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He
The
Wicket
By BRUCE ANDREW
The Test wicket looked
a picture when Don Bradman
and Lai a Armanath
tossed just before noon on
New Year's Day.
It was a tense moment
not only for the two captains
but also for Bill
Vanthoff, MCG curator
and former Melbourne
footballer. It was VanthofTs
first Test wicket—
and his 39th birthday.
•yANTHOFF had m a
anxious hours before the
est. Rain delayed early preparation
of the wicket, and
Sheffield Shield games against
NSW and Queensland restricted
working periods to early morning
and after 6 pan.
But when he gave the wicket
the "once over' just after dawn
on New Year's Day, he said,
"She's right' And that meant
volumes.
Vanthofi joined the staff of
the MCG as a ground bowler in
1929 bowling to batsmen such
as Bill Ponsford. Len Darling
and Keith Rigg He became assistant
to Bert Luttrell, doyen
of Victorian curators, in 1935.
Joining the RAAF, he had
little to do with cricket until
his discharge, which coincided
with the return of big cricket to
the MCG. in 1946
GOOD GROUNDING
Bert Luttrell was unable to do
the heavy work last season, and
Vanthoff received a good
grounding under the supervision
of the "maestro." This season,
Luttrell was unable to carry
on after 38 years. Vanthoff was
ready to take his place, stepping
right into a season of big
cricket.
Vanthoff lias spent much of
his life on the MCG. He will
be recalled as a half-forward
with Melbourne rrom 1929 to
1934. He also played for two
seasons with Camberwell.
Melbourne's cricket fans have
had three days of entertaining
cricket. Vanthoff has every
reason to be pleased with his
first Test pitch. Batsmen say
it looks good for many days yet.
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