Jump to content

Cricket Captains' Walk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Cricket Captains' Walk is a collection of specially commissioned bronze busts of Test captains of the Australian men’s national cricket team, arrayed on pedestals on the outside of a rectangular path set in a large public park in Cootamundra, New South Wales. The all-weather path, which starts and ends at Wallendoon Street is wheelchair friendly, and approximately 150 metres around.

Cricket Captains' Walk, as it was
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
150m
160yds
none
16
C l a r k e
O v a l
15
J u b i l e e
P a r k
14
Caravan
Park
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Cricket Captains' Walk, Cootamundra. For clarity, only a few names are listed here.
1
Unaarrimin
2
Tom Horan
3
Hugh Massie
4
Hugh Trumble
5
Jack Ryder
6
Vic Richardson
7
Ray Lindwall
8
Ian Craig
9
Ian Chappell
10
Adam Gilchrist
11
Ricky Ponting
12
Steve Smith
16
Bradman figure

History

[edit]

The Walk was planned and executed by the Cootamundra Shire Council (now Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council) with the approval of the Australian Cricket Board (now Cricket Australia).

  • Stage 1, unveiled on 30 August 1998, comprised the likenesses of Unaarrimin (Johnny Mullagh), Dave Gregory, Bill Murdoch, Arthur Morris, Richie Benaud, Bobby Simpson, Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, Allan Border and Mark Taylor. Modelling of these busts was performed by Carl Valerius, sculptor and stone mason of Harden–Murrumburrah, perhaps best known for his bronze statues at the Australian Light Horse Memorial in Harden–Murrumburrah, notably the horse "Bill the Bastard", of which the full size version[1] is now installed at Harden-Murrumburrah.

The nearby statue by Valerius[2] (shown below) of Bradman in action was unveiled during the celebrations for "Sir Don"'s 92nd Birthday in August 2000.[3] A minor mystery surrounds the Brian Booth sculpture, similar in style to others by Valerius, but not credited in the official documentation. There is no obvious clue in the plaques, which have remained uniform in style and execution over 30 years.

  • Stage 2, comprising the remaining 30 captains, was unveiled by the sculptor Tom Bass on 27 August 2008, the centenary of Bradman's birth barely a kilometre away. Much of this work was performed by Bass and his team. His bust of Bradman was unveiled by the cricketer's grandson, Tom Bradman.[4]
  • Stage 3, unveiled on 12 March 2020, brought the walk up-to-date with the unveiling of three new busts - Shane Watson, Steve Smith and Tim Paine and a plaque for Michael Clarke, who was mid-career when the second tranche of busts was commissioned. All three were made by the Tom Bass sculpture studio.

In 2023 the pedestals were relocated to a more formal arrangement with the Bradman statue as a focal point.

