28 Facts About Chuck Fleetwood-Smith

Leslie O'Brien "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith has the unwanted record of conceding the most runs by a bowler in a Test match innings.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was ambidextrous and could bowl with either arm during his youth.

The third child of Fleetwood Smith and his wife Frances, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was born at Stawell in the Northern Grampians area of western Victoria.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith came to the attention of cricket clubs in Melbourne while representing the league in a Country Week tournament.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith became a regular in the club's First XI during his second season and in one match claimed 16 wickets for 82 runs against Carlton, prompting his selection for the Victorian second team.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith led the first-class bowling averages for Victoria and capped the season by playing in St Kilda's premiership team.

However, in Ironmonger, Bill O'Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett, the Australian team possessed a strong spin bowling attack and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith needed to supplant one of the trio to gain selection.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith guided the Melbourne club to the premiership in the district competition with seven wickets in the final against Collingwood.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith played the next two Tests, but injured his hand while fielding his own bowling in a tour match against Border.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith attended Xavier with O'Brien, while McCabe and O'Reilly were raised as Catholics in rural New South Wales; at least two of the administrators present were members of Masonic lodges.

However, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's presence is puzzling as he missed the first two Tests, to which the administrators specifically referred.

Greg Growden, his biographer, records that Chuck Fleetwood-Smith had an unlikely friendship with Bradman, which later cooled after an unknown disagreement not associated with this incident.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith took four wickets in England's first innings of the fourth Test at Adelaide.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith claimed four wickets to leave him second to Bill O'Reilly.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith conceded a world record of 298 runs in his 87 overs, for the wicket of Wally Hammond.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith captured five wickets in an innings 31 times, 10 times going on to capture ten wickets in a match, both records for Victoria.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith did not bother with varying his pace or flight: the only concession he made to tactical considerations was a signal to the wicket-keeper, to let him know which of the three variations he was about to deliver.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was famed for his eccentric nature on the field.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith would sing, whistle, practice his golf swing, imitate birds such as magpies and kookaburras, pretend to catch imaginary butterflies, and shout encouragement for his favourite football team, Port Melbourne.

On 28 February 1935, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith married Mary "Mollie" Elliott at St Mary's Catholic Church in East St Kilda.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's family was well known in Melbourne for owning a prosperous soft-drink business; her father was an alderman of the city.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith had a reputation as a ladies' man who traded on his resemblance to the actor Clark Gable, and his infidelities after his marriage were not discreet.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith joined the Elliotts' business as a sales representative, which brought him into daily contact with the pub trade and increased his alcohol consumption.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was involved in a collision with a nightcart when driving a borrowed army vehicle and the matter ended in court where he was ordered to pay costs.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith had lost his job with the Elliotts' company during the war.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith married Beatrix Collins at a registry office on 9 July 1948.

Chuck Fleetwood-Smith worked intermittently at menial jobs and his drinking increased; his second marriage failed.