Charles Bannerman testimonial cricket match (lost radio coverage of charity cricket match; 1922): Difference between revisions

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Charles Bannerman was a pioneering figure in Test cricket.<ref name="bannerman">[https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/charles-bannerman/ ''Sports Australia Hall of Fame'' page on Charles Bannerman.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="country">[https://cricketcountry.com/criclife/charles-bannerman-12-staggering-statistics-about-the-batsman-who-faced-first-delivery-of-test-cricket-517105/amp/ ''Cricket Country'' listing key facts about Bannerman.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref> Representing Australia against England in what was the first ever Test match on 15th March 1877, Bannerman was the first to bat and subsequently score a run in Test match history.<ref name="king">[https://kingcricket.co.uk/charles-bannerman-enid-bakewell-and-the-incredible-rarity-of-test-match-no-141/2021/06/17/ ''King Cricket'' noting Bannerman's unbroken record of achieving 67.35% of his team's runs in a Test match.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> He scored 165 runs in the first innings, therefore becoming the first to score a Test century.<ref name="bannerman"/> Australia scored 245 in that game; by providing 165 or 67.35% of the runs, Bannerman holds the distinction of scoring the highest proportion of a completed innings in a men's Test encounter, a record that remarkably still stands today.<ref name="king"/><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> Bannerman could have scored more were it not for an injury inflicted to his middle finger during play.<ref name="country"/> After retiring from cricket in 1888, he also became an umpire for 12 Test matches from 1887 to 1902.<ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> He also worked as a coach in Melbourne, Sydney, and Christchurch, New Zealand.<ref name="bannerman"/>
Charles Bannerman was a pioneering figure in Test cricket.<ref name="bannerman">[https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/charles-bannerman/ ''Sports Australia Hall of Fame'' page on Charles Bannerman.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="country">[https://cricketcountry.com/criclife/charles-bannerman-12-staggering-statistics-about-the-batsman-who-faced-first-delivery-of-test-cricket-517105/amp/ ''Cricket Country'' listing key facts about Bannerman.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref> Representing Australia against England in what was the first ever Test match on 15th March 1877, Bannerman was the first to bat and subsequently score a run in Test match history.<ref name="king">[https://kingcricket.co.uk/charles-bannerman-enid-bakewell-and-the-incredible-rarity-of-test-match-no-141/2021/06/17/ ''King Cricket'' noting Bannerman's unbroken record of achieving 67.35% of his team's runs in a Test match.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> He scored 165 runs in the first innings, therefore becoming the first to score a Test century.<ref name="bannerman"/> Australia scored 245 in that game; by providing 165 or 67.35% of the runs, Bannerman holds the distinction of scoring the highest proportion of a completed innings in a men's Test encounter, a record that remarkably still stands today.<ref name="king"/><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> Bannerman could have scored more were it not for an injury inflicted to his middle finger during play.<ref name="country"/> After retiring from cricket in 1888, he also became an umpire for 12 Test matches from 1887 to 1902.<ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="country"/> He also worked as a coach in Melbourne, Sydney, and Christchurch, New Zealand.<ref name="bannerman"/>


Accounts indicated that Bannerman retired not only because of declining health, but also from poverty accelerated by drinking and gambling.<ref name="bannerman"/> This may explain why, during the 1922/23 cricket season, a testimonial game was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, featuring two teams from New South Wales.<ref name="brief">[https://espn.co.uk/cricket/story/_/id/22951743/a-brief-history ''ESPN'' listing early cricket radio broadcasts, and noting the Bannerman testimonial match was the first to occur.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="soccer">[https://cricketsoccer.com/2018/12/02/cricket-history-in-quotes-part-22-a-microphone-will-be-installed-in-the-pavilion-at-leyton/ ''Cricket Soccer'' summarising the radio broadcast and noting the money Bannerman benefitted from in the end.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="guardian">[https://theguardian.com/sport/2000/jan/10/cricket4 ''The Guardian'' documenting later Australian broadcasts of cricket matches, including Watt providing the first ball-by-ball commentary.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="bannerman"/> Alas, very little is known regarding the match itself, although it is known that thanks to the £140.18 the game generated plus from other donations, Bannerman received £490, which is over £21,000 in today's money.<ref name="soccer"/><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="brief"/> Nevertheless, its existence is tied to radio cricket history, as it was subject to the first ever live radio coverage of a cricket match.<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/><ref name="bannerman"/> Len Watt, a Sydney cricketeer and news reporter for Sydney channel 2FC, was responsible for providing play-by-play coverage of the event.<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> Watt had virtually no instructions other than simply to "go on talking".<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> The broadcast paved the way for future radio broadcasts, including 2BL coverage of the 1924-25 Ashes Series.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> Australia's match against The Rest that same year was also broadcast on the radio, this time by 2FC, with Watt again providing commentary.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/>
Accounts indicated that Bannerman retired not only because of declining health, but also from poverty accelerated by drinking and gambling.<ref name="bannerman"/> This may explain why, during the 1922/23 cricket season, a testimonial game was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, featuring two teams from New South Wales.<ref name="brief">[https://espn.co.uk/cricket/story/_/id/22951743/a-brief-history ''ESPN'' listing early cricket radio broadcasts, and noting the Bannerman testimonial match was the first to occur.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="soccer">[https://cricketsoccer.com/2018/12/02/cricket-history-in-quotes-part-22-a-microphone-will-be-installed-in-the-pavilion-at-leyton/ ''Cricket Soccer'' summarising the radio broadcast and noting the money Bannerman benefitted from in the end.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="guardian">[https://theguardian.com/sport/2000/jan/10/cricket4 ''The Guardian'' documenting later Australian broadcasts of cricket matches, including Watt providing the ball-by-ball commentary for the Australian XI-Rest of Australia match.] Retrieved 5th Feb '23</ref><ref name="bannerman"/> Alas, very little is known regarding the match itself, although it is known that thanks to the £140.18 the game generated plus from other donations, Bannerman received £490, which is over £21,000 in today's money.<ref name="soccer"/><ref name="bannerman"/><ref name="brief"/> Nevertheless, its existence is tied to radio cricket history, as it was subject to the first ever live radio coverage of a cricket match.<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/><ref name="bannerman"/> Len Watt, a Sydney cricketeer and news reporter for Sydney channel 2FC, was responsible for providing occasional coverage of the event.<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> Watt had virtually no instructions other than simply to "go on talking".<ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> The broadcast paved the way for future radio broadcasts, including 2BL coverage of the 1924-25 Ashes Series.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/> the Australian XI's match against the Rest of Australia was also broadcast on the radio in December 1925, with Watt this time providing ball-by-ball commentary for 2FC.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="brief"/><ref name="soccer"/>


