Post Line-ups Cricket at the 1948 Olympics | Match 12 - What on earth happened back there?!

[VC the slogger]

can you change Mixed Team name to Rest of World or Olympic Special... That sound better...

Changing an official Olympic team name is something I'd steer well clear of.


Mixed teams at the Olympics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[VC the slogger]

I like to manage Argentina

NZ please.

Excellent. Just knock off five players from your roster and you're good to go.

Try keeping the gold (

) and silver (

) ones in there though.

I'd like to take the Dutch army or the French Fries

I'll give you France since the Dutch are no longer taking part. Your 15-man squad's already picked because that's basically all there was.


Still need confirmation from either @stinson99 or @Yonga as to whether they'll be willing to continue managing Canada in 1900. Those who've already done so i.e @The Author, @themusketeer and @Sami Kumar can feel free to confirm their final XVs.

 

[Aislabie]

Francis Bohlen
Nelson Graves
George Patterson

John Lester
Henry Thayer
Arthur Wood

Arthur Brockie
Reynolds Brown
Bart King

Edward Cregar
Henry Scattergood

Percy Clark
Alfred Morris

Henry Baily
Henry Brown
​

Just to confirm my 15-man squad. A couple of changes from last tournament - a surprise recall for a still-young and semi-retired George Patterson is richly deserved - he's something of a US Olympic hero.

 

[HawkAussie]

We would like to drop

Robert Rudd
Henry Miles
Ronald Vibart
George Elliott
Ned Traill

 

[joejoe018]

Dropping
James Baker
Arthur Fisher
Frank Ashbolt
Isaac Mills
George Mills​

 

[stinson99]

SQUAD​

Mossie Boyd

Dyce Saunders

Walter Cooper

Francis Terry

Jack Laing

Gordon Guggisberg

George Lyon

Jack Counsell

Hugh Cyril Hill

Crosbie Baber

William Jones

Michael Bristowe

Hal McGiverin

Charles Godwin

Alexander Gillespie

 

[themusketeer]

Joe Darling
Victor Trumper - Right-arm medium
Clem Hill
Frank Iredale
Syd Gregory
Harry Graham
Reggie Duff - Right-arm medium
Monty Noble
Bert Hopkins
James Kelly
Ernie Jones
Charles Eady
Bill Howell
Hugh Trumble
Jack Saunders


***Sorry for being late. I thought there will be no need to change the Squads and also tag didnt work.

 

[Sami Kumar]

Tom Hayward
Bobby Abel
Archie MacLaren

KS Ranjitsinhji
Johnny Tyldesley
CB Fry

Stanley Jackson
Gilbert Jessop
George Hirst


Bill Storer

Tom Richardson
Bill Lockwood
Jack Hearne
Wilfred Rhodes
Johnny Briggs​

 

[VC the slogger]

Cricket fixtures for Paris 1900 unveiled​

With all the eight participating teams having confirmed their squads, the IOC unveiled the cricketing fixtures for the 1900 event. A total of 15 matches are set to be played across three rounds and knockouts.

The teams are set to be divided into two groups of four where the top two from each qualify for the semi-finals. Only the winners of these 'semi-finals' can go on to qualify for the final.

Round 1

Canada v Mixed Team at Paris
France v Great Britain at Paris
Argentina v USA at Paris
Australia v New Zealand at Paris

Round 2

Mixed Team v Great Britain at Paris
Canada v France at Paris
USA v New Zealand at Paris
Argentina v Australia at Paris

Round 3

France v Mixed Team at Paris
Great Britain v Canada at Paris
Australia v USA at Paris
New Zealand v Argentina at Paris


1st Semi-final

TBA v TBA at Paris

2nd Semi-final

TBA v TBA at Paris


Final

TBA v TBA at Paris
​

Lack of cricketing facilities in Paris mean all the matches will have to be played at the Vélodrome de Vincennes, a ground where cricket has never been played before. It remains to be seen if the quality of pitches can be any better than what they were in Athens 1896.​

 

[VC the slogger]

Team previews for Paris 1900 - The four newcomers​

Argentina​

About them​

It may come as a surprise to some but Argentina has quite a cricketing history. Cricket has been played in the country as far back as 1806. They have also been playing unofficial international cricket since 1868 against other South American teams like Brazil, Chile and Uruguay of whom regrettably nothing is known. Having the most number of British immigrants among Commonwealth nations has certainly helped.

