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Donald George Bradman was born on the 27th of August 1908 in the New South Wales country town of Cootamundra. The son of Emily Bradman and George Bradman who played cricket himself. When Don was three the family moved to Bowral and George started playing for the Bowral team.
Early Years
Don started his famous way of practising his hand-eye by hitting a golf ball against a round tank stand with an old cricket stump. The don played his first real game for Bowral School and was unbeaten on 115 and took an 8 wicket haul for the match. Don’s Uncle George Whatman who played for the Bowral team asked Don to be scorer for the team. One game the team was a player short and Don got his opportunity to play in a big game, he scored 37* and 29*. Also in this season, Don Father took him to the SCG to see some of the test match. He got to see one of his hero’s, Charlie McCartney. Don said to his father some now well known words, “I shall never be satisfied until I have played on this ground”.
Don was not just doing well in cricket, he was also becoming a very good tennis player. In 1922, Don left school to go and work for a Percy Westbrook, a real estate agent. Don also helped his dad build their new home, across from Bowral oval. In 1925, Don played his first full season with the Bowral Cricket Club. Don had an excellent season scoring 1318 runs at an average on 94.14, taking 51 wickets at 7.8 and holding onto 28 catches. In one match that season, Bowral played Wingello and Don scored 234. Bill O’Reilly was playing in that match. Thanks to Bradman’s excellence, Bowral won the Berrima District Competition beating Moss vale in the final. Don’s Mother promised to buy him a new bat if he scored a century. Don actually scored 300 and was expecting three bats!
St. George and New South Wales
In 1926, Don was asked to practice with the New South Wales squad but was not selected, as he was more of a batter. Whilst in Sydney Don was asked to play for the St. George Cricket Club, Don agreed but only if they paid his train fare from Bowral. In his debut for St. George Don scored 110. Although Don had played most of the season in Sydney, he was still allowed to play in the final for Bowral. Don went 20 better then last year and scored 320, helping Bowral win for the second consecutive year. Don was unable to train with the St. George side because he was living in Bowral but he still managed to impress and score many runs. In December 1927, Don was selected for the New South Wales side who were going on a tour of the southern states. Don made his debut against South Australia replacing Archie Jackson who was unfit. Bradman batted superbly for his 118. Another high in this season for Don was playing in front of a home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground and scored 134. In September the next year Don was finding it tiring travelling to Sydney and representing New South Wales, so his employer, Percy Westbrook gave him a job at his new office in Sydney.
At the start of the new season, Don scored to centuries in the same game against Queensland. More practice on turf wickets had helped Don to achieve higher scores. Don scored 87 and 132* for New South Wales against the touring England side. These scores and previous form got Don selected for the Australian team to play in the 1st test at Brisbane against England. After just 9 first-class matches, Don was already representing his country in tests. This was the first ever test played in Brisbane, unfortunately Don failed, making 18 and 1. Dropped for the 2nd test Don hit a half century for New South Wales and was then picked again for the 3rd test. This was to be the only time in his test career that Don would be dropped on form. In the test at Melbourne Don hit 79 and then 112 in the second dig. Don became the youngest player ever to score a test century at 20 years of age.
Debuts for Australia 1928/29
Don went on to score a further hundred in the series and tallied up 468 runs, the highest of any player. In early 1929, Don signed a bat deal with William Sykes to use their bats. In his first game with the new bat, funnily enough he hit 340 not out against Victoria at the SCG. Don continued his great form into the 1929.30 season, scoring over 1000 Shield runs again and hitting what was at the time a world record first-class score of 452* against Queensland. Don was scoring at nearly a run a minute. Bradman was a certainty to be picked for the 1930 tour of England with no problems.
Success in England 1930
Don had never played on an English wicket and in the tour opener he scored a magnificent 236. Don played even better in the test matches scoring 974 runs at 139.14. Don’s better scores in the tests were 131, 254, 232 and 334 at Headingly, Leeds. This score of 334 was at the time the highest ever test score. He achieved 309 of those runs in just one day of play. Don returned to Australia a hero. He now had bat and menswear sponsorships, as well as contracts with newspapers and a radio stations.
More Success
In the following season of 1930/31 Don averaged over 74 in5 tests against the West Indies and in 1931/32 he hit over 806 runs at an average of 201.50. One of his scores was 299 not out. Bradman was running for his 300th run when the last man in was run out. In April 1932, Don married Jesse Menzies who he had been friends with since they were 12. The next challenge for Don was facing up to the English in a home series in 1932/33.
Bodyline 1932/33
England had appointed a new captain for the series, Douglas Jardine. Jardine watched tapes of the Don and studied his technique to try and find a weakness. Jardine resorted to poor tactics that involved fast bowlers bowling short pitched deliveries on a line of the batsman’s body or leg stump. The bowlers were bowling to a packed leg-side field, hoping for a pop-up catch. Don didn’t play in the first test due to fitness but played in the rest of the series. In ways, the tactic worked in restricting Don and the other Australian batsmen. Don made 396 runs in the series at an average of over 50 with just the one hundred, 103. This was still a rather respectful series for any batsman. Don’s wicket was claimed by Harold Larwood four times. Larwood was the main bowler for the bodyline series. England went on to in the series 4-1. The game in which Bradman scored 103 was the one the Australian’s won.
Move to South Australia
The next season Don once again averaged and scored highly for New South Wales and at the end of the season he announced he was moving to Adelaide to work for Stockbroker Harry Hodgetts. Hodgetts was also on the S.A.C.A Board so he would be representing South Australia.
To England Again 1934
On 1934 tour of England, Don was not at his best due to illness. In the first three tests he didn’t perform but in the fourth at Leeds he smashed 304, the same ground he had hit his 334 four years earlier. And in the 5th test he hit 244 getting his series average up past 94. Thanks to Bradman and Ponsford (266), Australia claimed the 5th test, taking the series 2-1. After the series Don stayed on in England to get an operation to remove an appendix. Don was very ill and when news hit Australia his wife Jesse got England by ship as soon as possible, there were even rumours he was close to death. Don and Jesse stayed on in England until mid 1935 as it was not safe for Don to travel with the illness.
Helps SA win shield and gains Captaincy
Don was appointed captain and selector of South Australia in the 1935/36 season. Don scored a century in his first match for South Australia and also went on to score a 233 and 357, helping South Australia to claim the Sheffield Shield. Don missed out on a tour of South Africa that season which Australia claimed easily 4-0. Upon his success for South Australia, he was named Australian Captain and selector for the 1936/37 Ashes series. Under the Don’s captaincy, Australia failed in the first two tests and Bradman also didn’t perform. But Australia claimed the last three tests to win the series 3-2. Don scored a 270, 212 and a 169 as his big scores in the last 3 tests.
To England as Captain
After another success season at South Australia Don led an Australian side to England in 1938. Australia retained the Ashes, drawing the series 1-1. Some records were broken in this series. Len Hutton scored 364 to break Don’s record for the highest ever test score. In that match England posted 7/903, the highest ever test inning total. The third test was rained out and Australia had already retained the Ashes as they won the 3rd out of 4 tests. Don played well scoring 3 centuries and averaged 108.50.
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