The Reverse Sweep

Hedley Verity - a proper hero with 'no breaking point'

In an era where footballers, pop stars, actors and for heaven's sake reality TV nonentities are too easily accorded hero status, it is worth remembering that there was a time when some of our sports stars were really worthy of being called heroes - and not just because of what they did on the field of play either.

One such man was Hedley Verity of Yorkshire, England and the Green Howards who was born this week in 1905 and who is the subject of our latest piece for All Out Cricket's rather fab web site.

Read Cricket Hero In The Field: Tribute to Hedley Verity to find out why the unyielding master of spin puts today's pampered 'stars' in the shade.

Where next?

Cricket XIs: A team of cricketers that died young

All-time England Ashes XI - Spinner

Heroes - Douglas Jardine

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Punk Cricket

Being cricket obsessives and regarding The Clash as the best rock group ever, anything that combines the words 'Punk' and 'Cricket' is bound to grab our attention at The Reverse Sweep. Throw in a bit of English humour with an amusing play on words and voila, you have a winning combination.

Therefore the t-shirts and other clothing apparel made by the guys at Punk Cricket gets a big tick in the box from us.

We were sent a 'Bodyline - Ashes Winners 1932' t-shirt in striking red, which went down very well given its imaginative design, heavyweight material  and the fact that it contained the hallowed names of Jardine, Verity, Larwood, Voce, Hammond, Sutcliffe et al.

The 'Viv Richards Master Blaster' went down just as well and has an original sunflower and maroon colour scheme and depicts the greatest batsman we've ever seen in the flesh with that familiar SS Jumbo in his powerful hands.

We get asked to do a fair amount of advertorials (or should that be blogvertorials?) at the Reverse Sweep, but Punk Cricket was one that we couldn't turn down because we just think that they are damn good.

Go and have a look for yourself and be seen in the kind of gear that your average MCC member would shy away from.

Where next?

Cricket heroes: Douglas Jardine

Cricket heroes: Hedley Verity

Cricket heroes: Viv Richards

They also played cricket - an XI of illustriously named Cricketers

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep 

An XI of Cricket Heroes

 
This week saw the publication of our 1000th post since we started The Reverse Sweep in 2009, which we suppose is cause for some mild celebration.

Cricket Heroes & Zeroes is perhaps the most prominent feature of this blog, so here is a team of our cricket heroes to muse over whilst we sip our celebratory glass of Bollinger (and no Doug, we don't mean you).

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Jack Hobbs

The Master. We were in awe of his staggering accomplishments as a youngster and we still are.

See Cricket heroes: Jack Hobbs

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Victor Trumper

The thinking man's Bradman. Stylish, effervescent and with all the strokes. The first batsman to hit a Test hundred before lunch.

See All-time Australian Ashes XI: The Openers

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Viv Richards

Sachin acolytes will doubtless disagree, but King Viv is the not only the most destructive but the best batsman we've seen in 30 plus years of watching cricket.  And what about that swagger?

See Cricket heroes: Viv Richards

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David Gower

Our first cricket memory that really resonates was our boyhood hero Gower nonchalantly dispatching his first ball in Test cricket to the boundary.

See cricket heroes: David Gower

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Douglas Jardine (Captain)

England's greatest captain and the foe of Bradman in the notorious (and ultimately successful) Ashes expedition of 1932/33.

See cricket heroes: Douglas Jardine

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Keith Miller

Flamboyant cricketer? Check. War hero? Check. Alleged dalliances with Princesses? Check. What's not to like?

See Keith Miller: Champion all-rounder, war hero & raconteur

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Ian Botham

He may divide opinion as a commentator, but for any English born, cricket loving child of the late seventies and early eighties, Beefy was the original comic book hero.

See All-time England Ashes XI - All-rounder, plus Botham's Ashes and 10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

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Henry Blofeld

Don't laugh. Until he lost an argument with a bus, Blofeld was a promising enough schoolboy wicketkeeper to be talked about as a future Test player. But it is Blofeld's eccentric, irreverent and unmissable commentary on Test Match Special that gets him in here.

