conversations with Ian Chappell

Gee, you were lucky if you got a male streaker to provide entertainment value, but a female......and 2 of them!!

Boy, what a day out that would have been.

The only other time I can remember a female streaker was Brucey Doull's girlfriend (sic), Helen D'Amico.

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Gee, you were lucky if you got a male streaker to provide entertainment value, but a female......and 2 of them!!

Boy, what a day out that would have been.

The only other time I can remember a female streaker was Brucey Doull's girlfriend (sic), Helen D'Amico.

Yes the two young ladies were promoting a new strip club in Perth.

Ian Chappell was threatening to do things with his bat handle that would have caused a lot of damage to the young ladies.

Yes, Scrappy the elder thought it one of the best days cricket he had ever seen. Two beautiful naked ladies running onto the field and an Ian Chappell century as well. What more would you want in a days play?

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Chappelli would have been licking his chops with the fiery Hogg and Prior to return eventually.

Chappelli was always an aggressive captain. But I just wonder if his aggression was proportional to the cattle he had with him. This SA side was a pretty handy one. Adding Hogg into the mix must have gotten his captaincy juices flowing just a little more.

The 1973 - 1977 era was when his hero status to a young cricket fanatic was at its zenith. All he had to do was wear his undies on the outside, like Superman, Batman etc. and he could have had his own comic strip.

If they were all fit and firing, who would we select as the 2 fast bowlers ?
Fang Prior
Rodney Hoggy
Scatters Attenborough
Bomber Hammond

Bomber was 12th man on at least one occasion this season
Im surprised he didnt play a game in 1975/1976 , considering he had played Test cricket
He did battle a back injury at one stage of his career , perhaps he was still feeling the effects ?

Back to that game against Victoria at Adelaide Oval
VI 247 + 262
SA 146 + 8/364

It should have been the pinnacle of the season
Chappelli wins the game with that magnificent 171 in a big run chase
With 2 games to go SA the hot favorite to win the SS , almost over the line
But what happened behind closed doors is another matter

Here is a version of events after this match documented by Terry Jenner

With 2 games, on an Eastern tour of NS+ QL to go , the selectors dropped Rick Drewer , Bob Blewett and Wayne Prior came into a 13 man squad
Bob Blewett was a handy 32 year old allrounder , and about to debut
Blewetts eventual career
1070 runs @ 24.88 [including 2 tons]
30 wickets @ 40.23
Handy returns for a talented District Cricketer in his subsequent career
And he did breed an Australian Test cricketer, Greg Blewett

Blewett for Drewer seemed a fair enough selection on face value
Also Blewett was an insurance policy on Prior who was recovering from that foot ailment
Fang was worth a gamble having taken 35 wickets for the season at that stage
The problem was that no one told Ian Chappell on this selection process
This pissed of Chappelli who had an agreement that he would always be consulted with the selectors on the team selections

The 13 was selected during the SA V VI game
This is a transcription that followed between a selector and Ian


Selector : " How could we consult you? You were out there batting."
Ian : " Isint that my #@$%$#@#(* job "

Ian was incensed that Rick Drewer was replaced by Blewett
The logic being why pick someone ahead of a guy who had played all year
Drewer had reasonable early season from, but had faltered against DK Lillie in recent matches , a bowler mentioned by many as the greatest ever Australian fast bowler
Why not keep him in the squad as a 12th man at least

What do we make of all this ?
I interpret it as this
Chappelli is a mans man, you play for Ian, he will bat for you on and off the field
Rick Drewer, in his opinion, deserved to be part of a team on the brink of winning then SS
Because of Ians magnificent 171 against the Vics , all that was required was less than about 10 Bonus Points to clinch the SS
And he wanted Richard Harris Drewer to not be Melting In The Dark , but to be there for the moment

So what happens next
Ian Chappell addressed his players and made this comment, that would have reverberated around the rooms
"'This is my decision. Im not going on tour."

To be continued ......

Scrappy wrote:

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Chappelli would have been licking his chops with the fiery Hogg and Prior to return eventually.

Chappelli was always an aggressive captain. But I just wonder if his aggression was proportional to the cattle he had with him. This SA side was a pretty handy one. Adding Hogg into the mix must have gotten his captaincy juices flowing just a little more.

