40 Minutes - Bodyline (BBC documentary)

[Music] Don Bradman was the greatest creature ever to put boots on him to walk onto a cricket friend and I would ply for ages merely hitting a golf ball which I would trial against a brick tank standard try to hit it on the rebound with a stomach feeling I was throw it against the rounded rail of a paling fence and depending on the accuracy of the throw the ball would either come back fast and low or wide and I for a catch but all of these things were done purely for pleasure and the feeling in time would now thought whatever that they might represent training something more serious in the years ahead the Don is was the quickness of fate he's read reflexes his eye he could play shot you know it's he was unnatural Redmon's pull his favorite stoked as he will tell you is one of those gorgeous feats of skill which awaiting delighted anticipation and exult to witness the count a lyricist a day they attract you of this fellow you know business used to stop in the town when Batman was playing and like it to you and all the other distorted job struck everybody will definitely be honest he had great batsman and he was a good [Music] darns quarter century into the Melbourne Test against England on the MCC turn in 1928-29 now he's called centuries in England leads north and the arrow missing on America [Music] the Old Testaments in 1930 when I was captain when the wicked they lived off some rain Don Bradman showed signs of disliking the short ball intensely and tended to keep away from laurels very very fast one got the general impression that the burning could be a bit too quick for pregnant well the first thing I knew about her would was we went to the same school Atlanta gate and of course it was a famous recreation grounded not a game where we all started my father saw him playing on the recreation brought him down here and of course it became history and I remember my father saying when he came down that held in those day was very slim and very pale through working down the mines and the committee said to my father what have you got us Joe these are the first builder they left but they didn't Laughlin because he was really fast it's quits and I was a coal miner in the Monday I went and Liberty on the tears and I was a professional cricketer on the Wednesday at 32 showings a week and that was in 1925 my first match for notes and halfway through the season in 1926 I'm playing against Australia people don't realize today how fast Lord was I was filled out that manner and there were times when I couldn't see the ball so it gives you some idea his tremendous pace he had the most beautiful run up on the and most lovely action and timing I never seen anything better for mr. Jardine I'm Warner was chairman of selectors in 1932 he and the third sector made Jordan captain well I have just just this to say but again which i think is a peculiar ish heritage a definition of cricket which is always struck me as being the only were the definition of cricket it was described as this spar New Zealand ah when he said it was there beautiful beautiful game that is battle and service and sport and art [Applause] a lot of people felt when Douglas Jardine was appointed that he is an absolute impractical man they feared that there might be trouble because he hadn't got on well with the Australians when he had gone with Percy Chapman side in 28:9 and he didn't like them much and they didn't like him much and Rock Lee Wilson who'd been to Australia just before as a member of the MCC side who was his coach and master at Winchester spoke with a rather strange way of fingering his tie and he said well he said on hearing that he was to be captain he said we shall win the ashes but we may lose a Dominion there's a famous dinner wasn't that before that to her at the Piccadilly hotel that wood between your knots Captain Arthur car your England captain Douglas Jardine his cellphone bill those Jardine he was asking my old skipper Mr Carr and then Neal was and what had to get the best out there was from one thing another and I think you all about attacking this likes dumpin could I did the question he asked me if I could if I was that I'd love to do this and persist in it so I said well give it a go now you see the position of the big theory the field is actually placed on the lake side as the ordinary bowler bowling the off theory would air is field on the off side the bowlers aim is to make the batsman play the ball in fields been plastered on his leg side who are eagerly awaiting the chance of a catch of course if the batsman is slow he stands the risk of being hit by the rising ball as you see now going to Australia I found later that jarring it had many conversations about bullying like theory I wanted to know whether this fastball was good ball accurately enough to bowl this leg Theory type bully first whistle is just gone we've had a wonderful send-off Pancras and all the way down the line when we get to Australia you don't forget the good wishes of those who've been kind enough to come and see us off we hope they will do as they hope we will do and here's England South spring do it kangaroos they were played at Adelaide against South Australia I bowled a short one and V Richardson full live for four so I tend to Jardine and I said skipper can have another man on the leg side he says no joy I thought this is for Miss I build another bouncing deliberately again in figured sandy before I said skipper can I have another melon day like side he said no well I never been used to this so I bowled another one he again nearly polarity forsakes her I said can I have a man humble exciting he says no so that was the end of a over the next hill when I started and okay now Garrick reaches under the four as it could have a mental exile he says no he says but you can have another fourth so don't want another for one just want one so you can't have one well I bought some more bounces and Jardine in despair as opposed to me off and I was crossed Jardine was cross I think and he said I want to have word of you so I said now I want to have a word with you to cover so he said we'll go back they tell together and they said