Apologies for talking cricket in a rugby league season where there’s been so many superb games, especially the golden pointers.
But yesterday I came across a photo of Norm O’Neill playing a majestic cover drive during the first tied Test against the West Indies at the Gabba, in December 1960.
Not only did Norm smash 181 with 22 fours against the might of Wes Hall, Gary Sobers, Frank Worrell, Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramahdin, but he was there for 401 deliveries, just biding his time.
A couple of years later, Norm and I were invited to a charity game in Cootamundra, the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman.
In a typical country scene, the cars were parked front on to the fence all around the ground, with thousands sitting on their vehicles, or just inside the fence.
Whenever I’m asked about Norm O’Neill I recall that tremendous innings.
I spoiled it for the big crowd by bowling Norm, and paused.
The general reaction was ‘how could you do that?’ Or words to that effect.
I bowled Norm for 228.
The big crowd sure weren’t sitting inside the fence for long, nor on top of their cars, with majestic Norm in full flight, the sweet spot on his bat seemed to be a metre wide.
Rarely does a bowler clap a batsman when he’s being unmercifully hammered, but I did that day, it was a pleasure to see so many power-laden shots right out of the meat.
I was only hammered twice, and the second was Alan Davidson, who just happened to become the first to score a 100 runs and take 10 wickets in a Test, and the tied Test for good measure.
His 5-135 and 6-87 were matched by 44 and an unbeaten 80 that went within a whisker of pinching the Test.
Change the scene to Davo’s club home ground at Pratten Park in Sydney’s western suburbs where the Pratten Park Bowling Club was at the northern end with the back of the clubhouse adjoining the oval’s fence.
No matter how hard I tried to get Davo out, he belted me so hard and so far the bowlers stopped playing for fear of being hit, and came to the fence to watch the carnage.
Like Norm in Cootamundra, Davo just kept smashing me straight in a superb century-pus dig that won the game in century degree heat.
And I couldn’t help just clapping Davo on his powerhouse stroke-play – I will never forget that dig.
Sadly Norm O’Neill is no longer with us. He died in 2008, aged 71.
But Alan Davidson is still going strong, and will be 88 next month.
It was a privilege to play against two great blokes, and two great cricketers, for so many years – whether I was being hammered or not.
While a premature retirement isn’t the solution, he or England want, he may be forced into it if he can’t maintain a long run of matches.
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