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Home , Adam Zwar, Archie Jackson, Baggy green, Ben Slater, Bert Oldfield, Bill Ponsford

© ATOM 2013 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA

http://www.metromagazine.com.au

ISBN: 978-1-74295-396-0 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Overview This is the story of one of the most well known but perhaps least understood moments of conflict and controversy in the history of sport: the infamous test series of 1932 and 1933 between and . Self confessed cricket tragic and comedian Adam Zwar will try to discover what happened at the and chart the wider social and cultural implications of the controversy by enlisting historians, sports scientists, and cricket stars to simulate the actual events.

I always wondered what Bodyline was network, starring Elijah Wood. 2010 Adam was head writer on the really like. As a school boy batsman AFI Awards screened on the Nine who once dreamed of wearing the Adam is also creator of the popular Network. , could I face what those Agony series – Agony Uncles, Agony guys faced? Could I stand where the Aunts and The Agony of Life, which He is currently producing various titles Don stood? – Adam Zwar recently screened on the ABC. He has for High Wire Films, alongside busi- won two AACTA Awards, for Lowdown ness partners and and Agony Aunts, two AFI Awards for Nicole Minchin. SYNOPSIS Wilfred - Best Actor in a Comedy and Best Screenplay on Television, and Adam Zwar is going back to live out two Australian Writers’ Guild Awards CURRICULUM a childhood fantasy or two. He is go- for Best Comedy, Lowdown I and GUIDELINES ing to use machines, fancy cameras, Lowdown II. and the latest in computer graphics Bodyline: The Ultimate Test is an to experience Bodyline for Adam’s acting credits include Howzat, engaging and informative investiga- himself. Modern day players will help Rake, Rush, the Wedding Party, tion into a pivotal moment in our him prepare. Adam will witness the Tangle, SeaChange, MDA, nation’s sporting history, using the real damage a high speed Heelers, Stingers, The Wedge and newest advances in sports science can do. . and analysis by Australia’s leading experts. Adam Zwar explores the his- In the end, Adam will be on his own, His writing credits include Wilfred I tory and the science of Bodyline, with with no helmet, no modern padding, and II, Lowdown I and II, Agony Aunts the help of a range of experts. He also and just a bat for protection. How will and Uncles, The Agony of Life, Rats puts himself right in the story by being he handle this ultimate test? and Cats, both seasons of The Wedge a participant and finding out first-hand on Channel 10, and from 2006 to Is there more to the legend of Bodyline than we think?

WHO IS ADAM ZWAR?

Adam Zwar is a writer, actor, comedian SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 and cricket tragic. He is best known for co-creating the award-winning Australian comedy series Lowdown and Wilfred. Lowdown recently played to critical acclaim on the BBC, while the US version of Wilfred is about to begin its fourth season on the FX 2 just what it is like to face a fast bowler with very little protective gear such as helmet and body padding as a cricket ball is at him at up to 150 kilometres an hour.