really he told me then I got to do as I was told if I was going to play on the head I said skipper there was I'm told if I know what you're trying to do so when I asked you for the money counter honestly I've never played under that sort of Captain save-a-ho so it's as if you don't it has I'll send you back to England as they will I'll go back tomorrow he said you mean that I said I do well they know he stopped her in the main street of already establish as she comes on that that's the sort of talk I like and then he told me about his ideas of leg theory and how to pull to a general feel placing of four men on one side of wicked and five are never over call or four or five field placing that was impossible on these lovely in Australia where when a batsman once got in and was seeing the ball well they've got the base of the page in the bounds and he had that you have to limit them to play most of the shots on one side of the wicket or Muslim era and it would like a stable to a certain to field if we could with the ball on the way he keepers I was the eleven men you see if he couldn't well alright here six three but or nothing nothing worse than a 6-3 when we were bowling at off their elected and so I say well fine and when I knew what they wanted to do everything fall into his place Brad mentalis England was guarantee is four fastballs during the tour and they were going to use the strong theory in other words they were going to aim high I don't mean in an ambitious way I mean in the physical way high at the shoulders and this corner there were six men close in on the legs hard the short silly shortly could almost had pilfered something from your hip pocket he's shaped up to the bowler and they went right brown to send right beside the keeper who was less AIIMS and if he tried to if it tried to fly the ball defensively the fellow with Chile leg had the tremendous chance of catching years had dropped off the bat and if you tried to glance it it was like having six soup fields and ran for a leg slip catch then if you said oh well this is now good to me I'll never work at it I'll hit it yep now score at the fence there were two men one just behind square leg and one just in front of deep fine League and if you hit the ball hooked you have to hit it clean out with the French for six and not too many men that I know they've ever been absolutely certain when they hope that they're going to put it right over the fence I do I thought they'd play I didn't think they played it really intelligently because the again it's it's not the bouncer that's dangerous because if you know voles can do bounce you can let it go you may go over your left shoulder without me just let it yeah the dangerous one is it's the one that's just short of the length and you've done there way it's going to arrive about that height if it arrives that height you might be bailed out if you let it go or this height you find yourself playing up here defending yourself with a rare short legs here is a pick them all off the bat captain tackled me absolutely wanted me to go a few more bounces to a stronger leg so it feels nice if it Douglas I've never bowled that way I don't think it's the way the game should be played and we had a rather heated argument he went on say well you've got to I said well I'm not going to and if you don't back the way that where I bow you better leave me out but if you do I can only tell you when I get home as one let it be known what's taking place today Gaby I don't think ever felt that he was in complete control of his direction you see if you're bullying with legs lips or short legs you bow you bow and partly out of line you're in danger to somebody's life you know me if a person is one really naturally and anybody got me for some reason whether that was it I don't know but he never felt very happy bullying this lake theory because I couldn't alert as well as NATO's hell because Harold was a magnificent boat and immensely accurate that I could have build it it was in November of 1932 we're now selected to fly for an Australian eleven against the visiting English side on the Melbourne Cricket Ground I was selected to open up with good food I was left in charge accident actually and I move the field for the slips one by one over to the leg side when the ball got ill because the ball wasn't leaving the the bat and they tended to play the ball on the on side so I I suppose I first to set that concentrated late so field in work the champion Don Bradman well immediately and allow it seemed to increase his pace and I've never seen faster bowling it seemed though he adapts it Don they're so quick on his feet it could play your Billy could play Bill Bowes you could make it they go be Alan alright with the ordinary set field but are left me offside field open for him I don't need to man outside and I used to watch his feet and if he banked back I used to follow him a little bit so some down the field of running to the wicked might have been that much down the leg side but it was only to stop him but we thought we'd carry on with it we've got we've got him on the the room it was perfectly obvious that Breville didn't like it and I understand that he complained to the Board of Control about that field setting after that match and I think from then on the setting of the field and the the short pitched attacked evolves [Music] [Applause] [Music] Badman added some sort of an Rao with the Australian Slater's if so it didn't play in the first desperation Sydney Cricket Ground we're all Australia seems to have forgotten to watch the first stage of the struggle for the ashes England come out to field having lost the truss and would fall in France furred open the innings for Australia those bows his leg theories to the disapproval of pavilion critics if not of the whole subcontinent Lord sends down his expresses faster than ever and none of the Australians find a way to deal with them until stand the cave comes in the fourth wicked when three wicked two fallen for 82 my best friend's pandemic I was then about 127 not healthy he came out to point to meet me on my very slow walked the wicked he said stand right up to and targa he won't bounce one at