The 1973 - 1977 era was when his hero status to a young cricket fanatic was at its zenith. All he had to do was wear his undies on the outside, like Superman, Batman etc. and he could have had his own comic strip.

If they were all fit and firing, who would we select as the 2 fast bowlers ?
Fang Prior
Rodney Hoggy
Scatters Attenborough
Bomber Hammond

Bomber was 12th man on at least one occasion this season
Im surprised he didnt play a game in 1975/1976 , considering he had played Test cricket
He did battle a back injury at one stage of his career , perhaps he was still feeling the effects ?

Bomber Hammond wasn't bowling at all at that stage of his career. He injured his back early in the 1973-74 season and never bowled quickly again. This was soon after the West Indies tour of 1973 where he played 4 tests and bowled quite well after Dennis Lillee had hurt his back.

In the next phase of Hammond's career he was selected as a batsman and in fact at the start of 1976/77, the next season after his 12th man stint, he opened the batting for SA in the early Shield matches. He didn't have much success and drifted out of first class cricket until Ian Chappell returned from WSC and became captain of SA again. Hammond, who seemed to be a disciple of Chappell, returned to the side as an all rounder bowling fast off breaks (or slow off cutters) and batting at about number seven. In 9 matches in 1979-80 he took 20 wickets @ 31.45 and made 180 runs @ 18. I guess figures just good enough to hold his place. After Chappell retired he played one game in 1980-81 before dropping out of first class cricket.

In answer to your question, at their very best I would have selected Hogg and Hammond as the best two of the four bowlers you listed Scrappy, but Prior was fantastic for that one Sheffield Shield Season, 1975-76, where he took 33 wickets @ 17.21. Prior played WSC but other than that 1975-76 season he never achieve dmuch success at all as evidenced by his career figures of 140 first class wickets at 33.07.

Attenborough was certainly the slowest of the four bowlers and the only one not to play International cricket, but he was probably unlucky not to. He took 193 first class wickets at 31.96. When you consider that most of the time he was bowling on the Adelaide Oval road, his figures stand up fairly well. He certainly was a wholehearted bowler who also seemed to thrive under Ian Chappell's captaincy. His best year was 1979-80, the year Chappell came back as captain, where he took 44 Shield wickets @ 23.

In the next 2 matches SA picked 2 of the 3 quick bowlers in each game of the Eastern Tour
Hammond as explained, was in a metamorphic transition of being a batsman only
That left Scatters, Hoggy and Fang

Prior played in both games v NS + QL
Hoggy played in the next game V NS
Scatters played in the last game v QL

We know the history of all players over the duration of their careers
Hogg ends up the best bowler easily
I had thought the pacy Prior as a better bowler than the left arm medium pacer Attenborough , especially in 75/76, but overall, Im not sure

Prior
140 wickets
33.07 ave
62.75 s/rate
3.16 economy

Attenborough
193 wickets
31.96 ave
65.02 s/rate
2.94 economy

Scatters overall stats wise would appear a slightly better bowler
But I reckon SS batsman might have preferred to face Scatters than Fang

PS
How did the following guys get their nicknames ?
Fang
Scatters
Bomber

I must confess, I dont know

Don't know about the others, but Prior was called Fang, because he didn't have teeth.

The proposed strike
As documented by a player in the team

The team took a vote on whether to go on the Eastern Tour
Only 2 players voted against
Gary Jaffa Cosier, who had transferred from Victoria , he stated he had aspirations to play for Australia
Rick Darling who was trying to consolidate his SS career
Cosier and Darling both ended up playing for Australia
After a re-vote , it was unanimous, all players voted to strike

Rodney Hogg had this to say
"You baarstads. Ive waited 10 years to go on a SS tour and youve blown it for me."
Tell me why Im not surprised Hoggy said this !!!!

The SACA was informed
They gave the players until midday, the next day, to recinder the proposed strike
The players were celebrating the win over Victoria at the Old Lion
Chappell told the players to tour, but without him
The players rejected Chappells proposal, and in a one for all all for one strike
One of these players was caught drink drivinig that night !!!

