Ron Saggers With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - Early Tour

Early Tour

Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice team in the tour opener, which was customarily against Worcestershire. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. Tallon scored six, made five dismissals and conceded 11 byes as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs.

Tallon was then rested and Saggers took his place for the next county match against Leicestershire. Saggers scored six, took a catch in each innings and conceded only six byes as Australia won by an innings. Saggers was then rested for the next two matches, against Yorkshire and Surrey. Australia scraped home by four wickets in the former and won by an innings in the latter. Tallon batted steadily with 10, 17 not out and 50 not out, but conceded 35 byes while taking two catches. Tallon was having difficulty with the bounce and movement of the ball in English conditions, and sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a Ray Lindwall bouncer on a misty morning during the Surrey match. He was hit after placing his hand over his face for protection, and the ball ran away for four byes.

While Tallon nursed a bruised finger, Saggers played in three successive tour matches. Against Cambridge University, he made two stumpings and took one catch, and was not required to bat as Australia won by an innings. He then played in the match against Essex where Australia scored 721 runs on the first day to set a new world record for the most runs scored in a day of first-class cricket. Saggers made his highest first-class score, 104 not out—the only first-class century of his career—in a partnership of 166 runs in 65 minutes of batting with Sam Loxton. This made him the fourth century-maker for the innings after Bill Brown, Bradman and Loxton. Of Saggers's innings, former Test batsman Jack Fingleton said that "he reminded me at times of Alan Kippax in his artistry. He plays all the strokes." Saggers took one catch as Australia won by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin of the season.

He then faced Oxford University, scoring six runs and taking one catch in another innings victory. Saggers conceded six, eight and 14 byes respectively in the three matches. Up to this point, Saggers had conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-

The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who went on to represent England in the Tests,N- and were basically a full-strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance for players from both countries to gain a psychological advantage ahead of the Test matches, and Tallon was selected ahead of Saggers despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the opening tour matches. Saggers looked on as Tallon conceded 26 byes and Australia won by an innings.

There were four more county fixtures before the First Test, against Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Sussex. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter pair by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Saggers played in all but the Nottinghamshire match. Against Lancashire, Saggers came in at 6/145 and held up his end, making an unbeaten 22 as Australia reached 204. He then completed a stumping and conceded 11 byes as the hosts replied with 182 before the rain-affected match ended in a draw. Saggers went without a dismissal and conceded 16 byes as Hampshire made 195 in their first innings. He came to the crease with Australia having scored 98 runs for the loss of seven wickets (7/98) and was last man out for 17, one of only four players to pass five, as Australia made 117 and conceded a first innings lead for the first time in the season. He then completed another stumping in the second innings and conceded four byes as Australia recovered to win by eight wickets. Saggers' final opportunity to stake a claim for Test selection was in the match against Sussex. He did not concede a bye and took a catch in the first innings. Saggers was not required to bat as Australia declared their innings closed at 5/549, and then made three more dismissals and conceded five byes as Australia won by an innings.