you because he'll only be wasting energy and let that sounded pretty good to me I thought that's exactly the way I'd have looked at it - I wouldn't about won at number 10 or 11 so I stood up for the first one I saw the little Philip we used to refer to him loud as the little fella we also referred to Don Bradman is a little fuller he came from the gray blue distance by the time he got up to me other bodies he must be going on his holidays and when he let fly I I felt the ball hit the middle of the bat before I was absolutely certain as lift his hand so I just looked down the wicket at Stan Stan McCabe and shook my head and he nodded and said Ryder mate and O'Reilly overs for four [Music] well the Australian press they went to town on this lake theory type bullying another - level of ethically of Marvis Fulmar said tristan did bodyline resumed wonderful expression for it you know he told that spectators everything they wanted to do i was picked in the second test and much to my surprise if I'd missed the first test it was quite obvious but my job was to be I was no respite away for Don to continue on as he normally would I was feeling at deep finally at the crowd was in fact back sometimes they're very rude some Turk Asians they are humorous said to me waiting law Don comes in wait the law Don comes and everytime I went down to the deep finding they said to me wait till our dog comes in and our dog did come in fairly soon and as soon as he came down the pavilion steps they gave him the most wonderful ovation the whole way to the with it which roughly takes a minute and a half seems long time seems even longer if you've got naught when you're walking back to my dad and soon as he arrived at the wicked took guard then there's complete silence just for a second and then when he's looking round to the preparing for the first board to come the crowd all start yelling and shouting again waiting for the cheering and applause everything to die down I said to my mid on or gob short for the first ball to throw my mid on went up short when it was silent again bellman took his guard and I started to move in second time and again this cheering and everything broke out Berlin turned away I saw Tamara and I certain a final a cue for something to do for nothing else you see come around square bit more and the amur on and I saw Badman looked at this short leg also look at and I knew the bradman expected a bouncer and I thought well wonder if I give him all the impression for bouncer and didn't born or would happen and for no other reason I went in instead of degradable a shorter length and it said dignity in to make it balance and just let it go in a normal way well Badman turned had it been a bouncer it would have been going yet but her diverted after growling but as it was it didn't bounce as high as he thought and it was in this position for the poorly he turned round hit down at it he discover fiendish Taz you didn't I don't think it deflected the ball of an inch couple of inches and it bowled him out played on if you like I could remember the stunned silence of that huge crowd and he was jogging that he was a short leg and Jardine had his arms above Italy was like Indian to in a war dance you know he was dancing round and round and round you know Badman was our full of duck and there was this deadly silence in this great crowd until brahman walked off so I went back from such a silence that particular part of the crowd I didn't say anything until another 3-week is going down then I said to them I said by the way as if when Jordan coming interested in the second innings he played probably one of identically they were saying against the body line of take who is it that all of stranger raves about who has one out there now is it Amy Johnson a little Mickey Mouse no it's just a countryman who's bringing down and Peter [Music] when he goes in too fast he not anything he can three positive [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it was a tightly packed round saw England take the field Faust radius first innings at a today's after having put 341 runs on the board themselves Pingleton poplars would fall to the wicked who open remove that die very very clearly I was only a young lad knows 12 that I am a very keen cricketer follower we knew there was a great fast bowler from the previous matches the first impression and the humane impression was that he just could not see the ball those those fast bowlers like that you would normally be able to follow the the ball down the pitch with lowered it was just so far to you you couldn't see it there is an early shock for Australia when it would fall was unfortunately stuck on the heart by a ball from Larwood which got up I hit Billy would flew into the herd and he was crouching the Frida stood erect he could went to reach him into a little me probably tough of his time that he was crouched the mask now in the second devil that he's bound to the ordinary field then loud came back with the new ball again and immediately jardine before there was bow before the first ball well he switched the field over to the leg side well that's when the varakin commenced in you know in earnest the objection was he was bowling Orthodox field at the time and soon as he hit would police went to the lakeside field and that would riled the crowd the batsman's got a bat he's got pads he's got gloves on you've got a ball the hitch shiver for everybody claps and cheers and summertime Aguiar view hit even their Bay I mean it's part of a fast palace tried to give them a few in the ribs occasionally keep them honest now I've seen people get it worse than that and just just give it a slight Robin carried on it made such a fuss about it being the captain and we would pull out after pluckily continuing his innings four wickets are down 451 and I went into the room to see how bill was now report said that he's laying on the table waiting for the doctor arrival that's all hogwash actually because when I walked in bill had just walked out from under the shower and I said yeah I had I said leo he said that some dreadful things I don't know he said was come out of the game and just then in walk mr. Warner the cow