Bill Ponsford
Died | 6 April 1991 Kyneton, Victoria, Australia | (aged 90)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname | Ponny, Puddin'[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Opening batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 117) | 19 December 1924 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 22 August 1934 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1921–1934 | Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 29 February 2008 |
William Harold Ponsford
Despite being heavily built, Ponsford was quick on his feet and renowned as one of the finest ever players of
Ponsford was a shy and taciturn man. After retiring from cricket, he went to some lengths to avoid interaction with the public. He spent over three decades working for the Melbourne Cricket Club, where he had some responsibility for the operations of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the scene of many of his great performances with the bat. In 1981 the Western Stand at the MCG was renamed the W.H. Ponsford Stand in his honour. This stand was demolished in 2003 as part of the redevelopment of the ground for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but its replacement was also named the W.H. Ponsford Stand.[4] At the completion of the stadium redevelopment in 2005, a statue of Ponsford was installed outside the pavilion gates. In recognition of his contributions as a player, Ponsford was one of the ten initial inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Early life
The son of William and Elizabeth (née Best) Ponsford, Bill Ponsford was born in the Melbourne suburb of
Ponsford learnt the rudiments of cricket from his uncle Cuthbert Best—a former club player for Fitzroy.[8] He had the best batting and bowling averages for his school team in 1913, 1914 and 1915 and eventually rose to the captaincy.[9] His local grade club, Fitzroy, awarded Ponsford a medallion—presented by the local mayor—as the most outstanding cricketer for his school during the 1913–14 and 1914–15 seasons.[8] The medallion was awarded along with an honorary membership of the club, and Ponsford trained enthusiastically, running from school to the nearby Brunswick Street Oval in the Edinburgh Gardens to practise in the nets.[9] Les Cody, the general secretary of Fitzroy Cricket Club and a first-class cricketer with New South Wales and Victoria, was Ponsford's first cricketing role model.[10]
In December 1914, Ponsford completed his schooling and earned a qualifying certificate, which allowed him to continue his education at a high school should he wish.
Cricket career
Early record breaking
The
Despite failing to score a
Ponsford was named captain of a Victorian side made of up of promising youngsters, to play against Tasmania at the MCG on 2–5 February 1923. In this, only his third first-class match, Ponsford broke the world record for the highest individual innings score at that level on the final day of the match, scoring 429 runs and batting for nearly eight hours.[19][21] Along the way, he broke Armstrong's record for the highest score for Victoria (250), before surpassing former England captain Archie MacLaren's world record individual score of 424.[19] The team score of 1,059 was also a new record for a first-class innings—an impromptu paint job was needed to show the score on a board that was not designed to display a four-figure total.[22]
The
Selected for his first
Test debut and more records
Ponsford broke into international cricket in the 1924–25 season. After scoring 166 for Victoria against South Australia, and 81 for an
There were no international visitors to Australia in the 1925–26 season, so Ponsford was able to play a full season for Victoria. He scored 701 runs at an average of 63.72, including three centuries, making him the fourth highest runscorer for the season.[36] At the end of the season, Ponsford was chosen for the Australian team to tour England in 1926. He was one of the younger players in the squad; 9 of the 15 players were over the age of 36.[37] He made a good start to the tour, scoring a century (110*) in his first innings at Lord's against the Marylebone Cricket Club in May.[38] Unfortunately for Ponsford, tonsillitis caused him to miss three weeks of cricket in June and he was not chosen for the first three Tests of the English summer.[39] He returned for the fourth and fifth Tests. The fifth Test was the only match that saw a result—an English victory—which meant that the hosts won the series and the Ashes one Test to nil.[39] For the tour, Ponsford made 901 runs at an average of 40.95, including three centuries. Wisden described Ponsford's performances for the season as "something of a disappointment" but noted that "he batted well enough on occasion to demonstrate his undoubted abilities".[39]
In the season following his return to Australia, Ponsford continued to make large scores. He started the season by hitting 214 runs (out of a Victoria team total of 315) against South Australia at the
In the 1927–28 season, Ponsford continued where he had left off at the end of the previous summer. Ponsford topped the aggregate and the averages for the season, scoring 1,217 runs at an average of 152.12.
