From the archives: the Bodyline series

See the strategy to blunt Bradman

If the genesis of the bodyline project had been written by P. G. Wodehouse, the preeminent humorist in 1932 and a cricket-lover, it would have featured a scene in which Buffy Jardine showed his strategy to Bingo Larwood by chucking bread rolls at waiters in one of London’s posh restaurants.

That would not be too far from the truth. Douglas Jardine discussed his plan for cutting Don Bradman down to size with Harold Larwood and Bill Voce over dinner in the Piccadilly Hotel’s grill room in August 1932, shortly after being asked to lead MCC to Australia. Arthur Carr, the Nottinghamshire bowlers’ county captain, who had been fostering a form of bodyline at Trent Bridge, was also present and, while history does not record if a stray roll hit the maître d’, it is tempting to imagine - as Wally Hammond, their England teammate, did in an article a few years later - Jardine demonstrating his idea for an aggressive field with the cruet set, perhaps calling for some mustard and horse-radish to bolster the leg trap.

Jardine had been watching footage of the Oval Test in 1930, which Australia won by an innings, with Bradman making 232, but was particularly interested in the difficulty that the Australian had against balls that leapt off a length from Larwood. Bradman appeared to be flinching and backing away, prompting Jardine to declare: “I’ve got it! He’s yellow!”

Over dinner in the grill room, Jardine asked Larwood if he could bowl on the leg stump and make the ball “come up into the body”, forcing Bradman to steer the ball into a ring of close fielders. Larwood agreed readily and the plan for bombarding Australia was set in motion.

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