Word got around about the strike
Neil King Kerley tried to talk Chappell out of the strike
Bob Blewett rang Chappell to inform him he that he was prepared to pull out the team
Chappell had no beef with Blewett, and told him it was a principle thing with the SACA

An issue of the times was that the players were denied a laundry allowance
Yet the SACA wanted to send a 13th player on the tour
In my opinion, with Fangs injury concerns, it made sense to send 13 players
It is understood Blewetts phone call , was a big factor in Chappell reversing his strike stance

Chappell reversed his decision and made himself available
Chappell would have considered the effect on some of his players if they were banned or sanctioned
There were 3 players who had just started their careers, Hogg, Hookes and Darling , would Chappell have felt comfortable if the 3 careers were nipped in the bud
All 3 and Jaffa Cosier played for Australia , as did others in the team , after this time

The players toured
Rick Drewer retired , an awful end to his career
Bob Blewett made his debut on the tour
Hoggy got his wish to tour !

Ian had this to say
"I have lost feeling for the SACA. I have no respect for the association. I am going for the players."

Had the strike taken place , perhaps we would have been called the Adelaide Strikers

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Don't know about the others, but Prior was called Fang, because he didn't have teeth.

That would make sense being called Fang !

Gary Cosiers nickname was Jaffa
Would that be because he had reddish hair ?

This is a riveting thread, Scrappy.

Chappelli must have been mightily peeved with the SACA to leave a very competitive team after that season, to just play district cricket in Melbourne.

Who were the members on the SACA board then.
The Don, Neil Dansie? Probably knowing who his beef was with helps understand the issues at the centre of it.

I await the next instalment with baited breath!

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:This is a riveting thread, Scrappy.

Chappelli must have been mightily peeved with the SACA to leave a very competitive team after that season, to just play district cricket in Melbourne.

Who were the members on the SACA board then.
The Don, Neil Dansie? Probably knowing who his beef was with helps understand the issues at the centre of it.

I await the next instalment with baited breath!

I would have thought that Phil Ridings would have been heavily involved in all facets of SA cricket at that time.

Yep I reckon you're right.
can't seem to find references to who the others might have been.

Scrappy wrote:The team took a vote on whether to go on the Eastern Tour
Only 2 players voted against
Gary Jaffa Cosier, who had transferred from Victoria , he stated he had aspirations to play for Australia
Rick Darling who was trying to consolidate his SS career
Cosier and Darling both ended up playing for Australia

After a re-vote , it was unanimous, all players voted to strike

Cosier had already played for Australia. Remember that he debuted in the Boxing Day test a couple of months prior to the strike.

Am I floating too many conspiracy theories when I suggest Cosier's initial vote against the strike may have cost him a WSC contract.

Despite his poor form in the Centenary Test, he had been quite a solid Australian contributor until that time and I have never worked out why he wasn't offered a WSC contract.

In the recent mini series it had Kerry Packer saying that he didn't want Mallett or Cosier, Ian Chappell denied that in a recent intervew I heard where he said Mallett was the only player that Packer didn't want and that he, Chappell as sole selector got his way and got Mallett included.

robranisgod wrote:

Scrappy wrote:The team took a vote on whether to go on the Eastern Tour
Only 2 players voted against
Gary Jaffa Cosier, who had transferred from Victoria , he stated he had aspirations to play for Australia
Rick Darling who was trying to consolidate his SS career
Cosier and Darling both ended up playing for Australia

After a re-vote , it was unanimous, all players voted to strike

Cosier had already played for Australia. Remember that he debuted in the Boxing Day test a couple of months prior to the strike.

Am I floating too many conspiracy theories when I suggest Cosier's initial vote against the strike may have cost him a WSC contract.

Despite his poor form in the Centenary Test, he had been quite a solid Australian contributor until that time and I have never worked out why he wasn't offered a WSC contract.

In the recent mini series it had Kerry Packer saying that he didn't want Mallett or Cosier, Ian Chappell denied that in a recent intervew I heard where he said Mallett was the only player that Packer didn't want and that he, Chappell as sole selector got his way and got Mallett included.

