William Maldon Woodfull was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s.
148 Facts About Bill Woodfull
2.
Bill Woodfull was not a flamboyant player, but was known for his calm, unruffled style and his reliability in difficult situations.
3.
Bill Woodfull's opening pairing with fellow Victorian Bill Ponsford for both his state and Australia remains one of the most successful in history.
4.
Bill Woodfull started playing cricket from a young age without distinction.
5.
Bill Woodfull made his professional debut in Melbourne's district competition staying until the age of 19.
6.
Bill Woodfull made eight centuries during the tour and topped the Australian averages and was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
7.
Bill Woodfull carried his bat in a record-breaking first Test defeat.
8.
Bill Woodfull reluctantly became captain in 1930 when Ryder was dropped, and his team was derided as the worst Australian squad to tour England.
9.
The Australian public and cricket community abhorred the tactic, but Bill Woodfull refused to retaliate or complain publicly.
10.
Bill Woodfull was felled by a blow to the heart, almost provoking a riot.
11.
In 1934, Bill Woodfull led the Australians back to England for a tour that was to mend relations after assurances had been given that bodyline would not be repeated.
12.
Bill Woodfull retired after the tour; his family claimed that the bodyline controversy had sapped his passion for cricket.
13.
Bill Woodfull batted in a manner which had little aesthetic pleasure or grace, with Wisden describing stating that "at first sight, he gave the impression of being clumsy".
14.
Bill Woodfull was known for playing with a straight bat and a close watch on the ball, which were the core features of a strong defensive ability.
15.
Bill Woodfull typically took block on leg stump and shuffled across to cover his stumps.
16.
Bill Woodfull was known for his reliability in crisis match situations, leading to epithets such as "The Rock" and "Old Steadfast".
17.
Oldfield said that Bill Woodfull was a psychologist and humanitarian in addition to a captain.
18.
Bill Woodfull added that "Woodfull's unrivalled selflessness won fidelity bordering on devotion".
19.
Australian cricket writer Jack Pollard said that "Bill Woodfull had the habit of being where things were tough, and he brought rare dignity to the Australian captaincy".
20.
Bill Woodfull reminded me of a master who gets the whole school to and from a picnic without losing his reason or a boy.
21.
Bill Woodfull was known for his gentlemanly nature and his adherence to the spirit of the game.
22.
Bill Woodfull led his team in an understated way, preferring to give broad objectives to his players and trusting them to choose their own methods to fulfil the task at hand.
23.
At the time, Australian society at large was divided along Catholic-Protestant lines, and while O'Reilly and McCabe were full of praise for Bill Woodfull, they were later accused of leading a Catholic revolt against the leadership of the Protestant Bradman during a divisive period in the late-1930s.
24.
Bill Woodfull would buy drinks for his players, and ask administrators to provide more alcohol for his teammates when they were exhausted.
25.
At the time, cricketers widely regarded beer as a highly effective means of rehydration, and on one occasion Bill Woodfull threatened to halt play when administrators refused his players more ale on the grounds that they had already consumed their quota.
26.
Bill Woodfull once refused to play an interstate match that was scheduled for Christmas Day.
27.
Bill Woodfull's father installed a net in the backyard and taught him the emphasis on defensive technique and patience that were to become his hallmark.
28.
Bill Woodfull attended Melbourne High School and his early career was unremarkable.
29.
Bill Woodfull made his district cricket debut in 1916 for Essendon, at the age of 19, but did not distinguish himself.
30.
Bill Woodfull played no further cricket at the level before he gained his qualification as a schoolteacher in 1919.
31.
Bill Woodfull batted at No 8 and made an unbeaten 22.
32.
Batting at No 7 in his second match against Western Australia, Bill Woodfull registered his maiden first-class century with 153.
33.
Bill Woodfull was run out in his second and final innings of his debut first-class season, so he was yet to be dismissed by a bowler.
34.
Bill Woodfull made 47 in the first innings before being dismissed by Test leg spinner Arthur Mailey.
35.
Bill Woodfull then made an unbeaten 84 to steer his team to a seven-wicket victory.
36.
Bill Woodfull showed a liking for the South Australian bowlers, scoring 0,115,123 and 94 not out as Victoria won both of their matches against the aforementioned team.
37.
Bill Woodfull ended his first full season with 598 runs at 74.75.
38.
Bill Woodfull scored fifties in each of the four other matches, three of which were won.
39.
Bill Woodfull ended the Australian season with 494 runs at 61.75.
