Huge crowd silenced
Australia’s great World Cup win over India at Ahmedabad was one for the ages.
Spearheaded by a wonderful run-a-ball century (137) from Travis Head, the Aussies sent the massive world record crowd of 132,000 jammed into Modi stadium into stunned silence.
Unbeaten in all 10 games prior to the final, India was strongly favored to claim the trophy.
When the chanting, noisy crowd realised India would not win, an eerie silence descended on the vast audience.
Head’s brilliant display would have won approval from the legendary Victor Trumper whose century in a session at Old Trafford in the 1902 Ashes Test on a rain damaged wicket was a similar stunning display.
Top cricket week
Five colleges are competing at Assumption College Kilmore each day this week for the Australian Marist Championship – the Stan McCabe Shield.
McCabe attended St Joseph’s College in Sydney – a large boarding school that has produced a long line of rugby and cricket stars.
Three of the greatest Test innings for the country were played by McCabe-187 v England in the bodyline test at Sydney in 1932, 187 v South Africa at Johannesburg in 1936 and 232 v England at Trent Bridge in 1938.
Don Bradman described the latter innings as the finest he had seen.
Teams competing at Kilmore this week are ACK; St Joseph’s Sydney; Marist College Canberra; Sale College and Traralgon College.
There are two games each day from Monday to Friday on the college’s turf ovals, with play from 10am to 6pm each day. Assumption won the carnival in Perth in 1909 and Kilmore in 1910.
Schoolboy hero
Neale Daniher was a schoolboy sporting hero long before he became a national hero for his courageous fight against MND and the wonderful fundraising campaign thus generated.
A brilliant young cricketer and footballer, he was the stuff of youthful sporting legends portrayed in former times by the authors of schooldays classics.
There are plenty of memories of Neale’s time at ACK and his deeds on the fields of summer and winter. A stand-out was the AGSV clash for the 1978 football premiership.
A balmy August afternoon saw a huge crowd of some 3000 assemble at Bulleen for the clash.
Both sides were strong with a number of boys in the Marcellin College and Assumption ranks destined for the ‘big time’.
A three-goal breeze favoured the packed pavilion end of the oval. A gripping tussle ensured of high school standard with the Eagles slightly in front at half time.
Neale was playing well in defence, repelling many thrusts.
Marcellin took control in the third term to open up a 20 points break at the last change.
The wind had suddenly strengthened and the odds were against Assumption.
I suggested Naele go on the ball but he insisted he go to centre half forward.
A rousing war cry from the huddle led to a brilliant response from the Kilmore boys, inspired by their captain.
Neale produced an amazing final term kicking four great goals, while his team mates played ‘out of their skins’ to keep Marcellin goalless.
It was a stirring victory celebrated that night in a packed pavilion back home.
The then Herald described the game as a schoolboys’ classic with Neale a hero.
Young woman in the west
The young lady pictured below is a successful sheep and cattle breeder in south-west Victoria. She is part of a dynasty.
The Mann family has farmed near Glenthompson since the early 1930s.
The branches of the Mann family tree spread wide, encompassing many individuals and enterprises that are part of Glenthompson Pastoral Company in Victoria’s Western District.
At the heart of the family operation is Louise Mann: a mother, ex-commercial pilot, and now a manager of the family’s Angus cattle herd and Merino sheep flock on their 3200-hectare property, Brie-Brie.
The area is part of the great grazing estates to the north, south and east of Hamilton.
It was from these farm fields that Australia’s first touring cricket team came a century and a half ago.
It was an all-Aboriginal side that played all over England including at Lords, the spiritual home of cricket.
The small town of Harrow has a museum dedicated to the team and a statue of the captain Johnny Mullagh overlooks the oval.
When I was a kid, I knew a bit about the Mann family because dad shore sheep at one of their stations. Jimmy Mann was an area legend and fine cricketer.
I played against him when I was a teenager and he was nearing the end of his career.
Jimmy was a lovely guy, as was a brother who died in a light plane crash.
Jimmy had some good stories such as this one:
He was travelling by train from Edinburgh to Inverness and took a flask of whisky out of his coat pocket to have a nip. He produced a second glass and offered the gentlemen sitting opposite a drink. The reply was ‘no thank-you but I admire your taste’.
It was the renowned Teacher’s Whiskey and the person was John Teacher, boss of the well-known distillery.
Reading recently about Louise and her dad Ted, it is obvious the family spirit lives on.
