In Part 2 of this episode on Australian cricket legend Billy Murdoch, Tom and Murdoch's biographers, Richard Cashman and Ric Sissons, discuss his captaincy tactics, his friendship with WG Grace, his legacy and delayed inclusion in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

Richard Cashman is a sports historian based at the University of Technology Sydney. He is the author of 12 cricket books as well as his memoirs, Cackyhander: Writing on Cricket, Sports History and the Olympic Games. He has won the Australian Cricket Society Literary Award on three occasions: for his book on Australian cricket crowds, and his biographies of Fred Spofforth & Billy Murdoch, the latter co-written with my other guest.

Ric Sissons grew up in England, playing and watching cricket in Derbyshire. He is the author of eleven cricket books including The Players, which won the English Cricket Society’s Silver Jubilee Literary Award in 1988. His most recent books are: The Glory & The Dream: The 1903-04 MCC Tour of Australia and the so-called Golden Age; J T Tyldesley in Australia; And – with Peter Schofield – When the Kangaroo met the Eagle. The 1913 Australian tour of Canada and the United States.

In 2019, Richard and Ric published Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus. Visit  Walla Walla Press [https://www.wallawallapress.com.au/billy_murdoch.php] for a copy.

If you'd like to support Tom and this podcast, you can donate $5 by buying him a coffee. Visit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket


CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/].

Billy Murdoch – Part 2 – with Richard Cashman & Ric Sissons

Billy Murdoch was a colossus of Australian cricket in the 19th century. He captained Australia in its first victory on English soil giving rise to the Ashes, and as a stylish but determined batsman, he scored the first triple century in Australia and the first Test double century. He’s often been called Australia’s answer to W.G. Grace. But he courted controversy too. Bankrupted in his 20s, he secretly married the daughter of Victoria’s wealthiest gold miner without his permission. He emigrated to England in 1890, as he and his wife aspired to make it in Edwardian society, often living beyond their means. He even played a solitary Test for England in South Africa. But what do we make of Murdoch’s cricketing legacy today, and is he unfairly forgotten?

In this episode, we look at the backend of Murdoch's life & career as it falls within the 'Golden Age', and for the first time on this podcast I welcome two guests to discuss a subject:

Richard Cashman is a sports historian based at the University of Technology Sydney. He is the author of 12 cricket books as well as his memoirs, Cackyhander: Writing on Cricket, Sports History and the Olympic Games. He has won the Australian Cricket Society Literary Award on three occasions: for his book on Australian cricket crowds, and his biographies of Fred Spofforth & Billy Murdoch, the latter co-written with my other guest.

Ric Sissons grew up in England, playing and watching cricket in Derbyshire. He is the author of eleven cricket books including The Players, which won the English Cricket Society’s Silver Jubilee Literary Award in 1988. His most recent books are: The Glory & The Dream: The 1903-04 MCC Tour of Australia and the so-called Golden Age; J T Tyldesley in Australia; And – with Peter Schofield – When the Kangaroo met the Eagle. The 1913 Australian tour of Canada and the United States.

In 2019, Richard and Ric published Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus. Visit  Walla Walla Press [https://www.wallawallapress.com.au/billy_murdoch.php] for a copy.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/].

Billy Murdoch – Part 1 – with Richard Cashman & Ric Sissons

This episode of 'Short Leg' is Part 2 of Tom looking back on the famous 1st Test at the SCG of 1894, in which Australia hosted Andrew Stoddart's England side. The match is often credited with being the first great match of the new era, and one that saw many new records established.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara's remarkable collection of wax cylinder's from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

Short Leg – 1st Test of 1894/95 at the SCG, Australia v England – Part 2

This episode of 'Short Leg' – a new series of short episodes re-living the great matches, innings or moments of the Golden Age – discusses the famous 1st Test at the SCG of 1894, in which Australia hosted Andrew Stoddart's England side. The match is often credited with being the first great match of the new era, and one that saw many new records established.

CORRIGENDUM: Thanks to my friend Roy Pierce for pointing out that Andrew Stoddart was not the first and only Englishman to captain both the national cricket and rugby sides. A.N. 'Monkey' Hornby also achieved this rare feat.  I stand corrected.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara's remarkable collection of wax cylinder's from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

Short Leg – 1st Test of 1894/95 at the SCG, Australia v England – Part 1

In Part 2, Max discusses Tibby's prowess as a batsman, his involvement in the infamous 'Big Six' dispute of 1912, his career as a stretcher bearer in the First World War, and the mystery surrounding his death at the Battle of Beersheba in October 1917. 

ABOUT MAX BONNELL:

Max is a lawyer and writer from Sydney. He has published around 20 books on sports history and legal topics. He played grade cricket for about 20 years for Western Suburbs and Sydney University, plus a season in the Birmingham League.  Max is a life member of the Sydney University Cricket Club and the Sydney Cricket Association. In 2012, Max co-authored (with Andrew Sproul) a biography on today’s subject, titled: Tibby Cotter: Fast Bowler, Larrikin, Anzac.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara's remarkable collection of wax cylinder's from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/].

'Tibby' Cotter – Part 2 – with Max Bonnell

If cricket fans know one thing about Albert 'Tibby' Cotter, it's likely to be that he was the only Australian Test cricketer to have died in combat during the First World War. But as his biographer Max Bonnell explains, there was much more to the life and career of the Australian fast bowler. In Part 1, Max details Tibby's early life, his rise to international fame, his habit of bowling short-pitched deliveries to the English, and his rather unorthodox bowling action.