See cricket heroes: Henry Blofeld

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Hedley Verity

England's greatest ever spinner died a hero leading his men into battle in the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.  1956 first-class wickets at an incredible 14.90 is the ultimate evidence of Verity's genius.

See cricket heroes: Hedley Verity

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Malcolm Marshall

If Richards is the best batsman we've ever seen, then Marshall is the best bowler. Marshall had everything. Express pace, a nasty bouncer (just ask Mike Gatting and Andy Lloyd) and the ability to swing the ball both ways.

See cricket heroes: Malcolm Marshall

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Harold Larwood

Bodyline's scapegoat is reputed to have been the fastest bowler ever and he certainly executed Jardine's cunning plan to the letter. His dignified response to being ostracised by the establishment proved he was as brilliant a man as he had been the most fearsome of fast bowlers.

See All-time Ashes XI and also Bodyline and nine other Ashes controversies

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Where next?

Cricket Heroes: Graham Dilley R.I.P

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Cricket XIs: A team of cricketers that died young

 
There have been many cricketers that have died young – including a number of all-time greats and others that probably would have joined this category if fate had dealt them a better hand.

Here are XII of those that left this mortal coil far too early due to a variety of tragic misfortunes including illness, war, accidents, murder, falling over on a dance floor and suicide.

1. Victor Trumper

The darling of the Golden Age was an absolute master on sticky wickets, scored the first Test hundred before lunch and was indisputably the greatest Australian batsman before Bradman. Despite ill-health he averaged over 60 in his last 68 innings, before finally succumbing to Bright’s Disease in June 1915 at just 37 years old.  

2. Arthur Shrewsbury

Rivalled Grace as the premier English batsman of the 1880’s and captained England seven times in his 23 Tests. He topped the first-class batting averages seven times including in 1902, his final season. The following spring, under the false impression that he had an incurable disease, he shot himself at his sister's home. Shrewsbury was 47.

3. Archie Jackson

The New South Wales batsman emerged at the same time as Bradman and was considered by many at the time to be the better prospect. A masterful 164 on Test debut against England in 1929 suggested that the stylish Jackson would fulfil his immense promise. But his health waned soon after and following a long battle with tuberculosis, Jackson died at the age of 23 in 1933.

4. William ‘Dodge’ Whysall

A close friend of Harold Larwood, Whysall starred in Nottinghamshire’s County Championship triumph of 1929, before being recalled to the England side for the decisive match of the 1930 Ashes series. Just two months later, at the age of 43, Whysall was dead from septicaemia caused by a fall on a dance floor where he had injured his elbow.

5. A.E.J. Collins

Collins may not have attained the status of Trumper or Jackson but he did record cricket’s highest ever individual score, smashing 628 not out as a thirteen year old in a house match at Clifton College in June 1899. Like many of his generation, Collins did not survive World War I, dying at the age of 29 at the First Battle of Ypres on 11 November 1914.

6. Claude Tozer

An immensely talented schoolboy cricketer who would have played more first-class cricket but for the demands of medical school and World War I. Tozer survived the War, had just been named as New South Wales captain and was tipped for a place in the Australian Test side to face England. But then murder most foul as his deranged mistress and patient shot him dead at the age of 30 in December 1920.

7. Norman Callaway

Like Taylor, Callaway may not be a household name but he does hold a notable cricket record. He made his first-class debut at the age of 18 in February 1915 for New South Wales against Queensland and promptly became the first man to score a double-century on his first-class debut. Cricket was then abandoned in Australia due to World War I, and by dint of Callaway being killed at the Second Battle of Bullecourt in France in 1917; he has the highest first class average on record of 207.

8. Montague Druitt

Druitt was found drowned in the River Thames at the age of 31 in 1888. A keen all-rounder, he represented Winchester College, and the Morden Cricket Club of Blackheath amongst others. But Druitt may have led a sinister double-life with many Jack the Ripper experts concluding that Druitt was the man responsible for the infamous Whitechapel murders.

