Donald Bradman was the best batsman to have played the game of cricket. In the Ashes tour of England in 1930, in the Leeds Test, he surpassed the Ashes record of Reginald Foster who in his debut Test for England against Australia had scored 287 in 1903, which remains the highest individual score by an Englishman in Australia. In this article from the Sydney Morning Herald of July 14, 1930, the young Bradman is being heralded as comparable to Charlie Macartney, an Australian all-rounder who was renowned for his fluent run-scoring, and Victor Trumper, who in the Australian tour of England in 1903 had scored over 2,000 runs at an average of over 50. As it was, Bradman was to better them both.

Bradman

Gift Of £1000 From Wealthy Admirer

THE LEEDS INNINGS

LONDON, July 12. The attendance at Leeds on the first day was 20,000, and not even in Sydney could Bradman have been more mightily acclaimed than when he passed R. E. Foster’s record. Interviewed at the end of the day, Bradman said that he must cable home. “They will want to hear about this.” He added, “My feet are awfully tired, but I could have gone on if it hadn’t been the close. I am happy to have beaten the record, but happier still to think that Australia is in such a good position.”

Bradman is the first batsman this season to reach 2000. The only time he showed signs of fatigue yesterday was when Kippax got out. Immediately Bradman stretched himself full out, lying with his nose buried in the grass until McCabe arrived.

Two trifling fires, supposed to have been due to dropped matches or cigarettes, broke out within 15 minutes in the grandstand. The crowd was so intent on watching Bradman that it did not notice the firemen using extinguishers.

After Sutcliffe’s dismissal to-day Hurwood took a telegram to Bradman on the field. It read, “Kindly convey my congratulations to Bradman. Tell him I wish him to accept £1000 as a token of my admiration of his performance. (Signed) Arthur Whitelaw. Australia House.”

Mr. Kelly, the manager, replied, “Bradman on field. Kindly accept deepest gratitude on his behalf wonderful generosity.”

Mr. Arthur Whitelaw is a member of the firm of Fleming and Whitelaw, and has lived in London for six years. He owes his fortune to a patent soapmaking process, and is well known in Australian circles here for his generosity and good sportsmanship. He is an admirable bridge player, and resides at Mansion Apartments, Portland-place. He said, “I am Australian born and bred. I thought Bradman’s performance merited such recognition as it would be useful to a young fellow on the threshold of his career. Boxers get much more for far less important achievements. We must encourage our cricketers in every way possible, since cricket is the greatest of all games. This is not so much a gift as a mark of appreciation on behalf of Australians.”

Mr. Whitelaw, who has given this tangible retort to tales of Australian depression, is a grey-haired middle-aged man, of tall and well-knit figure, with twinkling blue eyes and considerable charm of manner. He pointed out a large photograph of the Australian team. He admitted he had not yet met any of them, but had seen them play at Lord’s. He was a keen cricketer himself when young.

Mrs. Whitelaw, who participated in the gift, is a charming woman, whose two fine sons are typical upstanding Australians. She closed the interview, reminding her husband of another engagement. Bradman wired, hoping to convey his thanks personally later.

MELBOURNE, Sunday.

Mr. Arthur Ernest Whitelaw was born in Auburn, Victoria, and after being associated with his father and brothers in a wall-paper business in Flinders-street successfully established a proprietary soap throughout the world. He went to England 14 years ago, and has paid many visits to Australia since, the last occasion being in 1928. When living in Melbourne he was captain of the Commercial Travellers’ Association interstate cricket team. Mr. Whitelaw has written a book on bridge that is well-known in England.

PRESS COMMENT

LONDON, July 12. The cricket writer of “The Times” says: “Bradman does not merely break records. He smashes them. The most ardent advocate of brighter cricket could ask no more of him except, perhaps, that he should occasionally put the ball in the air. It may take him a year or two before he has a century of centuries to his credit but that’s for the future. It is enough, for the moment, that he pulverized the English bowling by a display of batsmanship which, for its ease of scoring, combined with absolute security, was beyond criticism.”

The “Daily Telegraph” says: We ask ourselves again what are the influences which go towards breeding such fine cricketers in Australia. From not another part of the Empire have such cricketers returned to dazzle us with their mastery. Bradman dominated play as no one ever dominated in test cricket before.

The “Daily Herald” says: Bradman’s innings brought gladness to the heart of the cricketer and cricket lover not merely for its record-breaking, but for things almanacs do not mention, courage and craftsmanship.

Writing in the “Daily Express,” Trevor Wignall says: “When Bradman got the single to exceed R. E. Foster’s record score, the enthusiasm was so terrific that play was stopped until the noise diminished. Bradman acknowledged it by waving his bat. He could not have been more mightily acclaimed even in Australia. It is doubtful whether any cricketer in the world has ever played a greater, more technically perfect, and more memorable innings. It was flawless, and deserves the description magnificent because of the variety of strokes displayed.”

The “News and Chronicle” says: “We must acclaim Bradman as the greatest batsman of the age. Maybe in a few years he will be recognised as the greatest of any age.”

The “Observer” says: Bradman’s huge innings was almost faultless in technique. His dominance made every bowler assume the role of an indispensable means to the batsmen’s purpose, and without any other purpose. When Bradman had gone the light seemed to go out of the game.

Mr. A. C. Maclaren, in the “Evening Standard,” says: Bradman has been compared with Macartney, but their methods are different. It was sometimes possible to get Macartney out by inciting him early in the game to play a characteristic stroke which nobody else would attempt. Bradman never allows himself any liberty. He treats every ball on its merits, and produces, one by one, every stroke in the game. It is a fact that the best of England’s bowlers today are not in the same class as those of 20 years ago. Still, they are not bad. They had to bowl on a wicket which gave them no help against a player who never raises a bowler’s hopes by making an indiscreet stroke.

The “Sunday Times” says: “In Bradman Australia has a cricket phenomenon—one of the rare miracles of the game—a player who can almost beat a side from his own bat.”

MR P. F. WARNER’S TRIBUTE

Mr. P. F. Warner says: “To call Bradman a run-getting machine is a poor compliment, for it implies that his runs are ground out, whereas he makes runs smoothly and naturally, with the mark of genius all over his batting. He never gets flurried, yet runs come from his bat almost as fast as bullets from a machine gun. There was never a batsman who in match after match claimed such a huge proportion of the runs. You may talk of Alexander, Hercules, Trumper, or Macartney, but this young Australian is equal to anyone. The crowd was very silent as he approached Foster’s 287. One could feel the tension. Then, with four off Tate, Bradman equalised. Foster’s innings occupied seven hours 20 minutes, Bradman’s five and a half hours. Kippax’s was a really beautiful innings.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald [http://www.smh.com.au/]

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