16th official Test-playing tour of England by Australia
(April
- September 1930)
Unlike
1926, the selectors adopted a youth policy, shelving a number of older
players such as bowler Ron Oxenham who, though 38 years of age, was
considered a certainty until his place was won by a'Beckett. They also named only
fifteen players instead of sixteen to tour. Jack Ryder, a former captain now aged 40,
was denied a place, being outvoted by his two fellow selectors which caused a
storm of protest. Ryder never spoke to Dick Jones again.
The
Australian Cricket Board of Control imposed several restrictions
Players were banned from writing articles in the press during the
1929-30 season or they would not be selected. Each player had to covenant not
to return to England
for at least two years after the tour.
The state associations request to have the number of players
increased from 15 to 16 was turned down.
An invitation from South Africa's cricket
authorities for the 1930 Australian team to play there on the way home was
declined.
The
1930 tour opened at Worcester, the first time for
this arrangement, but the venue then became the traditional starting point
for all cricket tours of England.
The first Test was lost but Australia
won at Lord’s and drew the next two matches to bring the teams to The Oval
level at one-all, so the last Test was played to a finish. Australia's
young and relatively inexperienced team won handsomely to regain the Ashes.
It was a wet, cold and miserable summer and many of the tourists’ county
matches were drawn owing to weather interruptions. There was a tie in the
match against Gloucestershire.
On his
first tour of Britain
Don Bradman, who had broken the world record by scoring 452 not out the
previous January, scored nearly 3000 runs in the 1930 season at an average of
98.66. In the Test matches he excelled himself scoring 974 runs, which
remains the record individual aggregate for any Test series, made at an
average of 139.
Opening batsmen:Bill Woodfull, Bill Ponsford, Archie
Jackson.
Middle-order batsmen:Don Bradman, Stan McCabe, Alan Kippax, Vic
Richardson.
Wicket-keeper:Bertie Oldfield, Charlie Walker
Slow bowlers: Clarrie
Grimmett, Alec Hurwood, Pat Hornibrook
Fast bowlers:Tim Wall, Ted a’Beckett, Alan Fairfax.
Comments as made in 1931 in Wisden’s Cricketers Almanack
E L a'Beckett
Vic
22
RHBRFM
Neither in batting nor bowling was he
quite close enough for big occasions but he fielded uncommonly well
D G Bradman
NSW
21
RHB(LB)
To an eye almost uncanny in its power to
gauge the length of a ball was allied really beautiful foot-work. A
glorious driver, he hit the ball very hard, while his placing was almost
invariably perfect.
A G Fairfax
NSW
24
RHBRFM
Usually opened the bowling and looked to
be the best bowler. Always wanted careful watching and playing
C V Grimmett
SA
38
LBG
Potent factor in England's overthrow.
Established an ascendancy which most English batsmen never really
overcame.his length was flawless;
every time he went on he at once brought about a diminution in the rate of
run-scoring.
P M Hornibrook
Q
30
SLA
On hard wickets caused England's best batsmen little
trouble, but with a pitch to suit at the Oval took full advantage
A Hurwood
Q
28
RM / OB
Should have had more opportunities. Never
scored off with freedom, he was rarely kept on for a reasonable spell.
A Jackson
NSW
20
RHBopener
People did not see the real Jackson. Late in the
tour acquired the confidence that made him such a glorious cricketer to
watch
A F Kippax
NSW
33
RHB(LB)
In every sense a great batsman. Could
suit his game to needs of the occasion. A beautiful driver, he cut in
delightful fashion
S J McCabe
NSW
19
RHBRM
At his best a magnificient driver. Fine
all-round cricketer, made the ball come off pitch at rare pace with just
sufficient break
W A S Oldfield
NSW
35
WK
Pronounced falling-off in batting but as wicket-keeper
was almost as good as ever - unobtrusive and eminently efficient.
W H Ponsford
Vic
29
RHBopener
Seldom attractive to watch, there was no
question about his skill and how difficult he was to get out
V Y Richardson
SA
35
RHBvice-captain
Did not quite realize expectations.
Impression was given that he had come to this country four years too late.
C W Walker
SA
21
reserve WK
Did not play in any of the Test matches,
but his wicket-keeping was only a little less skilful than that of
Oldfield.
T W Wall
SA
26
RFM
Worked untiringly - no day too long or
too hot - but met with no marked success. Much better record had summer
been dry
W M Woodfull
Vic
32
RHB opener captain
Welded the men into a first-rate
combination. As difficult to get out as in1926 but even more resolute.
The management team of
William Kelly, an auctioneer from Melbourne
and Chairman of the Victoria Cricket Association, and Tom Howard (from New South Wales) was
appointed at a Board meeting on 13 September 1929.
Bill Jeanes was unsuccessful
in his application to be manager.
On return to Australia the
accounts were found to be in poor order.
