Don Bradman
DON BRADMAN
(1908 - 2001)
This TV documentary will be revised,    following the death of Sir Donald Bradman on February 25, 2001.
 Sir Donald Bradman is an Australian      sporting hero.
His achievements on the cricket field from 1928 to 1948 are still among the      world's best.
He's the only Australian ever knighted for services to the game of cricket.
"I am quite certain he was the best cricketer ever to walk onto a cricket      ground in any part of the whole wide world." (Bill O'Reilly - former Test      Cricketer)
The boy who became a cricket legend was born in 1908. His family lived in      the country, not far from Sydney.
Don Bradman was a small boy who was very quick on his feet.
His school didn't have much sport, so Don invented games to amuse himself.
One of his favourites was to hit a golf ball against a tank stand with a cricket      stump.
"At the time it had no meaning. I was just enjoying myself. It never entered      my head that I was training my eyesight and movements."
Don left school when he was fourteen      and didn't start playing cricket seriously until he was sixteen.
In one of his first matches he scored a massive three hundred.
It wasn't long before the New South Wales cricket selectors wanted Don in      their team.
"When he came down we all saw his superb confidence. The selectors were      impressed and sent him to Adelaide and Melbourne. He scored a century at Adelaide." (Bert Oldfield, Aust. Wicket Keeper, 1920-37)
In 1928, he was selected to play for Australia against England. He had just      turned twenty.
Don scored a century in the Third Test, but Australia lost the series.
He was soon hailed as a run scoring machine. Playing in a state match Don      made 452 in world record time.
"It's the speed with which you score runs, that is a very important factor.      The world record score that I made, that 452, was made in a little over 400      minutes."
His outstanding batting guaranteed Don a place on the 1930 Australian team      to tour England. It took them six weeks to sail there.
"It was a tremendous adventure of course, and I enjoyed it, but I'm the      worst sailor ever born. I got seasick before I even got on the boat."
The tour was a success all round. Don batted superbly, scoring 974 runs for      the Test series.
"I'm going to go out and get as many runs as I can and if in getting those      runs I break a record, well, I'll be pleased, but I don't set out to deliberately      break records."
The Australian cricketers came home superstars, Don Bradman the biggest. Experts      were trying to figure out what made him so good.
"He's the most phenomenal run machine the world has ever seen."
At twenty-four Don married Jessie Menzies, a girl from his home town.
He was starting to think about his future, and decided to learn about business.      It proved very useful later in life.
In 1932, England toured Australia.
Desperate to stop Don scoring so easily, they came up with the nastiest tactic      cricket had seen.
Called 'Bodyline', the English bowlers aimed for the batsman's body.
"If I had stood exactly where I was, that ball would have hit me in the      chest."
Bodyline kept Don Bradman's batting average down, and England won the series.
In 1936 Don was made Australian Captain.
"I was a most inexperienced Captain, and it wasn't an easy job."
World War Two interrupted a brilliant cricket career.
When it was over, Don was soon back in England. It was here that Don Bradman      played his last test innings, he was out second ball. Don retired with a test      cricket average of 99.94.
After being knighted in 1949, Sir Donald Bradman wanted a very private life.      He'll be long remembered for his sporting skill, gentle manner and good humour.
Sir Donald Bradman died of pneumonia      at his home in Adelaide on 25 February 2001.
Related websites