Fitting the Bill

Bill Brown (right) and Don Bradman head out to the middle during the 1948 Australian tour © The Cricketer

Bill Brown was at his playful best. "You'd better come up to Brisbane more often," he said. "We never usually get a spread like this." In front of us was a large plate of freshly made chicken and avocado sandwiches, roly-poly cake and a big pot of tea, expertly prepared by Bill's wife, Barbara. The opportunity to talk cricket with Bill is always a pleasure. He is sharp, witty and a fund of knowledge and anecdote.

Barbara says that Bill's media commitments have trebled since the death of Don Bradman. As Australia's only surviving pre-war Test cricketer, Brown does not like to disappoint anyone. He is gregarious, fun-loving and genuinely interested in the welfare of others. With a slow, steady hand, he carefully signs his name on a print of the 1934 Ashes team and relates stories about each and every one, from the gentlemanly captain, Bill Woodfull, to the run machines, Bradman and Bill Ponsford, and even the little-known Ernie Bromley, whose only Test of the tour was at Lord's, where he fell twice in an afternoon to Hedley Verity.

"Ernie was a most unpredictable batsman," said Brown. "He'd either belt you or get out cheaply. But he was a magnificent fielder with a wonderful arm. When he picked the ball up and there was a chance of a run-out, players would usually converge on the wicket to help effect the dismissal. But so hard did Ernie throw it that they would scatter for their lives!"

By 1938, Brown was at the height of his powers and made a double-century at Lord's. He carried his bat in the process, a feat he almost repeated in the final Test at The Oval,when Australia batted two men short with Bradman and Jack Fingleton having been injured during England's monumental total of 903 for 7 declared. Brown says that it was always a great thrill to be at the other end to Bradman, "albeit as his running partner". He continues: "But Don wasn't the tough guy a lot of people think. We [New South Wales] played against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1933-34. I needed about 30 for my hundred and the new ball was just about due. "Bill," he said to me. "We must get your hundred before the next new ball," and proceeded just to take singles. "I managed to get to 100 and he was on 15 or 16. It showed he really did care for his partners. By the time I was into my 120s, he'd passed me! And all in less than an hour's play. He really went for it that day."

Brown says his job as opener for his state side was to take the shine off the new ball, but if he happened to bat too long, the crowd would become restless as they wanted to see Bradman. "If you happened to get hit on the pads, the whole crowd would go up with the howler for the lbw!" he says. "Everyone wanted Bradman."

Brown says an underrated element of Bradman's superlative batting was his quickness, not only in his reflex reactions, but when running between the wickets. "Even if he was getting along to 200, he'd still stretch you and turn a one into a two and a two into a three," he said. "You really had to scamper to keep up with him. He also had tremendous determination. He could pick a good ball, hit it for four, block the next good one and then hit the next one. He never had a rush of blood."

One of Brown's fondest memories was playing in the Ashes Test at the MCG in 1936-37 in front of the biggest crowds seen in the first 60 years of Test cricket. An average of 60,000 attended over the six days, including almost 88,000 on the Saturday, the day on which England, leading the series 2-0, were caught on a sticky and bowled out for 76. "It was an amazing feeling just to be involved," he said. "In those days we'd not only have batting practice but also hit a few catches to one another. Every time you caught one there'd be tremendous applause from this huge crowd. It was quite an experience."

He says rain and hot Melbourne sun made the wicket virtually unplayable on the second day: "It was particularly bad when England batted. It was hard for the bowlers to hit the wickets. The ball was jumping up so quickly and at such an angle. Wally Hammond played very well [for his 32]. It was very difficult for their batsmen to make any runs at all."

With Bradman unavailable immediately after the war, Brown captained Australia in the first Test for more than six years, in Wellington in March 1946. The match lasted just eight and a half hours, as Australia bowled out the hosts for 42 and 54 to win by an innings and 103 runs, and Brown never captained his country again.

As a part of the unbeaten 1948 side, Brown played only the first two Tests, but nevertheless this tour capped his career. "It wasn't long into the tour when it was realised how good we were," he said. "Don felt we could go through the tour undefeated but it seemed the only times we got into trouble was when poor old Lindsay (Hassett) was captain. At Essex we made 721 in a day but then down at Hampshire we couldn't even get 200 and trailed on the first innings. Due to some very fine bowling from Big Bill Johnston we got them out again and went on to make the necessary runs. But it was tight and in the dressing-room, Lindsay sat down and said, 'Thank you gentlemen, thank you. But why is it always me?'"