The documentary would be suit- able for secondary students across a number of curriculum areas, includ- ing Health and Physical Education, Australian Studies, Studies of Society, Exercise and Sports Science, Cultural Studies and Media Studies. The docu- mentary is an excellent example of Left: Writer, Producer - C Wheaton Right: Director - Bruce Permezel bringing history alive through engaging with significant moments in Australia’s sporting history. Junior secondary as past. It is interpretative by nature, Australians have demonstrated excel- well as older students would find the promotes debate and encourages lence in many sports at an interna- style in which this story is told inform- thinking about human values, includ- tional level, especially in relation to ative, accessible and enjoyable. ing present and future challenges. The our relatively small population and process of historical inquiry develops geographic isolation. In the twenty- The National Curriculum rationale transferable skills, such as the ability to first , pre-eminence in many for the study of History includes the ask relevant questions; critically ana- sports is no longer taken for granted following: lyse and interpret sources; consider or guaranteed. Many nations see their context; respect and explain different identity and pride measured in their The study of history is based on perspectives; develop and substanti- sporting success. evidence derived from remains of the ate interpretations, and communicate effectively. Even for those who are not self- confessed ‘cricket tragics’ like Adam The ‘draft shaping document’ on Zwar, the interweaving of the history THE FILMMAKERS KEY CAST AND CREW Health and Physical Education for the and science of the infamous 1932- National Curriculum was published in 33 Bodyline series offers fascinating Bodyline: The Ultimate Test is an ABC March, 20121. The Introduction to this insights into the game of cricket, into television production in association document states that: sporting traditions, national rivalry with Serendipity West. and continuity and change. Today, Health & Physical Education addresses when Australia is struggling to find Presenter Adam Zwar how factors such as gender, sexual- cricketing form on the world stage, Director & Bruce Permezel ity, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic this film provides a new look at an era Camera status, environments and geographical in the when was locations influence the health, well- a national hero and English cricket- Editor Alex Archer being and physical activity patterns ers and fast bowler of individuals, groups and communi- were cast as the vil- Writer Charlotte Wheaton ties. In turn, it provides opportunities lains of the piece. for students to develop the skills, self Producers Charlotte Wheaton & Kate Pappas efficacy and dispositions to advocate National rivalry between England and for their own and others well-being, Australia is part of many sporting Executive Alex West & Margie thereby making a positive contribution challenges between the two countries, Producers Bryant to the future for all. but none is fiercer than the fight for . This documentary pro- Associate Lavinia Riachi This documentary raises many ques- vides background and context to this Producer & Archive tions about how our perceptions continuing rivalry and raises questions Researcher of being a pre-eminent cricketing about the possible limits to ‘winning

country have developed, and per- at all costs’. Does anything go and SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 Additional Dale Cochrane, haps most importantly, explores that should there be limits placed on how Camera Gordon Fuad idea within an historical and cultural sporting competitions are conducted? & Brett Ramsey context, demonstrating that sporting When is it ‘just not cricket’? Sound Patrick Slater, Chris prowess is dependent on numerous West, Paul Castellaro, social and cultural factors, on chang- Ben Cunningham ing times and attitudes, as well as on & Lynne Butler technology, economics and science. 3 BACKGROUND Cricket plays an important role in Australia’s national identity, in par- ticular its relationship to the United Kingdom. Ashes Tests can be seen by Cricket remains one of the most popu- many Australians as an opportunity to lar sports in Australia, in terms of both avenge past perceived wrongs by the community interest and participation. former imperial power. After golf, it is the game most played by Australian men and one of the most In the days before television, radio watched television sports in its various broadcasts of Test match cricket were manifestations from to delivered in a way that seems unim- One Day and 20/20 matches. In 2007, aginable today. Here is an account by The Age reported that a survey by Mel Davies of his father listening to Sweeney Sports had found that 59% these ‘simulated’ cricket broadcasts in of the Australian public have an inter- the 1930s and 1940s on ABC radio. est in cricket, second to none. Cricket is often known as Australia’s national We now know that these broadcasts sport due to its equal popularity in all were what came to be called the parts of the country. Cricket is also a ‘simulated Tests’, with the realistic mass participation : a sound of bat on ball, plus appropri- census conducted on behalf of Cricket ate crowd noises, coming not from Australia found that in the 2003-04 the hallowed home of cricket, Lords, THE ASHES season there were 471,329 partici- , but from a broadcast studio pants in Australian cricket programs in , NSW, Australia. Telegrams The Ashes is the notional prize in Test and competitions, including 47,780 arrived from England thick and fast cricket series played between England female participants. with such messages as ‘Ball driven and Australia. The Ashes are regarded firmly between first and second – as being held by the team that won The position of Australian Test cricket four – brings up Bradman’s century’ the last Test series between those is regarded as one of the most Someone in the Sydney studio would sides, or if that series was drawn, by important roles in Australian sport. It is strike the end of a pencil on a wooden the team that last won such a series. often said that in Australia the office of board to simulate the sound of the Test captain is second in stature behind bat striking the ball and a recording of The term originated in a satirical obitu- the office of Prime Minister. Reflecting claps, cheers (or groans) and general ary published in a British newspaper, this community perception, three crowd noise would be played. This The Sporting Times, immediately after Australian cricket captains have been would be put to air and the announcer, Australia’s 1882 victory at , named as Australian of the Year by the drawing on his knowledge of the game their first Test win on English soil. The National Australia Day Council; Allan and familiarity with the venue, would obituary stated that English cricket had Border in 1989, in 1999 deliver the news and fill in time until died, and the body will be cremated and in 2004. In addition, the next telegram arrived by chatting and the ashes taken to Australia. The Steve Waugh has been nominated as and creating word-pictures for his mythical ashes immediately became an Australian Living Treasure by the listeners. Clumsy as the procedure associated with the 1882–83 series National Trust of Australia, as was Don may seem to us in our technologically played in Australia, before which the Bradman prior to his death in 2001. sophisticated world, believe me, it was English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to convincing at the time2. ‘regain those ashes’. The English media therefore dubbed the tour the quest to regain the Ashes.

