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'''Sidney George Barnes''' ([[19 January]] [[1922]] in [[Annandale, New South Wales|Annandale]], [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]]–[[16 December]] [[1973]], [[Collaroy, New South Wales|Collaroy]], [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]]) is a former [[Australia]]n [[cricket]]er who played 13 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the immediate post-war era. He is best remembered in cricket terms for scoring 234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946; exactly the same score as his captain, [[Donald Bradman|Don Bradman]], in the process setting a world-record 405-run [[wicket#partnership|fifth wicket]] [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]]. Barnes averaged 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like many of his contemporaries, was interrupted as a result of the [[World War II|Second World War]].
'''Sidney George Barnes''' ([[19 January]] [[1916]] in [[Annandale, New South Wales|Annandale]], [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]]–[[16 December]] [[1973]], [[Collaroy, New South Wales|Collaroy]], [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]]) is a former [[Australia]]n [[cricket]]er who played 13 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the immediate post-war era. He is best remembered in cricket terms for scoring 234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946; exactly the same score as his captain, [[Donald Bradman|Don Bradman]], in the process setting a world-record 405-run [[wicket#partnership|fifth wicket]] [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]]. Barnes averaged 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like many of his contemporaries, was interrupted as a result of the [[World War II|Second World War]].


His early cricket was played at the [[Petersham, New South Wales|Petersham]] Cricket Club and he was first selected (as twelfth man) for New South Wales to play the visiting English in 1936–37. He was included in the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1938|1938 Australian team touring England]] and after battling injury made his début in the final Test at [[the Oval]], making 41 and 33. Following the return of Test cricket, he was included in the 1946–47 series against the touring English as the opening partner to [[Arthur Morris]]. Barnes was a member of [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|''The Invincibles'']], the 1948 Australian team that toured England without losing a single match. Retiring from cricket at the end of that tour, Barnes attempted a comeback to Test cricket in the 1951–52 season that was ultimately and controversially unsuccessful.
His early cricket was played at the [[Petersham, New South Wales|Petersham]] Cricket Club and he was first selected (as twelfth man) for New South Wales to play the visiting English in 1936–37. He was included in the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1938|1938 Australian team touring England]] and after battling injury made his début in the final Test at [[the Oval]], making 41 and 33. Following the return of Test cricket, he was included in the 1946–47 series against the touring English as the opening partner to [[Arthur Morris]]. Barnes was a member of [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|''The Invincibles'']], the 1948 Australian team that toured England without losing a single match. Retiring from cricket at the end of that tour, Barnes attempted a comeback to Test cricket in the 1951–52 season that was ultimately and controversially unsuccessful.

Revision as of 21:23, 11 December 2007

For the similarly named English cricketer, see Sydney Barnes.
Sid Barnes
Personal information
Full name
Sidney George Barnes
NicknameBagga[1]
Suicide Sid
BattingRight-hand batsman
BowlingRight-arm Leg break
RoleBatsman, occasional wicketkeeper
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 163)20 August 1938 v England
Last Test14 August 1948 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1936/37–1952/53New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 13 110
Runs scored 1072 8333
Batting average 63.05 54.11
100s/50s 3/5 26/37
Top score 234 234
Balls bowled 564 4451
Wickets 4 57
Bowling average 54.50 32.21
5 wickets in innings – 0
10 wickets in match – 0
Best bowling 2-25 3-0
Catches/stumpings 14/– 80/4
Source: CricketArchive, 28 November 2007

Sidney George Barnes (19 January 1916 in Annandale, Sydney, New South Wales–16 December 1973, Collaroy, Sydney, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the immediate post-war era. He is best remembered in cricket terms for scoring 234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946; exactly the same score as his captain, Don Bradman, in the process setting a world-record 405-run fifth wicket partnership. Barnes averaged 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like many of his contemporaries, was interrupted as a result of the Second World War.