Yes,well spotted RIG , Gary Jaffa Cosier had already started his Test career at that stage

He debuted for VI V SA in November 1971 at Adelaide Oval
He opened the batting with Bill Lawry both digs and made 18 +34
KG Cunningham made a double ton that game
North Adelaide Footballer Barrie Robran played in this match as well
Jaffa Cosier played for SA from 1974 to 1977

He made his Australian debut in December 1975 against the West Indies
Jaffa made a century on debut with his 109

SA beat VI in February 1976
So yes he played for Australia at the time of the proposed strike
Voting and taking part in a Domestic strike could have jeopardised his Test Career at this point
It is documented that Jaffa had feared his International career would be terminated if he took part in the strike

How time flies , Gary Jaffa Cosier will be 60 years old on Anzac Day 2013

Back to that game SA V VI Adelaide Oval
SA were 6/225 chasing 364
Ian Chappell was on the way to that magnificent 171
He was joined by Ashley Rowdy Mallett

There had been several bouncers bowled at tailenders in this match
VI fast bowler Alan Hurst was the main antagonist
Hurst was a good fast bowler and probably bowled about 140km
Ian Chappell fights fire with fire , and instructed our left hand medium fast bowler Geoffrey Attenborough to retaliate with a few bouncers at Hurst in the VI second innings
Alan Hurst was upset of this tactic , but Chappells logic was to teach Alan a lesson, that if you dish it out , expect it back

Mallett joined Chappell
You guessed it , the first ball Mallett faced was delivered by Alan Hurst , and off course it was a bouncer !
During the innings Chappell informed Umpire Tony Crafter , that he felt Mallett was receiving more than his share of bouncers from Hurst

Hurst continued with his short pitched attack on Mallett
It must be said that Rowdy Mallett was not the most confident batsman against fast volatile short pitched fast bowling
Some of us have probably seen Rowdy toss his bat away when facing the quick short stuff , as he did against Hurst in this innings

Chappell being Chappell told Hurst to watch the number of bouncers he bowled , as he wasent to keen on receiving the short stuff himself
Hursts reply was to tell Chappell to get back to the crease and stick to batting !

Umpire Max O'Connell , an ex Port Adelaide Footballer , diffused the situation , and restored the more than potential volatile situation
Ian Chappell has given credit to both umpires OConnell and Crafter for the way they handled the situation

Chappell states his tactic certainly worked, as the barrage of bouncers at Mallett ceased, and the bouncers were bowled with far less frequency
Chappell also has stated he intervened with Hurst because he had thought Mallett may have 'thrown' away his innings

Chappell and Mallett put on a valuable 63 run partnership , and was a big reason why SA ade 364 batting last , and winning this game

And just for the record
Mallett C Robinson B Hurst 19

Ian Chappells version of THAT strike

Yes he was mad that 13 players were selected without his input
The fitness of Wayne Prior was a major issue with Chappell

At a practice session to follow , Fang Prior was bowling at Jaffa Cosier in the nets
Prior bowled a beauty that nearly lifted Cosiers head of his shoulders
Chappell asked Fang if he was fit to play against NS in a few days time , Fang assured Chappell he was over his foot injury

Chappell rang one of the selectors , voiced his angst of not being consulted about the 13 man squad
Chappell asked if the selectors would hold off on a 13 until after Proir proved his fitness the next day
The selector said the selection was finished and 13 would tour
An incensed Chappell replied :
" If Prior convinces me hes fit enough to play in the game against NSW, I wont be available for the tour "
Hence the start of THAT proposed strike

Chappell typed and passed on a letter to the SACA secretary that was signed by all the members of the victorious team against the Vics

Next day
Chappell had a net session with Prior , and was convinced Prior was fit to play
Chappell then instigated THAT strike process by informing the secretary he was pulling out the Eastern tour

Ashley Mallett was one of the first to know of Chappells actions , he also told the secretary he was unavailable to tour as well, thus setting the will we or wont we tug of war saga

Terry Jenner organised the vote
It was 9-2 on a first vote , and later unanimous on a second round of voting
Some of the players got up to talk
One of them was Rick Drewer , who was the 12th man against Victoria , and left off the 13 man squad

The secretary informed the players that they had until the next day to reconsider their availability , otherwise a new team would be selected
Later that night, when some sanity prevailed , TJ , Rowdy and Chappell advised the younger lads , to reconsider and be available to tour

The following day the news broke out over the happenings, it was quite a media coverage at the time
Chappell voiced his opinion on radio

