I was surprised reading Sheek’s post on Monday of the best Australian teams selected by Cricinfo and its readers, with wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield’s name missing from the list.
Australia has produced wicket-keepers of world renown – Oldfield, Don Tallon, Wally Grout, Brian Taber, Rod Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist.
Although I never saw Oldfield keep or bat, Oldfield remains special to me because I had the pleasure of chatting with him.
I was new to Sydney and was walking on Pitt Street in 1976. I stopped as I saw the sign “Bert Oldfield’s Sports Stores”. Not THE Bert Oldfield, I wondered.
I entered the shop and saw a big photograph at the entrance. It was the picture of Walter Hammond cover-driving, everything in place – even the handkerchief in his left pocket. And behind the stumps was Bert Oldfield with cat-like anticipation, matching Hammond in grace and poise.
Was it 1976 or had I travelled in a time-machine to 1920s? Inspired, I rang him the next morning to fix an interview. When I said that I was from India, he sounded delighted.
“Yes, India – the land of Ranji and Duleep,” he exclaimed. “Ranji was before my time but I played against Duleep. He was a stylish batsman with a charming personality. I think you are charming too, to ring me up.”
I was greeted at his Sports Store by the jockey-like figure of Bert Oldfield, 82, standing straight, his blue eyes smiling as he welcomed Duleep’s countryman.
He invited me to a nearby café. It was an unforgettable experience. The hand that had caught 78 batsmen and stumped 52 in 54 Tests (victims including Jack Hobbs, Hammond, Herbert Sutcliffe, ‘Patsy’ Hendren, Frank Woolley…) was putting sugar in my coffee cup!
We discussed the 1975-76 Australia–Windies Test series. What did he think of Rod Marsh as a ‘keeper?
“I wouldn’t call Marsh a wicket-keeper. He jumps about too much for my liking. Taber was a better wicket-keeper.”
I wondered how Bert would have coped against the menacing pace and bounce of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee. He read my mind and said, “Ted McDonald and Jack Gregory were just as fast. To ’keep to Jack Gregory was extremely difficult.”
His face softened. “In a match at Nottingham, I noticed that Jack Gunn had the habit of standing outside the crease when playing. He had only to miss a ball and I would stump him. But he was so well-set that he did not miss a ball.
“I arranged with Gregory that he should pitch the third ball of his next over outside the leg stump. But he forgot all about our little plan and the fast ball on the off-side resulted in four byes!”
“I consider Hobbs as the greatest batsman of all time. He was a true gentleman. His wife was seldom in good health and he was always with her in her hours of need.”
What about Don Bradman?
“He was extraordinarily good even at a young age. When he was brought to Sydney he had no cricket gear or shoes. I received an SOS to lend him clothes from my Sports Stores. The only clothes that fitted him were mine!”
When World War I broke out, Oldfield enlisted and sailed to Egypt. In France in 1917 he was blown up by a German shell. Then a Bosche shell burst near their stretcher killing his three mates while he was buried and remained unconscious. “For six months I suffered from shell-shock and was invalidated to England.”
At that time the Australian Imperial Force was playing cricket in England. One of Gregory’s express deliveries gashed ‘keeper Ted Long’s face. Another ‘keeper had to be located pronto and thus was pitch-forked little Bert Oldfield into the strong AIF XI of 1919 as a stumper. The rest is history.
After the interview I shook the hands described by experts as the safest from 1919 to 1936. Even 74 years after his retirement, Oldfield’s record of 52 stumpings remains unbroken although some modern wicket-keepers have played twice as many Tests.
Bert Oldfield died a few months after our get together. But his beautiful wife Ruth was very appreciative of the sentiments expressed in my article. “I found your interview on Bert so beautifully written that it made the information read as a fascinating human story. You are certainly a gifted writer and I’ll treasure your article”, she wrote.
That’s one letter I’ll always cherish.
Jason
Guest
I disagree that Gilly is a walk up start for the all time Australian keeping position. While he was just about the most thrilling cricketer I have ever had the pleasure of watching, the fact is that really good bowlers generally found him out. So in an all time XI match against the likes of Marshall and Ambrose or Truman and barnes I do think he would struggle. On the other, in such a match you do want your best keepers taking the half chances that might come early off a Hobbs, Hammond or Sobers or Headley. Oldfield or Healy would be my picks for that role. This is not meant to be any disrespect to Gilly. Along with warne and lillee he will be one of the players I tell my grandkids that I saw.