His early cricket was played at the Petersham Cricket Club and he was first selected (as twelfth man) for New South Wales to play the visiting English in 1936–37. He was included in the 1938 Australian team touring England and after battling injury made his début in the final Test at the Oval, making 41 and 33. Following the return of Test cricket, he was included in the 1946–47 series against the touring English as the opening partner to Arthur Morris. Barnes was a member of The Invincibles, the 1948 Australian team that toured England without losing a single match. Retiring from cricket at the end of that tour, Barnes attempted a comeback to Test cricket in the 1951–52 season that was ultimately and controversially unsuccessful.

Barnes had a reputation as an eccentric and was frequently the subject of controversy. This included a celebrated libel case brought about as a result of Australian Board of Control for Cricket excluding him from the selected team for the third Test against the West Indies in 1951–52 season for "reasons other than cricket ability". He was later involved in an incident where, acting as twelfth man, he performed his duties on the ground in a suit and tie carrying a range of superfluous items. Despite this reputation, Barnes was a shrewd businessman who used the opportunities afforded by the game to supplement his income through trading, journalism and property development. Increasing paranoia brought about by bipolar disorder saw Barnes lose many of the friends he had made through the game as he sought treatment for his depression. On 16 December 1973, he was found dead in his home at Collaroy, New South Wales having ingested barbiturates and bromide in a probable suicide attempt, aged only 57.

Early life

Barnes was born in 1916 in Annandale, an inner suburb of Sydney. However, in his autobiography, he claims to have been born in 1918 or 1919 in Queensland.[2] He was the third child of Alfred Percival Barnes and Hilda May (née Jeffery), both from farming families near Tamworth, New South Wales. After marrying, the couple left Tamworth to take up a lease on a remote sheep station near Hughenden in North Queensland. Before Sid was born, Alfred died from typhoid fever caused by drinking contaminated water on the family property. After his death, Hilda, widowed and pregnant, moved to Sydney with her children and stayed with her sister, where Sid was born. From her husband's estate, Barnes's mother was able to purchase and renovate properties in Stanmore and Leichhardt, New South Wales, to let or sell. Barnes would boast that, as a child, he used to collect the rents for his mother.[3]

Childhood and club cricket

Barnes, aged 16, as a Petersham player.

Barnes attended Stanmore Public School and, although he was not a scholar, he was a keen participant in sporting activities.[4] His introduction to cricket came via his older brother, Horrie; Horrie was a very good batsman who played in the local Western Suburbs Churches league and paid Sid sixpence to bowl to him after work. Taking an interest in the game, Sid had trials for the school team and was eventually selected in the first XI. An early controversy saw Barnes suspended for three weeks for disputing an umpire's decision.[5] Successes for both his school team and his local club team, St. Augustine, saw him acquire the nickname The Governor-General—the nickname of Australian Test player, Charlie Macartney, and he was selected for New South Wales Schoolboys to play teams from Victoria and Queensland.[5]

In 1932–33, Barnes was invited to a trial for the Petersham club, and was selected for the third XI. At the club, former Test batsman Tommy Andrews became his mentor and instilled into the young man a love for cricket. In 1934, Barnes made his first-grade cricket debut as a batsman/wicket-keeper against Paddington, facing the bowling of Hunter Hendry and Alan McGilvray.[6] He was soon successful, scoring a century against Manly in February. Even as a young and inexperienced cricketer, he has already developed a confident personality; when praised for his batting by the great Test bowler Bill O'Reilly, Barnes responded "Thanks very much, you didn't bowl too badly yourself", leaving O'Reilly speechless.[7]

This success led Barnes to begin to see cricket as a potential career. However, his mother and stepfather were concerned about the ability of cricket to provide him with a living. In response, Barnes took a job with a garage in Mosman but after finding that the necessary travel interfered too much with playing cricket, he found employment demonstrating motorbikes in the city.[8]