Struggles and success
A strong England team—captained by Percy Chapman and including Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe, Wally Hammond and Harold Larwood—toured Australia in 1928–29. Ponsford's form was good in the lead up to the Tests; he scored 60 not out for Victoria against the tourists, and added 275* against South Australia.[54][55] Before the Test series started, Ponsford had declared in a column in the Herald that Harold Larwood's "pace through the air is not all that fast for a fast bowler", with the qualification that "he makes great pace off the pitch".[56] Larwood dismissed him for scores of two and six in the first Test, and fractured a bone in Ponsford's hand in the second. The injury sidelined Ponsford for the remainder of the Test series.[57]
Ponsford travelled to England for a second time, with the
In 1930–31, the
Ponsford had less success against the
Bodyline
In a response to the record-breaking feats of Don Bradman, the
After failing in the fourth Test, Ponsford was again dropped. The hostile barrage of
Triumph and retirement
After the disappointments of the Bodyline series, Ponsford returned to domestic cricket in 1933–34, scoring 606 runs at an average of 50.50.[77] At the end of the domestic season, he was selected for his third tour of England with the Australian team in 1934. Illness again interrupted Ponsford's English summer, causing him to miss the second Test at Lord's.[78] In the final two Tests of the series, the two record breakers—Ponsford and Bradman—combined in two remarkable partnerships.[78]
In the fourth Test at Headingley, Bradman joined Ponsford at the fall of the third wicket when the Australians had scored only 39 runs (39/3). By the time Ponsford was dismissed hit wicket for 181, Australia were 427/4; the partnership had yielded 388 runs. Bradman went on to make 304.[79] The partnership was the highest ever in Test cricket at the time and as of 2009 is still the highest fourth wicket partnership for Australia.[80][81] Wisden said of Ponsford's innings "... he hit the ball hard and placed it well when scoring in front of the wicket. Moreover, his defence was rock-like in its steadiness and accuracy."[82]
With the series locked at 1–1, the fifth and deciding Test at The Oval saw an even larger partnership between Bradman and Ponsford. The pair added 451 runs for the second wicket in an Australian total of 701 runs. Bradman scored 244 and Ponsford—again dismissed hit wicket—his highest Test score, 266.[83] This partnership remained the highest in Tests until 1991 and the highest for the second wicket until 1997. As of 2009, it remains the highest ever in Australian Test history.[84] Again Wisden was complimentary, saying "It would be hard to speak in too high terms of praise of the magnificent displays of batting given by Ponsford and Bradman" but noted that "Before Bradman joined him Ponsford had shown an inclination to draw away from the bowling of Bowes."[85]
In the four Tests that Ponsford for the English summer, he made 569 runs at an average of 94.83.[86] His performance saw him named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1935.[87]
It is, perhaps, scarcely too much to say that English bowlers last summer thought he was every bit as difficult to get rid of as Bradman. Never a graceful or elegant batsman, Ponsford could with greater emphasis be called sound and workmanlike. He seemed in 1934 to hit the ball much harder than when he was here in 1926 and 1930, while his placing improved out of all knowledge. A delivery overpitched to any degree, he almost invariably punished to the full, while he could cut and turn the ball to leg with great certainty.
— Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, [78]
Upon their return to Australia, a testimonial match was arranged on behalf of the two Victorian opening batsmen, Woodfull and Ponsford. Woodfull—the senior member of the partnership—had announced his retirement from first-class cricket before returning from England and the press had speculated that Ponsford would succeed him as captain of Victoria.[88] Walking out to bat in the match, the pair were cheered by the crowd to the strains of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Together, the two Bills made another century partnership, before Ponsford was dismissed for 83; Woodfull went on to make a century.[88]
During the match, to the surprise of the public, the press and his teammates, Ponsford announced his retirement from first-class cricket at the relatively young age of 34. His announcement remarked upon the changing atmosphere in high level cricket and touched on the effects of Bodyline.[89]
I am feeling the strain of the last tour. I am thirty four and when you get to that age you start to lose your keenness. ... Test cricket has become too serious. It is not a game anymore but a battle ... I can remember when it was all quite different to what it is now. I do not want to refer to that "bodyline" business—I am out of all that. Cricket was a different game before bodyline. Naturally I have a tinge of regret ... but it is better to go out of cricket before being dropped.
— Bill Ponsford, [89]
Woodfull remarked that Ponsford's retirement was premature, while teammate and journalist Jack Fingleton believed that the task of maintaining such high standards had affected Ponsford's nervous energy: "At the age of 34 he felt that he never wanted to see a bat or a cricket game again."[90] Arthur Mailey suspected that Ponsford's sensitivity to criticism, especially from the media, was a key factor behind the early retirement.[89] The memory of being omitted from the Australian side twice during the Bodyline series also stung Ponsford sorely.[89] Ponsford continued playing for the Melbourne Cricket Club until 1939, but never represented his state or country again.[91]
Off the field
Personal life
Ponsford began his working life at the
In 1932, at the end of his five-year contract with the newspaper, Ponsford successfully applied for a position on the staff of the Melbourne Cricket Club. He was appointed to an unspecified office job working for the club secretary Hugh Trumble, which required him to transfer his cricket and baseball allegiances from St Kilda to Melbourne. The Herald unsuccessfully tried to retain his services, and Keith Murdoch—the Editor-in-Chief of the Herald, father of Rupert Murdoch—visited the Ponsford home to lobby against the move.[92][93] Ponsford's new role included managing the staffing arrangements and crowd control at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Australian rules football and cricket matches.[94] In 1956, following the retirement of Vernon Ransford, Ponsford unsuccessfully applied for the position of club secretary, effectively its chief executive officer and one of the most prestigious positions in Australian cricket.[95][96] However, in the event recently retired Test cricketer Ian Johnson was appointed to the position.[95] Ponsford remained with the club until his retirement in June 1969.[97]
Ponsford met Vera Neill at his local
Baseball
Baseball was a reasonably popular sport in Australia in the early 20th century and Ponsford alternated between cricket and baseball throughout his sporting life. At the time, baseball was generally played in Australia during the winter months, as many of the leading players were enthusiastic cricketers who viewed the sport as a means of improving their fielding skills.[103] As with cricket, Ponsford started his baseball career at Alfred Crescent School, where his coach was the former Victorian player Charles Landsdown. As a junior Ponsford played shortstop,[104] later as a senior for the Fitzroy Baseball Club he converted to catching.[105]
Ponsford improved rapidly and by 1913 he was included in the Victorian schoolboys side for a tournament in Adelaide. He was again selected in the following year—now as a catcher—representing his state at the first national schoolboys championship in Sydney.[104] The tournament coincided with a visit to Australia by two professional major league teams from the United States—the Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants. The manager of the Giants, John "Mugsy" McGraw, watched part of the tournament; the Ponsford family claim that McGraw was so impressed with Ponsford's skills that he later spoke to Ponsford's parents about the possibility of Bill playing in the United States.[104]
In 1919, Ponsford was selected for Victoria's baseball team, alongside future Test cricket teammate
