archie mac
International Coach
Yes pleaseIndeed.Would you still like a review on his book?
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A word on Tom Emmett
- Thread starter neville cardus
- Start date
neville cardus
International Debutant
Give me a week or so. I've a number of parties to attend and shall be in no fit state to pen anything substantial for a while.Yes please
neville cardus
International Debutant
Roobish!
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
I always found the career of Emmott Robinson more interesting. Maybe not as distinguished but fascinating.
neville cardus
International Debutant
But how much of the repartee surrounding him is nothing more than Cardus's fanciful embroidery?
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
neville cardus a critic of Cardus
The Cardus essay certainly romanticised him but I love the story that he didnt debut for Yorkshire until he was 35 as Lord Hawke viewed his bowed legs as too untidy to take the field for the White Rose
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neville cardus
International Debutant
Well, that's not especially hard to believe.neville cardus a critic of Cardus
The Cardus essay certainly romanticised him but I love the story that he didnt debut for Yorkshire until he was 35 as Lord Hawke viewed his bowed legs as too untidy to take the field for the White Rose
Although there is no doubt that Cardus took liberties, there is similarly no doubt that Emmott was a terrific character.
I recently read a pair of delightful and (more importantly) original Robinson anecdotes from the sempiternal pens of Harry East and A.A. Thomson. Although devoid of the overcooked Yorkshire drawl replete in Sir Nev's work, they are enough to show that the real Robinson wasn't all that far removed from his cast. Significantly, both Thomson and East were Yorkshiremen, and thus less prone to pick fun at their compatriot's foibles...
East: "Did you ever have any injuries, Emmott?"
Robinson: "When Ah did t'hat trick against Sussex in 1928, Ah'd two broken ribs. [Then, noting East's surprise...] Tha sees, in them days, if we didn't laik, we didn't get paid."
Thomson: "There were two players: let us call them A and B, partly for the sake of the defamation laws, and partly because both names really began with R [which can only mean Rhodes and Robinson]. Madness had descended on them that day. Mr. A, who would normally as soon have thought of letting off jumping crackers in York Minister, so far forgot himself in that solemn hour as to run down the pitch and get stumped. Mr. B, normally as steady as a rock and capable of turning an atom bomb gently to fine leg, lashed out in demented fashion at a loose ball wide on the off which travelled at lightning speed towards backward point where, against all the laws of physics, it remained in the left hand of a gentleman who, though a kind father and a good husband, had never before been known to hold a dazzling one-handed catch of that kind. In the changing room the defeated batsmen sat, too dazed to speak, too stunned by disaster to make the first move towards dressing. At last Mr. B broke the silence. Glaring at his friend with the accusing eye of the prophet Nathan, he uttered the single word: 'Stoo ... mped!' And Mr. A, in a tone of profoundly bitter scorn, retorted: 'Thee and thi fancy cuts!'"
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
A popular one I like from Cardus illustrated the figurehead nature of the old amateur captains.
At the fall of a wicket, the Yorkshire captain Major Arthur Lupton began to pad up. Emmott supposedly said to him "No need to pad up Major, Wilfred is declaring at the end of the over"
Wilf Rhodes being Yorkshires senior pro at the time.
At the fall of a wicket, the Yorkshire captain Major Arthur Lupton began to pad up. Emmott supposedly said to him "No need to pad up Major, Wilfred is declaring at the end of the over"
Wilf Rhodes being Yorkshires senior pro at the time.
neville cardus
International Debutant
Although I have no doubt that Wilfred was Yorkshire's pseudo-captain at the time, that story seems a little too good to be true.
a massive zebra
International Captain
While Emmett's figures may look amazing when viewed at first glance from a modern perspective, one should bear in mind several factors that helped contribute to them.
Average team scores through his era were little more than 150, he played alongside a colleague who managed to record a career bowling average below 10, and he made Steve Harmison look like Mike Hendrick at a time when wides were not counted against the bowler.
Average team scores through his era were little more than 150, he played alongside a colleague who managed to record a career bowling average below 10, and he made Steve Harmison look like Mike Hendrick at a time when wides were not counted against the bowler.
neville cardus
International Debutant
Most of 'em were deliberate, though.
neville cardus
International Debutant
Tom learnt many things in his formative cricketing years, not least of all that it was the fielder's first duty to look out for "the policeman". He never forgot the all-important lesson and once, during a Roses match, was forced to put it into hasty practice when a batting partner pushed one into the covers and called him for a quick single.
"Nay, nay! Whoa, now!" cried Tom, indicating the swooping Vernon Royle. "There's a policeman there!"
"Nay, nay! Whoa, now!" cried Tom, indicating the swooping Vernon Royle. "There's a policeman there!"