First-class cricket

By the 1936–37 season, Barnes had come to the attention of the New South Wales selectors and was included as twelfth man in the side to play the visiting English side, taking a catch on the boundary to dismiss Stan Worthington.[9] He made his first-class debut in the final Sheffield Shield match of the season, against South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[10] Batting at number 5, Barnes scored 31 and 44, twice being dismissed LBW by the leg spinner Frank Ward.[11] Whilst fielding, Barnes managed to find himself in controversy again, running out Vic Richardson, the opposition captain, after the end of the over was called. The square leg umpire had not heard the call of "Over" and upheld the appeal, much to the disgust of Richardson. The New South Wales captain Stan McCabe, whom Barnes idolised, withdrew the appeal.[10]

Barnes was selected for New South Wales for the opening match of the 1937–38 season against Queensland making 68 in a rain-affected match. Against the touring New Zealanders, Barnes fell just short of his maiden first-class century, scoring 97.[12] Against Western Australia, Barnes scored 99 and 127, both not out. The New South Wales Cricket Association deemed the matches to be not of first-class status and Barnes was angry at being denied a first-class century. This was a strange decision, given that earlier matches played by the touring Western Australians against Victoria and South Australia were given first-class status. Against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Barnes was dismissed on 97 for a second time.[12] He finally scored his maiden first-class century in the return match against Victoria, the final game of the season. Barnes scored 110 while bleeding profusely after being struck on the jaw by Ernie McCormick while on 93.[13] As a result of his performances over the season (scoring over 800 runs, averaging 50.56),[14] Barnes was selected as the youngest member of the Australian cricket team to tour England in 1938.[15]

Test cricket

Pre-war debut

Unfortunately, Barnes suffered a broken wrist during the sea voyage to England for the 1938 tour[16]. He did not play an innings until the last day of June, missing exactly half of the 30 first-class matches scheduled for the tour, including the first two Tests, both of which were drawn. His first innings was 42 against Derbyshire and he shared in a fourth wicket stand of 176 with Bill Brown, who made an unbeaten 265.[17] The third Test was a wash-out and he was not picked for the fourth, which the Australians won, though in his autobiography he claims that he was considered as a candidate to be wicketkeeper, having deputised for Ben Barnett in that role in matches with Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.[18] In the event, his Test debut finally came in the final Test, played at The Oval. He then had to field for 16 hours as England amassed a total of 903 for seven declared, then the highest Test score and including, with Len Hutton's 364, the then highest Test innings. Barnes bowled 38 overs in the innings and took the seventh wicket, that of Arthur Wood, for 84 runs. With both Bradman and Jack Fingleton injured, the result was not in doubt – England won by an innings and 579 runs – but Barnes played innings of 41 and 33 and, according to Wisden, "well justified his choice".[19] In all first-class matches on the tour, Barnes scored 720 runs, and reached 90 three times, though without going on to a first-class century. He scored 140 in a two-day match against Durham, which was not considered first-class.[20]

His international career was then put on hold, as all foreign tours were suspended during the Second World War. He continued to play first-class cricket in Australia, before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force in May 1942.[21] Barnes' time in the military was short. A man who was proud of his appearance, when his issued uniform did not fit, he had one made to measure. He met champion golfer Norman Von Nida early into his enlistment and the two were assigned to the Armoured Division in Greta. A shortage of tanks and the military regimen led to boredom and Barnes used his hitherto ignored trade background to his advantage, seeking a release to join a tank-making company, which was granted. Von Nida and Barnes would remain friends and business partners for many years after.[22]

Post-war series

After scoring 1,050 runs (including six centuries) at an average of 75.00 in the 1940–41 season,[14] Barnes played little cricket until 1945–46, when he scored centuries in five successive matches for New South Wales.[23] He was picked for the Australian tour of New Zealand in March 1946 and played in the representative match that was later designated as the first Test match between the two countries: he made 54 as Australia won easily.[24]

File:Arthur Morris.jpg
Arthur Morris (pictured), Barnes' opening partner for Australia.