Ponsford simultaneously retired from baseball and cricket in 1934. One name in Australian baseball stands pre-eminent above all others and that is the name of Bill Ponsford ... During his long career he was a star outfielder, perhaps the finest third baseman to represent his state and certainly as a catcher the equal of anybody. ... But it was as a batter that Bill outshone anyone ... Ponsford could, and did, hit to any part of a baseball field at will, and would nominate innings by innings, where he would hit the ball ... Ponsford will always remain amongst the greatest sportsmen of all time. In first-class cricket, Ponsford scored 13,819 runs at an average of 65.18, as of 2009 the fifth highest complete career average of any player, worldwide.[113] Ponsford was not satisfied with merely making centuries; he strove to score 200 and more.[114] Arriving in big cricket a few years before Bradman, for a time Ponsford was considered the heaviest scorer in cricket history.[115] Jack Fingleton claimed that "The true perspective of Ponsford's deeds had barely dawned on the game when Bradman ruthlessly thrust him from public thought ..."[90]
Apart from Brian Lara, Ponsford is the only man to twice score 400 runs in a first-class innings and along with Bradman and Wally Hammond, he remains one of only three men to have scored four triple-centuries.[10] His 437 against Queensland is, as at 2009, still the fifth highest score in first-class cricket.[116]
Ponsford was known for batting in partnerships, sharing in five that amassed over 375 runs each.[10] Ponsford and his long-time partner, Woodfull, were known as "the two Bills", "Willy Wo and Willy Po" and "Mutt and Jeff" amongst other names.[117] Together, the pair made 23 century partnerships; 12 of these exceeded 150 runs.[10] Ponsford's other prolific partnership was with Bradman. In two Tests in 1934, the pair set records that still stand today:
Cricket writer Ray Robinson said of the pair batting together, "[Ponsford] was the only one who could play in Bradman's company and make it a duet."[118]
For services to cricket, Ponsford was made a Context
Legacy and statistical analysis
In 1986 the Western Stand of the Melbourne Cricket Ground was renamed the "W.H. Ponsford Stand". Ponsford was described by his son as being "tickled pink" by the honour, but that he would only agree to the renaming if he was not required to participate in any public appearance or media interview.[124] As part of the ongoing modernisation of the MCG the W.H. Ponsford Stand was torn down; the new stand was completed in 2004 and again named in his honour.[125] A statue of the cricketer was installed outside the W.H. Ponsford Stand in 1995—one of a series in place around the stadium commemorating Australia's sporting heroes.[126]
Style and personality
Answering to the nickname of "Puddin'", Ponsford was a thickset man, weighing in at around 13 stone (83 kg) during his playing career.
Fingleton wrote, "He crouched a little at the crease ... he tapped the ground impatiently with his bat while awaiting the ball, and his feet were so eager to be on the move that they began an impulsive move forward just before the ball was bowled. This was the shuffle that sometimes took him across the pitch against a fast bowler; but, that aside, his footwork was perfection. I never saw a better forcer of the ball to the on-side, and for this stroke his body moved beautifully into position."[131] However, Ponsford was not a stylish batsman. Bradman said "There were more beautiful players, but for absolute efficiency and results where can one turn to equal [Ponsford]?"[132] Robinson described Ponsford as the "founder of total batting, the first to make a habit of regarding 100 as merely the opening battle in a campaign for a larger triumph."[133] The New South Wales and Australian bowler Arthur Mailey later said that "I don't think it was the rungetting Ponny enjoyed so much as the bowlers' discomfort, especially when those bowlers came from New South Wales."[134]
Ponsford used a heavy bat—2 pounds 10 ounces (1.2 kg)—nicknamed "Big Bertha". Opposition players sometimes joked that Ponsford's bat was larger than allowed under the
Ponsford was a shy person, on the field and off. Robinson wrote that Ponsford "was so reserved that you had to know him for three years or the duration of a Test tour before his reticence relaxed."[128] Similarly, when photographed Ponsford would hang his head so his cap would cover most of his face.[128] This shyness intensified after his retirement. He would often walk along laneways to his work at the MCC, rather than be recognised on the way to the train station. While on the train, he would cover his face with the newspaper.[139] At work, he disliked interaction with the public and would direct staff to advise visitors that he was not in, despite often being clearly in view.[140] Bill O'Reilly said of Ponsford, "He spoke rarely and even then only if he could improve on silence."[141] Nonetheless he was popular with his teammates and was said to have a droll sense of humour.[128]
Notes
- References using Wisdenmay require free registration for access.
