Bill Woodfull
William Maldon Woodfull was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33. Trained as a schoolteacher, Woodfull was known for his benevolent attitude towards his players, and his patience and defensive technique as an opening batsman. His opening pairing with fellow Victorian Bill Ponsford for both his state and Australia remains one of the most successful in history. While not known for his tactical skills, Woodfull was widely admired by his players and observers for his sportsmanship and ability to mould a successful and loyal team through the strength of his character.
Woodfull started playing cricket from a young age. He made his professional debut in Melbourne's district competition staying until the age of 19. He made his first-class debut for Victoria at the age of 24 late in 1921–22. After scoring a century in his second match, Woodfull was promoted to open the following season, and he opened for the rest of his career. After scoring three centuries, including a 236, in 1925–26, he was selected for the 1926 tour of England. Woodfull made eight centuries during the tour and topped the Australian averages and was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
Upon returning to Australia, Woodfull established his partnership with Ponsford, and in 1926–27 Shield season, they put on a record-breaking 375-run opening stand, setting up a world record first-class team score of 1107. Woodfull was appointed as vice-captain to Jack Ryder for the 1928–29 home Ashes series. He carried his bat in a record-breaking first Test defeat. Although England easily won 4–1, Woodfull scored three centuries, and added his best first-class score for 275 not out. Woodfull reluctantly became captain in 1930 when Ryder was dropped, and his team was derided as the worst Australian squad to tour England. It was the youngest squad to leave Australia, prompting commentators to label the team "Woodfull's kindegarten". After losing the first Test, Woodfull scored a century as Australia levelled the series and they won the fifth Test to regain the Ashes. Woodfull ended the tour with six first-class centuries. In 1931–32 Woodfull had his most successful Test series in his career, against South Africa, scoring 421 runs at 70.17, including his Test highest score of 161.
In 1932–33, controversy erupted during England's tour of Australia. The visitors used bodyline tactics—persistently aiming at the upper bodies and heads of the Australian batsmen in the hope of stifling the hosts' strong batting line-up. The Australian public and cricket community abhorred the tactic, but Woodfull refused to retaliate or complain publicly. The controversy peaked during the third Test at the Adelaide Oval. Woodfull was felled by a blow to the heart, almost provoking a riot. After Woodfull was dismissed, English manager Plum Warner came to privately express his sympathy, to which Woodfull famously replied "I do not want to see you, Mr Warner. There are two teams out there. One is playing cricket and the other is not." England completed a convincing 4–1 victory, but Woodfull was much praised for his stoic public behaviour. In 1934, Woodfull led the Australians back to England for a tour that was to mend relations. The Australians won 2–1, and Woodfull remains the only captain to regain the Ashes twice. Woodfull retired after the tour. A mathematics teacher, he went on to become headmaster at his alma mater, Melbourne High School.
Style
Woodfull batted in a manner which had little aesthetic pleasure or grace, with Wisden describing stating that "at first sight, he gave the impression of being clumsy". Affected by a bout of rheumatic fever in childhood, he had stiff-jointed style, and played with little noticeable backlift. This gave the impression of a laboured playing style. Despite this, he scored consistently through good placement and powerful drives generated by his strong forearms. Despite his leaden appearance, he often advanced down the pitch to spin bowling. He was known for playing with a straight bat and a close watch on the ball, which were the core features of a strong defensive ability. He typically took block on leg stump and shuffled across to cover his stumps. His defensive prowess yielded names such as "the unbowlable" and "wormkiller". The latter epithet was given to him by English bowlers who said that his backlift was so small that it was only enough to decapitate worms that had raised their heads above ground level. He was also known for his reliability in crisis match situations, leading to epithets such as "The Rock" and "Old Steadfast". Woodfull formed an opening partnership with Bill Ponsford at state and international level which yielded 18 century opening stands. Dubbed "Mutt and Jeff" by teammates after the famous comic strip duo, as well as "Willy Wo and Willy Po", they were regarded as one of the finest opening partnerships in Test history. Their Victorian teammates had such faith in the pair that if they were batting, the wicket-keeper and bowlers who batted low in the order would leave the ground to go to work.As a captain, Woodfull was known for his courage and high moral principles in the face of the bodyline series. Fellow player Stan McCabe described him as "the greatest man I ever met", while wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield said that he had never met a more exemplary character. Oldfield said that Woodfull was a psychologist and humanitarian in addition to a captain. Bradman attributed Woodfull's success to his ability to command the intense loyalty of his players and convert it into team spirit. Bill O'Reilly said that Woodfull's men "all held imperishable memories of his personal touch and his courage". Ray Robinson said that "nobody thought Bill Woodfull the cat's whiskers as a strokeplayer but his many qualities made him a pre-eminent leader of men". He added that "Woodfull's unrivalled selflessness won fidelity bordering on devotion". Australian cricket writer Jack Pollard said that "Woodfull had the habit of being where things were tough, and he brought rare dignity to the Australian captaincy". Pollard compared the respect he commanded from his players to that of Ian Chappell. The English writer RC Robertson-Glasgow said of Woodfull:
Woodfull was known for his gentlemanly nature and his adherence to the spirit of the game. Aside from refusing to retaliate against bodyline, Woodfull refused to exploit loopholes to dismiss batsmen. On one occasion, Jack Fingleton was run out after wandering out of the crease to inspect the pitch, without intending to run. A teammate broke the wicket and the umpire upheld the appeal, but Woodfull called Fingleton back. He led his team in an understated way, preferring to give broad objectives to his players and trusting them to choose their own methods to fulfil the task at hand. However, he was known to organise his team tightly on tour to ensure that things proceeded smoothly.