Geoffrey Attenborough and David Hookes , unsure of what to do, visited Chappell at his home , and asked what they should do
Ashley Woodcock and Rowdy Mallett tried to convince Chappell to change his 'stance' and told him every other team member wanted Ian at the helm for the Eastern tour
By this time Chappell admits, things were starting to make sense to him about touring

Just how did Bob Blewett feel about this ?
32 years old, his chance to play for his state for the first time, and all this happens
Bob rang Ian and asked if he pulled out of the team , would it help the situation
Chappell replied definitely NO , this was nothing personal against Bob, it was the process involved
Bobs call had a profound affect, this may have been the main reason Chappell decided to end his impending strike
The next day Mallett informed the secretary that Chappell, Woodcock and himself were available
Phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww , the strike was averted

The downside is that the 29 year old Rick Drewer retired
He was 12th man against Victoria
Rick played his last innings on a famous day of the cricketing calender against Western Australia, the previous game
Drewers last dig was C Brayshaw B Lillie 5
That was on 16/2/1975
42 years after England won the Bodyline Ashes series , and the same day Archie Jackson died

New South Wales V South Australia
SCG
Game 7
1976

NS 238
Gilmour 80
Prior 5/65

SA 7/250 dec
I Chappell 119
Colley 3/27

NS 2/39
Prior 2/19

It was a game where SA needed a few points to secure the SS
SA gained 9 points in a rain affected game , and by games end SA had secured the SS
There was no play on day 4
Hogg was dropped for Prior
Take note Prior proved his fitness by taking a total of 7/84 !
Once again Chappell made the bulk of the runs

Queensland v South Australia
Gabba
Game 8

QL 7/348
G Chappell 79
Carlson 88 not out
Cosier 2/13

The match lasted 69 overs , and was wiped out due to inclement weather
Fortunately SA had enough points in the bank to win the SS
Hogg replaced Attenborough in this match

Bob Blewett debuted in this match , the last game of the season
And what a match he had
He bowled 3 overs and didnt get to bat !
At the age of 32, he may well have thought he may never ever bat for South Australia

The SS ladder for 75/76 ends up being

SA
QL
WA
NS
VI


Ian Chappell let his mouth and bat to the talking that season !
840 runs
76.36 average

Ian Chappell left Adelaide and played District Cricket in Melbourne the next season
Not surprsingly , South Australia finished LAST the following season
Ian returned for the 1979/1980 SS season for SA , before retiring

At the time of Chappell leaving he had an excellent Sheffield Shield record
1962-1976
6952 runs
53.89 average

To average almost 54 in 4 day cricket over so many seasons is very very good
Not too many players end up averaging over 50 in the SS

The events of 1975/1976 cant be forgotten
Ian Chappell remarkable cricketer, in a remarkable season

Does anyone know the total SS points for each team this season ?

Scrappy wrote:1975/1976

Does anyone know the total SS points for each team this season ?

SA 105
Qld 84
WA 78
NSW 71
Vic 60

Why did Chappelli not play for Victoria the following season, and just club cricket?

And was this some form of protest against the SA selectors?

He said he'd had it with SACA cricket, but probably had it with 1st class cricket in general. North Melbourne were a fairly well to do club around that time and offered him a contract that was possibly more than he earned playing for SA.

I also think the contract was to make himself available for North Melbourne only.

I guess to a bloke like Chappelli, your word is everything.
If the selectors reneged on their agreement, no wonder he got a long way from them. I suppose in today's terminology, this was his "gap" year.

I wonder if the relationship was a tad 'frosty' when he returned.

In 75-76, the Windies toured here.
It is amazing he played as much SS cricket as he did.
Current test players barely seem to be able to fit one game in these days.

There seems little doubt Chappell left due to his clashes with officialdom
What Ive posted is all versions from Chappell and the players
It would be a balanced view , if anyone could get the views of the admin, and selectors from that era

The North Melbourne contract was arranged by the (then) Secretary Len Maddocks and was for 3 years. As stated previously, the contract meant Chappell was available to play for North Melbourne only.

When the Packer proposal presented itself, Chappell saw it as a chance to earn some decent money from the game, so he went to Maddocks asking of they could review his contract as "there was a chance of him playing at a higher level". He was unable to mention the Packer deal to anyone, including Len Maddocks.