9. Hedley Verity

Arguably England’s greatest ever spinner, Verity took 1,956 first-class wickets at a staggering average of 14.90 and provided the control at one end during the Bodyline series as Larwood and Voce wreaked havoc at the other. He was mortally wounded during the Eighth Army's advance on Catania in World War II and died a few days later on 31 July 1943 reportedly acknowledging that "I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire." He was just 38.

10. Ken Farnes

A fearsome fast bowler, Farnes took 10 wickets on Test debut at Trent Bridge in 1934 and snared 60 victims in his 15 Tests. He was killed, at the age of 30, in a plane crash in October 1941 while flying with the R.A.F. over Northamptonshire.

11. Albert Cotter

One of the great early fast bowlers, Cotter played 21 Tests and took 89 wickets and once hit an aging W.G Grace with a beamer incurring the wrath of the great man and causing him to walk off the field in disgust. Cotter was another who fell in the Great War - to Turkish fire in October 1917 at the age of 32. He had a premonition of his impending doom too tossing up a cricket ball of mud and announcing "That's my last bowl, blue. Something's going to happen."

12. Ben Hollioake

Who can forget the younger Hollioake’s opening statement as an international cricketer when he hit 63 at Lord’s in an ODI against an Australian side containing Warne, McGrath and Gillespie? He never quite repeated those feats in 2 Tests and 20 ODIs, but who knows what he could have achieved if he hadn’t tragically died in a car crash at the age of just 24 in 2002. 

Where next?

Victor Trumper: All-time Australian Ashes XI - The Openers

The 30 Greatest Batsmen Ever featuring Victor Trumper: Part 1 (30-21), Part 2 (20-11), Part 3 (10-1) 

Hedley Verity: All-time Ashes XI and All-time England Ashes XI - Spinner

Heroes: Hedley Verity

Archie Jackson - The 'Other Bradman'

Heroes: Arthur Carr

Full coverage of the Ashes 2010/11 series

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep 

Cricket Heroes: Hedley Verity

It is 79 years this week that the late and great Hedley Verity took 10/10 for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire at Headingley - a good excuse (if any was required) to replay our eulogy to a cricket and real-life hero...

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Hedley Verity of Yorkshire, England and the Green Howards was more than just a cricketing hero given that he paid the ultimate sacrifice in laying down his life for King and Country in World War II.

Since we were young, we've always been fascinated by the 'Bodyline' series of 1932/33 and the careers of its main protagonists. Our appreciation of notables like Jardine, Bradman and Larwood is well documented on this site, and in our pantheon of heroes Verity stands alongside them all. During that series he provided the control at one end as Larwood and Voce wreaked havoc at the other.

A slow-left armer who took a "longish run to the crease and bowled usually faster than Rhodes - at a pace comparable to Underwood", Verity was a magnificent bowler as evidenced by his stats. In all first-class cricket he took 1956 wickets at an incredible 14.90, whilst in 40 tests Verity took 144 wickets at 24.37. He took five wickets in an innings 164 times and 10 wickets in a match 54 times - equivalent to once in every seven first-class matches he played in. He wasn't a bad batsman either, averaging over 20 in tests and even being used as an opener on occasion by the shrewd Jardine.

In the history of English spinners, Verity has a claim to being the best and he certainly stands alongside the likes of Rhodes (his Yorkshire and England predecessor), Laker and Underwood at the very pinnacle. Twice he took all 10 wickets in an innings both times at Headingley; in 1931, against Warwickshire for 36 runs in 18.4  overs and then a year later against Nottinghamshire, for 10 runs in 19.4 overs with 16 maidens - a world record in first-class cricket for the fewest number of runs conceded by a bowler taking all 10 wickets in an innings, and it included a hat-trick.

Verity also holds the record for most test wickets in a day - 14 against Australia (and Bradman) at Lord's in 1934 (the last time until 2009 that England won a test against Australia at HQ). In all he had match figures of 15 for 104. A barometer of Verity's brilliance is the respect with which he was held by Bradman who once said of Verity's bowling "I think I know all about Clarrie (Grimmett), but with Hedley I am never sure. You see, there's no breaking point with him."

