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Cricket Captains' Walk facts for kids

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The Cricket Captains' Walk is a special outdoor display in Cootamundra, New South Wales. It features bronze statues, called busts, of all the amazing players who have been captains of the Australian men’s national cricket team in Test matches. These busts are placed on stands along a path in a big public park.

The path is about 250 metres long and is great for families, joggers, and people using wheelchairs. It starts and ends on Wallendoon Street. It's a fantastic place to learn about Australia's cricket history!

Coota Captains Walk
Cricket Captains' Walk in Cootamundra, showing some of the busts along the path.


History of the Walk

The idea for the Cricket Captains' Walk came from the Cootamundra Shire Council. This council is now part of the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council. The Australian Cricket Board (now called Cricket Australia) also approved the project.

Stage 1: The First Busts

The first part of the Walk was opened on 30 August 1998. It included busts of famous captains like Unaarrimin (Johnny Mullagh), Dave Gregory, Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, Allan Border, and Mark Taylor.

These first busts were created by a sculptor named Carl Valerius. He is also known for his bronze statues at the Australian Light Horse Memorial. A statue of Sir Don Bradman, also by Valerius, was unveiled nearby in August 2000. This happened during celebrations for Sir Don's 92nd birthday.

Stage 2: More Captains Added

The second stage of the Walk was opened on 27 August 2008. This was a special day because it was 100 years since Don Bradman was born, very close to Cootamundra.

This stage added 30 more captain busts. Much of this work was done by another famous sculptor, Tom Bass, and his team. Tom Bradman, Sir Don's grandson, helped unveil the bust of his grandfather.

Stage 3: Keeping it Up-to-Date

The third stage was completed on 12 March 2020. This update added three new busts: Shane Watson, Steve Smith, and Tim Paine. A special plaque was also added for Michael Clarke, who was still playing when the second stage was planned. All these new busts were made by the Tom Bass sculpture studio.

Meet the Captains: The Busts

The Cricket Captains' Walk features detailed bronze busts of all the Australian Test cricket captains. Each bust shows the captain's face and is placed on a pedestal. Next to each bust, there is a plaque with information about the captain. This includes their name, their main skills in cricket, and how many Test matches they captained. It's a great way to learn about the legends of Australian cricket!

