Doug Ring

Leg-spinner with Bradman's Invincibles

Douglas Thomas Ring, cricketer: born Hobart, Tasmania 14 October 1918; married (three children); died Melbourne, Victoria 23 June 2003.

And then there were seven. Only a few weeks after the death of Ernie Toshack another of Donald Bradman's 1948 touring team to England, the world-famous Invincibles, the leg-spinner Doug Ring, died on Monday. Like Toshack, Ring was content to be a supporting bowler to the all-star cast of Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Bill Johnston and was none the less respected for it, wherever cricket was played.

Ring was described by one notable pundit as "a happy philosopher" - possibly the only temperamental life style suitable for leg-break bowlers. Those who take this heart-taxing form of art too seriously tend to become suicidal. Success can depend upon so many uncontrollable factors which, when associated with the high levels of skill required, and difficult to sustain, make a performance a sometimes terrifying prospect; appearing to bowl before a full house at Lord's, in Sydney or Calcutta, bowling legbreaks and googlies, requires the kind of nerve and confidence worthy of a Maria Callas or a Darcey Bussell. Doug Ring could accept being hit all over the field, believing that sooner or later he would bowl the ball that would totally confound the batsman.

He was born in Hobart, at the end of the First World War, but emerged in 1938 as a 20-year-old to bowl spin and to bat, in not always orthodox but certainly vigorous fashion, for Victoria. He was among that astonishing generation of Australian cricketers that emerged in the war period when the Southern Cross gave the impression that but for the Second World War they would have been capable of fielding not one but two teams capable of taking on the rest of the world. Just how close and bonded that world was is shown by the pupil records at Melbourne High School where Bill Woodfull, a former Australian captain, was headmaster and where Ring and Keith Miller are listed.

As a demonstration of Australia's strength at that time it is only necessary to record that seven new names were included in the first post-war Test, against New Zealand at Wellington in March 1946 (a match not accorded Test match status until 1948). Bill O'Reilly was still the premier spinner but that team also included Colin McCool, another leg-spinner, and Toshack, as well as Ian Johnson, Miller, Ray Lindwall and the wicketkeeper Don Tallon, all to become Invincibles two years later.

When England arrived in November 1946 with Wally Hammond's team, Australia included four possible spinners, McCool, Johnson, Toshack and George Tribe, in the team for the first Test. By the third Test another leg- spinner had appeared, from South Australia, Bruce Dooland.

Bradman was in a unique position as a Test captain, being able to choose from three or four leg- spinners of the highest class. The following year India made their first tour of Australia, bringing the débuts first of Bill Johnston and then, in the fifth Test, alongside Sam Loxton, came Ring. It was a happy start, for Australia won by an innings and 177 at Melbourne with Ring returning match figures of 6-120 off 41 overs, Bradman giving him the greatest workload.

While this performance brought Ring a place in the team for England he found that his role was that of playing against the counties (touring teams then attracted full houses wherever they played) in order to rest the Test attack and he did not win a place until the fifth Test at the Oval when Australia had already won the series 3-0 with a match drawn. He did not get a bowl in the first innings (England dismissed for 52) but took 1-44 in his 28 overs in the second.

He was remembered in the shires, taking 60 wickets. Peter West asked, perceptively, "Was this the greatest Australian team?" and went on to compare the methods of the two leg-spinners: "Ring, a cheerful soul, was quicker through the air than McCool, his variation was clever, his quicker one extremely quick."

McCool replaced Ring for the tour of South Africa in 1949-50 and, when Australia returned to face England, Freddie Brown's team, Australia had unearthed yet another prodigious spinner, the mysterious Jack Iverson - leaving Ring to wait again until 1951-52, when he found himself compared to West Indies' renowned spinners Sonny Ramadhin and Alfie Valentine.

Ring's match figures, in a victory in the first Test by three wickets, justified his recall, 8-132 off 30 overs. He held his place through the series, his tail-end batting improving his credentials.

He was back in England in 1953, this time playing in only the second Test, the selectors preferring his fellow Victorian leg-spinner Jack Hill, but again Ring did his job in the country, taking 68 tour wickets. He was also under challenge that summer from an ambitious young spinner named Richie Benaud, while unwanted, and beavering away in English county or league cricket, were McCool, Tribe and Dooland.

In all Doug Ring played in 13 Tests and in 67 matches for Victoria. As a batsman he showed both dash and ingenuity. Facing New South Wales he was assailed by bouncers from a young, fiery fast left-arm bowler, Alan Walker. "Hold on there," called Arthur Morris, the NSW captain. "No bumpers at tailenders, only at recognised batsmen." Ring kept quiet. He was 88 not out.

Ring's seven living 1948 comrades are Bill Brown, Ron Hamence, Neil Harvey, Bill Johnston, Sam Loxton, Keith Miller and Arthur Morris.

Derek Hodgson