10,000 MILES AWAY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 755, 8 January 1954, Page 7

10,000 MILES AWAY

HE onlooker, it is said, sees most of the game. But two men who never so much as glimpse the field of play are giving listeners full and lucid cricket commentaries. They are Lance Cross and Pat Earnshaw, two NZBS officers,‘ who,: from a room in Wellington’s Chief Post Office, broadcast the nightlong, ball-by-ball descriptions of play in New Zealand’s cricket Tests against South Africa. In front of them are two microphones, a scoreboard, a diagram of the field and a stack of telegraph forms. Behind them stretches almost 10,000 miles of overland and submarine cable, their link with a play‘ing field the other side of the world. Many listeners may have wondered how the commentaries attain their authoritative, on-the-spot quality, lacking only the snick of bat against ball and the applause of the: crowd to make them real. Here -though without the click of the telegraphs-is the story of how it is done. At the Test field in South Africa is Dennis Done, an experienced cricket commentator engaged for the NZBS by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Before play starts, he cables the NZBS team, giving information about the weather, state of the wicket, result of toss and the crowd on the ground, Then, with the beginning of play, he types the story of each over, ball by ball, including relevant information about changes in the weather and wicket, crowd reactions, and fieid placings for each bowler. By using a pre-arranged code he can cover a complete over in about 50 words. Broken down and supplemented by the commentators’ knowledge of the players and the field, this provides up to about 300 words of commentary. The sample cable reproduced at right, for instance, was heard by listeners as follows:"Rabone, off-spinner, bowling to one slip, two leg-slips, short square-leg, silly mid-on, mid-off, cover and point, bowls his first over to. Cheetham, the South African captain. The score stands at 333 for six. The first balloutside the off-stump-Cheetham late cuts wide of MacGibbon and the batsmen run through for two as MacGibbon chases the ball to the third-man boundary. The next ball from

Rabone- it’s well up te him-he on-drives it, but ‘it goes straight to Miller at mir-on and there's no run. Next ball-Rabone to Cheetham-he on. drives and lofts it towards Miller. It’s a chance! Miller lunges at it... but he fails to hold the catch. The next ball -Rabone to -Cheetham-short of a’ length, on the line of the stumps, and Cheetham plays back defensively, pushing the ball back to the bowler. Rabone to Cheetham again-it’'s pitched in the same place, and once again Cheetham plays back’ defensively.. Next ball -Rabone to Cheetham,-again it’s short of a length, and once more Cheetham is forced back to play a defensive stroke in front of the wicket. And the néxt-Rabone to Cheethaniit’s a short ball outside the ‘off-stump. Cheetham flashes’ at it . ... he misses ... . and he’s out!-clean bowled by Rabone for 17. ° And South Africa are now 225 for. six wickets." 2 The next cable, of course, will provide the commentators with an accurate. description of the ball which bowled Cheetham, and Dennis Done’s impression of the play at that stage. As soon as each cable is typed it is whisked away to a telegraph office on the ground to be. transmitted to the cable station at Durban. From, Durban the message travels by submarine cable via Mauritius and the Cocos Islands to Cottesloe, near Perth; from Perth it travels overland, dipping into the water again at Sydney for transmission to Auckland. It reaches Wellington Post Office’s cable room after travelling some 7200 miles underwater and 2700 miles overland. The cricket cables enjoy no special priority, but they reach Wellington on an average of from 15 to 30 minutes after leaving the cricket ground. The enthusiasm for cricket which’ prevails at certain cable stations en route may, of course, expedite matters a little. As the cables roll in at Wellington, the two NZBS commentators take turn about at transcribing the report of play on to specially. prepared sheets. These show-for each ball-the batsman, the type of ball, the direction in which it is hit. who fields it, the number of runs obtained, the new sgore, and comments on the way the ball is played. The other commentator is at the microphone translating the material on the sheets into the ball-by-ball "iE: which listeners hear. To guard against a possible technical hitch, the temporary studio in the Chief Postmaster’s office is wired with two

microphones and a double set of lines to 2ZB. With the day, this "studio" disappears and the office reverts to its normal . function. The expedient of cabling reports and constructing a "synthetic" commentary became necessary because of South Africa’s lack of a high-powered shortwave transmitter, and the fact that no other transmitter of any kind was available. The idea is not new, but it is doubtful if a similar broadcast of this magnitude has been done before by only three men. In 1934, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) gave a synthetic commentary of Test matches in Britain which was so convincing that many listeners thought they were hearing the real thing. While no attempt was made to delude the radio audience the commentary was accompanied by realistic sound effects created in the Sydney studios. Listeners heard bat meet ball, and the roar of the crowd when a particularly stubborn batsman was caught. Many, who did not see press and cinema publicity about the broadeasts, believed for years that they had heard a broadcast direct from Britain. The ABC has also done equally successful synthetic broadcasts of Rugby League Tests and of the Wimbledon finals. Before arrangements for the cabled broadcasts were completed, a change of commentators became necessary at short notice and urgent final instructions had to be sent to South Africa on the eve of the First Test. These instructions were radio-telephoned to Australia and recorded on tape by the ABC, Then, when atmospheric conditions permitted, the recording was played by radio-telephone to South Africa and re-recorded by the SABC. Finally, the new commentator, Dennis Done, was able to put on a turntable what must be one of the most novel "letters" he ever received. And, on the morning after the first Test broadcast, the NZBS was able to cable its congratulations on a job well done. Throughout the night a _ continuous stream of clear, compactly-worded messages had flashed across the world to be broadcast throughout New Zealand for the benefit of the many. enthusiasts who are prepared to sacrifice a night’s sleep for'a day’s cricket. For the» three men most intimately concerned, it is, of course, exhausting

work. Dennis Done must observe and write, sometimes simultaneously, in the press box on the field. Lance Cross and Pat Earnshaw take turns of half an hour at the microphone in Wellington; and, when they are not broadcasting, they must transcribe the cables. Even during the lunch adjournment there is work to be done, with time out only for an occasional quick cup of tea. The two NZBS commentators will be well known to many listeners. Lance Cross has played and coached cricket for 23 years. Last year he acted as commentator for the Plunket Shield series and for the South African cricket team’s matches in New Zealand. He has found this experience valuable during the Test broadcasts, as many of the South African players are representing their country again this year. His knowledge of them and their style of play is a useful supplement to the bare facts of the cables. Mr. Cross is now Sports Administrator for the NZBS. Pat Earnshaw, who is Wellington District Sports Officer for the NZBS, has broadcast commentaries in various Plunket Shield series, but is probably. best known for’ his weekly sports sessions from 2YA, It is hoped that a picture of Dennis Done and some information about him will be available for publication shortly. For the benefit of readers who may be interested in the code the sports. officers have adopted, here are some amples:Outside: a ball pitched outside the off stump going away; the batsman covers up, offers nod stroke, and allows the bell to pass through to the keeper. Flashes: a ball pitched outside the off stump; the batsman flashes his bat but fails to connect and the ball goes to the keeper or for extras. Forward: a good length ball pitched on the line of the stumps; the batsman plays forward defensively, making no attempt to score runs. The code, of course, deals only with certain conventional situations which arise fairly frequently. It is often necessary for the commentator in. South Africa to invent his own "cablese."’ But whatever happens on the field, listeners can be sure that the version they hear is different in no vital respect from what they. would hear if the broadcast was made direct from the scene.