In each of his nine full English seasons, Verity averaged 185 wickets having had to wait until 1930 and the retirement of the great Rhodes to secure a spot in the Yorkshire side. Then World War II cut his career and ultimately his life short. He left the perfect cricketing epitaph when in the final match before the outbreak of War in 1939, Verity took seven wickets for nine runs against Sussex to confirm his position at the top of the first-class averages. He took a wicket with his last ball.

During the War, Captain Verity served with the Green Howards and saw action in a series of countries before joining the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. He was mortally wounded during the Eighth Army's advance on Catania and was taken prisoner by the Germans. After being handed to the Italians, he died on 31 July 1943 reportedly acknowledging that "I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire." Wisden's obituary describes the heroism that Verity demonstrated in his final battle being more worried about the survival of his men then himself despite having been shot.

As we said at the start, he was a true hero. One day we will write the definitive biography of Hedley Verity, but for now he is a Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Heroes - Douglas Jardine

10 reasons why Don Bradman is the greatest of them all

England win the Ashes 5-0

Brisbane Hero: Eddie Paynter

 
Throughout the Ashes series we'll be posting a variation on our usual Heroes & Zeroes theme and naming those that have starred or sunk at each of the five venues over the years. These will coincide with the actual action taking place in the 2010/11 series.

We start with an example of real valour and courage from the Brisbane Test in the infamous Bodyline Series of 1932/33. England led 2-1 going into what was the 4th Test and a win would see Douglas Jardine's side achieve its quest for the Ashes.

Eddie Paynter had been taken to hospital with tonsillitis and if England had responded strongly to Australia's first innings of 340, would probably not have batted. But all did not go well, and at 216 for 6 he emerged from the pavilion, refused Woodfull's offer of a runner, made his way to 24 not out at the close, and returned to his hospital bed for the night. Next morning, Paynter fought his way to 83 in just under four hours and put on 92 with Verity for the ninth wicket. England had their first innings lead and then Larwood, Allen and Verity dismissed Australia for just 165 and the Ashes were back in English hands.

Wisden's description of Paynter's innings states that he although he was "normally quick on his feet and a fine driver, he had conserved energy by waiting for opportunities to hit the ball to leg, preferably to the boundary".

Paynter's bravery, his ability to adapt and the significance of the match meant that few innings in history have so captivated the imagination of the public - the picture used with this piece is one that we certainly remember well from our childhood. Paynter's courage knew no bounds as he then insisted on fielding for a couple of hours before retiring and then, to cement his place in Ashes folklore even more, finished the match with a 6.

Eddie Paynter is an unsung hero no more. For bravery beyond the call of duty in England's hour of need and for his staggering average of 84.42 inhis seven Tests against Australia, the left-handed Yorkshireman is a Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Heroes: Hedley Verity

Heroes: Douglas Jardine

Bodyline & other Ashes controversies

Ashes 100-1: 18 - All-time Ashes XI

 
We see that Cricinfo has invited its readers to pick their All-time Ashes XI. Given we have recently selected our own all-time Australia and England Ashes XIs, it seems apt to pick a composite Ashes XI from these 22 names:

All-time Australian Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin Kings

All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin King

Openers

Having selected five openers in our two sides – Len Hutton was picked at first drop in our England Ashes XI – we have a plethora of options here. But for the same reason that Hutton was pushed down to three, we see no reason to split up the immortal opening partnership of Hobbs and Sutcliffe. The dynamic duo had 11 opening partnerships of over 100 against Australia including two of the greatest in the history of the game at The Oval in 1926 and Melbourne in 1928/29.

Middle order

Bradman picks himself at three and is also our captain. Joining him in the middle order are Hammond – who other than in the 1928/29 series when he hit 905 runs was mostly overshadowed by the brilliance of Bradman. This leaves us with three tough, doughty fellows in Barrington, Border and Waugh. We opt for the middle of these, partly because as a left-hander he provides balance to the side, but also because he was equally as effective in a losing or winning side.

