ARTICLE: "The lead-up to the first match, November-December, 1979" (posted 18 June 2019).

The lead-up to the first match (written around 1980)

About mid-November Tim Baldock and I had the idea of a cricket match to be played in the holidays. Tim’s “no-good players” request was eventually banned and the “recruiting” began. I was to captain one side while Tim was to captain the other. Next day Tim handed over the reins to cricket enthusiast, Simon Elliott. First we selected knock-up teams, with no good players, to go along with Tim’s rule. My side, at that stage, consisted of: Barry, Gibson, Ladbrook, Embleton, Barwood and myself. Not exactly champions were all enthusiastic.

Simon soon realized that the “no-good players” rule was inconvenient and the rule was banned. We were then allowed to choose any players in our grade and the real “recruiting” began. We both rushed to get the good players in on our side. Later that week the teams started shaping up. We purchased score-sheets and Dr Hickling, Richard’s father, was available to umpire. The teams now looked like this:

Table 1 – Proposed team line-ups, mid-November 1979

	James’ team		Elliott’s team
	(in batting order)		(in batting order)
1	Jason Ramsay	1	Tim Baldock (vc)
2	Phil Holman	2	Simon Elliott (c)
3	Nigel Barwood	3	Luke Tunbridge
4	Steven Dennis	4	Ashleigh Povey
5	Kieran James (c)	5	Scott Herring
6	Andrew Ross	6	David Robinson
7	Paul Ruthven	7	Richard Sciano
8	Paul Barry	8	David Hislop
9	Neil Gibson	9	Mark Van Brakel
10	Richard Hickling	10	Craig McLeod
11	Andrew Gilbert	11	Peter Hamilton
12th man	Stephen Embleton	12th man	Ian Ludlow

Neil Gibson was soon dropped to twelfth man, in my team, for all-rounder Darren Gregory, who, previously, refused to play.

Paul Ruthven, our opening bowler, moved to Simon’s side, so a need for a good replacement was pressing. During play [i.e. play-time break at school] Phillip, Steven, and I decided on Richard Pate. He attended our school up to Year 5 when he left for Christchurch [i.e. Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont]. I wrote him a letter asking if he could play and put it in his letter-box. Phil told me that Richard was available. Simon finally agreed arguing, firstly, that he came from another school. Paul Ruthven’s arrival to the other team saw Peter Hamilton drop to 12th man.

The next few weeks were uneventful. Later our class were going to a Christmas Church Service, when Darren Gregory told me he couldn’t play. Stephen Embleton forced his way back into our team. Richard Sciano, dropped out of their team, that last morning of school, the day before the game, and they thought as a replacement to use a boy known by Simon from his church Andrew McTaggart. Another last minute drop-out was our No. 3, Nigel Barwood. I was worried about it, not knowing who to replace him with. During the last school assembly I thought of the answer.

A few days ago I had played at the park with team-mate Andrew Ross, my neighbour David Leman, and a boy called Allan. Against them I made my highest-ever score of 61. Allan was a Year 7 from Port Hedland, down here for the Christmas period. He is one of the best players, of my age, I have ever seen.

The afternoon before the game, which, of course, was to be on the first day of the holidays, I walked to 40 Davenport Road, where Allan had said he was staying. A man answered the door and said Allan was at the W.A.C.A. ground in Perth watching the First Test but would be back by six-thirty.[1] When he got back, the man said that Allan would phone me. I gave the man my number and walked home.

At about six-thirty-five Allan rang. He said he would be able to come! Unfortunately I had to go to the orthodontists at 4 on the afternoon of the game.

The final teams for the following day were:

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[1] The First Test match, between Australia and England, was played at the W.A.C.A. ground over the dates 14-19 December with Monday 17 December being observed as a rest day. The match was won by Australia by 138 runs. This was the first season post-WSC as cricket re-emerged under the control of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) once again after its reconciliation and effective merger with WSC.

Table 2 – Final team line-ups, day before first match, 1979

	James’ team		Elliott’s team
	(in batting order)		(in batting order)
1	Jason Ramsay	1	Tim Baldock (vc)
2	Phil Holman	2	Ashleigh Povey
3	Allan	3	Luke Tunbridge
4	Steven Dennis	4	Simon Elliott (c)
5	Richard Pate	5	Scott Herring
6	Kieran James (c)	6	David Robinson
7	Andrew Ross	7	Andrew McTaggart
8	Paul Barry	8	David Hislop
9	Richard Hickling	9	Mark Van Brakel
10	Andrew Gilbert	10	Craig McLeod
11	Stephen Embleton	11	Paul Ruthven
12th man	Neil Gibson	12th man	Peter Hamilton

The first innings of the game

The game was to start at nine although when I arrived, laden down with my Slazenger bat, etc., at five to nine, Jason Ramsay, Simon Elliott and many others had arrived. Simon had put down deck-chairs in the “pavilion” near the pitch kindly made by school gardener Mr Hancock. Andrew McTaggart arrived with George Lucas, another kid from another school. Our 12th man, Neil Gibson came along with Richard Hickling, Paul Barry, Steven Dennis and Richard Pate from our side. Ashleigh Povey, Tim Baldock, Mark Van Brakel and Ian Ludlow, who was not named in the 12, came from theirs. The time was a minute to nine and I was waiting for Allan. At nine o’clock he and Andrew Ross were dropped off. The two ’keepers Phillip Holman and Luke Tunbridge had not arrived. 9 players from our side and 8 from theirs had attended. The toss was performed by Tim Baldock, Simon’s vice-captain and I. I called “Heads!” Tails it was! Tim decided to bat and we took the field. The umpire was Andrew Burton, a university student.

Tim Baldock and Ashleigh Povey opened the batting. Jason Ramsay was ‘’keeping with batting gloves on. Allan was at slip, I was at point, Steven was at cover and so-on. Richard Pate bowled the first ball to Tim. Steven Dennis bowled from the opposite end. I let Richard Hickling bowl in front of me. By the end of their short innings Richard Pate had 2 wickets, Steven Dennis and Richard Hickling 3. Allan took the last wicket with Simon and Tim batting again.

Jason Ramsay and Allan opened our batting with Paul Ruthven opening their bowling. Jason was out for a small score as was Steven Dennis. I made 8 before being bowled by Ashleigh Povey. Richard Pate made a great partnership with Allan. Richard was out, followed by Andrew Ross for a duck. Finally Allan played a ball on to his stumps and was out for over 30. He was applauded as he walked back to our seats. The tailenders were soon out and Jason Ramsay and Allan were called to bat again.