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User_gary Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Wielded the willow like an axeman his axe
A fanciful story from Michael Henderson on Don. Absolute Gem . "I think I have a beauty. It was told to me by the great Australian batsman, Dean Jones, who positively swore on the head of his daughter it happened, and I have since been told that Merv Hughes also confirms its truth.
The scene is set at a Test match between Australia and the West Indies at Adelaide Oval back in February 1989. These were the days when the Windies were the greatest power the cricketing world had ever seen, the days when they used to select 11 fast bowlers in the team and a 12th man who was a fast bowler just to be on the safe side.
And it was into just such a furnace that the young bowler Mervyn Hughes walked - with bat in hand. Figuring fortune favoured the brave, Hughes wielded the willow like an axeman his axe, and somehow - after snicking fortutiously, connecting full-bloodedly, and missing entirely - he finished the day's play at 72 not out.
The tradition in Test cricket is that the batting side take a few beers into the fielding side's dressing-room afterwards, but not on this evening. Instead, Merv took an ice-box full of bottles, so keen was he to give the men of the Windies the full blow-by-blow account of every run he'd made. So it was that half an hour later, Jones - who himself had contributed 216 - and Hughes and several other Australian players were in the Windies dressing-room, when a sudden hush fell upon the gathering.
They looked to the door and there was Sir Donald Bradman himself, being ushered into the room by several South Australian cricket officials. The Don had expressed a desire to meet this mighty team, and now here he was.
Could you please explain to me the emboldened parts?
The scene is set at a Test match between Australia and the West Indies at Adelaide Oval back in February 1989. These were the days when the Windies were the greatest power the cricketing world had ever seen, the days when they used to select 11 fast bowlers in the team and a 12th man who was a fast bowler just to be on the safe side.
And it was into just such a furnace that the young bowler Mervyn Hughes walked - with bat in hand. Figuring fortune favoured the brave, Hughes wielded the willow like an axeman his axe, and somehow - after snicking fortutiously, connecting full-bloodedly, and missing entirely - he finished the day's play at 72 not out.
The tradition in Test cricket is that the batting side take a few beers into the fielding side's dressing-room afterwards, but not on this evening. Instead, Merv took an ice-box full of bottles, so keen was he to give the men of the Windies the full blow-by-blow account of every run he'd made. So it was that half an hour later, Jones - who himself had contributed 216 - and Hughes and several other Australian players were in the Windies dressing-room, when a sudden hush fell upon the gathering.
They looked to the door and there was Sir Donald Bradman himself, being ushered into the room by several South Australian cricket officials. The Don had expressed a desire to meet this mighty team, and now here he was.
Could you please explain to me the emboldened parts?
Top answer
User_gary wielded the willow like an axeman his axe, Well, "willow" is just slang for the bat so the author is saying that the batsman swung his bat like a man might swing an axe while cutting down a tree. I know absolutely nothing about cricket so I can't say whether this is a good thing for a batsman to do or not.
- User_gary wielded the willow like an axeman his axe, Well, "willow" is just slang for the bat so the author is saying that the batsman swung his bat like a man might swing an axe while cutting down a tree.
- I know absolutely nothing about cricket so I can't say whether this is a good thing for a batsman to do or not.
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User_garywielded the willow like an axeman his axe,Well, "willow" is just slang for the bat so the author is saying that the batsman swung his bat like a man might swing an axe while cutting down a tree. I know absolutely nothing about cricket so I can't say whether this is a good thing for a batsman to do or not.
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