Although Woodfull was a devout Methodist, he would show a deep concern in the personal welfare of all players, which extended to finding the location of the nearest Catholic Church for those teammates who followed the religion. At the time, Australian society at large was divided along Catholic-Protestant lines, and while O'Reilly and McCabe were full of praise for Woodfull, they were later accused of leading a Catholic revolt against the leadership of the Protestant Bradman during a divisive period in the late-1930s. While Woodfull himself never touched alcohol due to his strict adherence to his religious principles, he did not impose his beliefs on his team. He would buy drinks for his players, and ask administrators to provide more alcohol for his teammates when they were exhausted. At the time, cricketers widely regarded beer as a highly effective means of rehydration, and on one occasion Woodfull threatened to halt play when administrators refused his players more ale on the grounds that they had already consumed their quota.
Early years
Born in the central Victorian town of Maldon, Woodfull was the third of four sons of Gertrude Lilian Woodfull and Rev. Thomas Staines Brittingham Woodfull, a Methodist preacher. The Woodfulls moved to Melbourne when Thomas was given a transfer to Collingwood Methodist Mission, in an inner city suburb. The religious traditionalism stayed with the younger Woodfull throughout his life. He once refused to play an interstate match that was scheduled for Christmas Day. Woodfull's father installed a net in the backyard and taught him the emphasis on defensive technique and patience that were to become his hallmark. Woodfull attended Melbourne High School and his early career was unremarkable. He made his district cricket debut in 1916 for Essendon, at the age of 19, but did not distinguish himself. He played no further cricket at that level before he gained his qualification as a schoolteacher in 1919. Because of a bout of rheumatic fever in childhood, Woodfull had stiff muscles and as a result was rejected when he tried to join the First Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War I. He was posted to Maryborough High School, and it was in the rural cricket competition that he began to gain attention. In 1920 and 1921, he accumulated 1,335 runs at average of 225.83 in the local competition.When the England cricket team toured Australia in 1920–21, Woodfull played for a Ballarat XV, and scored 50 and 1. A teaching transfer in 1921 saw him return to Melbourne, where the Victorian selectors trialled him in Second XI fixtures during the 1921–22 season. In two matches against South Australia and New South Wales, he registered unbeaten scores of 186 and 227 respectively. At the time, Victoria had so much depth that their Second XI was of comparable strength to the first-choice teams from other states.
In early 1922, he made his Sheffield Shield debut against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He batted at No. 8 and made an unbeaten 22. Batting at No. 7 in his second match against Western Australia, Woodfull registered his maiden first-class century with 153. He was run out in his second and final innings of his debut first-class season, so he was yet to be dismissed by a bowler. Both matches were won by an innings, part of a dominant summer for the Victorians. During this time, he also studied for an arts degree at night in addition to his post at Williamstown High School.
The following season, Woodfull was promoted to open and his consistent performances in all conditions meant that he was to play there for the rest of his career. Between 1922 and 1926, he accumulated over 3,000 first-class runs at an average of 67.
In the first match of the 1922–23 season, Woodfull scored 74 run out and four not out as Victoria scraped past the Marylebone Cricket Club by two wickets. The next match against New South Wales was Woodfull's first against Victoria's arch-rivals. Woodfull made 47 in the first innings before being dismissed by Test leg spinner Arthur Mailey. After exactly 300 first-class runs, a bowler had dismissed him for the first time. He then made an unbeaten 84 to steer his team to a seven-wicket victory. He showed a liking for the South Australian bowlers, scoring 0, 115, 123 and 94 not out as Victoria won both of their matches against the aforementioned team. He ended his first full season with 598 runs at 74.75. Despite this, Victoria lost the Sheffield Shield to New South Wales on scoring difference; both teams had finished equal on points.
He played in each match for the Victorian Sheffield Shield team in the 1923–24 season, when he scored 300 runs at 37.50, including a 117 against New South Wales. Victoria won all five of their matches and took the title.
In a match against New South Wales in 1924–25, he compiled 81 and 120 not out as Victoria managed to take a seven-wicket win after their opponents had accumulated 614 in the first innings. He scored fifties in each of the four other matches, three of which were won. Woodfull ended the Australian season with 494 runs at 61.75. Woodfull was nevertheless omitted for selection in the Tests against the touring England team. As a reward for winning the Sheffield Shield, Victoria embarked on a tour of New Zealand at the end of the season. Woodfull scored 212 not out against Canterbury, before scoring 110, 50 and 150 against New Zealand without being dismissed at all. The unbeaten 150 was achieved on a sticky wicket. He ended the tour with 706 runs at 176.50. In one two-year period, Woodfull's defence was so solid that he was never bowled.
During the 1925–26 season, players were vying for selection for the 1926 Ashes tour. The selectors were interested in Woodfull and selected him for an Australian XI to play the Rest of Australia in a Test trial. He made 11 and 42 as The Rest upset the Australian XI. After three matches without passing 53, Woodfull added 97 and 236 in a match against South Australia. He scored 126 in the next match, but was unable to stop an innings defeat to New South Wales for the second time in the season.
As a result of consistent performances for Victoria, Woodfull was selected for Herbie Collins' Test team for the 1926 Ashes tour. He scored 148 and 64 as the Australians defeated Tasmania by an innings in consecutive matches before sailing for England. He ended the Australian season with 890 runs at 63.57.