The Peerless Trumper

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 85, 1 July 1927, Page 10

The Peerless Trumper

Australia’s Greatest Batsman

Old Team-Mate Reviews His Career

Who was the greatest cricketer the game has known? So many factors enter into such a discussion that the hardest part of it would be to get a basis of comparison. But in the art of batting, in the flowing grace and rhythm of stroke play, many will declare for Victor Trumper, the master craftsman of his day. In the following article, one of his old team-mates, Jack Worrall (“J.W. in the Australasian ) analyses the career of the great Australian batsman of bygone days.

THAT euphonious name. Victor Trumper, is oite to conjure with wherever cricket is played, says Air. Worrall, but more particularly in those parts where the late champion visited. In describing Victor as the best batsman on all wickets that Australia has produced, it is only stating a truth well known to all except those of the present generation, who never had the pleasure of seeing that lithe and graceful figure at the wickets. What imparted an added grace to his marvellous batting were the modesty and charm of the man. and, although he has reached a niche in the cricket world attained perhaps by only one other man that ever lived—the Indian pi'ince of English fame—he remained ever the same Victor Trumper—quiet, reserved, and unassuming. EFFECT OF ILL-HEALTH There were periods when Victor’s brilliance suffered a decline, the reason being that the fell disease which ultimately caused his death was at the time working its insidious influence upon him. On those his eyesight was dimmed, and he was unable to time his strokes and score with the same freedom and certainty that characterised his efforts when in comparative health. His full name was Victor Thomas Trumper. He was born on November 2, 1877, and died in Sydney on June 20, 1915. I had the extreme pleasure of playing with and against him many times, and in 1899, when Victor was but 21 years of age, a more obliging or sweet-tempered boy never lived. Nothing was a trouble to him; everything was a pleasure, and he endeared himself to all of us by his disposition alone, quite apart from the fact that we knew —and so did the Englishmen—that a new star had

arisen, and that he was going to be the champion of champions. He possessed every qualification, except robust health. Of nice height, the ideal batting build, lithe, and graceful in all his movements, with powerful forearms, blessed with the keenest of vision, and with footwork out of the ■ ordinary, he made himself master of every stroke. He was a law unto himself, and ruler of his own destiny. Even when a boy he had all the strokes around the wicket, and in 1899 made me his confidant, in that he would make medium-paced bowlers have three outfields to him. thus making scoring easier near the wicket. The first match he tried the experiment was against Somerset, at Taunton. After making 51 brilliantly he attempted a long-off hit, the field being open, and was caught at mid-off. Some of our fellows were quite annoyed at what they considered the throwing away of his hand, and none more so than our captain, Joe Darling, who was in with him at the time. But it had the same effect as water on a duck’s back, for he said to me afterwards. "Never mind what they say. I am going to persist.” The idea was right, although the execution needed perfecting. He was encouraged in his ambition as far as I was concerned, and as unqualified success rewarded his later efforts nothing further need be said on that score. Besides his- other gifts he was blessed with splendid hitting power, a trait that made his batting on sticky wickets, in conjunction with his other attributes, the acme of perfection. WONDERFUL ADAPTABILITY “Wisden’s” states that “Trumper. at the zenith of his fame, challenged comparison with Ranjitsinhji.” Well, it is indeed hard to separate them, for they were great /under all conditions of weather and ground. But, while Trumper could play an orthodox game when he wished, it was his ability to make big scores when orthodox methods were unavailing that lifted him above his fellows. For this reason he was more to be feared in proportion on treacherous wickets than on fast, true ones. He paid four visits to England—in 1899, 1902, 1905 and 1909—but it was in 1902 that he reached his highest point. In that wet summer he scored 2,570 runs, the largest number ever made by an Australian in England, with the splendid average of 48. During the tour he was as consistent as he was brilliant. Of 11 innings of more than 100, his biggest was 128. His career culminated when the South Africans visited Australia in 1910-11. He had recovered his finest form, which had been under an eclipse, and in the five tests he scored 662 runs for an average of 94. Few who were present at the test match against South Africa on the Melbourne ground in 1910-11 will ever forget the contrast when he and Armstrong were associated. By beautiful placing and timing, the ball never going direct to a fieldsman, he made ICO, while his partner made about 30,