- ^ a b Robinson (1946), p. 145.
- ^ "Partnership records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ As a convention, cricket seasons are denoted as a single year to represent northern hemisphere summer, or dashed for southern hemisphere. See Cricket season for more information.
- ^ "Grandstands at the MCG". Melbourne Cricket Club. 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), pp. 29–30.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 15–20.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 36.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 39.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 40.
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Bill Ponsford". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 42.
- ^ Lackey (2006), p. 43.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 43–44.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 46.
- ^ Leckey (2006),* pp. 46–47
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 47.
- ^ a b "Victoria v Marylebone Cricket Club: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1920/21". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ^ Haigh (2001), pp. 297–298.
- ^ a b c Leckey (2006), p. 48.
- ^ "Tasmania v Victoria: Other First-Class matches in Australia 1921/22". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v Tasmania: Other First-Class matches in Australia 1922/23". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 49.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 50.
- ^ "South Australia v Victoria: Sheffield Shield 1922/23". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ a b c Leckey (2006), p. 52.
- ^ "Victoria v Queensland: Other First-Class matches in Australia 1923/24". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Records - First-Class Matches - Partnership Records - Highest Partnerships By Wicket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2009. None of the six partnerships listed above Ponsford and Mayne include an Australian.
- ^ "New South Wales v Victoria: Sheffield Shield 1923/24". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v South Australia: Sheffield Shield 1924/25". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Australian XI v Marylebone Cricket Club: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1924/25". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1924/25 (1st Test)". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ Robinson (1996), pp. 147–154.
- ^ Perry (2000), pp. 126–131.
- ^ "Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1924/25 (2nd Test)". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1924/25". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1925/26 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 97–98. Note: the cited source claims Ponsford to be the youngest, which is incorrect. Sam Everett was nine months younger than Ponsford.
- ^ "Marylebone Cricket Club v Australians: Australia in British Isles 1926". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ a b c "The Australians in England, 1926". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. 1927. Retrieved 24 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "South Australia v Victoria: Sheffield Shield 1926/27". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v Queensland: Sheffield Shield 1926/27". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v New South Wales: Sheffield Shield 1926/27". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ "Team Totals of 800 and More in an Innings in First-Class Cricket". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ Pollard (1986), p. 219. Ponsford was apparently genuine in lamenting his demise but team mates and opponents found it comical that a man who had scored 352 runs could count himself unlucky when dismissed.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1926/27 (Ordered by Average)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1927/28 (Ordered by Average)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v Queensland: Sheffield Shield 1927/28". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v New South Wales: Sheffield Shield 1927/28". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v South Australia: Sheffield Shield 1927/28". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Most Consecutive Matches Scoring 100 or More in an Innings". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 23 May 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 74.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding for Australians: Australia in New Zealand 1927/28". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1929/30 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v Marylebone Cricket Club: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1928/29". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Victoria v South Australia: Sheffield Shield 1928/29". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ Quoted in Leckey (2006), p. 76.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 66.
- ^ a b c Southerton, S. J. (1931). "The Australian team in England 1930". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 27 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ Frith (1974), p. 67.
- ^ a b "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Australia in British Isles 1930". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ a b c Frith (1974), p. 81.
- ^ "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: West Indies in Australia 1930/31". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ "Australia v West Indies: West Indies in Australia 1930/31 (2nd Test)". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ "Australia v West Indies: West Indies in Australia 1930/31 (3rd Test)". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: South Africa in Australia 1931/32". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ Pollard (1986), p. 255.
- ^ "Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1932/33 (1st Test)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ Derriman (1984), p. 61.
- ^ "Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1932/33 (3rd Test)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ Derriman (1984), p. 83.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 115.