After England had won two of the three Tests on the tour, a small was presented to Bligh by a group of women including Florency Morphy, whom Bligh mar-

ried within a year. The contents of SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 the urn are reputed to be the ashes of a wooden , and were humor- ously described as ‘the ashes of Australian cricket’. It is not clear whether that ‘tiny silver urn’ is the same as the small terracotta urn given to the MCC by Bligh’s widow 4 after his death in 1927.

The urn has never been the official of the Ashes series, hav- ing been a personal gift to Bligh. However, replicas of the urn are often held aloft by victorious teams as a symbol of their victory in an Ashes se- ries. Since the 1998–99 Ashes series, a Waterford Crystal representation of (called the Ashes Trophy) has been presented to the winners of an Ashes series as the of- ficial trophy of that series. Whichever side holds the Ashes, the urn remains in the MCC Museum at Lord’s cricket in London. It has however been taken to Australia to be put on touring display on two occasions: as part of the Australian Bicentenary cel- ebrations in 1988, and to accompany the Ashes series in 2006–07.

Ashes series are traditionally of five Tests played biennially with England and Australia taking turns as host. THE BODYLINE SERIES Bill Voce, to bowl at the bodies of the As of September 2013, England is Australian batsmen, with the goal of the holder, having won the last three Australia had one of the strong- forcing them to defend their bodies series, including that of 2013 played est line-ups ever in the early with their bats, thus providing easy in England. A rare ‘back-to-back’ 1930s, with Bradman, , catches to a stacked leg-side field. series has been scheduled to be Stan McCabe, and Bill Jardine insisted that the tactic was played in Australia, commencing in Ponsford. It was the prospect of legitimate and called it ‘’ December 2013. Overall, each coun- bowling at this line-up that caused but it was widely disparaged by its try has won 31 series, and five series England’s 1932–33 captain Douglas opponents, who dubbed it ‘Bodyline’ have been drawn. Jardine to adopt the tactic of fast leg (from ‘on the line of the body’). theory, better known as Bodyline when Although England decisively won the Don Bradman holds the record for they played a Test series in Australia. Ashes 4–1, Bodyline caused such a most runs scored against England furore in Australia that diplomats had and has taken the Jardine instructed his fast bowlers, to intervene to prevent serious harm most . most notably Harold Larwood and to Anglo-Australian relations, and the MCC eventually changed the to curtail the number of fielders.

Jardine’s comment was: ‘I’ve not trav- elled 6,000 miles to make friends. I’m here to win the Ashes’.

Some of the Australians wanted to use Bodyline in retaliation, but Australian captain Woodfull flatly refused. He fa- mously told England manager Pelham

(Plum) Warner, ‘There are two teams SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 out there. One is playing cricket; the other is making no attempt to do so’, after Warner had come into the Australian rooms to express sympathy for a Larwood that had struck the Australian skipper in the heart and felled him. 5 Harold Larwood — England fast bowler during the 1932 -1933 Ashes tour in Australia

‘I had a score to settle with him...he’d got on top of me. As a professional, any scheme that would keep him in check appealed to me’ —Larwood on being told of the plan to bowl Bradman using a form of leg theory.

