by Mayukh Ghosh
In January 2015, Gideon Haigh delivered the inaugural Jack Marsh History Lecture.
The title of his address was: " When he came he opened the windows of the mind to a new vision of what batting could be: How Victor Trumper changed cricket forever".
Later that year, The Cricket Publishing Company organised a seminar on Trumper to mark his death centenary.
Research papers were submitted.
Multiple entries contained these two sentences:
"When Trumper came he opened the windows of the mind to a new vision of what batting could be. He lifted it to heights never before known, gave us thrills we never before experienced. He was the originating genius of a new outlook of batsmanship, and those of us who saw him in his most gracious days can never forget."
Written in 1954, by one A.G. Moyes.
In the 1950s, this kind soul answered to all queries sent to the ABC. A young David Frith once rang them to know about a certain cricketer and at the other end was a familiar voice explaining him about that cricketer.
The voice was familiar to all cricket loving Australians.
He was the first great Australian commentator in those radio-only days.
And when he died, no Australian had written more cricket books.
Not a fabled wordsmith, he was more known for his prosaic and journalistic style.
It could have been a lot different for 'Johnnie' Moyes.
He was a good cricketer and was in Australia's team for a tour of South Africa, cancelled by the Great War.
He served in the war, sustained a terrible injury in France, and was in pain ever afterwards.
He came back to play a season of first-class cricket but wasn't fit enough to do well.
Unable to live his dream, he chose the next best thing he could have done and served Australian cricket for over three decades.
The first real contribution, in the 1920s, was to be one of those men responsible for giving a 18-year old Donald Bradman his first chance in state cricket.
Moyes is largely forgotten.
Except when signed copies of his books make rare appearances in Knights' or Mosgreen's auctions.
'Johnnie' Moyes was born on January 2, 1893.