All-rounder

Choosing between two larger-than-life characters like Miller and Botham is no easy task - especially as we looked on as an awed child at the exploits of the latter in the unforgettable 1981 Ashes. But despite this, Miller seems to have the better of Botham with both bat and ball and also had his opponent’s ability to change a match single-handedly.

Wicketkeeper

Gilchrist’s superior batting versus Knott’s better ability with the gloves? In the end this was quite an easy choice because quite simply Gilchrist had an unbeatable talent for counterpunching when his side were in trouble or turning a positive position into one of utter dominance all in the blink of an eye.

Seamers

Barnes is arguably the greatest bowler ever and offers a potent variety of seam, swing and spin – the latter meaning that we need only select one specialist spinner in our XI. Due to our unashamed love of extreme pace, we opt for Lillee and Larwood over Bedser and Lindwall to join Barnes in our composite XI.

Spin

Having seen the exploits of Warne at first-hand, it is impossible to prefer O’Reilly or Verity above him. For balance, the left-arm spin of Verity is preferred to the leggie Tiger as our 12^th man.

So, our all-time Ashes XI is: Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman (C), Hammond, Border, Miller, Gilchrist, Larwood, Warne, Lillee and Barnes with Verity as 12th man.

Where next?

Hammond and Bradman: Two batting phenomenons

Hobbs and Sutcliffe: Their greatest opening stand

Heroes: Hedley Verity

Ashes 100-1: 30 - All-time England XI: Spin King

 
The presence of that box of tricks Sydney Barnes - off-breaks and leg-breaks as well as seam and swing - in our all-time England Ashes XI means that unlike with their Australian counterparts, we will name only one specialist spinner to join him. A second will be named as 12th man.

Whilst England's spin heritage is perhaps not quite as impressive as Australia's, there are a number of outstanding twirlers that wouldn't look out of place in a pantheon XI to take on Australia's finest. As usual, we looked at and discounted a number of good English spinners before arriving at our shortlist of four. We'd have liked to have included Johnny Wardle on that list - so criminally underused by England - but he only played eight Ashes tests for his 24 wickets.

We also examined closely the credentials of England's two great Victorian spinners - Bobby Peel (101 Ashes wickets at 16.98) and Johnny Briggs (97 at 20.55) - but ruled them out because of the difficulty in comparing them to more recent spinners - cricket being very much a bowler's game in the 1800's.

There was also no room for anyone from the last 30 years with no English spinner of this periodcoming close to achieving greatness - although Graeme Swann has made a good start in trying to rectify this. So this leaves our four candidates - one off and three leg spinners.

Taking them in chronological order, we start with the leading wicket taker in cricket history Wilfred Rhodes. In an amazing test career lasting over 30 years, Rhodes took more wickets than any other English spinner against Australia - 109 wickets at 24 in 41 Ashes tests. And he could bat too - helping England win at test at The Oval in 1902 as number eleven and then hitting 179 as an opener at Melbourne in 1912.

Rhodes' replacement for Yorkshire and England was the imperious Hedley Verity who despite plying his trade exclusively in the batsman dominated 1930s achieved an extraordinary average of 14.90 for his 1956 first-class wickets. He excelled in the test arena too - tying up one end for Larwood, Voce and Allen in the 'Bodyline' series and taking 14 wickets in a day at Lord's in 1934 - including Bradman and McCabe twice each. The pitch may have been helpful but Bradman said he had seen worse and it was Verity's ability to change pace, spin and direction that earnt him his reward. In all Verity took 59 Ashes wickets at 28.

If Verity's 15 for 104 at Lord's was impressive then Jim Laker's immortal 19 for 90 at Old Trafford in 1956 was even better. The wicket made off-spinner Laker unplayable and with Tony Lock having a poor game at the other end, the genial Laker cleaned up. And it wasn't a one-off either as Laker took 79 Ashes wickets at 18.27 in a period of mostly English dominance in the 1950s.

Our final candidate is Derek Underwood, who bowled at a similar pace and style to Verity. With Alan Knott already installed as keeper in our XI, the other part of the double-act 'Deadly' would be immediately at home. When conditions suited such as at The Oval in 1968 where he took four Australian wickets in 27 balls to give England a last gasp win, Underwood's nickname was entirely appropriate. His 88 wickets against Australia came at just over 26 a piece.