scoring 159 out of 237 in 171 minutes. I But that lesson was well learned by f the colossus, for of all our latter-day-batsmen the placing of Warwick Arm. a strong was of such a standard that it 1 shone like a beacon from the surround- ] ing waste of waters. Trumper was a most fascinating batsman to watch, and was the idol | of all crowds, irrespective of country, j His extreme suppleness lent a peculiar I grace to his every action. Everything ; he did seemed the right thing to do. ] He took so many liberties, however —nr what others considered liberties—that j to do himself justice he had to b#» the best possible health and condition, ] for the execution of his daring strokes demanded a perfect unison of hand, eye and body. This style of play, at its j highest point of excellence, could only 1 be played by a young man of infinite variety, rare skill, and confidence. SfJME OF HIS SCORES In all he made 43 centuries, six against England and a like number ' against Victoria. It would occupy too ] much space, even if one had the incli- ! nation, to mention all the mighty deeds that stand to Victor’s name, but as a ! few r of them trapscend the others in importance I trust I will be pardoned for including them in this article. While | making 300 not out against Sussex, at Bighton, in 1899. he took part in three I stands of more than 109. adding 178 for the second wicket with Worrall. -211 for the third with Syd. Gregory, and 106 (unseparated), with Joe Darling after the fall of the fourth. His first century in first-class cricket was 292 not out, against Tasmania in Sydney in 1898-9. After that sensational opening many things happened, though it was the forerunner of his great career. Two of his greatest innings played in Australia were on sticky wickets—one at Melbourne and the other at Sydney. There are many among us who still retain vivid recollections of a 74 made by the talented Victor in the New Year of 1904 against Warner's team. In that team was a left-hander named Rhodes, one of the greatest sticky wicket bowlers that ever swung a left arm. It was a wonderful and sparkling effort of the master’s, although equalled in merit by Johnny Tyldesley’s 62 in the Englishman’s second knock- There were three outstanding performances in that match. First was Victor’s 74, second was First was Victor’s 74. second was Tyldesley’s 62, the third being Rhodes’s double performance of seven for 56 and eight for 68. Against Victoria in Sydney in 1905-6 Trumper even batted more brilliantly than against the Eng- j lishmen. It was a sticky wicket, and it only remains sticky there before lunch, when it opens in favour of the ball, yet before lunch Trumper made 101 in 57 minutes. In the first over he was beaten twice by Saunders with two beautiful balls. He had Victor feeling for those two deliveries, but never afterwards, for, taking the long handle, the batsman went after him. Never in his wonderful career did he bat more dashingly than on this occasion. He hit a six and 18 fours, made 64 out of 78 in 31 minutes, and 73 out of 90 in 40 minutes. Could any other man do the like? A MEMORABLE INNINGS In the first test in Sydney against Warner’s team of 1903-4 Trumper, in the second innings, made 185 not out. This match was also a memorable one, a hostile demonstration being made against Bob Crockett, the best umpire of all time, for giving Clem Hill rua out when the crowd was wildly excited by the splendid stand of our two champions, who were making a gallant uphill fight for victory, the Australians being 292 behind on the first innings. It was in this match, also, that R. E. Foster made the mammoth score of 287, the highest individual effort ever made in a test. The Sydney match was played in December, and during the next test on the Melbourne ground in the New Year liraund told me, in' alluding to the batting of Trumper, that he had never seen the like. ‘T sent down in one over three successive halls, pitched as nearly as possible in the one spot,” he said. ‘The first one Trumper cracked to the square-leg boundary, a beautiful and perfect shot—just the spot where it should have been hit. I rearranged the field a little, dropped the next in the same place, but instead of despatching it to the leg boundary he stepped out and hit it over my head with as grand and clean a smite as I have ever seen. It made me think what sort of a man is this I am up against? I bowled the third in the same spot, only to see that conjurer step back and cut the ball past point to the .fence like lightning. And the marvellous thing was that each stroke, though to a different part of the field every time, appeared the right one to make. It was quite enough for mft and as I threw the ball to my captain I remarked: “I have had enough; f° r goodness sake let somebody else havi a go at him.” The name and fame of Victor Trumper will ever be a blessed memory. 1* is sad to think that he died in great pain from Bright’s disease. To those of us who regard clean living as essential to true manhood—and their name is legion—it will do no harm to mention that Victor -was a teetotaller. a non-smoker, and non-gambler. Ho wa« as modest as he wps brilliant, and h wonder, as I am writing these lines i» memory of a dear friend, whether wd will ever see his like again?