Maddocks thought he was looking to play for Victoria so they changed the contract. Chappell claims even after he found out it was so he could play WSC, Maddocks was still okay with the deal.

When we talk Kerry Packer , we talk of players getting a fair go financially for their contributions to cricket
There were rumblings emanating in 1969 from the tours of India and South Africa ,
The aftermath from the tours were that the players were looking for a fair go
What happened from the India and South Africa tours evolved into players rights leading up to Packers cricketing extravaganzas

Ian Chappell on India :
"We had been forced to stay in several sub standard hotels"
"Some of the centres we had to play were appalling"
" The conditions were so bad that had the itinerary been checked properly before the tour , no self respecting Australian Team would have been asked to play there."

I stand corrected, but it was meant to be a tour of India and Pakistan at one stage ?
The Pakistan leg was cancelled, and a tour of South Africa was organised to follow the Indian tour

In any case the Australians went from India to South Africa
I have read, and heard that some or most Australians were in poor physical condition after being in India for just over 2 months
They were thrashed 4-0 by South Africa by a very good SA team , and an Australian team that performed below par, in particular the fielding was perhaps the worst of any AU team in history

There was a directive to the players when they arrived in SA in 1970
This being the tour was to be extended form a 4 test series to 5 , to avoid a drawn series
New contracts would be needed to 'drawn' up to supercede an existing contract
The players were to receive no extra earnings the proposed 5th Test

Guess which Australian player objected ?
The 26 year old vice captain Ian Chappell, surprise surprise !!!

Chappell :
"' So when the players were asked about an extra Test in SA, I stood up and said I wouldnt be in it unless each player was paid and extra $500 by the board for signing a new contract."

" The amount of $500 meant nothing, it was little more than a figure I plucked out of the air. What I really objected to was the principle that players were moved around like chess pieces by the administrators."

Some of the players supported Chappells stance
They included
Graham Mckenzie
Doug Walters
Johnny Gleeson
Brian Taber

An offer of sorts was made to compensate the players $200 , which was the standard rate per test at the times
A meeting was organised again, the vociferous Chappell standing firm on the $500 compensation
Bill Lawry put it to the players to be all in or all out in negotiations

One team member was unsupporting of Chappell
The unnamed player had this to say about Chappell and othjers
" To hell with those guys we still have enough players to play the Test Match anyway."
Chappells reply :
" I told him I had my cheque book in my pocket and if the $200 meant so much to him, Id write out a cheque for $200 and give it to him there and then."

I dont have any more documentation on what transpired , but this appears to be a starting point for players wanting monetary compensations in cricket
Less than 10 years later, Packer revolutionised cricket

Scrappy wrote:Chappell :
"' So when the players were asked about an extra Test in SA, I stood up and said I wouldnt be in it unless each player was paid and extra $500 by the board for signing a new contract."

" The amount of $500 meant nothing, it was little more than a figure I plucked out of the air. What I really objected to was the principle that players were moved around like chess pieces by the administrators."

Some of the players supported Chappells stance
They included
Graham Mckenzie
Doug Walters
Johnny Gleeson
Brian Taber

An offer of sorts was made to compensate the players $200 , which was the standard rate per test at the times
A meeting was organised again, the vociferous Chappell standing firm on the $500 compensation
Bill Lawry put it to the players to be all in or all out in negotiations

One team member was unsupporting of Chappell
The unnamed player had this to say about Chappell and othjers
" To hell with those guys we still have enough players to play the Test Match anyway."
Chappells reply :
" I told him I had my cheque book in my pocket and if the $200 meant so much to him, Id write out a cheque for $200 and give it to him there and then."

I went to a sportsman's night in about 1976 where Ian Chappell was the guest speaker. He spoke about only having met one player in first class cricket in Australia who he didn't like. It turned out it was the player who wanted to play the fifth test. Various people in the audience suggested that it was Bill Lawry but Ian Chappell said that he liked Lawry as has now been obvious for 30 years or more. He said he did struggle with some of his captaincy tactics, but thought he was a good bloke. The only clues he gave was that this player who he couldn't stand was from Victoria, he was a known cheat whilst playing and that he never played a test match. He also coached junior VFL sides. I think the older posters here can work it out from those clues.