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neville cardus
International Debutant
If anyone deserved the tag, it was the peerless Royle.
neville cardus
International Debutant
W.G.'s testimony
THOMAS EMMETT was born at Halifax, Yorkshire, September 3rd, 1841. [...] No finer professional cricketer has ever appeared, and to give his great bowling performances would take up twenty pages of a goodly-sized book. He bowled fast round-arm left hand, with a high and puzzling delivery and a fair amount of break from the leg, and on his day was unplayable. I have had more wide balls from him than I can remember; but I have had occasional balls from him that would have beaten any batsman, and, with the exception of Freeman, I had to watch him more than any bowler. When they were on together, I realised that a hundred runs against them was something to be proud of. His best ball was one pitching between the legs and the wicket, with sufficient break and rise to hit the off bail. More than once he bowled me with that ball when I was well set and had scored heavily, and I left the wicket believing a similar ball would always beat me or anyone. He had another ball which was sometimes effective. It was bowled a little outside the off stump, and broke away slightly, often touching the edge of the bat and going to long-slip: but he overdid it occasionally, and was hit to the boundary. It will not do to reveal the number of wide balls he has bowled; but he had not much occasion to grumble at the umpires on that score, for many a glaring one was passed over, the umpire excusing it on the ground of it being "only Tom's preliminary canter."
I might give a dozen of his great bowling performances, but shall content myself with three. For Twenty-two of Dudley against the United England Eleven, in 1867, he took eight wickets first innings and eight second; ten of them clean-bowled, and Carpenter's among them. For Yorkshire v. Nottinghamshire, in 1868, he took nine wickets for 34 runs (the other was run out), Daft, Parr, and Wild's among them, and Freeman bowling at the other end. For Yorkshire v. Cambridgeshire, in 1869, he took seven wickets for 15 runs first innings, and nine for 23 second (he caught the tenth), Hayward and Carpenter's among them and Freeman bowling at the other end. He appeared for the Players in 1869, and as late as 1884, in his 43rd year, and bowled and batted in good form.
He batted in much better style than most left-hand batsmen, pulling less and possessing sounder defence, and his driving was both clean and hard. He rarely failed to score against Gloucestershire, and played against that county in 1887, when he was in his 46th year. As captain of Yorkshire he was modest about his own abilities, and ought to have bowled more; and I am of opinion that, though advanced in years, that county might have played him a year or two longer with advantage. At the beginning of his innings he was sometimes rather excited, and started off for a run as soon as he touched the ball, without looking where it had gone. Once at Lord's he touched one which came straight to me at short-slip; but as usual he was off, and I had thrown the wicket down before he thought of looking round. I can remember now the expression that stole over his face when he realised how impetuous he had been.
Gloucestershire played England in 1878, and Emmett was batting to F. Townsend's curly underhand slows. Rather than run the risk of hitting into cover-point's hands one or two that were a foot or more off the wicket, he allowed them to pass. Townsend persevered, and Emmett, to show his contempt for the bowling, shouldered his bat and smiled as the ball passed him. But the bowler got rather more break than usual on one ball, and the batsman, with uplifted bat, had the mortification of seeing it curl in and hit the off stump. "A little over-confident, were you not, Tom?" we shouted as he left the wicket; but he took no notice of our remarks. Quite a storm of voices greeted him as reached the pavilion: "What was the matter, Tom?" "Don't Tom me!" he replied. "Well, Emmett, then." "Don't Emmett me!" "Would you like to be called Mr. Emmett?" "Look you," he said, "call me a fool, for I feel like one!"
There was no brighter spirit in the field, and there was none more willing. He worked heart and soul in every department of the game, and was always ready to do a spell of fielding to oblige anyone. He had a bumper benefit in the Yorkshire v. Gloucestershire match at Sheffield in 1878, and every player in both elevens worked with a will to testify to the merits of one of the ablest and best-hearted cricketers that ever played.
THOMAS EMMETT was born at Halifax, Yorkshire, September 3rd, 1841. [...] No finer professional cricketer has ever appeared, and to give his great bowling performances would take up twenty pages of a goodly-sized book. He bowled fast round-arm left hand, with a high and puzzling delivery and a fair amount of break from the leg, and on his day was unplayable. I have had more wide balls from him than I can remember; but I have had occasional balls from him that would have beaten any batsman, and, with the exception of Freeman, I had to watch him more than any bowler. When they were on together, I realised that a hundred runs against them was something to be proud of. His best ball was one pitching between the legs and the wicket, with sufficient break and rise to hit the off bail. More than once he bowled me with that ball when I was well set and had scored heavily, and I left the wicket believing a similar ball would always beat me or anyone. He had another ball which was sometimes effective. It was bowled a little outside the off stump, and broke away slightly, often touching the edge of the bat and going to long-slip: but he overdid it occasionally, and was hit to the boundary. It will not do to reveal the number of wide balls he has bowled; but he had not much occasion to grumble at the umpires on that score, for many a glaring one was passed over, the umpire excusing it on the ground of it being "only Tom's preliminary canter."
