Reg Hatton deserves a footnote for making the most doomed representative debut in sporting history.
Hatton was the halfback replacement for City Seconds against Country in 1964, in the days when it really was City v Country.
And short of scoring 10 tries, Newtown’s Hatton was doomed to a one-half representative career; 10 tries wouldn’t have prolonged it.
The veteran Bobby Bugden was luckier. He was the City Firsts half but already had a Kangaroo tour and Tests behind him. This was just as well.
Although he was the nominal No.1 half, no-one expected Bugden to play for NSW and Australia that year.
Those honours had already been awarded to the City Seconds half, the one who would play the 40 minutes before Hatton — Billy Smith.
There has never been a bigger paper push — and the media meant the newspapers then — than there was for Smith.
He’d been a lightweight, tough centre in St George’s premiership team the year before, had been a Kangaroo tour contender.
He’d been switched to halfback at the start of 1964 and the paper push was on — he was the next Australian halfback.
Indeed he was. Smith played his inevitable starring role in his 40 minutes with a dominant City Seconds.
Hatton came on for his 40, clapped his hands for the ball, was all initial enthusiasm, but there was the sense that no-one who counted was watching, figuratively.
The dye and Smith had already been cast.
He went on to one of the great careers, and how great he was has been lost in the age of Andrew Johns-Johnathan Thurston.
Hatton went on to the wing not long after, was a tryscorer and had a notable career as a professional sprinter.
The circumstances are different, but the hapless Hatton is recalled when considering the paper-push for Matthew Wade to replace Brad Haddin as the Australian Test cricket wicket-keeper. The myth and the reality. . .
The myth would have it that Haddin had a disappointing Test series against India, and now Wade has batted — batted — his way into contention with big scores in a T20 and one-day game. Relevant form indeed, at least to some sections of the media.
The myth would have it Haddin kept poorly against India, the main evidence being that he dropped a catch.
It is worth restating that although the modern game demands a keeper must be able to bat, the primary qualification for being a wicket-keeper has been wicket-keeping, at least in Australia.
The batting averages of Haddin’s predecessors again: Barry Jarman 14.81, Gil Langley 14.96, Len Maddocks 17.70, Bert Oldfield 22.65, Don Tallon 17.13, Brian Taber 16.04, Wally Grout 15.08, Rod Marsh 26.51, Ian Healy 27.39.
Which leads to the reality. Haddin averages 35.82.
Stats are a guide only. Marsh and Healy were better bats than Haddin, but it is far too early to say he’s suffered a terminal batting decline.
As for his keeping, it got better as the series went on. He moved better, with greater confidence, let through few byes and took some good ones.
Healy — the best gloveman of all — thought so. No talk from him about replacing Haddin.
And certainly not on the basis of another keeper scoring runs in Sheffield Shield.
In the interregnum between Marsh and Healy, several keepers were tried.
Selectors tried to turn South Australian Test opener Wayne Phillips into a Test wicketkeeper. That affected not only the deficient Phillips but the whole team, and it was hardly Phillips’ fault.
A wicketkeeper has the best view on the field and is the most important man for the bowlers in a team game.
Haddin’s performance was not incidental to the Australian bowling success.
Keep your hat on. The selectors — Marsh especially — know that. Wade must wait.
‘‘I did the climb, now I must do the time..’’
Will that be the standard cyclists’ admission after Alberto Contador’s suspension for alleged doping?
The Tour de France and climbing legend is just the latest cyclist in a growing pellaton to be accused.
Ironically, Contador’s suspension came at the same time the doping pursuit of fellow legend Lance Armstrong was dropped, and Contador and Armstrong are not best friends.
Contador has said he is innocent, will appeal the suspension and the ‘‘terrible injustice’’.
He said contaminated meat was to blame, as it was once to blame when Australian sprinter Dean Capobianco was banned.
No reason to doubt Contador’s protestations of innocence, but you’d think cyclists would have learned one thing by now.
There are chemists for everything else.
You’d think they’d have chemists to test food before it is eaten, lest a banned foreign body found its way into the tucker.
Not necessary for Cadel Evans, because he’s an Aussie and he’s true blue.
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