10 for 66 and All That
Archie Mac |Published: 2008
Pages: 181
Author: Mailey, Arthur
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Rating: 4.5 stars
Archie’s Effort
When Arthur Mailey released what was to become his classic autobiography in 1958, he had not played Test cricket for over thirty years, and some of his friends were worried that the notoriously fickle public may have forgotten him.
He put his friends at ease by assuring them that it would be OK as his book ‘would sell at least 7584 copies’. Asked how he knew this, he replied ‘there are 7584 people in the English-speaking world who buy every book on cricket published’.
How many of the 7584 are still with us in unknown, but what is known, is that after fifty years 10 for 66 and All That is still one of the best cricket autobiographies ever written, and deserves to be read by a lot more then 7584 fans.
The chapter ‘Opposing My Hero’, where on his debut in grade cricket he bowls his hero Victor Trumper, is worth the purchase price alone, and must rank as one of the finest pieces of cricket writing. The final line ‘I felt like a boy who had killed a dove’ leaves an image in one’s mind that almost makes you feel you were there.
In 1987 cricket historian Jack Pollard wrote:
‘Since Mailey published this wonderful story in 1958, cricket statisticians have found no record of it occurring in Sydney grade cricket. A search of score sheets for the period has shown that Mailey dismissed Trumper for a duck but not in Mailey’s first match and not by bowling him’.
After reading ‘Opposing My Hero’, I would rather have not known that, but cricket statisticians have ruined a few romantic notions, including changing W.G.s 126 and Jack Hobbs 197 centuries tally.
E.W. Swanton was one that was never a big fan of learning about a cricketers early life writing; ‘as a reader, I have usually either skipped or skimmed impatiently through the early years even of great men’.
I think even ‘Jim’ Swanton would have enjoyed the writings of Arthur Mailey on his early impoverished life, his story of how he helped his fellow employees destroy the hat his loving mother had spent hours creating, is reminiscent of the poor fate that met the little bird in the movie; ‘A Girl Called Sooner’ where she helps some kids stone her own little bird to death, just so they will like her.
The book does show that was is new is old, with Mailey dealing with match fixing, ball tampering and the lack of crowds at Test Matches.
On the whole though the book is richly entertaining, with Arthur Mailey having the great ability to produce self deprecating humour, which is complimented by his own drawings which although basic always seem to capture his subject perfectly (only once did I have to read the caption to find out the name of the subject).
The only other book in cricket literature that is comparable is Googlies by another exponent of leg-spin ‘Ranji’ Hordern which was published in 1932. Lets hope Allen and Unwin reprint Googlies and give me an excuse to read another classic, but for now I can strongly recommend that you go out and buy a copy of one of the best books ever written; 10 for 66 and All That.
Stuart’s Effort
Modern day cricket autobiographies are normally ghost written and usually filled with boring recitation of match statistics with little thought or meaningful analysis. Thankfully, this trend has not always been the case. Amongst the most well regarded cricketing autobiographies of all-time has been ’10 for 66 and all that’ by Australian leg-spinner Arthur Mailey. It was first released back in 1958, and was an immediate best-seller in spite of the fact that Mailey had retired four decades previously. Allen and Unwin have decided to re-release the book to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its initial publication, and it was with some interest that I read it again to see how it stood up in the modern day.
Mailey was born in 1886 in Sydney. Whilst not growing up in complete poverty, his childhood was very poor and Mailey left school at age 13 to start working to help support the family. Mailey worked a number of menial jobs including trouser pressing before becoming a glassblower at age 16. Mailey later attributed some of his success to his time as a glassblower, as it helped develop both lung and finger strength. Mailey went on to have a successful Test career as a leg-spinner, with the highlight being his 36 wickets in the 1920/21 Ashes.
The title of the book, ’10 for 66 and all that’, is on one hand an acknowledgement to Mailey’s best bowling performing in first class cricket when he took 10 for 66 in an innings against Gloucestershire in 1921. However, it is also a tongue in cheek reference of the book ‘1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, comprising all the parts you can remember, including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates’. That book was itself a satire of the history of England and had been very popular in the 1930s.
Delightfully, ’10 for 66 and all that’ contains very little in terms of performance recounting. Mailey describes his life and how he perceived people and events, rather than simply reciting his bowling figures. In fact, it seems clear that figures meant little to him. There are a number of very simple statistical errors in the text, such as his repeated reference to his bowling figures of 4-364 rather than the actual 4-362 in a match against Victoria, that highlight Mailey’s attitude towards life. He cared less about the pure numbers than how someone acted and performed. This approach to life comes through strongly in the book.
Mailey was also a talented cartoonist and drew professionally for newspapers in both Australia and England. His drawings are scattered throughout the book and add a lovely touch to the overall presentation. Mailey also worked as a journalist and in later years bought a mixed business shop in Port Hacking. This allowed him to again show his sense of humour by supposedly advertising his shop with the slogan ‘I bowled tripe, I wrote tripe, and now I sell tripe’
One of my all-time favourite quotations is attributed to Plato about two and a half thousand years ago. It goes along the lines of “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today”. Some wisdom passes through the ages and remains current no matter the era. In the same way, Mailey managed to write incredibly perceptively about a number of issues in cricket, and actually pre-empt problems that would plague the game in the future. Mailey predicted the possibility of Packer cricket twenty years before it eventuated, and also castigated cricket officialdom in rich countries for failing to ensure the future of the game by supporting the struggling nations.
It is always concerning re-reading a classic book. Memories can distort what was actually there, and it can result in the reader being disappointed when returning to a favourite. However, ’10 for 66 and all that’ has stood up remarkably well over time. In my opinion, it is still the best autobiography in Australian cricket, and one of the best cricket books ever written. Allen and Unwin deserve a great deal of credit for re-releasing this book. If you don’t have a previous copy, don’t hesitate to buy this one. 4.5 stars.
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