95, Dennis Lillee taking 6 wickets.

-The late David Hookes smashing Tony Greig for 5 fours off one over in Australia's second innings.

-Rod Marsh scoring 100 in Australia's second innings

-The courageous re-appearance of Rick McCosker head swathed in bandages and the Bay 13 crowd singing 'Waltzing McCosker'.

-The gripping battle between Lillee and England's Derek Randall in England's second innings.

-Marsh asking the umpire to recall Randall who was thought to be dismissed for 161, because Marsh claimed he didn't catch the ball.

-Randall scoring 174 in England's second innings.

-Lillee asking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her autograph.

-Lillee dismissing England's Alan Knott to give Australia victory by 45 runs-exactly the same margin as in the very first test between the two countries 100 years earlier.

But no-one had any idea that a revolution was on the horizon, that would change cricket forever.

What are your memories of the Centenary Test?

 

[Wallaby]

I went to the first 3 days (Day 4 & 5 were school. Although they were talking potential record crowds (100,00+), I think they got in the 50-60s each of the first 3 days. I know I got to the ground very early. It was clear this was a special, historic test from the start.

Day 1 was incredibly dull - Greg Chappell made 40 in about 4 hours and we got rolled for 130, and had them 1-20 at stumps. At the ground we didn't realise what had happened to McCosker at first.
The best bit was after Lillee bowled the first over, the crowd chanted for Max Walker to bowl from the Southern end. Gary Gilmour marked out his run and then Chappell walked up to him, took the ball and tossed it to Max - probably set up for the crowd, but great fun.

Day 2 was good - although Lillee took 6-for, Max Walker was the more memorable on the day - particularly bowling Greig with the big, looping inswinger. We loved that. Kerry O'Keefe opened in place of McCosker and did OK (made 14, I think).
Day 3 was just Australia consolidating until Hookes went mad (I was there! - and he did get out in the next over), and when McCosker came in it was terrific. I don't actually remember the crowd singing 'Waltzing McCosker' - I've always wondered if that may have been made-up after the event to make it more dramatic. Unless someone finds the actual TV we may not know.
Basically stayed to the end hoping Marshy would get the 100, but he finished 85*.

 

[Jascave]

The 1977 Centenary Test might be what you could call the last of the 'true' Test matches, before the arrival of Kerry Packer. All the administrators & past players were slapping themselves on the back and congratulating themselves on what a good job they were doing plus keeping professionlism out of the game (and also the fact that the Centenary Test was an outstanding success) yet completely unaware that a revolution was on the horizon that would change cricket forever. In fact WSC recruiter Austin Robertson was seen handing out to the Australian players what looked like movie tickets yet in fact were WSC sign-on cheques.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

My memories were pretty much all of the above, and I will add that Rodney Marsh became the first Australian wicketkeeper to make a Test 100. He also passed Wally Grout's record for the most Test dismissals for an Australian wicketkeeper.

I also recall the spirit in which the Test was played. The English team could have tried to play for a boring draw but they went for the win which made the game and the occasion all that much more memorable, and full credit should be given to them for that.

I remember when the captains went out to toss and the special coin bouncing off the pitch indicating there would be a lot of early bounce as McCosker found out a little later.

I've always said not enough credit is given to Ian Davis and Doug Walters for building the Australian 2nd Innings after another poor start at 3/53, and paving the way for Hookes' and Marsh's innings.

I also recall the great fast bowling of Dennis Lillee and the fact he was ripped off for the Man of the Match award because they all voted an hour before the end of play. I'll never understand why they do that.

A great cricket match, the last "pure" Test match ever played before the game was ushered into a new era of professionalism which took the game to new levels of excellence. Part of me still aches for the days you would see Test players representing their states and grade teams on a far more regular basis.

Young players don't get to play along side these guys any more, and I feel that is detremental to their development. I also miss the days when Australia and England were the best two cricketing nations in the world.

 

[sherb]

My memories were pretty much all of the above, and I will add that Rodney Marsh became the first Australian wicketkeeper to make a Test 100. He also passed Wally Grout's record for the most Test dismissals for an Australian wicketkeeper.

He didn't achieve that feat in the Centenary Test though, he already had two Test hundreds under his belt by that time.

He became the first Australian keeper to score a Test hundred against England in the Centenary Test though, after going close twice earlier in the 70s (92* in 70/71 and 91 in 72).

Interesting that his batting deteriorated markedly following this innings (and World Series cricket). From memory, pre WSC he averaged over 30 in Test cricket and post WSC he averaged just under 20.

 

[mattymac]

-Lillee asking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her autograph.

she knocked him back didn't she?

he won the "best colonial bowler" trophy aswell. lol.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

she knocked him back didn't she?

he won the "best colonial bowler" trophy aswell. lol.

Yes, he was knocked back, but later on he received a special delivery of a photo of him meeting her, signed by the Queen herself.

Lillee had it framed and it held pride of place in his home until one evening they had a special on TV, and Rod Marsh announced after 20 years that the autograph was a forgery, just a joke played on Lillee by some of his team mates.

 

[mattymac]

Yes, he was knocked back, but later on he received a special delivery of a photo of him meeting her, signed by the Queen herself.

Lillee had it framed and it held pride of place in his home until one evening they had a special on TV, and Rod Marsh announced after 20 years that the autograph was a forgery, just a joke played on Lillee by some of his team mates.

classic. love marshy

 

[Belnakor]

rofl thats gold

 

[Romeo]

The catching in the slips was excellent bordering on stupendous at times.

 

[Jascave]

What the organisers of the 1977 Centenary Test should've done was to make Dennis Lillee & England's Derek Randall joint winners of the man-of-the-match award ;Lillee for his 11 wickets, & Randall for his 174. To ask the voters to vote on the award 1 hour prior to stumps was stupid. Lillee demonstrated wonderful fighting qualities in that final hour to halt England's charge for victory, but the organisers wouldn't allow the men casting their votes-including the ABC's the late Alan McGilvray-to change their votes. Also to give Lillee the award of 'Best Colonial Bowler' was like giving him the silver medal, when all thought he would win gold. No wonder administrators were so out of touch!!!

 

[Dont be a lemon]

I went to the first 3 days (Day 4 & 5 were school

For a second I thought "Why the **** were you going back to school after Christmas? "

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

For a second I thought "Why the **** were you going back to school after Christmas? "

It wasn't a Boxing Day Test, it was played in March.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Which I remembered, hence my embarrassed smilie

 

[Jascave]

What a lot of people didn't realise at the time was that most of the players in the Australian team that played in the 1977 Centenary Test had agreed to terms with World Series Cricket during the course of that Test match, but didn't mention it to anyone. The only time that subject was brought up was when Rod Marsh said to Greg Chappell after tea on the final day of the Centenary Test, that 'this might be the last time we play out here.' Chappell replied, 'What do you mean?' Marsh: 'You know exactly what I mean.'

 

[Wallaby]

The other thing I remember about the game was how much of a team effort it was by Australia - almost evrybody contributed something.

Davis, Walters and Hookes made 50s, Chappell made 40, Marsh 100, McCosker got out of hospital to put on 50 with Marsh (and we won by 45), Lillee, Walker and O'Keefe all got wickets - Cosier failed with the bat but took the great catch to get Randall - basically the only person who had a shocker was Gilmour.

 

[Jascave]

And that performance (along with the fact he didn't tell the Australian selectors he was carrying an injury all summer) probably cost Gary Gilmour a spot in the 1977 Australian Ashes Tour of England.