Family History - Trivia and Dates

familyhistory Oct 18, 2024

Cricket

My First Test - zero play

It was early 70s, I think. Dad took me/us to the MCG to see Australia v England (Ashes), but it rained and there was - from memory - no play. The players would come out, try to start, it would drizzle and they'd leave - to assorted boos. It would appear to be the 1971-72 Third Test at Melbourne during which it "began to fall before the teams went out and after three days of continuous rain the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled". Sounds about right. It was scheduled to go from 31 December 1970 – 5 January 1971. So I was 9.

Cricinfo adds:

Thu, 31 Dec - day 1 - no play
Fri, 01 Jan - day 2 - no play
Sat, 02 Jan - day 3 - match abandoned
Sun, 03 Jan - rest day
Mon, 04 Jan - day 4 - cancelled
Tue, 05 Jan - day 5 - cancelled

Rain prevented play starting as the players were entering the field. A conference between the Australian Board, the MCC Manager, and two MCC Officials lead to the match being abandoned and replaced by a limited overs match which was later recognised as the first ever ODI.
The MCC tour schedule was rearranged to include an additional Test at Melbourne on 21,22,23,25,26 January.

That ODI was Played on 05 Jan and drew 46,000 people (Wikipedia page, ibid)

Tennis Not Cricket

I think sometime between Dec 1971 and March 1977, Neil and Margaret Whincup kindly gave me a choice to go with them to see live sport. Margaret was going to the Tennis and Neil the cricket, same day. I'd assume the Boxing Day Test. After the above, I decided to give the Tennis a go. I'd assume it was the Australian Open and was at Kooyong. Apart from enjoying it, I have no memories of the matches, nor the cricket.

After a bit of manual cross-checking, it would seem to have been late 1974 or 1975.

1972 and 73   No BDT
1974   Tennis  26 Dec to Jan 1st so overlaps with with every day of BDT Test v England. 
Both start on same day.
1975   Tennis 21st Dec to Jan 1st", so full overlap with BDT vs West Indies. Staggered starts.
1976   No BDT, probably due to Centenary Test in March 77.

Given 26th was a holiday and Mr W was English, I'd tip it was 1975. Having said that, both sports are played in the Christmas to New Years timeframe...and most people are on holidays.

Centenary Test

March 12-17 1977, MCG

I recall going to at least two days, probably Day One and another. I saw "McCosker come out to bat and Hookesy hit the fours". So let's see what the gives us.
Unless stated, information from Wikipedia

Day One (12 March). This was a Saturday. Given we went as a group on a bus, with the local CFA blokes, it would have to have been a weekend. So I'm thinking this was the first day I/we went. But it could have been Day Two (Sunday)

Day Three (14 March) " When the eighth wicket fell at 353, McCosker unexpectedly reappeared, his face tightly bound with bandages to hold his jaw together." (Wikipedia, ibid)

Hookesy?. This photo says "Centenary Test, Australia v England, Melbourne , MCG, 17 March 1977. David Hookes hits 5 consecutive fours off English Bowler Tony Grieg." But that was Day 5 and Australia didn't bat. The photos - and another NFSA video - show a packed MCG. Wikipedia (ibid) says of Day One "Hookes played a brief cameo of 17 runs from 19 balls, but it was not a day for fast scoring. Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh joined his captain Greg Chappell" but the video says Marsh joined Hookes (who then hit the fours) before the 'huge crowd'.

Oops It was there all the time; Wikipedia (ibid) says it, for Day Three as well: "Hookes and Marsh came together, and the débutant Hookes cut loose by belting Greig for five consecutive boundaries to pass 50, one of the most famous passages of play in the match"