A profile of Victor Trumper by Dave Liverman

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Player:

VT Trumper

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When judged by average alone, Victor Trumper may not seem an exceptional batsman. Yet in the judgement of all who saw him, Trumper stands amongst the greats, as much for the style and grace with which he batted as much as the number of runs he scored. A superb natural player, C.B.Fry described him as with "no style but was all style". The 1902 tour of England was possibly his finest year, when on generally appalling wickets, Trumper carried all before him, making 2,570 runs at an average of close to 50. Basically an orthdox batsman, Trumper's ability to improvise to overcome adverse conditons made him unique. His creativity at the wicket is shown by the manner he treated the first three balls of a match at Lord’s. Delivered by Haigh, on a rain damaged wicket, each was of perfect length and line. The first was hit for 6 over wid-wicket, the second cut for 4 behind point, and the last straight driven for another boundary. Trumper, an artist at the crease, was reluctant to repeat himself. The image of Trumper leaping out to drive, the most famous of all cricketing photographs, captures the essence of the man and the Golden Age of batting. A modest man, completely unaffected by his fame, his premature death at the age of 37 was marked by mourning and grief throughout Australia.

(Article: Copyright © 1998 Dave Liverman)