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OBITUARY
Sid Barnes, a
cricket
rebel
SYDNEY, Monday.
>— Two of Australian
cricket's greatest stars
payed tribute today to
one of the sport's great
est characters, Sid
Barnes.
The Australian batsman
of the late 1930s and the
*40s, who earned the nick
name of "suicide Sid" for
his daring short-leg field
ing, died at his home in
the Sydney suburb of Col
laroy yesterday, aged 57.
Sidney George Barnes
appeared in 13 Tests,
accompanying Australian
sides to England in 1938
and 1948 under the cap
taincy of Don Bradman.
In Adelaide last night,
Sir Donald described
Barnes as "a very great
cricketer".
...Sir Donald shares with
Barne« the world fifth
wicket record stand of
405, when each of them
•cored 234 in the second
Test against England at
the Sydney Cricket
Ground in 1946.
"Sid was very con
troversial, but nevertheless
a very great cricketer", Sir
E)onald said.
f'I think in many re
spects he was rather ma
ligned, as I found he had
some remarkable quali
ties".
Another of Barnes' con
tempories, the great bowl
er Bill O'Reilly, described
Barnes as "one of the
most talented cricketers I
played with or against in
this country or any other'".
"He lived crickct".
O'Reilly said. "He thought
it out his very own way,
and he loved to be
mixed up in the very -
middle of difficult situ
ations".
His Test average against
England of 70.50 in an era
that boasted names like
Bradman, Hutton and
Hammond rated him in
the top half-dozen bat
smen in the world.
Barnes was a cricketing
natural, a batsman o£
great fighting qualities, a
more-than-worthy leg spin
ner, an outstanding field
sman in the short-leg posi
tion and on occasions a
good wicket-keeper.
He was a great worker
at his game. Whatever
kink developed, he would
work it out with deter
mined practice.
Barnes' rebellious atti
tude to. cricket authority
won him a lot of public
back-slaps for his single
mindedness, but got him
into a lot of strife.
His antics as a practical
joker were a legend.
He jumped a turnstile in
Melbourne to get into the
ground during a Test
match, and a furore
followed.
He batted with a toy
bat in a testimonial match
in Melbourne, and per
formed drink waiter's
duties during a Shield
match in Adelaide dressed
in a double breasted suit,
and armed with cigars,
radios, clothes brush and
perfume.
When the board of con
trol vetoed his selection in
a Test against the West
Indies mainly because he
had taken photographs
while the 1948 team was
being introduced to the
Royal family at Lords, the
matter finished up in
court.
He stirred up mighty
controversies with his
books, one, of which
launched an attack on the
behaviour of the 1953
Australian team in Eng
land.
He was a cricketer with
great confidence in his
ability. He knew he was
good, and had no time for
"pie-eaters", who he
claimed made subsequent
Australian teams.
Barnes is survived by
his wife, daughter and two
sons.
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