In the 1946–47 Australian season, Barnes was made captain of the New South Wales state side, though in the event he played in only three matches for the state team. For the Test series against England, Barnes was first-choice as an opener with Arthur Morris, though not until the third match did they put up a first-wicket partnership of any substance. Morris broke into the team as an opener after an injury sidelined Brown for the entire season.[25] The first game in Brisbane, established Australia's dominance in the series, though Barnes contributed only 31 to a total of 645 which brought an innings victory.[26] Barnes warned the Englishmen about the ferocity of thunderstorms in Brisbane, and to make his point, during a rain delay, he climbed onto the roof of the English dressing room and emptied the ice from a drinks tub onto the roof, simulating a hailstorm.[27]

It was during the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946, that Barnes made a lasting impression on the world game. Having opened the innings, he made his top Test score of 234 and helped to set a world-record 405-run fifth wicket partnership with Don Bradman, a record that still stands today.[28][29] The innings was notable on a number of fronts: Bradman, batting down the order due to a leg injury, joined opening batsman Barnes with the score at 4/159. Over six and a half hours later, Bradman was out for 234. Barnes was dismissed just four balls later, also for 234, having batted for over ten hours.[30] Barnes in his autobiography said that the coincidence of scores was intended. "Lots of people have asked me whether I deliberately threw my wicket away at 234. The answer is yes."[31] He confirmed to an interviewer many years later that "it wouldn't be right for someone to make more runs than Sir Donald Bradman".[32]

Barnes injured his hand during fielding practice before the third Test, and though he played in that game, scoring 45 and 32, he opted out of batting in a state game – thereby losing the New South Wales captaincy, according to his autobiography,[33] and he missed the fourth Test. He returned for the final Test and top-scored with 71 in Australia's first innings, adding 30 in the second.[34]

In 1947, Barnes went to England. In his autobiography, he claimed he went as a representative for a wine and spirits company, though after the initial mention of that there is no further word and he appears also to have dealt in commodities that were in short supply because of rationing in England.[35] Once in England, he was approached by Burnley to play as a professional in Lancashire League cricket, which he did for a while before finding it "too much of a drag" and resigning.[36]

Barnes returned to Australia for the 1947–48 season keen to win a place on the 1948 tour to England. He was worried that having played as a professional in the Lancashire League would damage his chance of further Test cricket, but at the same time suggested that he had offers from other Lancashire League teams to fall back on should he not be picked. There was also concern that, with his wife now living in Scotland, he would breach the Australian rule that wives were not allowed to travel with Test cricketers.[37] In fact, lack of form and opportunity was a greater threat to Barnes's continued Test career. Arriving back with several state games having already been played, he failed to make runs for New South Wales and was not picked for the first two Tests against India, Bill Brown taking over as opener with Morris.

The match between Victoria and New South Wales was Barnes's chance to redeem himself. Wisden reported it thus: "Barnes needed a score to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the Test Selectors and he spent all Saturday over 131 runs while 20,000 impatient spectators barracked loudly. His dismissal on the third day evoked cheers all round the ground."[38] He followed his 158 in the first innings with a similarly plodding 80 not out in the second, and was picked for the third Test, after Brown was dropped after a series of low scores in the first two Tests.[39] Barnes' scores there of only 12 and 15 put his place in jeopardy again, but what Wisden termed "another of his dour, determined but faultless innings for top score" in the New South Wales game against South Australia ensured a second chance."[40] In the fourth Test at Adelaide he made 112 and put on 236 with Bradman for the second wicket."[41] With 33 in the final match of the series, his place on the 1948 tour was secure, though he had to give assurances about the amount of contact he would have with his wife, still living in Scotland, before he was confirmed.[42]

The Invincibles tour

File:Bsb48052.jpg
The Invincibles on board the RMS Strathaird en-route to England in 1948. Barnes is standing, second from the right.

The 1948 team that toured England has become known as The Invincibles. Following the performances during the Australian summer, Barnes and Morris were favoured as Australia's first-choice opening pair, while Brown was batted out of position in the middle order in the first two Tests.[43][44] Barnes played in four of the five Tests, missing the fourth Test through injury. In all first-class matches on the tour, he amassed 1354 runs, averaging 56.41 in all matches,[21] and 82.25 in the Tests,[45] including an innings of 141 at Lord's.[46] Before the Test, he had wagered £8 at 15/1 on himself to score a century.[16] He made a duck in the first innings but ensured success in the second.

