Ian Chappell's 'side of the story' against sledging allegations from Glenn Turner

From Canberra Times 13th Nov 1975 "ADELAIDE, Wednesday. Former Test captain Ian Chappell was warned by the South Australian Cricket Association today that future misconduct would make him liable to suspension, Chappell had been cited to appear before a sub-committee of the association to answer charges of alleged misconduct in the match between South Australia and NSW. A spokesman said the SACA was acting on Chappell's bowling 16 head-high full tosses at NSW batsmen and alleged bad language."

I remember the incident well and I was there that day. What Ian fails to mention is that this was the match where Australia gained the unwanted tag of "Ugly Australians" ; a mantle that they have worn with distinction ever since. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case, Ian's behaviour and language towards an umpire and fellow player forever blackened Australia's name as a sporting nation. The damage to our reputation has been irreparable. Can Chappell justify the unjustifiable? He just made a damned good try!

So it's the Aussies deciding where "the line" is again eh......

‘I didn’t indulge in personal abuse to unsettle opponents ….’ ‘It was never done to put them off their game and it was never premeditated.’ The thousands at Eden Park who saw him leave his normal position at first slip to go to a ridiculously close silly mid off and then mouth away to unsettle Glenn Turner as the bowler was coming in might have a different opinion. Chappell is an unconscionable liar.

“I was not abusing the umpire – I went to Bob Monteith to find out where he thought the ball landed. "It was important because of the atrocious playing conditions concerning boundaries at Lancaster Park" What bull. The umpire had simply lost sight of the ball in the setting sun. Turner, like other people, had seen it bounce inside the boundary. Turner did the honest thing and advised the umpire accordingly. The umpire was making the correction before Chappell had even started his tirade. Chappell was about to lose to NZ--the first time it had happened to an Australian team and was in a highly emotional state. I was watching the drama very closely. It was, after all, an historic occasion for NZ cricket. Chappell carried on his unsportsmanlike behaviour into the next test where he abused Turner constantly from a very silly mid off. Turner had to break his stance and hold up the bowler several times. Turner was abused because he was a key player: a century in each innings of the first test that NZ won was evidence of that. Glenn Turner played cricket all over the world. His sportsmanship has never been questioned--unlike Chappell's. Perhaps Chappell will tell us why he had to leap a fence to get away from angry Ian Botham hell bent on punching his teeth in. I'm sure Chappell will come up a version will be remarkably different from Botham's. Chappell is desperate to rewrite history after his holier-than-thou statements about the ball tampering incident. The ugly behaviour that has become a feature of Australian cricket teams started with him.

Seem the "word" was used a lot of times in a short period of time.....did Turner reply in a similar manner or he just keep nagging . When Turner used the word in front of Chappell's wife at a social function according to Chappell, maybe he thought it was normal behaviour, because it seem quite normal for Chappell to use the "word" so freely.....got to laugh.

Chappelli & Freddie Walters were also great mates.

Paul, You need to appreciate the background of the time (1975/76). Chappelli had resigned as test skipper & believed in was in his last season of 1st class cricket. I recall he was having a run-in with someone almost every week. He was fed up with both the ACB & SACA, both of whom he believed were treating the players, both international & state, with disdain. Test players were being asked to tour more often with little extra remuneration. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold down a job, or get one, because of all the time required for cricket travel & playing. The genesis of WSC started in this season, leading to players being signed up for WSC the following season. Before you get stuck into Chappelli, go back & recall the increasing strain the players were being placed under. Benson & Hedges Tobacco Company had come aboard as chief sponsor that season (I think) but the players weren't seeing any significant increase in their remuneration. There was a great deal of tension & agitation beneath the surface the the public was never privy to. These were not pretty times for players to try & concentrate on their cricket while fighting a behind the scenes increasing industrial war with their uncaring governing bodies.

