The (Monty) Noble way to captain Australia

Cleaning out my library yesterday I came across a pamphlet, ‘Mary Ann’ Noble At The SCG,’* written by the indefatigable Jack Pollard, a Sydney journalist who wrote about 70 sports books in his lifetime.

I’d recommend Ricky Ponting read the pamphlet and learn how Monty Noble, the first great Australian cricket captain, created the standard of hard, intelligent, winning and always fair, ethical captaincy that has been part of the DNA of the Australian captaincy style ever since.

Monty Noble succeeded Joe Darling, a fine captain and player in his own right, in the first test against England at the SCG in December 1903. It was during this test that Noble lived up to his name as the Australian captain (in a delightful example of nominative determinism) and created a tradition of performance and leadership that has been emulated by a line of inspiring captain like Warwick Armstrong, Bill Woodfull, Victor Richardson, Don Bradman, Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell (except for his sledging misbehaviour) and Mark Taylor.

Noble scored 135 out of Australia’s total of 285, a performance that did not prevent England from winning the test. This innings started off with Noble’s leadership skills being severely tested.

The England captain, ‘Plum Warner’ (the manager of Douglas Jardine’s Bodyline side), threatened to take his team from the field when spectators on The Hill became excessively rowdy when the champion Clem Hill was ruled run out. Noble was next in to bat. His quick entry on to the ground was a sign to the crowd that the run out had to be accepted. Noble then persuaded Warner to continue play.

Monty Noble was a first generation Australian, and the youngest child in a family of eight sons. His family were church goers. His mother had a social conscience and refused to serve customers more than two drinks when she was behind the bar in the family pub. One brother became an Anglican parson at Pymble.

Noble’s firm, disciplined, humane and intelligent style of captaincy, always conscious of the spirit of the game, can possibly be traced back to his upbringing in a disciplined and loving family.

Jack Pollard makes this point early on in his essay, after noting that Noble must rank among Australia’s most accomplished all-rounders : ‘Noble’s major contribution to Australian cricket was, however, his captaincy in 15 tests and the manner in which he used the prestige of this high honour to influence the entire administration of cricket. He was a highly ethical man, always eager to safeguard the game’s reputation for sportsmanship. He maintained tight control over the players in his teams, curbed show ponies, reprimanding those who appealed knowing batsmen were not out, and switching boundary fieldsmen keen on chatting to female spectators to the slips.’

Noble believed that captains made a difference in the way their teams played and, therefore, in the outcome of a match. ‘The only times captains are equal,’ he used to say, ‘is at the toss.’

He was forthright in his decision-making. On his last tour of England in 1909 he became the first captain to put England into bat in a home test. He led from the front. His batting average in 42 tests was 30.26: he took 121 wickets at 25. He never gave up. In 1899 at Manchester, while the mocking crowd sang the ‘Dead March’ he blocked his way through most of England’s 72 maiden overs in Australia’s second innings to save the test.

According to Pollard, ‘his players drew confidence from him, for despite a tight control he showed humour and tolerance.’ Ray Robinson, a wonderfully gifted wordsmith, likened Noble’s style to that of an orchestra leader with his players watching him intently between balls for quiet signals. The style was understated, more Von Karajan than Bernstein presumably, with no clapping of hands or excessive waving of the arms.

The spirit of the game was always important to him.

He would not tolerate sharp or underhand practice. He would only allow a substitute fielder if a player was genuinely injured. And in an incident that Anil Kumble might reflect on, Noble once admonished one of his players who jumped the fence at Mosman Oval to get to the crease quickly when time was running out and his team needed a few runs to win.

‘Mosman are giving us every chance to get these runs,’ Noble told his player, ’so go back and come through the gate.’

Noble’s great contribution to cricket was acknowledged with a magnificent stand being named after him at the SCG, the Noble Stand. How sad that spectators in this stand had a superb view of disgraceful behaviour from an Australian cricket team that the first great captain of Australia would never have tolerated.

Memo to Ricky Ponting: Captain Australia in future in the Noble way.

* ‘Mary Ann’ Noble at the SCG’ by Jack Pollard (A Sydney Cricket Ground Classic)

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