Barnes and Arthur Morris were the opening batsmen in the Test series, and the pair shared century opening partnerships at Lord's and The Oval, where their 117 came in reply to England's 52 all out. In addition to his century at Lord's, Barnes made three other scores over 60.

When fielding, Barnes stationed himself as close to the bat as possible at either forward short-leg or point. The report of the tour in the 1949 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, stated that Barnes's fielding was as important a factor as his batting in The Invincibles' success:

Probably a number of batsmen were sufficiently affected by his close attendance to cause them to lose concentration on the bowler running up, but equally important was the fact that the knowledge of his presence influenced opponents to avoid strokes in that direction. The Barnes demeanour in the field illustrated the general purposefulness of the Australians.[47]

This close fielding was the cause of him missing the fourth Test at Leeds. In England's first innings of the third Test, he was hit in the ribs by a full-blooded pull shot from Dick Pollard from the bowling of Ian Johnson, and had to be carried from the pitch by four policemen. The following day, he collapsed while practising in the nets, and when he went in to bat at number 6, he collapsed again and had to retire hurt.[47] After this he was taken to hospital where he was detained for 10 days before rejoining the tour for the Derbyshire match that followed the fourth Test.

On the tour, his record outside the Tests was less impressive. Barnes made 176 in 255 minutes against Surrey early in the tour, but, apart from his Test hundred, his only other century came in the final tour match, when the final 50 runs of his 151 against the H. D. G. Leveson-Gower XI at the Scarborough cricket festival came in just 25 minutes.[48]

Later playing career

Barnes' first concern in returning from the United Kingdom to Australia was to avoid having to pay customs duties on the enormous amount of goods he had acquired through various deals during the tour. This included good quality English cloth, in very short supply in Australia at this time. Hearing a rumour that Customs officials were waiting in Sydney for him, Barnes disembarked at Melbourne and travelled to Sydney by train. The move worked and he was able to sell his stock at a substantial profit. A conservative estimate was that these profits were more or less equal to his tour fee.[49]

After returning from the tour of England, Barnes played in Bradman’s testimonial match at the MCG in December 1948, but otherwise made himself unavailable for first-class cricket, preferring to pursue business interests. He wrote a regular column for Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, prosaically titled "Like It or Lump It", in which he often criticised the administration of the game and the amounts paid to Australia’s leading cricketers.[50] Barnes was one of a number of cricket writers in the immediate post-war era who adopted a confrontational tabloid style of journalism, in contrast to the more sedate reporting of the 1930s.[51]

Libel case

At the beginning of the 1951–52 season, Barnes had a change of heart and returned to the New South Wales team in a bid to play Test cricket again. He approached Aubrey Oxlade, the chairman of Australian cricket's Board of Control, to ask if there was any impediment to his return to the Australian team. Oxlade told Barnes that he would be judged solely on his batting performances.[50]

During his absence from the Test team, the Australian selectors had been unsuccessful in their attempts to find a reliable partner for Arthur Morris to open the batting. Barnes started the season solidly and, in the last match before the team for the third Test against the West Indies was chosen, he hit 107 against Victoria. The selectors duly picked him for the match, then passed the team list to the Board of Control for ratification. The Board vetoed the inclusion of Barnes and requested the nomination of a replacement player. Unwilling to accept the blame for Barnes’ omission, the selectors deliberately deferred their decision on the replacement.[50] When the team was not announced at the scheduled time, journalists uncovered the story and Barnes became a cause célèbre for many weeks, missing all of the remaining Tests. Speculation abounded as to the nature of his supposed misdeeds. These included jumping the turnstile at a ground when he forgot his player’s pass; insulting the Royal Family; theft from team-mates; drunkenness; and stealing a car.[52]

