Don Bradman: Challenging the Myth
A Good Innings
On Monday, 26 February 2001, Australians woke to
the news that Sir Donald Bradman was dead.
He was Australia’s greatest sporting legend and the greatest cricketer
in the world. It seems only fitting
that this web site should start with an article dedicated to a man many
consider the finest sportsman that has ever lived.
Sir Donald Bradman will perhaps be remembered best
for averaging 99.94 per innings in test cricket. It is an average that no other cricketer has even come close to
(nor does it seem likely that any one will come close to it any time in the
near or distant future). A list of the
highest batting averages is led by Bradman with 99.94, followed by Dempster at
65.72 and then Barnest at 63.05. These
figures are even more astounding when the tests played are noted: Bradman played 52, Dempster 10 and Barnes
13.
But Sir Donald Bradman is much more than a high
average.
He was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales, on 27
August 1908 and moved to Bowral when he was two. One of the ways he amused himself as a child was to hit a golf
ball against a water tank using a cricket stump. He scored his first century aged 12 in a school game.
In 1927, he was selected as twelfth man for New
South Wales, in its tour of the southern states of Australia. Due to another player having an injury, he
was called on and became the 20th Australian to make a century in
his debut; he scored 118.
His superb performances for New South Wales earned
him a place in the Australian test team, where he continue to bat
marvellously. Some of his finest
achievements include scoring two 300s in test cricket, scoring over 5028 runs
against England and scoring 100 in six consecutive test matches.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for
Australia. In the grip of depression,
the Australian people needed something to lift its spirits and Donald Bradman
fit the bill nicely. They flocked to
see him play and everybody knew the words to “Our Don”.
Hero-worship of “The Don” did not end with his
cricket career in 1948. Right up until
his death, his name was known throughout the land, and people too young to have
ever seen him play knew the words to “Our Don” off by heart. A stamp set was released in his honour in
1997. Songs continue to be written and
sung about him.
It is perhaps ironic that this well-known man
disliked publicity. As he grew older,
he became more private, perhaps understandable as the greatest love of his life
was not fame, was not even cricket, but was his wife, Jessie Menzies. He married her in 1932, but claims he fell
in love with her when he was 11 or 12 and Jessie came to stay with the
family. He called his marriage with her
“the best partnership of my life”.
When Sir Donald Bradman died, the newspapers all
dedicated pages to the story. Every
television channel showed some form of dedication to the cricketer. Australia Post set up condolence books. And, as can be expected in a commercial
world, the cost of Donald Bradman memorabilia rose. It has been said that Australia stopped on hearing news of his
death. It has also been said (by the
non-Donald Bradman fans) that Australia didn’t stop at all and the media
attention was overkill. The truth
perhaps lies somewhere in-between. One
thing is for certain, though. We
stopped to watch him play 50 years ago and every single Australian stopped for
at least a second to take in the news that our greatest cricketer was now
dead. Some of us may never stop
mourning.
History Articles
English
And Australian Cricketers
Weedon, I.
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