Bradman And the Summer that changed cricket – Book Review

I’ve been fortunate enough to have read and reviewed two previous books by Christopher Hilton (Cricket’s 300 Men and The Birth of the Ashes) and one thing Hilton could not be accused of is lack of research and depth in his books. His latest offering, “Bradman and the summer that changed cricket” pushes the boundaries even further with an impressive, almost statistical, ball by ball account of the matches in the summer of 1930.

The series would change the way England approached a series and in its very next series encounter saw Douglas Jardine command a small army of soldiers to Australia to recapture the Ashes in 1932-3, Bodyline.  Buy Now

If you are looking for a comprehensive account of the 1930 tour then this is most certainly the book for you. The trip begins with a build up in Tasmania and Western Australia, the smallest of details recounted in black and white. It was on this tour that Sir Donald discovered he suffered from debilitating seasickness.

Accompanying the match reports and scene setting accounts are newspaper reports of not only the matches but the pomp and ceremony that followed the young cricketer on their long journey beginning in March and ending in October 1930. Bradman only missed four matches in the whole tour, three against weaker sides expected to prove little competition. The book includes scorecards from the matches he missed including Essex, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and Sussex.

Australia’s tour of England was not expected to be a major success given the lack of experience and make up of the team. With this in mind and the lack of expectations, the departure, certainly in press terms, was rather muted and cautious.

Bradman’s first run outside Australia was a disappointment to the locals. Scoring just 40 runs in a little over an hour the “Ceylon Daily News” reflected on his innings:

“Bradman was a disappointment from the view of the spectators. He started well but slowed down considerably, almost painfully. He was the chief attraction that drew thousands to the ground, but he played an innings that one would have associated with Ponsford or Woodfull”

The Evening Standard printed the thirty six clause contract drawn up by then the Australia Board of Control or ABC and includes Clause 7 which for many years to come would be in effect:

“Each and every member of the team covenants that he will not be accompanied on tour or any part thereof by his wife or any member of the family or any relative or connection”.

To have an insight into what the players had to agree to before commencing the tour is interesting to say the least.

Bradman’s then world record score of 334 at Headingley is covered in great detail as are his other knocks, Larwood’s bowling and Percy Fender’s thoughts on the great man. Despite bowling at full pace to Bradman, the Surrey captain couldn’t quite understand how Bradman appeared to have so much time to see the ball!

Utilising Bill Ferguson’s scorebooks, Hilton reconstructs Bradman’s seven Test innings, ball by ball – a huge undertaking in itself. Bradman ended the tour with an average of 98.66, played in 27 matches and had 36 innings scoring 2960 runs.

This is a remarkable book and despite the ball by ball approach to most matches the book flows effortlessly. Another classy publication from Christopher Hilton and one that should be the staple diet for those interested in the summer of 1930. Highly Recommended – Buy Now

Tweet This Post