The Board of Control had granted themselves the power to exclude a player from the national team "on grounds other than cricket ability" following the poor behaviour of some members of the 1912 team that toured England.[53] They had a secret dossier, compiled during the season, documenting Barnes’ behaviour and they doctored the minutes of the meeting at which they discussed his selection.[50] Publicly, the Board remained silent on their policy and how it related to Barnes. On the field, Barnes responded with an innings of 128 in three hours against Queensland;[54] off the field, he sought answers from the administrators, but was frustrated by their evasiveness. His form tapered off during the closing stages of the season and he finished with 433 first-class runs at an average of 39.36.[14]

Just as the furore appeared to have died down, in April 1952 the Daily Mirror published a letter from Jacob Raith. Responding to a letter in support of Barnes, Raith sided with the Board and suggested that his character was to blame for the omission.[50] Acting on legal advice, Barnes sued Raith for libel and engaged Sydney’s leading barrister, Jack Shand KC, as counsel.[55]

The case began in Sydney’s District Court on August 21 1952. Shand’s examination of the various Board members appearing for the defendant revealed the Board’s mal-administration, pettiness and its acceptance of rumour as fact. No firm reason was put forward for the omission of Barnes and a division within the Board was evident when several of its members spoke highly of him.[50] As Barnes began his testimony on the second day of proceedings, Raith’s counsel announced settlement of the case and commented to the court, "... seldom in the history of libel actions has such a plea failed so completely and utterly".[52] Barnes was vindicated with a full public apology.

Although the court case portrayed "an awful image of the chaos and bigotry under which Australian cricket was administered", it did little to alter the Board’s culture. The next major court case involving Australian cricket, the World Series Cricket challenges of 1977–78 demonstrated that the Board was still run as a "closed shop", over 25 years later.[52] In an analysis of the Barnes libel case, Gideon Haigh wrote, "... far from becoming a watershed in player-administrator relations, it may even have discouraged players contemplating defiance of the Board but lacking the wherewithal to retain a hotshot criminal barrister."[50]

Twelfth man incident

Barnes as 12th man, dressed in suit and tie and carrying cigars, iced towels, a mirror and comb, a radio and a clothes brush.

Resuming for New South Wales in 1952–53, Barnes scored 152 against Victoria in the last match before the beginning of the Test series against South Africa. Nevertheless, the selectors overlooked him for the first Test and in the following match, against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval, Barnes offered to act as twelfth man to provide an opportunity for a younger player, Ray Flockton. During a drinks break on the second day of the match, he appeared on the ground in a suit and tie, (rather than 'whites') carrying superfluous items such as cigars, iced towels, a mirror and comb, a radio and a clothes brush. The crowd initially responded well to the joke, but their mood soured when the interval extended beyond its scheduled time and Barnes received criticism for delaying the game. The South Australian team, captained by Australian selector Phil Ridings, officially complained to the New South Wales Cricket Association (NSWCA), which asked Barnes to express regret over the incident. He prevaricated despite receiving the NSWCA’s support during his problems the previous season. Eventually, the NSWCA forwarded an apology on his behalf.[50]

Barnes appeared just once more for New South Wales, against South Africa at New Year 1953, then made himself unavailable for selection, conceding that "his card had been marked".[50] Later in the year, the Australian team toured England and lost the Ashes for the first time in nineteen years. Barnes wrote Eyes on the Ashes, a book about the tour, which included trenchant criticism of the behaviour of the Australian team, which did not go down well with some of his erstwhile team-mates.[56]

Playing style and personality

As a batsman, Barnes was very strong playing off his legs. Team-mate Bill Brown described his batting, saying, "Arthur Morris was one of the great opening batsmen, and Sid Barnes, a tremendous player, was Bradman's choice as opener. He was so good on the back foot".[1] His prowess in leg-side play was such that England bowler Alec Bedser was forced to develop a leg cutter to keep the ball away from his pads.[57]

David Frith wrote of Brown's memories of Barnes as a person, and his controversial fielding:

'Bagga' Barnes was also Bill's room-mate, and his affection for his late lamented pal, a lovable rogue, was obvious. He recalled the furore over Barnes's provocative field positioning, extremely close at silly mid-on, and how criticism of his foot being too close to the mown pitch prompted him to plonk his boot a couple of feet into the forbidden territory - and a couple of feet more when the English crowd roared at him.[1]