40.
Bill Woodfull was nevertheless omitted for selection in the Tests against the touring England team.
41.
Bill Woodfull scored 212 not out against Canterbury, before scoring 110,50 and 150 against New Zealand without being dismissed at all.
42.
Bill Woodfull ended the tour with 706 runs at 176.50.
43.
In one two-year period, Bill Woodfull's defence was so solid that he was never bowled.
44.
The selectors were interested in Bill Woodfull and selected him for an Australian XI to play the Rest of Australia in a Test trial.
45.
Bill Woodfull made 11 and 42 as The Rest upset the Australian XI.
46.
Bill Woodfull scored 126 in the next match, but was unable to stop an innings defeat to New South Wales for the second time in the season.
47.
Bill Woodfull scored 148 and 64 as the Australians defeated Tasmania by an innings in consecutive matches before sailing for England.
48.
Bill Woodfull ended the Australian season with 890 runs at 63.57.
49.
Bill Woodfull's effort was the only double century by an Australian during the tour.
50.
Bill Woodfull added 69 against the South of England and 100 against Middlesex and entered the Tests with 653 runs on tour at an average of 59.36.
51.
Bill Woodfull failed to make an impression in the second Test at Lord's, scoring 13 and a duck in another drawn match.
52.
Bill Woodfull then regained his form, striking 102 not out in an innings win over Nottinghamshire.
53.
Bill Woodfull then established himself as a Test opener in the third Test at Headingley, where Australia were sent in to bat on a sticky wicket with erratic bounce.
54.
Macartney launched a vicious counterattack and became the second Australian to score a Test century before lunch on the opening day; this bold play helped Bill Woodfull to settle in and the Australians to seize the initiative on a bowler-friendly surface.
55.
Bill Woodfull could manage only 35 and a duck as Australia lost the Test by 289 runs and thus the Ashes.
56.
Bill Woodfull made 133 and the Victorians won by an innings and 656 runs.
57.
Bill Woodfull ended the season by scoring 140 and 29 not out as the Australian XI defeated The Rest by seven wickets.
58.
Bill Woodfull scored two further fifties and ended the season with 483 runs at 69.00 in five matches.
59.
Bill Woodfull then toured Malaya and Singapore with Bert Oldfield's team during the off-season, scoring three centuries; none of the matches were first-class.
60.
Bill Woodfull scored 99 and 191 not out in a victory over New South Wales, before adding 106 in an innings triumph over South Australia.
61.
Bill Woodfull rounded off the season with 94 and 81 not out in a draw in the return match against New South Wales.
62.
Bill Woodfull ended the Australian campaign with 645 runs at 129.00.
63.
Bill Woodfull recorded his career best score of 284, compiled in five and a half hours of batting, during a brief tour to New Zealand as part of an Australian XI at the end of the season.
64.
Bill Woodfull added 184 for the first wicket with Ponsford and 218 for the fourth with Karl Schneider.
65.
Bill Woodfull scored centuries in the first two matches before adding fifties in the next two.
66.
Bill Woodfull ended the first-class matches with 781 runs at 130.16.
67.
Bill Woodfull prepared for the Tests with an unbeaten 67 for Victoria in a drawn tour match against Percy Chapman's touring Englishmen.
68.
Bill Woodfull played his first Test on Australian soil in the first Test at Brisbane.
69.
Bill Woodfull made a duck in the first innings as Australia fell for 122 to concede a 411-run first innings lead.
70.
Bill Woodfull carried his bat to make an unbeaten 30 as Australia were skittled for 66 on a sticky wicket in Brisbane in the first Test to lose by a record 675 runs.
71.
Bill Woodfull then made 68 to top-score in the first innings of the second Test in Sydney.
72.
Bill Woodfull then scored his first Test century in Australia, with 111 in the second innings to force the tourists to bat again.
73.
Bill Woodfull made only one and 30 as Australia fell short by 12 runs in the fourth Test in Adelaide, but ended the season on a high.
74.
The teams returned to Melbourne for the fifth Test, where Bill Woodfull scored 102 and 35 in front of his home crowd as Australia won by five wickets.
75.
Bill Woodfull ended the entire season with 854 runs at 85.40.
76.
Bill Woodfull was forced to retired hurt and recovered just in time for the warm-up matches against Tasmania before the national team headed to England.
77.
Bill Woodfull had scored 231 runs at 77.00 in five matches during the season.
78.
