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submitted by Trevor Vayro
4th A.B.C.C. Carnival - Hobart 1958-59
This was my first interstate tour as a player and also first carnival as Captain of Queensland. I had been appointed Captain of the team at the beginning of the season. The Queensland Squad comprising fifteen players, two officials and five supporters departed South Brisbane Railway on Boxing Day. The team travelled to Sydney where we spent the day. That evening the team travelled to Albury on the overnight Sydney Express and changed to the Spirit of Progress which took us to Melbourne.
After spending the day in Melbourne the team travelled from Princess Wharf by ship to Burnie
which is on the West Coast of Tasmania. We connected with the Tasman Limited and travelled a day reaching Hobart that afternoon. Whilst the travelling was long, it was most enjoyable with such a good bunch of players and supporters.
Accommodation had been arranged for the team at the Y.M.C.A. where we occupied the first floor with the Victorian Squad occupying the second floor having arrived the previous day. The New South Wales Squad was accommodated at a hotel some distance away.
After practice the next day and welcome function for the visiting teams, the single round of matches and two day final began. Queensland met Tasmania in the opening round. Queensland won the toss and sent Tasmania in to bat and the match began dramatically with their opening batsman Reverend Nat Sonners being dismissed in the first over. Tasmania recovered and scored in excess of seventy runs. Queensland was able to pass this score comfortably. When the scores were even, I gave one of the younger partially players Don Clarke the opportunity of hitting the winning run but unfortunately he was dismissed first ball. I then had the pleasure of hitting the winning run myself.
The second match was against Victoria who had been weakened with the late withdrawal of their top partially player Bob Boulter. However, Victoria had two fine players in George Jones and Arthur Lilley backed up by totally blind bowlers Ivan Molloy and Charlie Bradley. Victoria scored less than a century but too many for Queensland as our team was dismissed twenty runs or so short.
The third match was against New South Wales who had won their earlier two matches against Victoria and Tasmania. Queensland batting first was dismissed for a score in the eighties which proved no problem to New South Wales who passed our score easily. Their team had top partially players Barry Ward, Murray Wicoxson, Ken Curtis and Colin Eccels.
After completion of the three matches New South Wales had won three matches and met Victoria in the final. Queensland met Tasmania to decide third position for the series.
The first day of the final resulted in New South Wales leading Victoria on the first innings by more than thirty runs. Totally blind bowlers Ivan Molloy and Charlie Bradley had given a stirling effort bowling in excess of sixty overs therefore, enabling the captain of Victoria to use his six partially players in the field. New South Wales batting on the second day at lunch had scored in excess of one hundred runs for the loss of six wickets and put the final beyond Victoria. The match was called off early by the two umpires awarding the final to New South Wales on the first innings. This was the first occasion since the inception of carnival cricket that Victoria had lost the series. Queensland defeated Tasmania to decide third position.
That evening, presentation night with four trophies only being awarded. Best batsman for partially and totally and best bowler for both categories. Barry Ward won both categories for the partially section and Ivan Molloy won the bowling and I won the batting for the totally blind section. In those days no selection of an Australian Eleven as this was to come many carnivals later.
Other attractions of the carnival were visits to National Park of Tasmania, at New Norfolk and two social functions in the evening. Something unique was a church service arranged by Reverend Nat Sonners who as assisted by totally blind players Ian Stewart and Alan Hinton from Queensland reading the first and second lesson from a braille bible and Harold Brown said the creed and Kevin Richards also from Tasmania playing the organ. Several players from the four competing States attended the service. My first interstate tour was most memorable. Until next carnival flashback, enjoy your cricket.