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Norman O'Neill passes away

Burgey

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Apparently Norm O'Neill has died, aged 71.

I never saw him play, but apparently he was one of those guys who you just wanted to be able to play like.

He had the misfortune to be dubbed "the New Bradman", which of course he could not live up to.

Still, 42 tests, 6 toms and an average of 45 is a pretty fair career by anyone's standards.

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/7015.html

He was also regarded as a great gentleman of the game.

Vale Norman O'Neill.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
A sad day, O'Neill one of the players I've only heard about fairly recently, but undoubtedly a very fine one indeed.

RIP.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Bob Simpson was asked in an interview in the 1980s who, of all the batsmen he had ever seen, would he choose to watch for an hour if he could pick just one. His answer was Norman O’Neill. Given that Bobby had seen pretty much every batsman in world cricket for the previous 30-odd years, that’s some compliment.

As Burgey mentioned, his promise and prodigious early performances led to him being dubbed the “new Bradman” and while he was certainly not the only Australian batsman to be so called (Neil Harvey, Ian Craig and Doug Walters are three others), it was O’Neill for whom the title was always most famously associated. While it was meant as a tremendous compliment, it in fact – as O’Neill himself acknowledged more than once - had a far greater negative effect than anything else in his career, including injuries. He was a shy and sensitive young man who was known for being affected greatly by nerves before he batted and early in his innings, and trying to live up to the “new Bradman” tag nearly crushed him. “They got the wrong man,” he once said in an interview “I was no Bradman and I knew it.”

For all that he was a magnificent player who had a fine career, and by all accounts a true gentleman both on and off the pitch. And as Simpson’s selection so amply demonstrates, when he was going and in full flight, he must have been a sight to behold that few in the history of the game could have surpassed.

RIP Norm.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
I have to admit to rather shamefully not knowing anything of his exploits beyond that he was an Aussie test cricketer. I'm possibly not the only one who was underinformed either, as despite Norman taking 17 test & one shy of 100 FC wickets he isn't even accorded a bowling style by cricinfo! Clearly well thought of tho & looks a four-square sort of a chap too. Imagine he must've cut quite a dash with the ladies in his day.

It's also a sign of the changing times that Oz dispensed with his services at an age (28) when most of their batters nowadays are either still looking to break into the team or just establishing themselves.

RIP.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Sad day, left the game still a young man, and was offered a Pro. Career in US Baseball

Should always be considered when picking an all time X! purely for aesthetic (spelling) reasons:)
 

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