Harold Larwood (November 1904 – July 1995) was a professional cricketer for and England between 1924 and 1938. A right-arm fast bowler who combined unusual speed with great accuracy, he was considered by many commentators to be the finest bowler of his gen- eration. Unlike many fast bowlers in today’s era, Larwood was only 173 cm (5. 8 inches) tall. He was the main exponent of the bowling style known as ‘bodyline’, the use of which during the (MCC) tour of Australia in 1932–33 caused a furore that brought about a pre- mature and acrimonious end to his international career. Some years later Larwood immigrated to Australia.

Don Bradman—the legendary Australian batsman

‘You fellas have no idea what sort of sum- THE KEY PLAYERS Australia. During that series, England mer this is going to be’ employed ‘Bodyline’ tactics against — Bradman’s warning to teammates Douglas Jardine — England the Australian batsmen, wherein bowl- after experiencing Bodyline bowling in captain during the 1932 – 33 ers pitched the ball short on the line of an early match in . Ashes tour of Australia. leg to rise towards the bodies of the batsmen in a manner that most Born in the NSW town of Bowral ‘He’s a very difficult fellow...hates contemporary players and critics in 1908, Bradman died in 2001. Australians and his special hate is now viewed as intimidatory and physi- Regarded as the greatest batsman in Bradman...he says cruel things and his cally dangerous. Jardine is generally cricket history, Don Bradman played language is poor at times. Not often but believed to be the person responsible Test cricket for Australia for twenty he uses awful words at times in talking of for the implementation of Bodyline. years. Bradman’s career Test batting e.g. Bradman’ A controversial figure among cricket- average of 99.94 is often cited as sta- — England Manager Warner writing ers, he was well known for his dislike tistically the greatest achievement by about Jardine in a letter to his wife in of Australian players and crowds and any sportsman in any major sport. 1932. was unpopular in Australia, particularly for his manner and especially after The story that the young Bradman

Douglas Robert Jardine (October 1900 the Bodyline tour. Many who played practised alone with a cricket stump SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 – June 1958) was a cricketer who under his leadership regarded him as and a golf ball is part of Australian played 22 Test matches for England, an excellent captain; not all regarded folklore. Bradman’s meteoric rise from captaining the side in 15 of those him as good at managing people. He bush cricket to the Australian Test matches between 1931 and 1934. famously referred to Bradman as ‘the team took just two years. Before A right-handed batsman, he is best little bastard’ and was also famous his 22nd birthday, he had set many re- known for captaining the English team in cricket circles for wearing a multi- cords for high , some of which during the 1932–33 Ashes tour of coloured Harlequin . still stand, and became Australia’s 6 sporting idol at the height of the Great Woodfull went on to become head- Depression. master at .

