Clarrie Grimmett facts for kids
Grimmett in 1934
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| Full name |
Clarence Victor Grimmett
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| Born | 25 December 1891 Dunedin, New Zealand |
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| Died | 2 May 1980 (aged 88) Adelaide, South Australia |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Leg break, googly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test debut (cap 121) | 27 February 1925 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 28 February 1936 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 13 May 2019
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Clarence Victor Grimmett (born December 25, 1891 – died May 2, 1980) was a famous cricket player. He was born in New Zealand but played for Australia. Many people think he was one of the best early spin bowlers. He is also known for inventing a special bowling trick called the "flipper."
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Beginnings
Born on Christmas Day
Clarrie Grimmett was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. His birthday was on Christmas Day in 1891. Another famous cricketer, Bill O'Reilly, once joked about this. He said Clarrie must have been "the best Christmas present Australia ever received" from New Zealand.
Starting Cricket in New Zealand
When Clarrie was young, a school teacher helped him. The teacher told him to focus on spin bowling. This was instead of trying to bowl fast. Clarrie played club cricket in Wellington. He played his first big game, called a first-class match, when he was 17. He played for the Wellington team. At that time, New Zealand was not a Test cricketing nation. So, in 1914, Clarrie moved to Australia to play more cricket.
Playing Cricket in Australia
Moving Around Australia
Clarrie first played club cricket in Sydney for three years. In his very first senior game there, he took 12 wickets for only 65 runs! This was a great start. Later, he married a woman from Victoria. He then moved to Melbourne and played first-class cricket for the Victoria team. In 1923, he moved to South Australia.
Becoming a Test Cricket Star
Clarrie Grimmett is best remembered for playing for the Australian cricket team. He played in 37 Test matches between 1924 and 1936. He took an amazing 216 wickets. His bowling average was just 24.21 runs per wicket. This means he was very good at getting batters out without giving away many runs.
Amazing Records and Achievements
Clarrie started his Test career when he was 33 years old. In his very first Test match in 1925, he took two "five-wicket hauls." This means he took five or more wickets in two separate innings of the game. He was the first bowler ever to reach 200 Test wickets. He did this in only 36 matches. This was the fastest anyone had reached 200 wickets for 82 years!
He often bowled with another great spin bowler, Bill O'Reilly. Together, they were a very strong team. Clarrie took five wickets in a game 21 times. Seven times, he took ten or more wickets in a single match. His Test career ended when he was 44 years old. Even though he was still playing well, he was not picked for the Australian team after 1936.
First-Class Cricket Success
Clarrie also had a fantastic record in first-class cricket. He took a total of 1,424 wickets in 248 matches. This was between 1911 and 1941. He took five wickets in an innings over 120 times! In one special game in 1930, he took all 10 wickets in an innings. This is a very rare achievement in cricket.
Awards and Recognition
In 1931, Clarrie Grimmett was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. This is a very important award in cricket. He was honored again in 1996. He was one of the first ten people to be put into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was also added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. These honors show how important he was to the sport.
Images for kids
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Studio Portrait of Clarrie Grimmett, ca. 1925