The busts

[edit]
Work Name Specialty Tests as Captain Plaque Artist Notes
Johnny Mullagh, traditional name Unaarrimin or Unaarrimmim Led Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868 Carl Valerius Sponsored by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
Dave Gregory 3 Tests
1876–77
1878–79
Carl Valerius Sponsored by Goldenfields Water County Council
Billy Murdoch RH batsman 16 Tests
1880–1890
Carl Valerius Murdoch was a practising solicitor in Cootamundra in 1880s. Sponsored by Australia Post
Tom Horan RH batsman
Bowler
2 Tests
1884–85
Robert Pratten
Hugh Massie RH batsman 1 Test
1884–85
Bernice Lowe
Jack Blackham Wicketkeeper
RH batsman
8 Tests
1884–85
1891–92
1893
1894–95
Karen Alexander
Tup Scott RH batsman
Bowler
3 Tests
1886
Damien Lucas
Percy McDonnell RH batsman 6 Tests
1886–87
Wendy Black
George Giffen RH batsman
Bowler
4 Tests
1894–95
Michael Christie & Sue Alexopoulos
Harry Trott RH batsman
Bowler
8 Tests
1896
1897–98
Damien Lucas
Joe Darling LH batsman 21 Tests
1901–02
1902
1902–03
1905
Lea Ferris
Hugh Trumble RH batsman
Bowler
2 Tests
1901–02
Sue Alexopoulos
Monty Noble RH batsman
Bowler
15 Tests
1903–04
1907–08
1909
Carol Crawford
Clem Hill LH batsman 10 Tests
1910–11
Bernice Lowe
Syd Gregory RH batsman 6 Tests
1912
Michael Christie
Warwick Armstrong RH batsman
Bowler
10 Tests
1920–21
Christine Crimmins
Herbie Collins RH batsman 11 Tests
1921–22
1924–25
1926
BJ (Beomjin) Kim
Warren Bardsley LH batsman 2 Tests
1926
Peter Bartlett
Jack Ryder RH batsman
Bowler
5 Tests
1928–29
Julieanne Mahony
Bill Woodfull RH batsman 25 Tests
1930
1930–31
1931–32
1932–33
1934
Virginia Lloyd–Tait
Vic Richardson RH batsman
Slips fieldsman
5 Tests
1935–36
Robert Pratten
Don Bradman RH batsman 24 Tests
1936–37
1938
1946–47
1947–48
1948
Tom Bass
Bill Brown RH opening batsman 1 Test
1945–46
Karen Alexander
Lindsay Hassett RH batsman
Bowler
24 Tests
1951–52
1952–53
1953
Petrena Shaw
Arthur Morris LH batsman 2 Tests
1951–52
1954–55
Carl Valerius
Ian Johnson RH batsman
Bowler
17 Tests
1954–55
1956
1956–57
Janet Coyne
Ray Lindwall RH Bowler
Lower-order batsman
1 Test
1956–57
Michael Christie
Ian Craig RH batsman 5 Tests
1957–58
Peter Bartlett
Richie Benaud RH batsman
Leg spin bowler
28 Tests
1958–1964
Carl Valerius
Neil Harvey LH batsman
Cover fieldsman
1 Test
1961
Bernice Lowe
Bob Simpson RH opening batsman
Leg spin bowler
Slips fieldsman
39 Tests
1963–1978
Carl Valerius
Brian Booth RH batsman 2 Tests
1965–1966
Bill Lawry LH opening batsman 25 Tests
1967–1971
Carl Valerius Sponsored by the City of Darebin, Victoria, who have a replica in their council chambers.
Barry Jarman RH batsman
Wicketkeeper
1 Test
1968
Carol Crawford
Ian Chappell RH top-order batsman
Slips fieldsman
30 Tests
1970–1975
Carl Valerius
Greg Chappell RH batsman
Bowler
Fieldsman
48 Tests
1975–1983
Carl Valerius
Graham Yallop LH top-order batsman 7 Tests
1978–1979
Damien Lucas
Kim Hughes RH batsman 28 Tests
1978–1984
Wendy Black
Allan Border LH batsman
Bowler
Fieldsman
93 Tests
1984–1994
Carl Valerius
Mark Taylor LH batsman
Slips fieldsman
50 Tests
1994–1999
Carl Valerius Sponsored by Pat Kerin, Cootamundra cricketing aficionado
Steve Waugh RH batsman
Bowler
57 Tests
1999–2004
Carl Valerius
Adam Gilchrist LH batsman
Wicketkeeper
6 Tests
2000–2004
Sue Alexopoulos
Ricky Ponting RH batsman 77 Tests
2003–2010
Wendy Black
Michael Clarke RH batsman
Slips fieldsman
47 Tests
2011–2015
Christine Crimmins
Shane Watson RH batsman
Fast bowler
1 Test
2013
Wendy Black
Steve Smith RH batsman
Slips fieldsman
34 Tests
2014–2018
Monika Scarrabelotti
Tim Paine RH batsman
Wicketkeeper
19 Tests
2018–2021
Christine Crimmins
Pat Cummins Right Arm fast bowler 2021–
[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Carl Valerius, Local Artist, Stone Mason & creator of Bill the Bastard statue". Hilltops Council. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  2. ^ "A Life-size Hollow-cast Bronze Statue of Donald Bradman, By Carl Valerius". Sotheby's Australia. Retrieved 24 September 2019. artist's copy, sold 7 April 2018 for $52,000 at public auction entitled Russell Crowe — Art of Divorce.
  3. ^ "Cricket Captains' Walk". Monuments Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  4. ^ From details on "diptych" plaque at entrance to Walk (pictured in "Gallery" directly above)