In recent times the yearly North v South fixtures that began in 1891 have generated a good deal of interest among people in the country, including local Argentines. The competitive nature of these fixtures have thrown up a good bunch of players definitely capable of competing hard against the more established teams. The fact that the national team was committed enough to cross the Andes by mule over three and a half days just to play a match against Chile in Santiago definitely speaks levels of their fighting spirit.

Expectations for Paris 1900​

Though their team looks surprisingly well balanced with consistent domestic run scorers, batsmen who can definitely bowl and not to mention a number of slow-medium/spin bowlers capable of choking the opposition of runs, it's hard to see them come within the top two of their group. Primary reason being their lack of exposure to players with first-class or top level international experience.

The Argentine national team hasn't played a single official international game till date. Playing teams like Australia and the United States after only having played unofficial internationals against the likes of Brazil, Chile and Uruguay is a massive switch. The presence of Essex's Argentine-born Evelyn Toulmin should certainly help the players raise their standards, but it remains to be seen if just one player with first-class experience can change their fortunes.

At most they will look to put up a fight against Australia and Olympic Gold medalists USA before a tug of war in their final match against the slightly more established New Zealanders.

Key players​

Definitely Evelyn Toulmin. He should be the first name on Argentina's sheet for every match they play. Why? Because he's the ONLY player with first-class experience in their ranks, having played for Essex at county level in 1899 against the likes of Ranjitsinhji and CB Fry among others. Incidentally, he managed to dismiss the legendary batsman by having him caught behind after having been bowled cheaply by the same player in the first innings.

Apart from all that, Toulmin is a talented all-rounder capable of batting well in the top/middle order and delivering slow-medium offbreaks/legbreaks that could certainly come in handy on underdeveloped French wickets.


Herbert Dorning is another who looks to be one of those rare players from lesser known countries with pure class. He is Argentina's only bowler with real pace and has dominated the wicket charts in Argentina's domestic matches like no other. His useful lower order contributions could also come in handy given that teams like Argentina are most likely to get off to rough starts against international quality bowling. A South American adaptation of Bart King if ever there was one.


The best player actual Argentine descent from the looks of things is Patricio Rath. A canny slow-medium bowler who can also bowl a decent bit of spin, Rath generally opens the bowling and chokes the opposition of runs right from the start. Despite his limited batting technique, he could be used as a nightwatchman to see through a few overs when French wickets are at their worst.

​

France​

About them​

The first ever overseas tour by a cricket team could have been that of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to France in 1789 but for the French Revolution. Instead, the world had to wait another 70 years for George Parr to take an XI to North America.

Meanwhile, cricket continued to be played sporadically in France for another hundred years before it was revived by immigrants and expatriates from Britain just in time for the 1900 Olympics. Taking part in a sporting event in their own Olympics was something this sport-loving nation just couldn't pass up, however poor they might be at it.

Expectations for Paris 1900​

Certainly not very high. This will probably be the first time in history that a France national side will appear in cricket. They have been placed in a group featuring much superior teams in Great Britain, the Mixed Team and even Canada.

However, the authorities have managed to persuade three Englishmen of French descent - Bernard Bosanquet, Lionel Palairet and his brother Richard alongside the former South African international Flooi du Toit to turn out for France to help improve the standards of their play and at the same time test themselves against the best in business at the most prestigious sporting event of all.

With four players having good first-class and international experience (except Richard Palairet), France could perhaps fight it out with Canada to stay away from the wooden spoon. The ineptness of the rest of their XI makes it quite unlikely though.

Key players​

​

Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893 and one of the most graceful batsmen at the county level, a lot of France's batting hopes will depend on Lionel Palairet. If he clicks, France might have a chance of competing. If he doesn't, they are likely to fail miserably. He will also be required to fill in the overs with either his military-medium pace or offbreaks given France's limited cricketing resources.

​

The up and coming all-rounder Bernard Bosanquet is also expected to be integral to the French lineup. He's not the most consistent player around, but on his day he can hit the ball the hardest and rattle the opposition with his deceptively quick pace - qualities that helped him earn an Oxford Blue for cricket.

Bosanquet has also been toying around with legbreaks and claims to have developed a mysterious delivery which appears to be a legbreak, but acts like an offbreak instead. It is yet to be seen if he's ready to showcase it to the world in the 1900 Games itself.

