Peter FitzSimons - Fair Go, Sport: Inspiring and uplifting tales of the good folks, great sportsmanship and fair play

Some other works by Peter FitzSimons

Basking in Beirut and Other Adventures

Nick Farr-Jones

Hitch-hiking for Ugly People

The Rugby War

Everyone but Phar Lap

FitzSimons on Rugby

Beazley

Nancy Wake

John Eales

Nene

Steve Waugh

Great Australian Sports Champions

Little Theories of Life

The Ballad of Les Darcy

Tobruk

Kokoda

Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

A Simpler Time

Mawson

Batavia

Eureka

Ned Kelly

Gotta Love This Country!

Seriously you have to laugh

Victory at Villers-Bretonneux

Burke & Wills

Gallipoli

Fromelles and Pozires

Mutiny on the Bounty

Cover images: John Eales, Dallas Kilponen/Fairfax Syndication; Betty Cuthbert, Fairfax Syndication; Michelle Payne on Prince of Penzance, Joe Arma/Fairfax Syndication; Norm Provan and Arthur Summons, John OGready/Fairfax Syndication.

First published in 2018

Copyright Peter FitzSimons 2018

Copyright in illustrations Reg Lynch 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

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ISBN 978 1 76052 948 2

eISBN 978 1 76087 020 1

Set by Midland Typesetters, Australia

Cover design: Luke Causby/Blue Cork

Cover photographs: Fairfax Syndication; Adobe Stock

Contents

The idea for this book is simple. In the year when Australian cricketers have colluded to nakedly cheat, when attendance rates for all of soccer, rugby union and rugby league have either drifted or roared south, there is an obvious disaffection with modern sport and all the grubbiness that has come with it.

Over the last thirty odd years, in articles and books, I have tried, among other things, to capture the best, most inspiring, and most heart-warming tales of sports, together with profiling the characters who gave us that magicor at the very least, engaged us. One thing that became apparent over the years was that there was frequently more reaction to stories about unknowns and golden greats of yesteryear than the modern big bird professionals.

What follows is a collection of what I regard as the best of such tales. Most, but not all, are Australian based. Ideally, they represent the best of sport, or at least the most alluring and inspirational, before the serious-ification of the whole shebang started to squeeze the life out of it on so many different levels at once.

I do hope you enjoy the reading as much I enjoyed the writing and gathering.

Peter FitzSimons

June 2018

Sydney

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesnt matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be moving.

The late, great Roger Bannister on life.

Well still love you whether you kick it or not.

Wallabies captain David Pocock as he handed the ball to stand-in kicker Mike Harris to kick a goal to win or lose the Test against Wales in Melbourne 2012. It was only Harris second Test. He kicked it.

I thought competing in the yellow suit was tough, but Sally [Pearson] is out there doing it in her bra and undies!

Anna Meares with the quote of the 2016 Rio Games.

A classic tale

In March of 1956, down Melbourne way, they held Olympic trials and in the 1500m young Ron Clarke, a teenager, found himself up against a star-studded field that included the best distance runner in the country, John Landy.

From the gun the runners went out hard.

Clarke was up near the front of the field, while race-favourite Landy sat in behind, planning for a strong finish.

Turning the bend with 600m to go, the flying feet of one of the runners extended the barest fraction too much and clipped the heels of young Ron.

I was down on the track before I even knew what happened, Clarke once told me.

For Landy, just behind him and closing fast when it happened, it was like the way it is when youve hit the brakes on a wet road and are sliding forward, powerless to stop, whatever you do. For as Clarke sprawled on the track before him, Landy was unable to avoid bringing his right foot down, and his spikes went into Clarkes left shoulder.

Still, Landy had kept his balance and was entirely capable of running on.

But he didnt. He was concerned Clarke had been really hurt, so he stopped and turned back to help him up.

Are you all right, Ron? he asked.

Yes! Yes! Go! Go! Run! Clarke replied.

When Landy continued on in the race, the rest of the field had by this time moved 35m ahead and the rest could have been taken straight from a Boys Own book on running heroes.

With the crowd screaming themselves hoarse, willing him faster so as to catch the other runners, Landy tore after them, covering the next 200m from that point in an almost unbelievable 25 seconds and, of course, he went on to win.

Super story that

The legendary English journalist Ian Wooldridge of Daily Mail fame was one day playing golf with his great friend Richie Benaud and faced a shocker of an approach shot over an expanse of water. Fearing what was going to happen, Wooldridge replaced his new ball with a somewhat bruised and cracked older one from the depths of his bag. Benaud, ever the sportsman, noted his rivals caution and, reaching into his own bag, tossed Wooldridge a virgin ball still in its cellophane wrapper.

Use that, he instructed. Though he didnt say it, his point was clear. By reaching for the older ball, Wooldridge was conceding the shot would go awry before even hitting it and

And I am sure you are way ahead of me. For, of course, Wooldridge stepped up and smacked the ball beautifully, to see it land within trickling distance of the hole. He looked across at his opponent.

Benaud gave him a lovely wry smile. Ever the master of the significant pause, he knew that nothing needed to be said.

In the words of reader Allastair McGilvray, who sent me the story, Bless you Richie. When you were at the mic it was always summer.

Two great golden girls

It was one of the great moments in Australian sport. You see, when Raelene Boyle won gold in her last race, at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 1982roaring home in the 400 metresthe stadium roared even as the nation came to a standstill. Raelene, a beloved figure, who had been denied gold in the previous two Olympics at the hands of East Germans (say no more), had at least and at last the perfect finish to her career. And who has been organised to present the medal at such an emotion-charged, proud, national moment? Why, none other than Betty Cuthbert!