As Pat Cummins crouches down, bottle green helmet with the Australian crest emblazoned upon his head, waiting for Steve Smith to bowl the final delivery of the Sydney Test he is staring at James Anderson.
Anderson the veteran, Anderson the greatest of English bowling, Anderson the private school boy.
As we watch the slow depletion of Australian rugby since the world cup-winning side of 1999 – a triumph brought about with a sides filled with students of the green fields of private schools – we can easily draw the link with English cricket and private schooling.
From the Australian XI who took the field in Sydney the vast majority are state educated. The only major exception is Cameron Green who the UK media have reported previously that he attended the ‘elite’ Scotch College, Perth, which requires a non-boarding annual fee for secondary school students of $29,280.
In comparison to the English XI who all bar Ben Stokes and Mark Wood were independently educated.
Continuing to draw the link between the Australian rugby experience and English cricket’s continuing trauma there is much deeper social and class pressures which have incubated and grown a bacterium on the sports.
Both have suffered the short-term sugar hits of television pay deals with Fox and Sky. This had the effect of minimising the viewership and pushing rugby in Australia and cricket in the UK to screens that are owned by families that can afford the experience.
Both have suffered an evaporating pool of talent. In the UK the selling off of cricket ovals by the Thatcher, Cameron, May and Johnson Governments have given local cricket clubs no option but to fold with dwindling registration, ensuring cricket becomes a purely exclusive sport.
Meanwhile in Australia, rugby programs in public schools have long been confined to the bottom of the draw. With school rugby in Sydney concentrated into GPS and CHS school competitions.
The answer seems quite simple but both Rugby Australia and the ECB may not enjoy the answer – if you want to survive cut your ties.
The sooner both sports are widely visible with free-to-air channels ensuring the largest opportunity for the public to view the sport and fall in love with the sports the sooner you will reap the rewards in the trophy cabinet and in revenue.
Brett Allen
Guest
The majority of the best young NRL players, particularly in NSW come from Catholic schools, particularly the MCS & MCC conferences. Schools like Patrician Brothers Fairfield, Blacktown Patrician Brothers, St Gregory’s College Campbelltown, St Dominic’s Penrith, Terra Sancta College, Holy Cross Ryde, De La Salle Caringbah etc produce NRL players for fun.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Ah yes my bad. It’s one of the top ones though I believe. I see that Joe Darling, Clem Hill, Greg Blewett and Tim May also went there.
Lincoln
Roar Rookie
Is the NRL mainly public school based? If it is then therein lies the problem with rugby union because the majority of the biggest fastest most talented rugby players in Australia play NRL. If those players played Union then maybe we could beat the All Blacks. The talent pool for Union is too small.
Brett Allen
Guest
No, they went to Prince Alfred College in Adelaide.
Brett Allen
Guest
This article is nothing more than cheap class warfare and simplistic “thinking”, and that’s being generous, hiding behind a modicum of truth. Yes the sale of TV rights exclusively to pay TV hurts a sports visibility, both RA & the ECB’s problems run far deeper than this tripe. The Premier League doesn’t seem to struggle with just one FTA game a week.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Just looking at the guys usually regarded as greats of the game since Warwick Armstrong in 1920, the only ones I’ve come across who went to private school, were Armstrong, the two Chappells, Hassett, McCabe, McDermott, Warne, Hayden, Langer, Hussey, Cummins and Boon. The only ones who went to elite GPS schools were the Chappells, Hassett (Geelong College), Langer (Aquinas, Perth), Hayden and McCabe (St Joseph’s, Sydney). McCabe went on a scholarship as did Warne to Mentone Grammar. The only other big names I’ve come across were Redpath (Geelong College), Bob Cowper (Scotch, Melbourne) Watson (Ipswich Grammar) and Jack Fingleton (Waverley, Syd, but his dad was a tram driver and union organiser). I’d say there were 50-plus Australian greats since 1920 who went to state schools.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I’m pretty sure not everyone who disliked Bradman was Catholic, Holiness!
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I did too Pope for some reason.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Not sure about O'Brien playing, but definitely Catholic with that name - same as McCormick.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Not sure Bernie. Ernie McCormick and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith. Did Len O'Brien play in that series?
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Ah that's interesting Dave, thanks. I thought the Richardson-Chappell Clan were catholic...maybe they were just opponents of the Anti Christ - D G Bradman?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
The Chappells went to St Peter’s College which is an Anglican School, one of the top couple of private schools in Adelaide by reputation, I believe. Its Wikipedia page says “the school is noted for its history and famous alumni, including three Nobel laureates, forty-two Rhodes scholars, ten South Australian Premiers, the 2019 Australian of the Year and the 2020 AFL Brownlow Medallist.”
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Hold those thoughts Jeff, I have to turn in. But yeah, the severe lack of indigenous players on the first class scene in Australia is not due to any discrimination at that level, but rather, severe hurdles faced at the grass roots level. I spent four years teaching in Moree from 2012-15 and coached the school cricket team by default in a school of 40% indigenous to some degree or another.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I've often thought that the "specialised equipment and cost" to play cricket can be an issue. There's been some discussion in recent weeks re the limited number of indigenous players in FC cricket. It's fair to say that historically many indigenous kids have come from less affluent backgrounds. What's easier to get involved in? Cricket with its expense of bats, balls, pads, boxes, helmets, stumps and some serious organisation re games and number of players...or footy and basketball that just require a ball and some shoes and a couple of mates to play with? Basketball: just need a hoop any yourself TBH.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
A big factor is all the safety rules. In the 1980s, and no doubt you in the 1970s, big lunch on the school oval, no pads, gloves or even protector, certainly no helmet. Mandatory now, and to play on the school oval at main break these days, it couldn't possibly be whoever bowls or catches or runs out the batsman gets to bat, you would have to have a regimented order with people padded, gloved, boxed and helmeted up ready to keep things rolling when someone got out. Too unworkable and that's a real shame.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
No doubt Bernie. There are heaps of alternatives re entertainment and engagement. A lot of it on line. I just think this old skool perspective that the "family TV on FTA" is their only go-to option for entertainment is an absolute red herring re exposure to cricket. In terms of organised physical activity, basketball and soccer are also huge drawcards. Both - especially basketball - have had a huge drawdown on focus. How much has FTA of both of these sports had on the growth in interest and participation of younger generations? My brief answer would be ZERO.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Jeff, there are other reasons why 5-18 years olds are having less exposure to cricket, the main one being they are no longer playing it in the streets, their back yards and on the school oval during big lunch every day during Terms 1 and 4.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes, UK cricket went behind a pay wall early - 2005. But it's 2021 ffs. Various studies show at least 80% of Australian households subscribe to a paid subscription streaming service. The average Australian household subscribes to 2.3 streaming services. As for "the younger generations" who will be "alienated" from cricket because of pay walls, well guess what: 95% of Gen Zs have at least one streaming service, as do 93% of Millennials. This concept that not having FTA coverage is somehow drastically reducing the exposure of cricket to younger generations is an archaic "old man's" view. What, do some really think 15-35 year olds are simply sitting on the couch watching only whatever 7 and 9 dish out? And btw, Test cricket is STILL broadcast on FTA, in Australia, every Test.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Do you mean Catholic resistance for him to be made captain or Catholic resistance to him within the side after he became captain? All I know is that Richardson never played for Australia again after Bradman became captain. Apart from McCabe, Fingleton and O'Reilly, who else in the side in 1936-37 would have been Catholic?
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Fair enough.