During a 20-year playing career, —wicketkeeper Bradman consistently scored at a and batsman for Australia level that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, ‘It wasn’t your fault Harold’ ‘worth three batsmen to Australia’. A — Oldfield to Larwood after he had controversial set of tactics, known as been hit in the head. Bodyline, was specifically devised by the England team to curb his scor- William Albert Stanley ‘Bert’ Oldfield ing. As a captain and administrator, (September 1894- August 1976) Bradman was committed to attacking, was an Australian cricket player. entertaining cricket; he drew specta- He played for New South tors in record numbers. Like Larwood, and the Australian cricket team as he was relatively short for a first-class -keeper. He served with at 170 cms (5. 7 inches) tall. first Australian Imperial Force as a Following an enforced hiatus due to Corporal in the 15th Field Ambulance the Second World War, he made a during World War 1. He was wounded dramatic comeback in 1948, captain- in 1917 when shot in the leg. At the ing an Australian team known as ‘The conclusion of the war he was selected Invincibles’ on a record-breaking to be part of the Australian Imperial unbeaten tour of England Forces cricket team which played 28 first class matches in Britain, South Bill Woodfull—Australian Africa and Australia. cricket captain on the 1932- STUDENT 33 Ashes series Oldfield made his first-class cricket ACTIVITIES debut in the 1919-20 season, and ‘There are two teams out there; one is played his first Test match against WATCHING THE trying to play cricket and the other is not’ England in his hometown of Sydney DOCUMENTARY — Woodfull to England manager the next season. He was dropped Warner. for several matches over the next 1. Adam Zwar’s love of few years, but established himself cricket William Maldon ‘Bill’ Woodfull as Australia’s automatic selection for OBE (August 1897 – 1965) was an wicket-keeper in the 1924-25 Ashes • How does Adam introduce himself Australian cricketer of the and series against England. to the audience? Why does he de- 1930s. He captained both scribe himself as ‘a cricket tragic’? and Australia, and was best known He missed only one other Test in his • What is his confessed underlying for his dignified and moral conduct career, that being the fourth Test of attitude towards the English? What during the tumultuous bodyline series the 1932-33 Bodyline series. In the seems to have generated this in 1932–33 that almost saw the end notorious third Test at , the antipathy? of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties. English Bodyline tactic of bowling • How does he intend to investigate Trained as a schoolteacher, Woodfull fast balls directed at the Australian the impact of leg line was known for his benevolent at- batsmen’s bodies reached its most on the batsmen who faced bowlers titude towards his players, and his dramatic moment when fast bowler such as Harold Larwood in the patience and defensive technique as Harold Larwood hit Oldfield in the 1932-33 test series? an opening batsman. Woodfull was head, fracturing his skull (although • What prompted Douglas Jardine not a flamboyant player, but was this was from a top edge off a tradi- to instruct his English bowlers to known for his calm, unruffled style tional non-Bodyline ball and Oldfield bowl short pitched leg deliveries to and his reliability in difficult situa- admitted it was his fault). Oldfield was the Australian batsmen during the tions. His opening pairing with fellow carried from the ground unconscious. Australian tour in 1933? Victorian for both his He recovered in time for the fifth Test state and Australia remains one of the of the series. Jardine’s tactic, originally called fast SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 most successful in history. While not leg theory and later called bodyline, known for his tactical skills, Woodfull Always an easy-going personality, involved instructing his fast bowlers to was widely admired by his players Oldfield immediately forgave Larwood deliver fast short pitched balls directed and observers for his sportsmanship for the incident, and the two eventual- at the batsman’s body and a packed and ability to mould a successful and ly became firm friends when Larwood leg side field. loyal team through the strength of his later immigrated to Australia. character. A mathematics teacher, • In what ways were the batsmen’s 7 bodies relatively unprotected from this style of bowling in the 1930s? • How did bowling at this line, length and speed make it difficult for batsman to score runs? • What does Adam most want to find out about this style of bowling before placing himself in the line of fire?

2. Doing his homework—the • What additional tests does Adam science and the sorcery have done as he prepares to face up to an over of fast bowling? • Where does Adam begin his inves- • About when did body padding and tigation into the technical aspects helmets come to be used routinely of fast bowling? in first-class cricket? • How do recent Australian bats- • How does Adam decide to kit him- man and medical self up for his proposed encounter doctor Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld with a very fast bowler? help him get a clearer picture • What does cricket coach Neil about what he intends to do? Baszard teach Adam about pro- • What does he learn from each tecting his body as he faces a fast of these professionals about the bowler? wear the ball on the body, which is ex- damage a cricket ball can do when • How does Adam try to psyche tremely dangerous or…he can attempt travelling at speed? himself up to settle his nerves be- a defensive stroke and be potentially • How does Adam intend to try and fore undertaking the ultimate test? out by the five or six or seven determine the speed at which • How does engaging master bat fieldsmen on the leg side…the Larwood bowled with only con- maker Julian Millichamp to create side of the field closest to the bats- temporary film footage and reports a 1930s era bat add to the authen- man’s body. And it was just called leg as his material? In what ways are ticity of the challenge Adam has theory in those days. The big differ- bio-mechanist Wayne Spratford taken on? ence of course was Harold Larwood. and visual effects artist Luke • How does Adam Zwar go in facing Adam Zwar Bicevskis able to use technology up to the challenge of facing 6 to help estimate Larwood’s bowl- balls from a fast bowler with no • What was it in Larwood’s back- ing speed as it is recorded on film? protective gear except gloves, ground that may have contributed • What are the particular stresses and box? to the upper body strength that fast bowling places on the human enabled him to pitch accurate fast body? How typical was Larwood’s 3. It’s just not cricket... balls to the batsmen? physique for a fast bowler? What bringing the game into • How did Jardine’s statements physical attributes are important to disrepute...not in the spirit and reported attitudes towards