He was a part-time leg break bowler, substitute wicket-keeper and a versatile fieldsman. He was often criticised for his fielding at point and short-leg.[58] Favouring a position just five yards from the batsman, he became known as Suicide Sid; he was often struck by the ball, and was badly injured in the third Test of The Invincibles tour.[56]

During his career he was often noted for his bizarre personality, and disaffection with cricket administrators. In the 1948 England tour, after an Australian appeal was turned down by umpire Alec Skelding, he grabbed a stray dog and presented it to the umpire stating: "Now all you want is a white stick".[21]

A complex character, Barnes "rarely forgave a slight or forgot a good turn. Stocky, with blue eyes and powerful wrists, he had a passion for physical fitness, and was an enthusiastic big-game fisherman and golfer".[56]

Life outside cricket

Barnes married a schoolteacher, Alison Margaret Edward on June 11, 1942. Alison was the daughter of Kenneth Edward, a Scottish Professor of Theology at the University of Sydney. The couple met at a country dance, when Barnes, on his way back from an exhibition match in Katoomba, was bet the price of the meal that he could not get the young girl to dance with him. Within twelve months the pair were married.[59]

Outside of cricket, Barnes followed his mother into property development (see above) and at various times entered into partnerships with Keith Miller and Norman Von Nida. His suspicious nature, which grew as time passed, saw these partnerships and developments end in arguments and recriminations. While Barnes was not a millionaire, he was a successful and organised businessman.[60]

Following the 1948 series Barnes dropped out of cricket for two years and began writing outspoken articles for the newspapers in a column entitled Like It Or Lump It.[16] Barnes had no claims to literary talent; his copy was ghost-written, in all likelihood by his friend Jack Tier and later by former rugby league player Peter Peters.[61] His writing was of a provocative tone; his column in the Daily Express during the 1953 tour was called The Aussie They Couldn't Gag. His forthright opinions certainly cost him friends and hardened the opinions of others about him.[62] At the end of the 1953 tour, he published Eyes on the Ashes, and his autobiography, It Isn't Cricket. He also published The Ashes Ablaze in 1955, and turned to full-time writing, mostly for The Daily Telegraph.

In later life, Barnes was to suffer from mental illness. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated with a combination of medication, mainly diazepam and brutal electroconvulsive therapy. He spent much of his last years in and out of clinics seeking treatment for his condition.[63]

In 1973, Barnes died at his home in Collaroy, New South Wales, from barbiturate and bromide poisoning. Although self-administered, the coroner could not "determine intent". He was survived by his wife and three children.[56]

