Empire Cricket Booklet

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THE GOOGLY, GOLD AND THE EMPIRE

landing the third delivery on exactly the same spot and hitting the middle stump. Throughout the 1903 season, 'Basie' was brought on by Warner to conduct further experiments in the second innings of county matches. The googly had become an open secret in the game. It met with less than universal approval from those to whom the element of deception was anathema, and in particular from batsmen who resented being made fools of in the professional game, and worse, were incensed by the possibility of being, as they saw it, cheated out of their livelihood. The delivery consequently was met, as Bosanquet was to describe it with a touch of proud hyperbole, with 'ridicule, abuse, contempt and incredulity'. 8 The Googly, Gold and Empire Whether the delivery was questionable or not, its significance was recognised by Fry, Warner, and the amateur establishment, and its potential role as a secret weapon to win back the Ashes became the subject of much speculation. Tensions between the mother country and Australia waxed and waned over the years, but the period after 1902 brought these into some prominence. The 'Golden Age' in England coincided with the development, under Lord Harris and others, of an ideology of 'amateurism'. The Australians - who were seen as venal and grasping, as 'clandestine professionals'- had little need to follow the ideological dictates of the MCC. The whole issue was awash with hypocrisy. In 1901, Lord Harris, while a supporter of the 'respectable professional', had defended expenses paid to amateurs as allowing them to play enough games to satisfy public demand. 9 When the Australians retorted that as they did not have a 'leisured class' they needed money to attract the best players, who, since they shared the risks, should also share the profits, they exposed the bad faith in the English amateur ranks. It would take a keen observer to spot any essential difference in demand between them and Lord Harris's amateurs. Thus, said the Australians, 'if they are professionals, English amateurs are more so'. 10 The Australian arrangements were both equitable and transparent. The Australians, whether or not 'venal and grasping', were quick to seize opportunities that presented themselves, particularly the growing interest of

that he was doing no more than they were used to - spinning the ball from leg to off - and maintain the mystery by conveying the impression that the result was unintentional and accidental - a tactic which relied at first on minimum publicity. In due course it became an open secret, and then its success depended on batsmen being unable to tell from his action whether it was the leg break or not. But cricket at first-class level was not simply an amateur pastime played by good fellows who liked nothing more than the 'merriment' of the occasion. By 1901, the seeds of what he described as a 'sneaking ambition to achieve greater things' were clearly in his mind. 6 He took a team to Philadelphia in late September 1901 (including both the young R. 0. 'Reggie' Schwarz, who had made his debut for Middlesex in the same season, and Frank Mitchell, who had known each other at Cambridge, and who were to be at the core of the South African team from 1904). Bosanquet took 7/22 against Knickerbocker A C. and it appeared that he was now experimenting with the googly in matches. Returning to England in October 1901, he was back on board ship to the West Indies in early January 1902 on an all-amateur tour. He topped the batting averages and also took 55 wickets at 16.47. 7 Two months later, he was back playing for Middlesex and had achieved greater control over the delivery, shrewdly husbanding what was left of the myth by persuading P. F. 'Plum' Warner, his county captain and a leading cricket journalist, not to write about it. Meanwhile in 1902, the touring Australians were winning one of the most exciting series ever. Bosanquet's time had not yet arrived, though one evening at Lord's he bowled the googly for Middlesex at two puzzled Australians. At the end of the 1902 season, Bosanquet again set off on what were beginning to resemble field trials to New Zealand with stopovers in the United States and Australia. The team was to be led by Lord Hawke, but he was unable to travel - and Warner, Bosanquet's county captain, took over responsibility. Bosanquet had some success with the ball, bowling 190.1 overs and taking 26 wickets. The last three games of the tour took place in Australia when, playing against New South Wales, he bowled the great Victor Trumper two leg-breaks pitched outside the off-stump before