consistently deliver fast balls over of the game criticism of his team’s tactics add SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 after over? fuel to the fire of anger about how • How can a batsman face up to this The bodyline tactic is about more the English team played cricket in onslaught, retain his wicket and than just the bowling... … bodyline is Australia? perhaps even make some runs? essentially a fast bowler bowling short • How did Bradman’s batting record • What speeds do the sports techni- pitched deliveries at the batsman’s in England where he scored 974 cians estimate for Larwood’s body. Now in this situation, the bats- runs during the previous se- bowling? man’s got a choice — he can either ries spur the English to take a 8 new approach to combating the Australian batsmen? • How did Larwood’s consistency in bowling leg theory disconcert and upset both the Australian players and the crowds? • How does Matthew Hayden say he would have approached leg field bowling? What are his two pieces of advice to Adam as he prepares to face up to a very fast bowler? • How did Jardine further inflame the Australians by his reaction to Larwood’s hitting Australian captain Bill Woodfull and later Bert Oldfield? • What does historian Clare Wright suggest may have contributed to Bert Oldfield’s stoic response to a Larwood ball coming off his bat and hitting him in the head? • What was it in the wording of the Australian Cricket Board’s tel- egram of protest to the English about Bodyline bowling that so enraged the Marylebone Cricket Club officials? • What is the evidence that the cable caused ‘a diplomatic storm’? • When would any of the spectators have seen the actual footage, ei- ther in England or Australia, unless they had been at the when Larwood balls struck both Woodfull and Oldfield? • How have we all now become instant judges of tactics and plays rugby union, AFL football. the game should be played — the in relation to sports on television? • Make a second list of sports where ‘spirit’ or ‘ethos’ of the game. • In the wake of the disquiet caused physical injury is less likely to oc- • Who are the sportspeople you by Bodyline, what was the even- cur, e.g. tennis, soccer, archery, most admire? What are the quali- tual response of cricket officials to golf. ties they display in how they play the tactic of stacking the leg-side • In what ways is participating the game, whether it is tennis, golf, with fielders as Jardine had done? in physical activities inherently cricket, football, netball, basketball dangerous? or hockey? • Select a sport with which you are • Considering that most sporting ca- STUDENT familiar and describe the most reers at the top are relatively short, ACTIVITIES common injuries to competitors? do you think athletes and sports • Describe some of the ways in stars are generally paid too much 1. Risky business which many sportspeople now try money? to protect their bodies from injury • Investigate the relative pay rates Many team and individual sporting during play. for Test cricketers in the 1930s and contests involve body contact and • How can training and fitness 1940s and today. What are some the risk of injury. This is one of the lessen the severity of injuries? of the factors that have increased elements that many participants and the financial rewards so dramati- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 spectators find so exciting. 2. Sport and celebrity cally for many top sportspeople in the past 50 years? • Make a list of the sports—both • What is the difference between • How can sporting prowess offer a individual and team— that you the established rules of a competi- springboard to personal satisfac- consider most likely to put com- tive sport such as cricket and the tion and even fame and celebrity, petitors at risk of injury through often unwritten expectations of especially in less wealthy countries body contact, e.g. , players and spectators about how such as Bangladesh and Pakistan? 9 3. Discussion and Research

Choose one of the following topics to extend and consolidate your under- standing of the game of cricket. a) Why does winning the Ashes loom so large as one of the Holy Grails of sport?

‘The Ashes might display quaint touches of their Victorian-era origins, but sepia tones and quirky traditions cannot disguise the ruthlessness of the pursuit of victory. It may be a faux-naive question, but why should it matter so much to so many when sport - at least in its own cherished mythology - was devised first as careless pleasure and then as moral training for participants and spectators alike? 3— David Rowe.

