by Arunabha Sengupta
Manchester 1902. Australia were bowled out for 86 in the second innings. With 124 to win, Archie MacLaren popped his head into the Aussie dressing room, saying, “You old dogs, we’ve got you this time.” Monkey Hornby claimed they had the Australians by the tail. Allan Steel spoke directly to him, “Hughie, we’re going to beat you.”
And then MacLaren and Palairet put on 44 for the first wicket before Jack Saunders removed the latter’s off-stump. At 68 Saunders had Tyldesley caught at second slip by Armstrong. But only 56 runs remained to win. And MacLaren magnificently off-drove him to the boundary.
The following ball was pitched further up. The stroke repeated. Duff caught it magnificently in the deep. And then they followed one after another. Ranji, Abel, Braund, Lockwood and Lilley, the last named to a miraculous catch by Clem Hill. Hugh Trumble 6 for 53, 10 for 128 in the match. Saunders bowled poor Fred Tate to clinch the win by 3 runs.
At The Oval, the series already secure, Trumble almost won it singlehandedly. Top scoring with 64 not out, bowling unchanged to finish with 8 for 183, securing a lead of 141. And then reducing England to 48 for 5 as they chased 263 … He bowled unchanged again, 33.5 overs. But Gilbert Jessop hit that hundred and Hirst and Rhodes got them with one wicket to spare.
Hugh Trumble had retired from Test cricket after playing one match against South Africa on the way back from that great English summer of 1902. But, with Plum Warner’s men winning the first Test of the 1903-04 series, he was called back one last time. In the remaining four Tests he captured 24 wickets at 16.58. In the final Test, England needed 320 to win. They were bowled out for 101, Trumble 7 for 28.
Hence it was written:
A mighty tall trundler named Hugh,
Who oft saved the skin of the ’Roo,
The foe thought him dead
But he popped his head
“If you want me, I’ll soon pull you through.”
The accompanying sketch showed the 6’4” off-spinner peering out of a coffin on the shoulder of a kangaroo.
Hugh Trumble was the first great off-spinner in the game, and he was a good enough bat to open the innings for Australia. His pace varied from medium to fast-medium, with plenty of spin. He possessed exceptionally long fingers, able to hold objects in them of a size too large for others except by the use of both hands. In later life, he was known to hold a baby on one outstretched hand.
A youngster once requested Trumble to show him a few grips with the ball. When asked later whether he had learned anything, the lad answered: “Too right I did. I learned that if you want to be a good bowler you have to smother the ball with your hand so that it can’t be seen. Grips? I didn’t see any grips. I couldn’t even see the ball.” Those fingers imparted spin on balls that were delivered from at least eight feet. Monty Noble, when asked about his dismissal for a duck, described how he felt: “When I saw that long coot Trumble coming up to bowl, I felt about as big as an egg. When he reached the bowling crease, he just put his hand over my shoulder and dipped the ball on to the stumps, and I got what I felt like.”
Hugh Trumble was born on May 12, 1867.
Illustration: Maha