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Norman Calloway?

JBMAC

State Captain
Does any of our resident cricket historians know anything about this small article i found tucked away in an obscure paper



Norman Callaway died fighting with the Anzacs in WWI. No one knows where his body lies. The most powerful epitaph to his life is his first-class batting average of 207.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
I can't help, but thought I would chip in the following:

I once read in some old cricketing book some meanderings of an old time cricket tragic. The book was written in the 1950s. He reckoned that Wally Hammond would have only been good enough for the England 2nd XI if ranked against the talent that was playing before WWI

The author claimed that an outstanding crop even a generation of cricketing geniuses were lost in the great war and that cricket never recovered to the same standards after it.
 

harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The one first class match he played was for NSW against Queensland in February 2015.

Found an article from the Sydney newspaper The Referee from Wednesday, the 24th of February, 1915 on the match and Calloway's innings

24 Feb 1915 - AN EASY VICTORY Norman Callaway's Brilliant 207 ...

Transcript

AN EASY VICTORY

Norman Callaway's Brilliant 207 in his First Match in First-class cricket. Inter-State engagements in sport have become rare this summer, though cricket, unlike most of its rivals for popularity, has not abandoned the usual fixtures of this character. The sixth and last inter-State match of the New South Wales season was started at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday in beautiful weather, with the Queenslanders as the enemy. The match with Queensland has rarely aroused much public interest, even in normal times, when sport has loomed prominently in the public eye, so that now, with the eyes and attention of most people centred on the battles of the Empire and her Allies on the trenched fields of Europe, and among the mine-fields of the North Sea, interest has dwindled away to a fine point. Nevertheless one was surprised to see in the pavilion so many of the regular patrons of the game, men who have been watching cricket for half-a-century, more or less, with unabating interest; men, too, who have given their sons to the Empire in this greatest war in the history of the world. Their interest in the 'game of games,' as it is to them, will remain keen-edged to the end of the human chapter.

The general attendance was small, that is, outside the members' pavilion. Those present did not have much in the line of batting to sharpen their enthusiasm for the greater part of the day, for the mastery of the ball in the recent Sheffield Shield matches was continued for some time. But a delightful change came, and with it the dawn of a new personality in New South Wales cricket, a colt with the power of arm for which we sighed in the last of the Sheffield Shield battles. The outstanding feature of the day's cricket was the batting of Norman Callaway, the colt of Waverley. When he walked to the wickets, his side had lost three for 17, and three good wickets. McAndrews, the tall left hand bowler, having got all three for 9 runs, was bowling very ably. Callaway joining Farrar, these colts in 11 minutes added 38 runs, as merry a piece of cricket as you could wish to see, and, so far as the game had gone, a veritable oasis in the desert. The University colt was then snapped up at short stop by Farquhar off fast-bowler McLaren, having made 27 like a tradesman, and been as spry between wickets as a Gregory or a Graham.

With four down for 58, the New South Wales captain determined to alter his batting order. The next on the list was W. E. Pite, but instead of that young man, the padded 'C.G.' (Macartney) appeared. The aspect of the battle underwent a rapid change, for 178 runs were added without further loss, at a clip which delighted everyone. And the strange part of the story is that the biffing and banging were not done by the little man of might, but by the colt making his first appearance in first-class cricket. The striking elements in the batting of Callaway were of the orthodox variety, from the straight bat in defence to the lusty off-drive, which made the ball whizz past mid-off, or over the head of cover-point, or the shot inside point and in front of third man. Making good use of his feet, and swinging his shoulders into it, his drives were very fine, and though the turf was hardly any faster than it had been in the recent matches, the ball travelled from his bat with pace that 'carried it to the pickets;
Some of the lifting of off-drives recalled the palmy days of H. H. Massie, though as a rule the colt got them further on the drive than the great man of 1882, whose cover-hits were the gems. One can picture the ball skimming over the head of cover-point from the bat as of Massie, with the spectators thrilled by the sight.

These things looked grand at the moment, and it takes little to make one believe they are still grander in the retrospect, grander with each succeeding year, as the vista of time becomes lined with hues of gold. Calloway completed his fifty in about an hour, and going on fast, and with Macartney played with the break hard on, he scored a large proportion of the runs. When the colt was in the forties he had scored only 13 runs more than Macartney, but after that he cleared away from the artist who makes centuries with the ease and skill that rival the great Trumperian. At the close of the day Callaway had made 125 and Macartney 57, with the total 228 for four wickets, the partnership, still unbroken, having added 170 runs.

Within the last five years it has been rare to see any man scoring faster than Macartney while they are together. In this instance he played the game carefully, not even running with the customary daring for singles and the extra run that comes to the pair who move as one, and arc sharp in judgment and of feet. Now and then Callaway bent and reached across the wicket and struck at the ball with a horizontal, bat, a weak and second-rate stroke, which nevertheless came off as a rule. Macartney, with good judgment, sauntered down the pitch and advised the young one of the weakness of that particular shot. It was the one stroke which Callaway will need to alter in order to attain to heights in first-class cricket. He needs to move across, with the right foot, make the most use of his height, and cut the ball with the snap of the wrist, for which some of the past masters of other days were noted. This stroke was noticed by all the older dons from the pavilion, and they expressed the hope that the colt would master the shot in the proper way, and thus pave the road to his progress to the highest realms in our cricket.

