27 November 1984, Brisbane, Australia
The constant innuendo and speculation from former players and certain sections of the media over the last four or five years has...
In the interests of the team, Australian cricket and myself, I have informed the Australian Cricket Board of my decision to stand down. . .”
At this stage, an emotional Hughes broke down, stood up and left the players’ dining room, motioning to team manager and friend Bob Merriman to take over.
23 January 2017, Sydney, Australia
Mel Jones is a Southern Stars legend herself, but she was inducting a true great and pioneer of Australian cricket, Betty Wilson. The speech first appeared in The Footy Almanac.
Here is the video via cricket.com.au
Firstly, Betty will be looking down on us from somewhere, listening. To Betty: I know you’re going to love this and hate this at exactly the same time, so please just bear with me.
I’m up here tonight on behalf of Betty’s extended cricket family; from her former players all the way through to the current members of the Southern Stars team, and everyone in between. Everyone who has been touched by either her playing career, by her humour, or by her legacy.
For me, I’m not a big one on playing comparisons, but I think sometimes it does give some good context. For Betty, her on-field feats often had her being reminded that she was the Bradman of our game. Our 25th Test player, she was exceptionally talented, she was fiercely competitive, and she had an unwavering desire to be the very best.
Sir Alec Bedser said to her on meeting her: “Betty, it’s lovely to meet you. Do you know that your statistics are better than mine?” And he was right. In just eleven Tests, she amassed 862 runs at a wonderful average of 57.47 and in that time she took 68 wickets at a ridiculous 11.81.
If she was Bradman on the field, she was definitely Keith Miller off the field. In 1951 she went on a tour of England and she put her engagement on hold and she was over there for two years. And in that time she became a household name. When she returned, she picked up a few other loves in her life until her passing in 2010. She loved her lawn bowls, she loved a flutter, and she definitely loved a chardy – and it probably wasn’t in that order, either.
She also loved coming down when she could, in Melbourne, to watch the Vic Spirit or the Australians play. She would sit in the stands and she would hold court. All the people of different eras would sit down and just hang on every word.
Stories like her historic Test match where she became the first ever player; male or female; to take 10 wickets in a match, including a hat-trick (the first time a female had done it), and also score a century as well. Other stories she would tell us were of her father, who was a boot maker, who would hand-make her cricket spikes. And in between all these stories she would keep a little watchful eye on players out in the middle.
No one was immune to a cheeky Betty technique spray. One day sitting there, watching the cricket, we had this little debate about playing spinners. And Betty was all about footwork. And she turned to me and she said: “Mel, I would have got you out in six balls.”
I said: “Oh, six balls, Betty?”
And she said: “Well, even I have my off days.”
Betty was our link to the pioneers, she was our very own personal historian and story-teller. But I think the best part about Betty, her best delivery, was her character. And she always did remind us and I think she always will remind us to uphold the values and tradition and spirit of our great game.
Betty’s induction to the Hall of Fame tonight, for me, cements her truly as one of our greatest ever.
27 January 2016, Crown Palladium, Melbourne, Australia
Don't worry, I won't keep you long.
Cricket was something I could do for fun ... I think anyone who knows me would realise that, and we were lucky in our day, we could play for fun.
I admire these guys who play now, they’ve got to work their arses off, they got to play that much cricket, I mean all the stuff they’ve got to put up with. All the press, all the media everything like that.
We didn’t have to put up with any of that stuff.
I know this is going to shock you, I’m actually gone a bit soft in my old age ... no it’d be hard work, it’d be hard work.
We flew under the radar. I used to play football in the off-season so I could get away from cricket. I didn’t have to do it 12 months of the year. I don’t know how they do it 12 months of the year, these blokes. They wonder why they all break down, why wouldn’t they break down. Christ almighty.”
I’m amazed, myself here tonight. You get old ... I’m 65 years old and everything shrinks when you get older, that’s why I’m happy to wear coats and all this shit— you don’t show your arms, y’know. .
“Even my eyeballs are shrinking. I had to go to Specsavers the other day and you wouldn’t believe it, the only good thing about getting old I found, they gave me these glasses for close up so they magnify everything.
I used them in the shithouse just before and I was pretty happy with what I had down there.
I’ve just got to get a pair for my wife.
No seriously. I’ll tell you why it’s a big honour, to follow Wally Grout. Now seriously, Nelma used to umpire me, I mean how do you reckon that went, Wally Grout’s daughter used to umpire me at Toombul -- Wally and I both played for Toombul, not together, she was the umpire in the games.
I was a quiet bloke, I think Nelma will tell you I didn’t sledge too much, especially girl umpires and that. We had a great time. And several other blokes ... Ian Davis came up and played with us. So we had a few Australian players in that side. In that club, throughout the years.
So it’s a real big buzz.
For me it’s all about the kids, my wife down there, all the shit she’s had to put up with for 40 years, I mean she didn’t get all the trips you girls down here get now, I’ll tell you that
Mate, we had to sneak them in on planes ... they used to stay in some shit-hole down the road. I’m serious. All the blokes will tell you ... no wonder half of them are divorced. No, not really.
She’s a wonderful girl, and to put up with all of my crap is so good, and I got three wonderful boys from them,
But it’s all about, I mean the reason you’re here, What I’m happy about is all the parents — my parents, my old man is dead, my mum is still alive, she’s 97 … thank Christ, I hope I don’t last that long … not the way I drink. I’m going to run out of money very shortly, especially tonight —
It’s all those people that help you as kids ... you know the ones that don’t come in this room tonight, the ones that do all the shit when you’re a kid, taking you to the games.
And they never be here. They’re never the recognised ones … but they’re the ones that took you to all those game,and they sit back, and they’re the ones that ring you up and say ‘well done’.
So it’s for those people, yeah. Thank you.