• How does local and offer athletic and social activity to thousands of people around the world throughout the summer? • Discuss why you think win- ning Test match series against England is so important to many Australians? • Is the notion of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ by employing ag- gressive tactics such as Bodyline bowling still relevant, or have we b) Research how the game has cricket fan and player of the game developed a mentality of ‘win at all changed since the 1930s in providing a personal focus for costs’? the story? • How do you think Australia will • How have the rules changed in • Would the tone and style of the attempt to regain The Ashes from international cricket, e.g. balls program be different if told by England this summer in Australia? bowled in an over an insider or professional cricket • Different forms of the game player? OR • Styles of bowling • Describe the technical research • Fitness training that is able to offer an accurate • Formal training take on some of the details of the • Countries playing international Bodyline tactics competitions • Who would you like to team up • The game’s most successful with in your chosen sport? players • Which aspects of the science and Share your research and history of Bodyline cricket did you present your findings to your class. find most interesting, and perhaps new and unexpected? OR • Write a 100 word piece about the style and subject matter of this c) The style of the program documentary for a print or online

television guide. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 • List some of the visual elements the filmmakers are able to inte- grate into the film form archival AFTERMATH footage to interviews with a range of experts At the end of this documentary, Adam • How effective is Adam Zwar’s role Zwar reflects on what he has learned in the documentary as a genuine through this first-hand, pads-on 10 experience in developing an under- ‘Bodyline free’ series 2–1. Bradman. The series was tagged - standing of Bodyline. Jardine always defended his tactics, ‘The day England declared war on but the English finally agreed that Australia’. This has been a powerful experience for Bodyline bowling was an offence http://www.imdb.com/title/ an overgrown schoolboy who dreamed against the spirit of the game. tt0086672/ of wearing the baggy green. I’ve Larwood refused to apologise, insist- Read an essay by NSW cultural learned that me and Australia may have ing that he had bowled precisely researcher David Rowe about the been suffering an 80 year old over- as instructed. He never played test most recent Ashes cricket series in reaction to Bodyline. But having faced cricket again, and later immigrated England. He outlines how triumph something close to what those blokes to Australia. and despondency were reflected did, well my respect for Bradman, Zwar is now opening the batting for in the respective teams’ quest to Oldfield, Woodfull, and the rest of them the ‘Actors vs. Writers’ cricket win. He also suggests that despite has grown even greater. Those men match in Melbourne. the recent changes to how cricket were tough - a lot tougher than me. The Australian selectors haven’t is played, many aspects of the called... yet. contest remain the same. Perhaps the real insight is that there’s http://theconversation.com/tri- always been a tension at the heart of umph-despond-and-the-sporting- the game we love - between the desire REFERENCES AND nation-the-ashes-continues-16270 to act like gentlemen...and the pres- RESOURCES Read information and sets of statis- sure to win. tics about Bradman’s remarkable Read a number of quotes from both career as a cricketer. Next time these two countries meet, sides about the Bodyline cricket http://www.bradman.com.au/ will it be a gentlemanly contest? As series. donald-bradman-statistics-the- Douglas Jardine said, ‘the English http://www.espncricinfo.com/bo- greatest-ever/ aren’t here to win friends; they’re here dyline/content/story/316186.html to win the ashes’. But so are we— Sporting Nation, Directed by Bruce Marguerite O’Hara Adam Zwar. Permezel, written and presented 14th November, 2013 • by John Clarke, a 2012 three-part The following information concludes series about how sport has been (Endnotes) the program, answering any ‘What a key factor in shaping Australia’s 1 http://www.acara.edu.au/hpe. happened next?’ questions. identity. html. Go to H&PE draft shaping http://www.abc.net.au/tv/pro- document Bradman finished the series with a grams/sportingnation.htm 2 http://rememberwhen.u3anet.org. of 56.57, well short Bodyline, 1984 ABC mini-series about au/?page_id=32 of his career average of 99.94. the Bodyline series of 1932-33 3 http://theconversation.com/tri- Woodfull led the Australians back starring Hugh Weaving as Douglas umph-despond-and-the-sporting- to England in 1934 and won the Jardine and as Don nation-the-ashes-continues-16270

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