ABOUT MAX BONNELL:

Max is a lawyer and writer from Sydney. He has published around 20 books on sports history and legal topics. He played grade cricket for about 20 years for Western Suburbs and Sydney University, plus a season in the Birmingham League.  Max is a life member of the Sydney University Cricket Club and the Sydney Cricket Association. In 2012, Max co-authored (with Andrew Sproul) a biography on today’s subject, titled: Tibby Cotter: Fast Bowler, Larrikin, Anzac.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara's remarkable collection of wax cylinder's from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/].

'Tibby' Cotter – Part 1 – with Max Bonnell

In the second part of my chat with The Sunday Times cricket correspondent, Simon Wilde, we discuss Ranjitsinhji's batting style and how he changed the appearance of 'batsmanship', the fluctuating fortunes of his only Test tour - that to Australia in 1897-98, his dramatic drop in form in 1902, and his less than successful return to cricket in 1920 with only one eye. 

ABOUT SIMON WILDE:

Simon Wilde has covered five cricket World Cups and more than 250 England Test matches as the cricket correspondent of The Sunday Times. He has written 12 books, including the bestselling England: The Biography, which chronicles the story of the men's national team since 1877, and his latest publication is The Tour: The Story of the England Cricket Team Overseas 1877-2022. His biography Ranji: The Strange Genius of Ranjitsinhji was shortlisted for The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara's remarkable collection of wax cylinder's from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php]. 

'Ranji' – Part 2 – with Simon Wilde

Cricket correspondent for The Sunday Times, Simon Wilde, joins the podcast to discuss the life and career of the so-called 'Father of Indian Cricket' – K.S. Ranjitsinhji. Born in India in 1872, 'Ranji' – as he was universally known – arrived in England in 1888 to further his education, but took the cricket world by storm with his unorthodox but highly effective batting style. At the height of his success, he was as famous as W.G. Grace. But despite his 'magical' ability in the eyes of the British, he was plagued by many off-field issues throughout his cricket career, including financial complications and fighting for his right to become the princely ruler of a state in India.

ABOUT SIMON WILDE:

Simon Wilde has covered five cricket World Cups and more than 250 England Test matches as the cricket correspondent of The Sunday Times. He has written 12 books, including the bestselling England: The Biography, which chronicles the story of the men’s national team since 1877, and his latest publication is The Tour: The Story of the England Cricket Team Overseas 1877-2022. His biography Ranji: The Strange Genius of Ranjitsinhji was shortlisted for The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website. [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php]

'Ranji' – Part 1 – with Simon Wilde

Gideon Haigh joins host Tom Ford in discussing the life and career of Australian cricket giant Warwick Armstrong. In Part 2, they dissect Warwick's Test debut, his adoption of leg theory on English wickets, and his numerous run-ins with the cricket establishment.

ABOUT GIDEON HAIGH:

Gideon Haigh has written close to 50 books and contributed to more than 100 publications, including The Times of London, The Guardian, The Times of India and The Australian. His 2001 biography The Big Ship: Warwick Armstrong and the Making of Modern Cricket was awarded the Jack Pollard Trophy.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website. [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php]

Warwick Armstrong – Part 2 – with Gideon Haigh

Leading cricket writer Gideon Haigh joins the podcast. When it comes to giants of Australian cricket, there are few who stand larger than Warwick Armstrong. Described as the ‘WG Grace of the Antipodes’, he was an all-round phenomenon, who’s stature in cricket - both physically and figuratively - has rarely been surpassed. Emerging in the first years of the 20th century, he defied many of the game’s oldest laws and customs, played cricket to win regardless of its spirit, and stood firm against an emerging dictatorial cricket Establishment. When he retired after leading the all-conquering 1921 Australians in England, he was universally praised as a ‘champion of the game’. But it’s his early years as a lanky, defiant allrounder in the Golden Age of Cricket which concerns this podcast.

ABOUT GIDEON HAIGH:

Gideon Haigh has written close to 50 books and contributed to more than 100 publications, including The Times of London, The Guardian, The Times of India and The Australian. His 2001 biography The Big Ship: Warwick Armstrong and the Making of Modern Cricket was awarded the Jack Pollard Trophy.

CREDITS:

Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford

All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website. [https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php]

Warwick Armstrong – Part 1 – with Gideon Haigh

The 'Golden Age of Cricket’ is a podcast which explores one of the most fascinating eras in the history of the game. Loosely defined as the twenty five years immediately preceding the outbreak of the First World War, the so called ‘Golden Age’ (1890—1914) saw some of the most legendary cricketers of all time: WG Grace, Victor Trumper, CB Fry, Monty Noble, Wilfred Rhodes, Warwick Armstrong, KS Ranjitsinhji, Hugh Trumble, Sydney Barnes, Archie MacLaren, Clem Hill, Gilbert Jessop and many, many more.

Join me, Tom Ford, as each episode I invite a guest to discuss a player, series or event from the Golden Age, in an attempt to resurrect this often forgotten chapter of cricket history. This is the antithesis of most cricket podcasts which focus on the modern game, and is for anyone interested in learning a little more about one of cricket’s most fascinating periods.

Save or subscribe to the podcast now so you’ll never miss an episode.

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The Golden Age of Cricket Podcast