At first, Bill Woodfull was reluctant to accept the job, feeling that it rightfully belonged to Ryder.
79.
When he was informed that Ryder was not even touring, Bill Woodfull only agreed after a ballot was organised.
80.
Bill Woodfull had limited leadership experience and in his brief captaincy duties had been the first captain to declare his team's second innings in Shield history.
81.
The tour started with a match against Worcestershire, with Bill Woodfull scoring a century and Don Bradman making 236* in 275 minutes.
82.
Bill Woodfull added 54 in a win over Essex and scored 121 a drawn match against Yorkshire, the dominant county of the era with many leading Test players.
83.
Bill Woodfull then added consecutive fifties in draws against the MCC and Surrey.
84.
Bill Woodfull set the tone with an opening stand of 162 with fellow Victorian Ponsford in the second Test at Lord's.
85.
Ponsford was dismissed immediately after the teams had an audience with King George V Woodfull then made a 231-run stand with Bradman in only two and a half hours and reached 155.
86.
Bill Woodfull was unbeaten on 26 in the second innings as Australia reached 72 to complete a seven-wicket triumph.
87.
Bill Woodfull then won the toss for the first time and contributed 50 to a stand of 192 with Bradman in the third Test at Headingley.
88.
Bill Woodfull scored 54 as the fourth Test was rained out before the second innings.
89.
The Times commented that "No praise is too high for Bill Woodfull" and commended the Australian captain's encouragement of his young team.
90.
Ahead of the Tests, Victoria defeated the tourists by an innings and 254, but Bill Woodfull was unable to score any runs against his Test opponents, making a duck.
91.
Bill Woodfull was uncomfortable batting out of position, scoring six, 58 and 17 in the first three Tests.
92.
Bill Woodfull batted only once in each Test, as Australia easily won the first Test by ten wickets, and the next two by an innings.
93.
Bill Woodfull was restored to the top of the order for the fourth Test in Melbourne after Jackson's illness became too much, forcing the young batsman to withdraw from competition.
94.
Bill Woodfull struck 83 run out as Australia took a third consecutive innings victory.
95.
Bill Woodfull then scored his first century for the season, making 177 and 27 not out in a state match against South Australia.
96.
However, Australia's winning run came to an end with a 30-run loss in the fifth Test, with Bill Woodfull scoring 22 and 18.
97.
Bill Woodfull ended the summer with 477 runs at 47.70.
98.
Bill Woodfull started the season by scoring 121 and leading his state to an 88-run win over the tourists ahead of the Tests.
99.
Bill Woodfull then managed only 32 and nine as Victoria narrowly lost to South Australia by 21 runs.
100.
Bill Woodfull scored 74 and 58 as Australia took innings victories in the first two Tests over the South Africans in Brisbane and Sydney.
101.
Bill Woodfull then scored 147 to script a three-wicket win over arch-rivals New South Wales, after Victoria had been forced to chase 434 for victory.
102.
Bill Woodfull scored only seven in the first innings, as Australia made only 198 and South Africa took a 160-run lead.
103.
Bill Woodfull then compiled his Test best of 161 in the second innings, adding 274 in partnership with Bradman in only three hours, to help Australia make 554 and set up a 169-run win.
104.
Bill Woodfull continued his run with 82 and 37 not out in the fourth Test, which was won by ten wickets.
105.
Bill Woodfull had an opportunity to inflict more blows on the tourists as Victoria played them for the second time ahead of the final Test.
106.
Bill Woodfull opened for the entire series, and returned his best ever series figures of 421 at 70.17, second only to Bradman.
107.
Bill Woodfull ended the season with 849 runs at 65.31.
108.
Once the issue was resolved, and practice stopped, Bill Woodfull refused to discuss the matter, fearing that it would disturb the peace.
109.
Bill Woodfull started the season strongly, scoring 74 and 83 in a loss to New South Wales in the second match of the summer, but was confronted by Jardine's Englishmen.
110.
Bill Woodfull made five and 25 as England crushed Victoria by an innings.
111.
The match was drawn and Bill Woodfull struggled, making 18 and a duck.
112.
Australia lost heavily by ten wickets in the first Test at Sydney, when the bodyline spearhead, Harold Larwood, took ten wickets, while Bill Woodfull managed only seven and a duck.
113.
Bill Woodfull battled it out for 89 minutes, collecting more bruises before Allen bowled him for 22.
114.
Bill Woodfull had remained calm in public, refusing to complain about Jardine's tactics.
115.
