Warwick Armstrong

At 68 years old, Warwick Armstrong has this physical status:

Warwick Windridge Armstrong (22 May 1879 – 13 July 1947) was an Australian cricketer who appeared in 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921.

He captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921, and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two.

Armstrong was captain of the 1920-2021 Australian team that beat the touring English 5–0, becoming one of only three teams to win an Ashes series in a whitewash.

He scored 2,863 runs in a Test career marred by the First World War, including six centuries, and took 87 wickets.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Armstrong, a tall man (6 foot 3 inches / 294 lb), was nicknamed the "Big Ship" by many.

He wasn't a fashionable batsman, but his strokeplay was effective, with a solid defense and a pleasant temperament.

He bowled leg spin with a delicate move, and although not a great turner of the ball, he relied on accuracy to dismiss opponents.

He made his Test debut against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1902 (MCG) and was chosen to tour England later this year, where he was named one of the Year's Wisden Cricketers.

It was the first of four tours of England.

After a controversy with the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, he was involved in numerous altercations with cricket officials and was one of the "Big Six" who boycotted the 1912 Triangular Tournament in England. Armstrong, a gifted Australian rules footballer, appeared for South Melbourne briefly in the Victorian Football League before playing Test cricket.

He was employed by the Melbourne Cricket Club as a pavilion clerk, allowing him time off to play cricket for a large portion of his cricket career.

Armstrong departed from Test and first-class cricket after the 1921 tour of England, and wrote about cricket for the Sydney Evening News.

Early life

Armstrong was born in Kyneton, Victoria, in 1879, the eldest son of John and his partner Amelia (née Flynn). The marriage occurred across the sectarian divide, which was then strong in Australia: John was an Anglican; Amelia was a Catholic. The Armstrong family immigrated to Melbourne in 1880, settling in Emerald Hill, Victoria's inner suburb. In 1888, an inheritance enabled the family to relocate to "Arra Glen" in North Caulfield, Victoria.

Armstrong attended Cumloden School, a respected sporting affiliate of the Schools Association, which is a group of smaller private schools in Melbourne. He had found himself a spot in the school XI by 1893 and drew the newspaper's notice, attracting the attention of journalists Reginald Wilmot and Tom Horan. Armstrong played for Caulfield Cricket Club and competed in a senior premiership with the club at the age of 15.

The youthful Armstrong of Melbourne's pennant team, St Kilda Cricket Club, was granted a trial next year. Armstrong dropped out with St Kilda and returned to Caulfield in the 1896-97 season. At University College, he spent his remaining years of school.

Armstrong left high school at 19, and South Melbourne, Australia's former team, was captained by Australian Test captain Harry Trott. Armstrong's debut was a huge success against University and 173 against St Kilda, his former club. In January 1899, he was selected to represent Victoria against Tasmania in Hobart as one of seven players in the squad's first-class cricket debuts. Armstrong's result was encouraging, scoring six and 33 points and four for 78 in 27 overs.

Armstrong played in regular Sheffield Shield cricket from 1899-1900. He dismissed Syd Gregory with his second delivery and scored 45 runs in the second innings in his first match against New South Wales in January 1900. Armstrong's average was 965 runs per season in South Melbourne, including 145 and six for nineteen against Melbourne Cricket Club, Melbourne's biggest club, with many Test and first-class cricketers.

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