This is the first inter-State match in which Callaway has appeared, so that his name is added to the select list of those who have made a hundred on their first appearance in first-class cricket in this country. It is worthy of note that he also made a century on his first appearance in a match of any inter-State nature, for he scored 129 in the Colts' match with Victoria. In his first 100 runs on Friday were fourteen 4's, a big proportion on such a slow ground. Afterwards he hit a 6, a long drive straight over the fence, a straight hit. Charles Macartney had missed first ball by Sheppard off McLaren in the slips, and finished with 57 not out. It was bad luck for the bowler that one usually so, reliable in the slips-should have dropped, above all, such a man as Macartney, whose exploits at the expense of recent Queensland teams have been most brilliant. Though the fielding was very keen, a chance or two was missed, Callaway being dropped at 41 at cover by McAndrews from a hard shot, though the ball went straight to him.

W. J. Thompson, an athlete in build and movement, fielded brilliantly, being very spry over the ground, and clean in picking up, as well as smart in returning. The innings of Queensland earlier in the day was somewhat disappointing, and though 50 were on the books for loss of one wicket, they were all out for 137. Sheppard (40) and C. Thompson, who made some good drives in getting 18, showed best form. W. Cullen and L. Wall, in. their first inter-State match, took the honors, the Glebe man getting four for 20 and the left-hander four for 44, while E. Bull also took two for 25, though the batsmen seemed to relish him. Eight of Cullen's 15 overs were maidens, the batsmen seeming to be unable to connect with his bowling. The breakdown of
Queensland after the luncheon interval was abrupt for they retired with three wickets down for 83 runs. Everyone, however, left the ground at the close of the day thoroughly pleased with the cricket on the whole, the batting of Callaway having put them in the best of moods.

Second Day - Saturday

The day was made to order for cricket, bright and not too warm. Everything favoured the bat, save that the well-cut outfield was still as a drag-net to the daisy-cutting strokes. Callaway and Macartney started with the freedom of batsmen who had already sampled the bowling and found little in it to fear. They ran the total to 300 very quickly, Callaway 181 and Macartney 93. At 314 Macartney, who had just completed his century stepped in to one from Redgrave and hit it hard, low, and straight to Barstow at mid-on, a shade deep, and the fieldsmen took the catch. Batting two hours and three-quarters, Macartney made 103, in which were only five fours. His form on Saturday was of a high order, for he was hooking, driving, and cutting, and making use of his feet in getting to the ball in the manner of his best. The fifth-wicket partnership put on 256 runs.

Prior to the dismissal of Macartney, J. Farquhar, the Queensland wicket keeper, met with an accident. A ball from McAndrews hit him on the eve and cut it severely. He had to retire, and Mr. McCaffrey, the manager of the team, took him to the Sydney Hospital to have the wound stitched after it had been examined and temporarily attended to by P. M. Farrar, who is a Sydney University medical in his fifth year. The visitors found ill-luck come to them in a heap. Sheppard now kept wickets, and Farrar fielded as substitute. Callaway had been batting with splendid vigor, but was very lucky. He had given a difficult chance of stumping off Ayres, and at 163 McAndrews dropped him at deep point off Redgrave — not a difficult chance. He gave another to McAndrews — to the left-hand above the shoulder at mid-off — at 175, it being the third the 'long left-hander' had dropped off his bat. It was peculiar that though McAndrews dropped these chances, his ground-fielding was good, and he was active in his movements.

Callaway's World's Record

W. E. Pite remained with Callaway until luncheon, the colt having made 201 and Pite 21 — five for 374. The run-getting had been very fast, 146 being added since noon. Though the position had become hopeless, the Queenslanders were playing very keenly. Best form with the ball thus far on Saturday was shown by McLaren, Redgrave, and Ayres, the latter pair bowling with very bad luck. Shortly after' luncheon Callaway was nicely caught at first slip by Ayres off fast-bowler McLaren, short-stop, Shepherd vainly endeavoring to intercept it. Callaway made 207 in three hours and a quarter, and hit 26 4's. His play on Saturday, as on Friday, was very breezy, the power of his off-drives being splendid. With a little judicious coaching on one stroke — the use of his feet and the manner of making the shot — he should develop into one of the best players in Australia. It is most gratifying to see a young one who possesses not only the power, but the confidence and desire to apply it, and, if necessary, to use his feet in getting to the ball. He was very warmly applauded as he retired.

He gave five chances off the bat, at 41, 149, 163, 175, and 180.
 
Last edited:

cnerd123

likes this
The author claimed that an outstanding crop even a generation of cricketing geniuses were lost in the great war and that cricket never recovered to the same standards after it.
Do you remember the name of the book, and/or some of these lost geniuses that the author lists out?
 

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