==Availability==
==Availability==

Revision as of 07:44, 22 June 2023

Charlesbannerman1.jpg

Charles Bannerman.

Status: Lost

In 1922, two cricket teams hailing from New South Wales played a charity cricket match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as a testimonial for former Australian batsman Charles Bannerman. The encounter made media history for being the first cricket game to receive live radio coverage.

Background

Charles Bannerman was a pioneering figure in Test cricket.[1][2] Representing Australia against England in what was the first ever Test match on 15th March 1877, Bannerman was the first to bat and subsequently score a run in Test match history.[3][1][2] He scored 165 runs in the first innings, therefore becoming the first to score a Test century.[1] Australia scored 245 in that game; by providing 165 or 67.35% of the runs, Bannerman holds the distinction of scoring the highest proportion of a completed innings in a men's Test encounter, a record that remarkably still stands today.[3][1][2] Bannerman could have scored more were it not for an injury inflicted to his middle finger during play.[2] After retiring from cricket in 1888, he also became an umpire for 12 Test matches from 1887 to 1902.[1][2] He also worked as a coach in Melbourne, Sydney, and Christchurch, New Zealand.[1]

Accounts indicated that Bannerman retired not only because of declining health, but also from poverty accelerated by drinking and gambling.[1] This may explain why, during the 1922/23 cricket season, a testimonial game was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, featuring two teams from New South Wales.[4][5][6][1] Alas, very little is known regarding the match itself, although it is known that thanks to the £140.18 the game generated plus from other donations, Bannerman received £490, which is over £21,000 in today's money.[5][1][4] Nevertheless, its existence is tied to radio cricket history, as it was subject to the first ever live radio coverage of a cricket match.[4][5][1] Len Watt, a Sydney cricketeer and news reporter for Sydney channel 2FC, was responsible for providing occasional coverage of the event.[4][5] Watt had virtually no instructions other than simply to "go on talking".[4][5] The broadcast paved the way for future radio broadcasts, including 2BL coverage of the 1924-25 Ashes Series.[6][4][5] the Australian XI's match against the Rest of Australia was also broadcast on the radio in December 1925, with Watt this time providing ball-by-ball commentary for 2FC.[6][4][5]

Availability

Ultimately, the coverage of this match occurred when radio recordings seldom were made.[7][8][9] Particularly, outside sports broadcast recordings were exceptionally rare, as typically impractical usage of acetate or lacquer discs were the only real means of recording the coverage.[7] Woodrow Wilson's 1923 Armistice Day Speech has been declared the oldest surviving regular radio broadcast by the National Archives, with Elizabeth McLeod during her research for Documenting Early Radio finding no authenticated recordings between 1920 to 1922.[9] Thus, the commentary is most likely permanently missing, and the obscurity of the match means no photos nor footage is known to have existed.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Sports Australia Hall of Fame page on Charles Bannerman. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Cricket Country listing key facts about Bannerman. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 King Cricket noting Bannerman's unbroken record of achieving 67.35% of his team's runs in a Test match. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 ESPN listing early cricket radio broadcasts, and noting the Bannerman testimonial match was the first to occur. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Cricket Soccer summarising the radio broadcast and noting the money Bannerman benefitted from in the end. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Guardian documenting later Australian broadcasts of cricket matches, including Watt providing the ball-by-ball commentary for the Australian XI-Rest of Australia match. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ngā Taonga noting most early-1920s airings were never recorded. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  8. ↑ Documenting Early Radio noting no authenticated recordings exist between 1920 to 1922. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 National Archives stating the oldest surviving radio broadcast is Woodrow Wilson's Armistice Day Speech from 1923. Retrieved 5th Feb '23
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