Work Name Specialty Tests as Captain Plaque Artist Notes
Bust of Johnny Mullagh.jpg Johnny Mullagh, traditional name Unaarrimin or Unaarrimmim Led Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868 Coota plaque Mullagh.jpg Carl Valerius Sponsored by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
Bust of Dave Gregory.jpg Dave Gregory 3 Tests
1876–77
1878–79		 Coota plaque Dave Gregory.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Billy Murdoch.jpg Billy Murdoch RH batsman 16 Tests
1880–1890		 Coota plaque Billy Murdoch.jpg Carl Valerius Murdoch worked as a lawyer in Cootamundra in 1881.
Bust of Tom Horan.jpg Tom Horan RH batsman
Bowler		 2 Tests
1884–85		 Coota plaque Tom Horan.jpg Robert Pratten
Bust of Hugh Massie.jpg Hugh Massie RH batsman 1 Test
1884–85		 Coota plaque Hugh Massie.jpg Bernice Lowe
Bust of Jack Blackham.jpg Jack Blackham Wicketkeeper
RH batsman		 8 Tests
1884–85
1891–92
1893
1894–95		 Coota plaque Jack Blackham.jpg Karen Alexander
Bust of Tup Scott.jpg Tup Scott RH batsman
Bowler		 3 Tests
1886		 Coota plaque Tup Scott.jpg Damien Lucas
Bust of Percy McDonnell.jpg Percy McDonnell RH batsman 6 Tests
1886–87		 Coota plaque Percy McDonnell.jpg Wendy Black
Bust of George Giffen.jpg George Giffen RH batsman
Bowler		 4 Tests
1894–95		 Coota plaque George Giffen.jpg Michael Christie & Sue Alexopoulos
Bust of Harry Trott.jpg Harry Trott RH batsman
Bowler		 8 Tests
1896
1897–98		 Coota plaque Harry Trott.jpg Damien Lucas
Bust of Joe Darling.jpg Joe Darling LH batsman 21 Tests
1901–02
1902
1902–03
1905		 Coota plaque Joe Darling.jpg Lea Ferris
Bust of Hugh Trumble.jpg Hugh Trumble RH batsman
Bowler		 2 Tests
1901–02		 Coota plaque Hugh Trumble.jpg Sue Alexopoulos
Bust of Monty Noble.jpg Monty Noble RH batsman
Bowler		 15 Tests
1903–04
1907–08
1909		 Coota plaque Monty Noble.jpg Carol Crawford
Bust of Clem Hill.jpg Clem Hill LH batsman 10 Tests
1910–11		 Coota plaque Clem Hill.jpg Bernice Lowe
Bust of Syd Gregory.jpg Syd Gregory RH batsman 6 Tests
1912		 Coota plaque Syd Gregory.jpg Michael Christie
Bust of Warwick Armstrong.jpg Warwick Armstrong RH batsman
Bowler		 10 Tests
1920–21		 Coota plaque Warwick Armstrong.jpg Christine Crimmins
Bust of Herbie Collins.jpg Herbie Collins RH batsman 11 Tests
1921–22
1924–25
1926		 Coota plaque Herbie Collins.jpg BJ (Beomjin) Kim
Bust of Warren Bardsley.jpg Warren Bardsley LH batsman 2 Tests
1926		 Coota plaque Warren Bardsley.jpg Peter Bartlett
Bust of Jack Ryder.jpg Jack Ryder RH batsman
Bowler		 5 Tests
1928–29		 Coota plaque Jack Ryder.jpg Julieanne Mahony
Bust of Bill Woodfull.jpg Bill Woodfull RH batsman 25 Tests
1930
1930–31
1931–32
1932–33
1934		 Coota plaque Bill Woodfull.jpg Virginia Lloyd–Tait
Bust of Vic Richardson.jpg Vic Richardson RH batsman
Slips fieldsman		 5 Tests
1935–36		 Coota plaque Vic Richardson.jpg Robert Pratten
Bust of Don Bradman.jpg Don Bradman RH batsman 24 Tests
1936–37
1938
1946–47
1947–48
1948		 Coota plaque Don Bradman.jpg Tom Bass
Bust of Bill Brown.jpg Bill Brown RH opening batsman 1 Test
1945–46		 Coota plaque Bill Brown.jpg Karen Alexander
Bust of Lindsay Hassett.jpg Lindsay Hassett RH batsman
Bowler		 24 Tests
1951–52
1952–53
1953		 Coota plaque Lindsay Hassett.jpg Petrena Shaw
Bust of Arthur Morris.jpg Arthur Morris LH batsman 2 Tests
1951–52
1954–55		 Coota plaque Arthur Morris.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Ian Johnson.jpg Ian Johnson RH batsman
Bowler		 17 Tests
1954–55
1956
1956–57		 Coota plaque Ian Johnson.jpg Janet Coyne
Bust of Ray Lindwall.jpg Ray Lindwall RH Bowler
Lower-order batsman		 1 Test
1956–57		 Coota plaque Ray Lindwall.jpg Michael Christie
Bust of Ian Craig.jpg Ian Craig RH batsman 5 Tests
1957–58		 Coota plaque Ian Craig.jpg Peter Bartlett
Bust of Richie Benaud.jpg Richie Benaud RH batsman
Leg spin bowler		 28 Tests
1958–1964		 Coota plaque Richie Benaud.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Neil Harvey.jpg Neil Harvey LH batsman
Cover fieldsman		 1 Test
1961		 Coota plaque Neil Harvey.jpg Bernice Lowe
Bust of Bob Simpson.jpg Bob Simpson RH opening batsman
Leg spin bowler
Slips fieldsman		 39 Tests
1963–1978		 Coota plaque Bob Simpson.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Brian Booth.jpg Brian Booth RH batsman 2 Tests
1965–1966		 Coota plaque Brian Booth.jpg
Bust of Bill Lawry.jpg Bill Lawry LH opening batsman 25 Tests
1967–1971
 Coota plaque Bill Lawry.jpg Carl Valerius A copy of this bust is in the council chambers in the City of Darebin, Victoria.
Bust of Barry Jarman.jpg Barry Jarman RH batsman
Wicketkeeper		 1 Test
1968		 Coota plaque Barry Jarman.jpg Carol Crawford
Bust of Ian Chappell.jpg Ian Chappell RH top-order batsman
Slips fieldsman		 30 Tests
1970–1975		 Coota plaque Ian Chappell.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Greg Chappell.jpg Greg Chappell RH batsman
Bowler
Fieldsman		 48 Tests
1975–1983		 Coota plaque Greg Chappell.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Graham Yallop.jpg Graham Yallop LH top-order batsman 7 Tests
1978–1979		 Coota plaque Graham Yallop.jpg Damien Lucas
Bust of Kim Hughes.jpg Kim Hughes RH batsman 28 Tests
1978–1984		 Coota plaque Kim Hughes.jpg Wendy Black
Bust of Allan Border.jpg Allan Border LH batsman
Bowler
Fieldsman		 93 Tests
1984–1994		 Coota plaque Allan Border.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Mark Taylor.jpg Mark Taylor LH batsman
Slips fieldsman		 50 Tests
1994–1999		 Coota plaque Mark Taylor.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Steve Waugh.jpg Steve Waugh RH batsman
Bowler		 57 Tests
1999–2004		 Coota plaque Steve Waugh.jpg Carl Valerius
Bust of Adam Gilchrist.jpg Adam Gilchrist LH batsman
Wicketkeeper		 6 Tests
2000–2004		 Coota plaque Adam Gilchrist.jpg Sue Alexopoulos
Bust of Ricky Ponting.jpg Ricky Ponting RH batsman 77 Tests
2003–2010		 Coota plaque Ricky Ponting.jpg Wendy Black
Bust of Michael Clarke.jpg Michael Clarke RH batsman
Slips fieldsmman		 47 Tests
2011–2015		 Coota plaque Michael Clarke.jpg Christine Crimmins
Bust of Shane Watson.jpg Shane Watson RH batsman
Fast bowler		 1 Test
2013		 Coota plaque Shane Watson.jpg Wendy Black
Bust of Steve Smith.jpg Steve Smith RH batsman
Slips fieldsmman		 34 Tests
2014–2018		 Coota plaque Steve Smith.jpg Monika Scarrabelotti
Bust of Tim Paine.jpg Tim Paine RH batsman
Wicketkeeper		 19* Tests
2018–present		 Christine Crimmins

More Pictures

  • Coota diptych 1

    A sign showing the history of the Cricket Captains' Walk.

  • Coota diptych 2

    Another sign with information about the Cricket Captains' Walk.

  • Bradman statue at Cootamundra

    A statue of Don Bradman in action, located near the Walk.

  • Shadow of Jarman

    The shadow of Barry Jarman's bust on Greg Chappell's pedestal.

Images for kids

  • Australian test captains list

    A list of Test Captains at the MCG.

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