- ^ a b Derriman (1984), p. 82.
- ^ "Bill Ponsford". Tattersall's Parade of Champions. Melbourne Cricket Ground. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ^ a b Robinson (1946), p. 147.
- ^ Robinson (1946), p. 148.
- ^ Bradman (1994), p. 298.
- ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1933/34 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- ^ a b c Southerton, S. J (1935). "The Australian team in England, 1934". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 30 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "England v Australia: Australia in British Isles 1934 (4th Test)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Highest partnerships by runs: Australia – Test matches". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009. The two higher partnerships on this list all post-date the Ponsford-Bradman partnership.
- ^ "Highest partnerships by wicket: Australia – Test matches". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Fourth Test match: England v Australia 1934". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. 1935. Retrieved 30 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "England v Australia: Australia in British Isles 1934 (5th Test)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Test matches: Highest partnerships for any wicket". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Fifth Test match: England v Australia 1934". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. 1935. Retrieved 30 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Australia in British Isles 1934". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Cricketer of the Year – 1935: Bill Ponsford". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive. John Wisden & Co. 1935. Retrieved 30 January 2009 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), pp. 111–112.
- ^ a b c d Leckey (2006), pp. 113–116.
- ^ a b c Fingleton (1980), pp. 216–219.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 118.
- ^ a b c d Leckey (2006), pp. 60–64.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 81–83.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 91.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 92.
- ^ Williams, pp. 182–183. While the source is discussing Donald Bradman's candidacy in 1939, it states "Nevertheless, the job was, and indeed still is, one of the most attractive jobs in the world of Australian cricket ..." and "The job was one of the most prestigious in Australian cricket."
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 97.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 159.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 165–166.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p 142.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 167.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 173.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 128.
- ^ a b c Leckey (2006), p. 131.
- ^ "New Generic Page".
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 133–134.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 136.
- ^ a b Leckey (2006), p. 139.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 127.
- ^ Quoted in Leckey (2006), pp. 126–127. The quote is not from Clark's book but from another forum. Clark's book can be found here.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 141.
- ^ "Statsguru – WH Ponsford – Test matches – All-round analysis". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "Records - First-Class Matches - Batting Records - Highest Career Batting Average". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009. Current at 23 March 2009. Minimum qualification: 50 innings.
- ^ Pollard (1988), p. 851. "More than any other batsman of the time, he spurned the satisfaction of a century or a double-century"
- ^ Pollard (1988), p. 850.
- ^ "First-class matches: Most runs in an innings". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 112.
- ^ Robinson (1946), p. 134.
- ^ "No. 48838". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1981. p. 35.
- ^ "Ponsford, William Harold". It's an Honour. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "Australian Cricket Hall of Fame". Melbourne Cricket Ground. Archived from the original on 21 December 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Panel selects cricket team of the century". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 January 2000. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "2000–01 Cricket News – MCC Team of the Century". Melbourne Cricket Club. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 120–121.
- ^ Bracks, Steve (23 September 2004). "MCG WH Ponsford Stand". State of Victoria. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "MCG statue honours Ponsford". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ Robinson (1946), pp. 134–140. "... he was the world's greatest player of slow bowling."
- ^ a b c d Robinson (1946), pp. 136–137.
- ^ Robinson (1946), pp. 143–144.
- ^ Robinson (1946), p. 140.
- ^ Fingleton (1958), pp. 130–132.
- ^ Bradman (1994), p. 299.
- ^ Robinson (1946), p. 142.
- ^ Pollard (1988), p. 855.
- ^ Pollard (1988), p. 851.
- ^ Robinson (2006), p. 145.
- ^ Robinson (1946), p. 146.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 144.
- ^ Leckey (2006), pp. 150–153.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 96.
- ^ Leckey (2006), p. 161.
References
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External links
- Bill Ponsford at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- Bill Ponsford at ESPNcricinfo