Whiteline
Guest
Kersi Brilliant. Lucky you. As Vinay said, you've have painted a word picture that asks for more. Vinay, let's hear your story next!
sheek
Guest
Kersi, Make this 3 complimentary comments. I have a family friend who is approaching his mid-80s, who has this wonderful ability to tell stories of his youth, growing up, working, living, etc in bygone days. His attention to detail & memory is so good, you almost feel listening to him as if you're back in the 30s, or 40s, or 50s yourself. You have that knack. I almost felt I sitting there with you & Bert listening in! It's shame today's youth have lost the desire & ability to listen to elders. You might be able to read about the past on the net or in a book, but nothing compares with primary sources!!! No other cricketing nation can compare the depth & quality of wicket-keepers with Australia. England, who have a cricketing history longer than ours, can't compare. But Gilchrist has killed all arguments over Australia's best ever keeper. His match winning batting sets him apart. As a pure keeper, you could argue Australia has had 6-7 who were better, but his batting simply blows the pure keeping skills away. Jack Blackham ought to be revered for setting a standard so high that has been emulated by a select number of equally outstanding custodians. Of the long-term keepers, Blackham was followed in turn by Jack Kelly, Sammy Carter, Bert Oldfield, Don Tallon, Gil Langley, Wally Grout, Rod Marsh, Ian Healy & Brad Haddin. Haddin had such a tough act to follow in Gilly's footsteps, but has handled the post admirably. Those whose tenure in the position wasn't as long, but also helped to maintain the tradition include Bill Murdoch, Alfie Jarvis, Bill Carkeek, Hammy Love, Ben Barnett, Ron Saggers, Len Maddocks, Barry Jarman, Brian Taber, Steve Rixon, John Maclean, Kevin Wright, Roger Woolley, Wayne Phillips, Tim Zoehrer, Greg Dyer & Phil Emery.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
What a morning to wake up to, reading two complimentary comments! Somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good!! Thank you Vinay and Plasmodium. As my post was getting to over 700 words, I had to cut it. Back to the coffee shop story with the Prince of Keepers (Bert Oldfield). We kept chatting over two cups of coffee and he insisted to pay. But after half an hour he looked at me as if I was a stranger. I felt miserable as I thought I had offended him. He was not quite there. I held his hand as we crossed the road. Looking at his blank expression, his assistant said, "Time for your pills, Mr Oldfield." Next time I went to see my new hero Bert he remembered me very well and talked freely and affectionately. Plasmodium, further to your story on golfer and his wife, listen to this. A county cricketer's wife left him in July and he realised it in September!
Plasmodium
Guest
KERSI - top drawer post as usual, and one that particularly resonates with me. I was a budding keeper in high school so one of my teachers, O.A. Taylor, a great guy and cricket fanatic, sent me along to a pal of his to get some tips. The pal was, of course, Bert Oldfield, dubbed the Prince of Keepers. This was at his store on the street that runs down to Wynard. I think Allan Kippax had a store close by. Bert was about 55 - 56, pixie-like and totally charming. He kindly gave me a few pointers but none of them stuck. My father used to tell me that he was the first of the keepers not to take a sideways step to cover a ball with his body, he simply reached out a glove for it and never missed. As for Jack Gregory, I can boast that I saw him play - but not cricket. He used to play tennis on the grass courts outside the Members Stand at the SCG (are they still there?) and my father would point him out to me when we'd go to watch cricket or league. Gregory was tall with shoulders, and Bert's claim that he was as fast as anybody doesn't surprise me. Jack Hobbs, half of Hobbs and Sutcliffe, terrified Australia. One of the truly great opening pairs in history. Hobbs used to study Ranjitsinhji's technique when Ranji played at Cambridge, and learned from watching him to score off the back foot instead of coming forward to every ball. Neville Cardus, who knew a thing or two about cover drives, Beethoven and The Bard, once described Ranji as the Midsummer Night's Dream of cricket. And on a cricket/literary note, Jack Hobbs wrote a great schoolboy novel, in the tradition of the bumper books and Hotspur and Champion, called Between the Wickets. It's a wonderful read but good luck on finding a copy - mine vanished ages ago and I was never able to replace it. VINAY - your marital problems remind me of an old golf joke. One golfer says to another, "My wife's threatened to leave me if I don't give up golf." "That's too bad," his friend says. "Yes, it is. I shall miss her terribly."
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Kersi,this is the best piece I have read of your many fine vignette's over the years. You have captured the essence of the man..his generosity of spirit and his unstinting praise of others. There is a strong affinity between Australians and Indians; especially those that share a love of cricket. My wife used to love cricket when we first got married. Now she want's to file for divorce citing cricket as the "other party" I have a meeting with the Don that I cherish and will share this with the Roar readers one day. And for the benefit of Roar Readers Kersi and I only met about 2 years ago. We had seen each other at the cricket and once Kersi ignored me in a lift. So after living in Sydney for close to forty years and within 10 kilometers of each other we spent some time in the Press Box at the SCG in 2008-9. Cricket has this capacity to draw people together. But ,alas,it is a seductress that is demanding.