Now Bill Woodfull was as fine a man as ever went to wicket And the bruises on his body that day showed that he could stick it But to this day he's still quoted and only he could wear it 'There are two sides out there today and only one of them's playing cricket'.
116.
Bill Woodfull was joined by Bradman, who played in an unorthodox counterattacking method, before being dismissed for 66.
117.
Bill Woodfull continued on to score an unbeaten 73, carrying his bat as his teammates capitulated around him.
118.
Bill Woodfull made scores of 67,19,14 and 67 in the final two Tests, which Australia lost by six and eight wickets respectively.
119.
Larwood stood stationary at the wicket and bowled without a run-up, but Bill Woodfull refused to take advantage of the injured bowler.
120.
Bill Woodfull blocked the five remaining deliveries back down the wicket towards Larwood and refused to take a run.
121.
Amid the high drama of the season, Bill Woodfull's struggles spread beyond the Test arena; he scored only 297 runs at 33.00 in matches outside the Tests.
122.
Bill Woodfull scored 118 in a one-off match between his XI and Richardson's XI, which ended in a draw.
123.
Bill Woodfull then scored 129 in the run-chase as The Rest of Australia narrowly defeated New South Wales by two wickets.
124.
Bill Woodfull scored fifties in both interstate matches against New South Wales and added consecutive centuries for the national team against Tasmania before departing for his final tour of England.
125.
Bill Woodfull ended the season with 818 runs at 62.92, returning to form after the tumult of the previous summer.
126.
In 1934, having been reappointed to a position on the selection panel, Bill Woodfull led Australia back to England on a tour that had been under a cloud after the tempestuous cricket diplomacy of the previous bodyline series.
127.
Australia led by 106 on the first innings and although Bill Woodfull was so concerned with batting England out of the match that he declared with less than five hours remaining on the final day, his men went on to win by 238 runs, albeit with only ten minutes of play remaining.
128.
Bill Woodfull made 22 as Australia replied to England's 440 with 284.
129.
The hosts enforced the follow on as rain breathed life into the pitch, and Bill Woodfull made 43 as Australia were all out for 118 in an innings defeat.
130.
Bill Woodfull then scored 73 run out, his only fifty in the Tests, as Australia made 491 and ceded a 136-run lead in the third Test at Old Trafford.
131.
Bill Woodfull made a duck in the fourth Test at Headingley, but another Bradman triple century put them in control before rain shortened the match; England still needed 155 runs to make Australia bat again with only four wickets in hand when the match ended.
132.
Bill Woodfull told the Nottinghamshire administrators that, if Voce's leg side bowling was repeated, his men would leave the field and return to London.
133.
Bill Woodfull further said that Australia would not return to the county in future.
134.
Bill Woodfull scored 49 as Australia amassed 701 in the timeless match.
135.
England replied with 321, and Bill Woodfull made 13 in his final Test innings.
136.
Bill Woodfull scored 1,268 runs at 52.83 during the tour with three centuries.
137.
Bill Woodfull's tally of 25 Tests as captain was a world record and remained unsurpassed for a quarter of a century.
138.
Bill Woodfull was criticised by Robinson for his relatively defensive captaincy, tending to bat opponents out of the match instead of going directly for victory from the off.
139.
Bill Woodfull relied on O'Reilly and Grimmett, using only three specialist bowlers as he sought to reinforce the batting line-up.
140.
When Bill Woodfull was captaining Australia, Hammond only averaged half as much as he did when another player was captaining Australia.
141.
Bill Woodfull retired immediately after the tour and was awarded a joint testimonial with Ponsford on his return to Victoria.
142.
Bill Woodfull then took his only wicket at first-class level in the second innings and his team reached the target of 280 with seven wickets in hand without him having to bat.
143.
In early 1935, Bill Woodfull lost his position as the Victorian delegate on the national selection panel after being defeated by William Johnson in a vote.
144.
Outside cricket, Bill Woodfull spent several years as headmaster at Box Hill High School then had a successful career as a mathematics teacher at Melbourne High School, and was headmaster for six years.
145.
Bill Woodfull was known for his stern discipline throughout his career.
146.
Bill Woodfull married Gwen King, whom he met while singing in the choir at his father's church in Albert Park, and they married after Bill Woodfull's return from the England tour in 1926.
147.
Bill Woodfull always considered his contributions to education more important than anything he ever did on the cricket field, and declined the honour.
148.
Bill Woodfull was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2001, one of the first 15 inductees.