A difficult decision with all four on our shortlist having a justifiable claim. But our decision to go with Verity is partly based on finding a balance to Barnes - which points to a left-armer, partly on the opinion of Bradman - who he dismissed eight times in tests - who admitted that he "could never claim to have completely fathomed Hedley's strategy" and partly personal as along with Jardine and Gower, Verity is our all-time cricketing hero.

In a photo-finish like this, we believe the heart can be allowed to rule the head. In the further interest of balance, Laker will carry the drinks for our side.

Where next?

All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers

All-time Australian Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin Kings

Heroes: Hedley Verity

CricDude

I've recently been contracted to write a thrice weekly column for CricDude, a site launched nearly a year ago by of all people Sachin Tendulkar. I'm writing under my real name of David Green and have somehow managed to be included in the 'Expert Analysis & Opinions' section on the homepage.

Although I will write with the same irreverent and acerbic nature displayed on this blog (at least I hope that's how it comes across!), the style will be slightly different in that I intend to tackle more meaty issues than Shane Warne's underwear venture (if you pardon the pun) or Andrew Strauss' toastrack problems.

The first article asks if cricket today really is an equal battle of bat and ball or whether the willow wielders are the lions to the bowlers unfortunate Christians.

Please get over there now and read, enjoy and provide feedback. In that way, one day I may be able to fund that biography of Hedley Verity that I am desperate to write. 

 

My cricketing heroes

I've already posted this as part of my latest 'Reverse Sweep' column for Pongo Cricket and World Cricket Watch, but wanted to include it on my own blog too. I had planned it to be my 100th post since I started this blog just before Christmas, but I managed to cock that one up. So therefore, I am now celebrating my 102nd post. Hooray!

A list of my cricketing heroes

As some of you will know, the brain behind Cricket With Balls has recently embarked on Cricket Sadist, which is described as “the cricket magazine for sadists and masochists, not tragics”. Anyway, the first issue is due out on 1 April and I contributed a piece on Douglas Jardine, my all-time cricketing hero. So in order to promote the magazine and subsequently therefore ensure (I hope) that my Jardine piece makes the cut, here is a list of my all-time cricketing heroes.

Douglas Jardine – You’ll have to read Cricket Sadist to find out why Jardine (below) is at number one, if my article makes the cut that is…. 

 

Hedley Verity – England’s greatest ever spinner who tragically died prematurely as a hero in World War II. He took 7 wickets for 9 runs in what proved to be his last match for Yorkshire.

Donald Bradman – He may have been the scourge of England, but 99.94 mean no other words are necessary.

David Gower – My favourite player as a schoolboy. I even tried but failed to change my natural right handed style to be a left hander like him. And like me, also a David G.

Keith Miller – Not only a brilliant cricketer, but also a raconteur and notorious cad. What’s not to like?

Harold Larwood – Jardine’s main weapon in Australia in 1932/33 refused to apologise for Bodyline and never played for England again. I like people with strong principles.

Ian Botham – Great cricketer, crap commentator. But always a hero of mine simply because of 1981 when as a wide eyed nine year old I watched his historic feats at Headingley, Edgbaston and Old Trafford.

Viv Richards – The coolest cricketer ever? He even makes Chris Gayle look positively uncool in comparison. 

W.G.Grace  – Of all the many reasons to like Grace this is my favourite. When he was bowled once, first ball, he promptly picked up the bails and replaced them, repositioning himself to take the next ball. The umpire, not unnaturally, objected. "Don't be silly," said WG, and pointed to the crowd. "They've come to see me bat, not you umpire." Magical.

Paul Collingwood – I know. But here I’ve picked the cricketer that reminds me most of my own batting ‘style’. Well the Brigadier Block version anyway.

And I still haven't written about Victor Trumper, Imran Khan, Gary Sobers, SF Barnes... The list goes on. More cricketing heroes on the 202nd, 302nd and so on posts!