William
L Kelly
Tour
manager
Tom
Howard
Treasurer
Bill Ferguson
Scorer/Baggage
Selectors
Dr Charles E Dolling (South Australia),Richard L Jones (NSW),Jack Ryder (Victoria).
J S Hutcheon was unsuccessful in his wish to be
appointed a selector.
Selection
A
five-day Test trial match was held in Sydney
in December 1929.
Unavailable:none.Arthur Richardson Lancashire ?
Woodfull had to be persuaded
to take the tour captaincy. Richardson
won the vice-captaincy narrowly on the Board chairman's casting vote.It was the first time since 1890 that an
Australian touring party was chosen without a member of the Gregory family.
Tour Party Announced :30 January
1930.
Only
four players were retained from the 1926 tour party.
Not selected :Don Blackie (aged 48), J L Ellis (40), R K Oxenham (38), Jack Ryder (40).
Time between selection and departure from Australia
53 days
(30 January - 24 March)
Travel
FremantleTSouthampton
‘Orford’
ParistLondon
The NSW and Queensland
players embarked from Sydney and met up with
the rest of the team assembled in Port Melbourne on 7 March 1930 and boarded
the 'Nairana' for the Tasmania tour. After two
matches there, the team crossed back on the Orient liner ‘Orford’ to Melbourne, Adelaide (18 March) and then overlandto Perth by trans-continental express and embarked
from Fremantle, again on the 'Orford',
on the evening of Monday 24 March.
Sailing by way of Colombo
(2 April), Aden, Port Said
and Naples (16 April), the team travelled
overland through Italy and
France, enjoying visiting Pompeii, Milan, Lucerne and Paris..
Their boat train arrived at Victoria Station, London, on the evening of Wednesday 23
April 1930. The team's headquarters was the Midland Hotel at St Pancras, London. The journey is
described in detail in Charles Williams’s “Bradman” page 47-51 (Little Brown,
1996).
Time spent in England
161 days
(23 April - 1 October)
On-tour selection panel
Bill Woodfull (captain),Vic Richardson
(vice-captain),Alan Kippax (3rd selector)-announced on 30 January.
Reinforcements
None.In mid-May the tour committee cabled the
Australian Board requesting an additional player ("another bowler of the
type of Ironmonger or Chilvers" to partner Grimmett) but the Board
turned them down.
Ted a'Beckett went down with
jaundice and was out of contention in the run up to the first Test match, and
Fairfax had a
serious operation in mid-tour.
•Don Bradman scored 974 runs in the Test
series. His scores were 8, 131, 254, 1, 334, 14, 232.
•In the 3rd Test match at Headingley
Bradman scored 309 runs in one day. His 334 beat the previous Test record
score of 287.
•Bradman scored 2960 runs on the tour at
an average of 98.86
•Woodfull's 155 at Lord's was the first
century by an Australian captain in England since 1896.
•Clarrie
Grimmett took 144 wickets on the tour and four times in the Tests had five
wickets in an innings.
Tour Summary
P
W
D
T
L
Aban
Test Matches
5
2
2
0
1
-
Other first-class matches
29
11
17
1
0
-
Minor matches
3
1
2
0
0
-
All Matches
37
14
21
1
1
-
Return to Australia
SouthamptonTMelbourne
‘Oronsay’
The
Australian Board refused Vic Richardson permission to stay in England at
the end of the tour for business.
Bradman,
Fairfax, Hornibrook, Ponsford, Wall and Walker left Southampton on the 'Oronsay' on 27 September and sailed via Toulon
and Naples.
The managers and the remainder of the team left London’s
Victoria Station on the boat train on 1 October to join the ship home at Naples.
The ‘Oronsay’ berthed in Fremantle on 28
October;Adelaide
2 November;and Melbourne the next day. At each port huge
crowds cheered the team and clamoured for a sight of Bradman.
Don Bradman
was permitted to leave the tour party at Fremantle and go by train to Adelaide, then to be flown to Sydney. However, the Board fined him £50
for publishing newspaper articles in England without permission.
Time away from Australia
218 days
(24 March to 28 October)
Finances
The players' tour fee was £600 with £150
of it subject to a good behaviour report; plus £50 for equipment and 30 s per
week for incidental expenses. Manager W H Kelly was paid £650 and treasurer T
H Howard £600.
Written
accounts of the tour
“The Tests
of 1930”(1930)by Percy Fender[Faber & Faber]
"The
Fight for The Ashes"(1930) by Pelham Warner [G Harrap]
“With
the 1930 Australians” (1930) by Geoffrey Tebbutt[Hodder & Stoughton]
"Bradman's
First Tour"(1981)newspaper
cuttings[Rigby, Adelaide]
"Bradman
and the Summer that Changed Cricket" (2009)by Christopher Hilton [J R
Books]