Except Chappel isn't Turner's boss, he's not HIS captain and in this instance, it would be the Umpire whose boss.If I waltzed up to my boss in an arrogant overbearing way and started talking crap about an issue which had already been resolved in my favour by my co-worker (as Turner had done saying it wasn't a 6 to the umpire) I wouldn't take offense to being told that matter had been resolved. In fact, I feel like a moron. Only an arrogant piece of sh!t would think so, which is precisely what Chappel comes across in his own passage.Tthe fact that Chappel thinks he gets to determine whenever he gets to swear AT people also paints him out to be a self-important sh1t who is above the rules. That he uses an example of the victim using the word in front of someone rather than at someone as an equivalence is more proof that he seems to think he feeling something ok, makes it ok. Me saying f7ck when I whack my thumb with a hammer in front of someone is not the same as me going up to someone and saying 'f7ck off'. It's really not difficult to understand, and only grubs would try to say otherwise.

Love that one Sheeky too. I think I read about it in Rod Marsh's "You'll Keep". Much happier times. Another gem; To Marsh. "Where's B N Jarman? He on sick leave?"

None of us were there so there is probably an element of truth in both versions so move on. However Chapelli has acted like a prat on other occasions eg NSW shield game against Lenny Pascoe when IC ran on the field to argue decision against his batting team yet hypocritically professes to hold up the traditions of cricket elsewhere. The question is will 2UE (part owned by Fairfax - business partner of Nine) keep up test cricket radio broadcasts in summer.

My point remains.

This was how the captain of Australia reacted when a player bowled wide of the stumps. I'm sorry but his actions were really childish. I remember thinking so at the time and I was in my teens. All he intended to do was embarrass the umpires James, because they wouldn't call the deliveries wides. Same game had to drop his pants to adjust his box, again with a clear intention to cause embarrassment. You might think it was no big deal now but it was big issue back then, especially for a bloke who was captaining his country. Hard to have respect for a bloke who acts in such a stupid manner to make a point.

Chappell is owed an apology anyway. Having a spat with one player or swearing at someone a few times doesn’t amount to sledging, and in no way qualifies Chappell as the initiator of the modern practice of concerted sledging, which is mainly conducted by the slip cordon and close in fielders maintaining a barrage of chirp and hostile remarks. You might as well say sledging was started by South African bowler Peter Heine who told Trevor Bailey he was going to kill him next time when he hit him with a bouncer in a 1958 Test vs England.

Popey, I have an even better one which you've probably read from me before. When in the Caribbean in 1973, the Aussies heard a lot about the Windies' new fast bowler Uton Dowe. Anyway, in the opening spell of the 1st test opener Stackpole smashed him all over the place. Skipper Kanhai banished him to the outfield until later in the day when the new ball became available. As Dowe was marking out his run-up, a wag from the crowd called out: "Hey Kanhai, ain't you heard the 11th commandment? Dowe shalt not bowl"!

Why would Chappell going up to the umpires to change a decision be arguing to leave it to the umpires. Turner said to Chappell "I have sorted it", if he had said "I told the umpires it was a 4" then the incident would not have happened, Chappell woulld have taken that to mean that Turner told the umpires it was a six.

A better yarn. Turner scored 259 in the tour match vs Guyana. Then followed it up with another 259 in the test match. As he left the ground a wag called out "Hey Turner! Don't you like 260?"

He didn't swear at or two Chappell's wife. He said it in front of her. As for the language, I'm happy to swear but if someone swears at me as Chappell did to Turner, that's different.

I think John Benaud mentions this incident in his excellent book Matters of Choice. Benaud wouldn't have been on that tour, but would have had current or very recent teammates who were on the field at the time, and so be in a position to have reliable sources as to what went on. It should be said that Benaud was a big admirer of Chappell. As I recall it (and I have to acknowledge I haven't read the book in some years so my memory may be faulty), Chappell was essentially telling Turner to leave the umpiring to the umpire and to stick to batting. And no doubt doing so robustly, and quite possibly continuing the conversation in that vein over the next few minutes if Turner was too. None of that is all that inconsistent with Chappell thinking little of it and Turner getting upset (even if that does seem a bit precious from this distance).

You should finish the quote and put it into the context of what Chappell is saying. ‘I didn’t indulge in personal abuse to unsettle opponents ....’ ‘It was never done to put them off their game and it was never premeditated.’