​

Mixed Team​

About them​

A team comprising of talented players from nations not participating in the cricket event who in the eyes of the IOC deserve a chance to prove themselves in the biggest sporting event of all. They weren't supposed to participate in this edition just like 1896, but Netherlands' unsporting withdrawal from cricket gave them a free ticket in.

Expectations for Paris 1900​

With a whole range of talented players, the Mixed Team is likely to give every international team a run for their money if all goes according to plan. Some of the players present in their squad will also have a message to send to the establishment who have been keeping their respective countries down for various reasons.

It'd be a shame if they fail to qualify for the semi-finals given that they are placed in a relatively easy group with only Great Britain as the real threat.

Key players​

​

Now having retired from rugby union, German-born Paul Clauss will look to make the transition back to the game he started his sporting career with as a middle-order batsman and part-time pace bowler. He is sure to have learnt some new tricks from rugby during his long time away from cricket and will look to help his team win a medal through his second favorite sport before calling it a day.

​

Despite being the most fearsome fast bowler in all of South Africa, Krom Hendricks has constantly been ignored on racial grounds. Now he will finally have the opportunity to show the world what he's really capable of in the Olympic Games. He was originally set to appear for the Netherlands using his Dutch ancestry but shifted loyalties to the Mixed Team after their pullout.

​

New Zealand​

About them​

One of the best improving cricketing teams without Test status at the moment, New Zealand won their invitation to the 1900 Games purely on merit. They have played three first-class matches to date and won two after losing their first. That too against Australian first-class sides New South Wales and Queensland by resounding margins.

Cricket has been played in New Zealand as far back as the 1830s when Charles Darwin was witness to one such match. It wasn't until the 1890s however, that they really began to progress. The formation of a national cricketing team followed by that of a governing body has certainly aided their development. Their players also get to play first-class cricket more often than any other non-Test country.

Expectations for Paris 1900​

One can't expect them to be table toppers in a pool containing a much stronger Australia and the surprisingly good Americans. They will have to make sure they beat fellow newcomers Argentina who don't have the kind of top level experience they do while hoping to somehow upset USA - the gold medalists of 1896.

It wouldn't be too surprising if they qualify for the semi-finals. Their spin duo of Downes and Wilding could prove lethal on the underdeveloped wickets of Paris.

Key players​

​

Arthur Sims has been one of the most impressive batsmen to appear in New Zealand since the late 1890s. The onus will be on him to provide the runs from the middle-order with New Zealand's top order being typically hit or miss.

​

Long-time stalwart Frederick Wilding will play on for New Zealand one last time at the age of 48. He remains one of their best bowlers despite his age and will be a very dangerous prospect bowling alongside the supremely talented Downes on French wickets. His batting has understandably deteriorated with age and he's more of a bowler who can bat a bit rather than the pure all-rounder he was in his prime.

​

Alec Downes is statistically perhaps the greatest bowler New Zealand has produced till date. He seems to take five-wicket innings or ten-wicket match hauls almost every time he plays. One of the most dangerous bowlers to face in the competition right alongside Johnny Briggs, Wilfred Rhodes, Hugh Trumble and Reggie Schwarz.​

 

[VC the slogger]

Will do up Australia, Canada, Great Britain and USA later. That's all for now.

 

[Aislabie]

George Patterson
Francis Bohlen
John Lester
Nelson Graves
Arthur Brockie
Bart King
Reynolds Brown
Edward Cregar
Percy Clark
Henry Scattergood
Henry Baily
​

I'm not sure, but this feels all too much like a team in decline. Many of the players who we've always relied on are reaching the end of their careers, and we're painfully short of good middle-order batsmen. Still, decent balance to the side.

​

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Arthur Schneidau
Lionel Palairet^
Richard Palairet
Robert Horne
Henry Terry
Bernard Bosanquet^
HF Roques^
J Braid
Flooi du Toit^
William Anderson^
Arthur MacEvoy^

Let's see...​

 

[joejoe018]

Dan Reese
Len Cuff
Herbert de Maus
Hugh Lusk
Arthur Sims
Tom Groube
Charles Boxshall
Walter Pearce
Frederick Wilding
Ernest Upham
Stanley Frankish

 

[Pinch hitter]

Charles Ollivierre

Lucius Gwynn

Tim O'Brien

Lebrun Constantine

Paul Clauss

Johan Schröder

Reggie Schwarz

Palwankar Baloo

Mehallasha Pavri

Carst Posthuma

Krom Hendricks

​