man is of English side and mr. Warner said we just called in mr. Woodford to see how you are and said mr. Warren he said there's two teams out on that field and he said one is playing cricket and the other is not he said that's all I have to say they just turned on here and walk out and on top of that bird I'll feel was striker on me temple the very distress when Oldfield struck on the head Norwood again being the unlucky better the ball was floor of the wickedness New York anticipated and get on the wrong side of the head he looked too early now Burton are with friends always up being friends now I run down that way kids and I said I'm sorry that this is not your fault Arnold and then the collapsed unconscious bill would flow and out to the ground hey come back with buddy and I passed him on the lie down the howl of the of the Adelaide grad was in an uproar the buns got to bear in mind that the two batsmen who were badly hit were not hit one body line was being both extraordinaire that to that but is a fact bill was hit by one that lifted a bit the uneven bounce again bill would foot and video field when talking he actually got a top edge and knocked it everyone to his head but the the paid lakeside field was not in the employ of the Australian inning third is for 222 runs 119 behind England's total and England eventually win one of the most sensational cricket matches ever played by 338 runs I was waiting by the Gators most young boys did in those days to see the players come out of the exit gate they then walked across the ground to catch their transport there's no sort of team busting and Jardine and Helen came out jodean came out through the gate first of course Gabby Allen waited back his half post behind him then he comes through the gate he as he came through I said like carrying bag mr. Jardine he looked at me well he looked through me made no attempt to speak to me at all looked away and Gaby Allan there was say the half step behind look down smiled he handed me his bag it's over I walked across and all my glory and across the field with a too great English quickness but the game became famous and probably will be famous for evermore because it was from Adelaide that those famous tables started to flow in that table was to use the word unsportsmanlike that was accompanied by other words about it destroying the relations between the team and so on and that really striking and like a bombshell because it was sent in a rather unfortunate manner because the Cricket Board of Control centred by ordinary cable right whereas the Reuters man sent is at the urgent press right it got to England in three minutes or something the MCC was alerted by Fleet Street before they'd even received the official table and Lord Hailsham the chairman of the the chairman of the MCC was dug out of bedded to in the morning and told that the English are unsporting so you can just imagine what a shock he would have got at the time I was remembered and Douglas saying to me have you seen the cable and I said yes I have and I think it's dreadful he said I know they'll let me down at Lourdes I said no Douglas you're wrong no one can call an Englishman and support him get away with it they lost the battle with the first shot they fired I could see the smile that came over his face he first of all said he didn't agree and then it a smile came over his face but he thought perhaps I'd made a good point like Abel back saying that they were which the effect that they were you know deeply concerned in the space at this attitude and offering to call awfully the Torah if they wished it developed to the extent that the Australian Prime Minister became involved there's evidence to show that he telephoned the British prime minister at the time Ramsay MacDonald all the Australian government representatives in England British government representative they're all involved the English team manager plan Warner was trying to get the issue played down he went to the British rep here and I think that he in turn went to the Australian Prime Minister and he was concerned because if there had been a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries conversion liens which England had made to Australia to help them in their economy during the depression would have been affected and I think he was trying to prevent that from happening but certainly the governor of South Australia for instance he was in contact with the Dominion secretary there's a lot of hot activity going on very delicate matter MCC demand withdrawal of unsportsman like the ROE got so crazy on this tour the fire the imagination of spectators everybody like that Jardine called a meeting of the players and seven others he was happening in free if we persist in this what do you think do we still continue with lake theory bullying and off the rebuilding or discovered and the whole team apart perhaps from Gabby Allen over nothing voted either way but I don't know how forgotten about that but the old team who supported yari who says knows give her a carry on no no not no that's not true the team meeting arose in a very peculiar way an article appeared in some paper that myristate had thrown a glass of beer over the captain and what they went on to say that dissension and unhappiness and disagreement within the side and we had a team meeting we did not discuss borderline at all it was merely would people sign an agreement I think it's been published I don't know haven't read the things raised and supporting the captain well there was no mention of body lying in the statement whatsoever now this new kind of cricket takes courage to stick it there's bruises and fractures galore after kissing their wives and ensuring their lives batsmen fearfully walk out to score with a prayer and a curse they prepare for the hearse Undertaker's look on with broad grins Oh they'd be a lot calmer and meet Kenny's armor when LA would be record against the weight of the Brisbane the fourth Test we were leading 2-1 and I could always talk more skipper and this particular note before the test I said so what's a team to escape any alteration he casually replied it says the Mott not be attached to I told wash is good you