Historical Bent

December, 2010

No 31. December 12-16, 1884. First ever Test at Adelaide Oval

Crowds flocked to the opening two days of the first Test match played at Adelaide Oval, yet the SA Cricketing Association lost 271 pounds on the event. Our good old northerly dust storms were blamed for the shortfall, but it is now believed that the SACingA were the innocent dupes of cricket’s first match-fixing scandal.

This will be revealed in the upcoming memoirs of the infamous John the Bookie, whose great-grandfather was Syed Behtz, a leading Adelaide camel driver born in Rawalpindi, now part of Pakistan.

Syed, a useful offie and tonker, was true to his name. He liked nothing better than to have small wagers on local cricket matches, particularly those involving his own team, the touring outfit The XV Players of Dalhousie Springs, or PLODS. 

He usually won these bets, because the cheery PLODS were most accommodating, and could easily conjure up a defeat from the jaws of victory on the ant heap pitches of the era. Because Syed Behtz always remained not out at the other end, suspicions were never aroused. He made a motza and had many camels.

The first ever Adelaide Test was an opportunity for Syed to take his “game” to another level. However, he did not have access to his normal system after he failed to make the Australian team, despite a Michelle Pfeiffer and a quickfire 83 against the powerful XXII Gentlemen of LeFevre Peninsula in a legitimate contest.

Syed’s spot went instead to SA’s George Giffen, a great allrounder and incorruptible. Still, our man could not resist the Test match. He was miffed at missing national selection, so he bet the SACingA that England would win it. The wager was 45 young camels, each broken in and disease free, against the gate. 

What the SACingA planned to do with 45 camels in the event of Australian success remains moot. Minutes of the Association’s ground and finance committee do suggest that dromedary power was being considered for oval upkeep. 

In his long and storied career, we never saw the great groundsman Les Burdett enter the Adelaide Oval playing arena on a camel towing the covers. It was always just that same old red tractor. So you can assume either a lack of vision by our cricket authorities, or that England won.

Ah, though, what might have been!

England, indeed, did win by eight wickets, but not before Syed Behtz had several anxious moments. First the rain intervened, then those stinking hot northerlies, then the rain again. For a while there it looked as though England would be unable to press home its advantage.

Syed, sitting with his PLODS teammates on the hill in front of the old scoreboard, was forced to act. While storm clouds gathered as England chased the meagre 66 required for victory, he bribed the scoreboard attendant with fresh dates and halva to advance the batting side’s score by an extra three runs each over.

While neither the umpires nor the players – and especially the batsmen – were aware that England was scoring so quickly, it raced to its target seconds before the heavens opened. The official scorers under the Moreton Bays were confounded, but the downpour saturated their scorebooks, removing any trace of the scam.

SACingA paid up. At 1884 prices the 271 pounds would have bought close to 100 camels, so Syed Behtz more than doubled his money. Little is known of our man after that. One rumour is that he now had enough cash to return to Rawalpindi and start a cricket betting service.

Which might explain a lot.

– Lance Campbell