I might give a dozen of his great bowling performances, but shall content myself with three. For Twenty-two of Dudley against the United England Eleven, in 1867, he took eight wickets first innings and eight second; ten of them clean-bowled, and Carpenter's among them. For Yorkshire v. Nottinghamshire, in 1868, he took nine wickets for 34 runs (the other was run out), Daft, Parr, and Wild's among them, and Freeman bowling at the other end. For Yorkshire v. Cambridgeshire, in 1869, he took seven wickets for 15 runs first innings, and nine for 23 second (he caught the tenth), Hayward and Carpenter's among them and Freeman bowling at the other end. He appeared for the Players in 1869, and as late as 1884, in his 43rd year, and bowled and batted in good form.
He batted in much better style than most left-hand batsmen, pulling less and possessing sounder defence, and his driving was both clean and hard. He rarely failed to score against Gloucestershire, and played against that county in 1887, when he was in his 46th year. As captain of Yorkshire he was modest about his own abilities, and ought to have bowled more; and I am of opinion that, though advanced in years, that county might have played him a year or two longer with advantage. At the beginning of his innings he was sometimes rather excited, and started off for a run as soon as he touched the ball, without looking where it had gone. Once at Lord's he touched one which came straight to me at short-slip; but as usual he was off, and I had thrown the wicket down before he thought of looking round. I can remember now the expression that stole over his face when he realised how impetuous he had been.
Gloucestershire played England in 1878, and Emmett was batting to F. Townsend's curly underhand slows. Rather than run the risk of hitting into cover-point's hands one or two that were a foot or more off the wicket, he allowed them to pass. Townsend persevered, and Emmett, to show his contempt for the bowling, shouldered his bat and smiled as the ball passed him. But the bowler got rather more break than usual on one ball, and the batsman, with uplifted bat, had the mortification of seeing it curl in and hit the off stump. "A little over-confident, were you not, Tom?" we shouted as he left the wicket; but he took no notice of our remarks. Quite a storm of voices greeted him as reached the pavilion: "What was the matter, Tom?" "Don't Tom me!" he replied. "Well, Emmett, then." "Don't Emmett me!" "Would you like to be called Mr. Emmett?" "Look you," he said, "call me a fool, for I feel like one!"
There was no brighter spirit in the field, and there was none more willing. He worked heart and soul in every department of the game, and was always ready to do a spell of fielding to oblige anyone. He had a bumper benefit in the Yorkshire v. Gloucestershire match at Sheffield in 1878, and every player in both elevens worked with a will to testify to the merits of one of the ablest and best-hearted cricketers that ever played.
a massive zebra
International Captain
Do you have any evidence of this? I do not remember coming across this rather outlandish claim in any contemporary literature, and why on earth anyone would intentionally bowl an abundance of wides is beyond me.
neville cardus
International Debutant
His motto, "Fust a wide, 'n' then a wicket", hints strongly at it being deliberate.
neville cardus
International Debutant
Occasionally, after 1882, with "no gentleman being available", Tom Emmett was pushed back into the Yorkshire captaincy. The trouble was not so much that he was sometimes an amateur and sometimes a pro but rather that sometimes he forgot which was which.
On one occasion, he put himself on to bowl at 11.30am and toiled away unchanged through to tea-time.
"Why dun't t'owd boogger take me off?" he grumbled as he tottered to the pavilion, blissfully unaware that the old bugger was himself.
On one occasion, he put himself on to bowl at 11.30am and toiled away unchanged through to tea-time.
"Why dun't t'owd boogger take me off?" he grumbled as he tottered to the pavilion, blissfully unaware that the old bugger was himself.
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neville cardus
International Debutant
Tom's formative cricketing days were played out in a region where it was the batsman's first duty to look out for "the policeman" at cover. He never forgot the well-learnt lesson and was once, during a Roses match, quickly reminded of it when a batting partner pushed one into the covers and called him for a run.
"Nay, nay! Whoa, now!" cried Tom, indicating a swooping Vernon Royle, one of the greatest cover fielders of all-time. "There's a policeman there!"
"Nay, nay! Whoa, now!" cried Tom, indicating a swooping Vernon Royle, one of the greatest cover fielders of all-time. "There's a policeman there!"
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a massive zebra
International Captain
Where can I read this essay?neville cardus a critic of Cardus
The Cardus essay certainly romanticised him but I love the story that he didnt debut for Yorkshire until he was 35 as Lord Hawke viewed his bowed legs as too untidy to take the field for the White Rose
