h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry Pinniped, I've tried to avoid doing what you've just done and slap down personal opinion and hearsay as fact.

'All the proactive captaincy in the series came from Jardine."

"Proactive", a term used by spinmeisters and people with the curious letters H.R. or P.R. behind their names and in their C.V.

You are completely ignoring the time period that this Entry is set in, it's social mores and the way Cricket was expected to be played.
It was a Gentleman's game and you afforded your opponent all that that title inferred. The English of course were the Gentleman and the Australians as the Colonials played to their ideas of gentlemanly conduct.
Woodfull in our eyes encompasses that ideal and obviously many in England felt the same (i.e. F.R.Foster's public apology through the media and his comment in it to Jardine: "You allowed Woodfull to beat you in every sense of the word Cricket."

Why would an ex English great like Foster be afforded full page spreads in the popular press denouncing Jardine and his attitude towards the acceptted manner of playing Cricket?

You go on to say:-
"Pretty well every Australian captain thereafter" and then suggest that you actually mean all the recent ones emulated Jardine.

Mate, make up your mind about this.
You post a link to Murdoch's Melbourne HeraldSun and one of that paper's rabid right-wing commentators a certain G. Williams and his grab-bag of quotes. He equates to a scribe for your Tabloids like the Sun and others.

I've not argued about this entry not being balanced and I've already said it's fine. Under the space constraints or perhaps the interest constraints I think this is a good entry and deserves to be judged so.

Unless you grew up with the term 'Bodyline' equating to unsportsmanlike behaviour as I did and many like me (whatever the validity of that claim maybe) who immediately link it with 'the Poms' and accept that the English have a differing view to us, then you'll never understand my position and I don't particularly want to debate it here on this thread.
But your reply to Rodthebrit warranted comment.
England was coming off an Ashes defeat and after the heady days of the late 19th century the Colony was beating the Mother country on a regular basis.
The fear had been put into the MCC in the previous England tour by a young Bradman and this h2g2 Entry describes fairly well how they went about countering him and at the same time creating a international diplomatic furore at the same time.

No matter how *you* wish to perceive it, the facts are that the practice of Bodyline was outlawed after this acrimonious series both Cricket Boards bent over backwards after it to calm the waters and settle things down.

England never regained the dominance they displayed in earlier series and this one, until the 53 series and the rest as they say is history.

Ruthless Australian captaincy *after* Bodyline, began with Ian Chappell and continued until Steve Waugh. The present captain is not someone I've formed a complete opinion of yet, yes he just lost the 2005 series but then you have the 5-nil flogging afterwards.
Time will tell.

Entry: Bodyline - When Cricket Divided Nations - A36622712
Author: laconian - U1477064

New title. Again .

I've also changed the Woodfull bit to saying that he lacked 'tactically astute captaincy', in that he did *not* do what Jardine did, which was play to win at all costs. This doesn't make sense tactically, but still acknowledges Woodfull's relatively good sportsmanship.

I've added another paragraph at the end of 'Aftermath' (I know I should stop adding stuff, but I can't help it!):

>>The gentlemanly aspect of the sport took a battering during Bodyline. Although even today there remains a veneer of sportsmanship - represented by the nebulous 'Spirit of Cricket' - behind which a highly competitive, professional edge resides. As more money becomes involved in the game and it becomes more 'modern' in its structure and governance, this veneer is likely to get thinner. Arguably one of the key moments in this change from gentleman to professional sportsman was the Bodyline series.<<

Any feedback?

That's a really good sentence Laconian, I think it says all that is necessary.

Interestingly though, the term: 'It isn't Cricket' still carries it's original import and we all understand it if we hear it or read it.

As to the title, hmm...not sure.

Bodyline-Cracks in the Empire. ?
Bodyline-The Empire fights back
Bodyline-From Cricket pitch to Cabinet
Bodyline-A Tale of Two Nations
Bodyline-Divider Of Nations
Bodyline-A Field of Contention
Bodyline-Cricket's Darkest Hour

What I'm trying to get across in the title is: that it's about cricket, in case a non-fan comes across it; that it went beyond the cricket field to international relations. So that's why I've got it as it is. 'From Cricket Pitch to Cabinet' sounds quite good, but none of those other suggestions do the two things I want the title to do. I'm quite tempted by 'Cricket's Darkest Hour', but that makes it sound a little too specialist - some people might not bother reading it if they think its significance is just on the cricket field!

Bodyline-When Cricket Shook an Empire.



I wonder Laconian whether you might spend this time getting the title right from your POV and then have the Ed's come along and be very utilitarian about it all and taking matters in to their own hands cut it back to Bodyline-A time of Strife. or somesuch

Either way I think you have this very nearly wrapped up at the moment dont you think?

As a complete cricketing ignoramus, I enjoyed this. It told an interesting story and I've learned a few things from it. Held my interest right to the end and I particularly enjoyed the modern impact of the tactic.

Sorry I can't add anything more constructive, but good work laconian
Iago

Keith: yes, I'm quite pleased with it now. It's a greatly improved Entry to the one I originally put in PR thanks to all the comments I've had.

Iago: I'm glad you said that. It's very constructive because it's important this entry isn't impenetrable to a cricketing ignoramus. So thank you very much .

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

That's what the h2g2 readers need - a bit of chin music!

Hey well done there

Best EG piece I've read in ages

Well that's great news, WD Laconian.
And as "too much Cricket is never enough", I hope to see more stories of the game clogging up the arteries of the E.G ...

Great stuff, well done.

Thanks everyone! Continuing on the theme of point in time when cricket was more than just a game, I am planning an Entry on Basil D'Oliveira in the near future .

Yes! Great subject. Look forward to it.

I must admit to a few paragraphs that might turn into an Entry called something like 'Brearley versus Australia'.

Oh dear, cricket! Congrats anyway

We'll convert you yet, Mala!

BTW, (if anyone's still subbed) did anyone see Vaughan's leg side field yesterday? A bit Bodyline-ish, really...

Well, cricket balls are good for juggling...

* BTW, (if anyone's still subbed) did anyone see Vaughan's leg side field yesterday? A bit Bodyline-ish, really... *


Yes. It was duly noticed down here and when I read the Guardian this morning they we're mentioning it.