References

  • Barnes, Sid (1953). It Isn't Cricket. London and Sydney: Collins.
  • Haigh, Gideon & Frith, David (2007): Inside Story — Unlocking Australian Cricket's Archives, News Custom Publishing. ISBN 1 921116 00 5.
  • Harte, Chris (1993): A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch. ISBN 0 233 98825 4.
  • Preston, Hubert (ed.) (1949): Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1949, London: John Wisden.
  • Smith, Rick (1999). Cricket's Enigma: The Sid Barnes Story. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ISBN 0 7333 0787 6.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Frith, David (1987). "What did you do at Lord's, Grandpa?". Wisden Cricket Monthly. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  2. ^ Barnes, p. 13.
  3. ^ Smith, pp. 2–3.
  4. ^ Smith, p. 5.
  5. ^ a b Smith, p. 10.
  6. ^ Smith, pp. 11–13.
  7. ^ Smith, p. 13.
  8. ^ Smith, pp. 13–14.
  9. ^ Smith, p. 15.
  10. ^ a b Smith, pp. 7–8.
  11. ^ "New South Wales v South Australia–Sheffield Shield 1936/37". CricketArchive. 1937-02-23. Retrieved 2007-12-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Smith, pp. 17–18.
  13. ^ Smith, p. 20.
  14. ^ a b c "First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Sid Barnes". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  15. ^ Smith, p. 21.
  16. ^ a b c "The 50 Greatest Australian Cricketers". Inside Edge (magazine). ACP. 2001. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |age= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "Australians in England in 1938". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1939 ed.). Wisden. pp. p. 227. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  18. ^ Barnes, p. 78.
  19. ^ "Australians in England in 1938". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1939 ed.). Wisden. pp. pp. 243–246. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  20. ^ "Australians in England in 1938". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1939 ed.). Wisden. pp. pp. 195–253. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  21. ^ a b c "Sid Barnes Obituary". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1974. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  22. ^ Smith, p. 47.
  23. ^ "First-Class matches in Australia in 1945/46". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  24. ^ "Overseas Cricket". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1947 ed.). Wisden. pp. p. 629. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  25. ^ Cashman, Franks, Maxwell, Sainsbury, Stoddart, Weaver, Webster (1997). The A-Z of Australian cricketers. pp. p. 67. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ "M.C.C. Team in Australia and New Zealand, 1946–47". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1948 ed.). Wisden. pp. pp. 728–730. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  27. ^ Simon Briggs (14 November, 2006). "Acts of God and the Ashes". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "The Ashes - 2nd Test - 1946/47 season". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  29. ^ "Test Matches - Highest partnership for the fifth wicket". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  30. ^ Hutchinson, Garrie (1997). 200 Seasons of Australian Cricket. Sydney: Macmillan. p. p. 287. ISBN 0-33036-034-5. {{cite book}}: |page= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Barnes, p. 125.
  32. ^ Buzo, Alexander (2004). Legends of the Baggy Green. St. Leonard's, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. p. p. 81. ISBN 1741143853. {{cite book}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  33. ^ Barnes, p. 127.
  34. ^ "M.C.C. Team in Australia and New Zealand, 1946–47". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1948 ed.). Wisden. pp. pp. 728–730. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  35. ^ Barnes, pp. 139–147.
  36. ^ Barnes, pp. 146.
  37. ^ Barnes, pp. 151–158.
  38. ^ "Overseas Cricket". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1949 ed.). Wisden. pp. p. 793. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  39. ^ "Bill Brown Test performances". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  40. ^ "Overseas Cricket". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1949 ed.). Wisden. pp. p. 794. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  41. ^ "India in Australia, 1947–48". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1949 ed.). Wisden. pp. p. 780. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  42. ^ Barnes, p. 158.
  43. ^ "The Ashes, 1948, 1st Test - England v Australia -Trent Bridge, Nottingham - 10,11,12,14,15 June 1948 (5-day match)". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  44. ^ "The Ashes, 1948, 2nd Test - England v Australia - Lord's, London - 24,25,26,28,29 June 1948 (5-day match)". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  45. ^ "Test Batting and Fielding for Australia in England 1948". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  46. ^ "England v Australia, 1948, 1st Test". CricketArchive. 1948-06-15. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  47. ^ a b Preston, 1949: pp. 240–241.
  48. ^ Preston, 1949: p. 258.
  49. ^ Smith, p. 130.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h i Haigh & Frith, pp. 107–111.
  51. ^ Harte, pp. 401–402.
  52. ^ a b c Harte, pp. 422–423.
  53. ^ Harte, p. 256.
  54. ^ "New South Wales v Queensland, Sheffield Shield 1951–52". 1952-01-01. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  55. ^ Slee, John (2002). "Shand, John Wentworth (1897 - 1959)'". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 16. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press: pp. 216–217. Retrieved 2007-12-04. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  56. ^ a b c d Stoddart, Brian (2002). "'Barnes, Sidney George (Sid) (1916 - 1973)'". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 13. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press: pp. 118–119. Retrieved 2007-12-04. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  57. ^ Myers, Phil (2007-08-24). "Surrey dream team (Alec Bedser)". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  58. ^ "Sid Barnes player profile". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  59. ^ Smith, p. 44.
  60. ^ Smith, pp. 195–196.
  61. ^ Smith, pp. 185–186.
  62. ^ Smith, pp. 183–184.
  63. ^ Smith, pp. 204–205.
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