know things about myself so you say no I've got here I said I don't know how long we can pure kamath strident border control requires sportsmanship not question it is a long way from Brisbane and keen as the Aussie is on his cricket not many Sydney I just ten mile journey up to Queensland to see the deciding test so in a New South Wales City the streets and parks are drawn today with crowds gazing upwards and scoreboards the scoreboard is a replica of that at Brisbane and the crowds are just as demonstrative so in Badman without Beauvoir word the girl could be heard all over Sydney and if the crowds were disappointed to see Australia routed they did not hinder the expression of their natural exuberance according to the best sporting traditions they brought in a Zonda on the last test I think the view to putting bounces of us but he was never accurate enough here pretty quick he was fast but he but he wasn't acting like further diverted his success I remember him a second inning he bowled was supposed to be bottom line at us and ran down the middle of the wicked that Douglass complained about him running on the widget that made him more angry and you go the bit quicker I hadn't ball 2 balls and his that accountant front of the umpire keep him off the way forgive me that means straightaway but I have to admire him in my book he had a foot in his blunt words he had a ton of guts I give him a works over in Sydney even with our played field and I hit him a few times and he never flinched in a hit even the Hammers blood ran on their knees fingers and he never flinched that I dropped him like a light got him in the groin that you had to admire him for that you know he had a tournament what it took and he was pretty ready for 70 was just a term to win the ashes like was it I want to do a forward gets to beat March dates record so I've got the first wicket down and I must have been exerting myself a bit more because I broke a bone in my foot well it wasn't actually broke is something is all they're all squeezed up and I fell down and I got up and he said to me says you know you'll have to finish the old railroad a set current skipper he said you'll have to I said look I can't walk over no barity in Surrey when you finish the over so I said right other malasadas get presser Roth I can go there now can't you he says no but strong claw he says no that's Luke's give us I can't run account then out of all he says won't you've got to stop she could have over point now that does you know it's the west position on the field where he's coming you run your left you running right so I said I can't run after him it's all right let somebody else run after him enough when so I had to go to come a point but jardine time afterwards he's not gonna let you go up and he said the psychological effect on brightness I didn't want done to know the Syrian serve of your injury and that was last Bond I would build an Australian side tell operation I've got back home who would have predicted that England would win four out of the five tests who would have given bradman an average of only 56 runs and innings but this series of tests will be remembered as la would [Applause] [Music] I feel good I'm here under rather false pretenses because in order that I should have the very proud privilege of addressing you and presenting this variable tangible mark of your honor to Harold and they'll hold bands wrapped [Applause] thousands of people to see them come to nuttyal how they were local heroes but well English here because Loudon barrister to hold a one-day assume is practically other hand that I won't show you something about Oscar birth mr. Jardine yeah when we are so delighted travelers on this occasion but I found it very difficult to express in words what I feel he is certainly one of the finest men I have ever met and had the privilege of meeting a magnificent captain a great sportsman and a true friend very serious thanks it's all concerning for the carnage your show me thank you very much you'd got back to England Harold you were asked by a certain gentleman to apologize for your bowling in Australia Oh was that you tell me it was June in Kearney was the president of our club mr. loud he says I've got a letter here for you sir I want you to read it and think about it to say fuel Paula Jones to the MC seemed to Australia probability of a into Australian again next time so I'm afraid I won't what's on it sir they said we'll read the letter so I read the letter and I said you want me to sign this I said yes I said well sorry I'm winter thews he said we just short your father a mother let them read it and let me know tomorrow so I said young do that but I know what they'll say sure I'd give it to my father and mother now you can feature those Fred after when I was out here all the pallava that was going on with a state of mind they'd be in muncher tummy thinking about me so well sure my mother and she cooked her all Glassell down a tip of a nose and she says are you going to sign this I said why should I say if you do you'll never see me alive again said that they'd felt it that much you see so I said no mother I'm not with a son in I didn't I wouldn't you know so no I wouldn't play against Australians again [Applause] when the Orion recently bursted Sydney she brought a famous English cricketer back to Australia Errol Glavine with his wife and five daughters he plans to settle in the country that once booed him whenever he bowled he certainly had a wonderful action hidden here [Music] I've no regrets Dovre died thinking I made the best decision of my develop and we came out here to everybody settle down we still love England just forget it always talking about England yes the heart still there but this is where my family is now and do you wish you had every pologize no no nothing to apologise did you used to apologize to anybody when you ate them from the leg you don't think [Music] [Music]

Channel: AndyM

Views: 104,520

Rating: 4.8216562 out of 5

Keywords: BBC, 40 Minutes, Documentary, Bodyline, Cricket, England, Australia, 1983, The Ashes

Id: aM_O1UwPTuI

Length: 40min 34sec (2434 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 21 2017