Chappell's Last Stand

by Michael Sexton

Swashbuckling and fearless, Ian Chappell epitomised Australian cricket in the 1970s. When he gave up the Test captaincy, he set out to salvage south Australian pride.

Chappell's Last Stand zooms in on what was supposed to be the mercurial cricketer's last year as a player, when he went to war with administrators and took his state side from wooden spoon ignominy to shield glory.

Described in vivid detail by ABC journalist Michael Sexton, Chappell's Last Stand investigates an astounding year of cricket from the perspectives of those who witnessed it first-hand. Illustrating the tenacity and cricketing genius of Ian Chappell, it provides unique insight into the rivalries, talents and tensions of a pivotal time in the sport, when the revolution of World Series Cricket was looming.

Featuring interviews with the greats from the era - Ian and Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, the late Terry Jenner and David Hookes, Rod Marsh, Jeff Thomson, Ashley Mallett and many more.

Genres: Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[John Mcpheat · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best cricket books I've ever read. It tells the story of South Australia's quest to win the 1975-76 Sheffield Shield - led by Ian Chappell in his last season of first class cricket (before his Kerry Packer inspired comeback).

Admittedly I'm a South Australian and the 75-76 season was the one when, as a 6-year-old, I really started to take an interest in cricket. So it's the sort of book that is always going to appeal to me. But it is superb. Every match is set in the context of the season, the greater world of cricket and the events of the time. The players themselves tell their own stories, whether in new interviews done for the book or in the case of the much missed David Hookes, in historic interviews he gave the author.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am probably the ideal reader for this book by Sexton, in that I was an avid Australian cricket fan in the mid 1970s who idolised Ashley Mallett and other players of that time. I still argue (admittedly through the rose-tinted of nostalgia) that the 1975-76 season was probably the best in Australian cricket that I saw, and this book does a wonderful job in recreating the key events of the time through its focus on Ian Chappell and the South Australian Sheffield Shield team. As a niche book on a specific time and team in Australian sporting history 'Chappell's Last Stand' is highly readable and does what it supposed to do.

Taking Ian Chappell as the key figure of the narrative is sensible, and Sexton reminds the reader of how important the ex-Australian captain was both in terms of the game of cricket on the field during his career, but perhaps more importantly his role as a leader of and advocate for his team mates. I was not exactly a fan of World Series Cricket when it arrived in 1977/78, yet I am happy to revise my opinions of the so-called Packer Revolution due to reading books like this. The manner in which Chappell is shown by Sexton to inspire and deserve the respect of his team mates whilst trying to imprint his philosophy on the game and do whatever he can for his 'boys' when dealing with administrators underlines Chappell's great character. Even though the book is nominally about the South Australian cricket team winning the 1974/75 Sheffield Shield, it is also a highly individual story.

I was also very happy to read about some of my childhood heroes, including the likes of Ashley Mallett, Wayne Prior, David Hookes, Terry Jenner, Rodney Hogg and Rick Darling. Sexton (re)introduces the reader to some fascinating characters, whether they be greats of Australian cricket or more anonymous first class foot sloggers. Perhaps Sexton could've done more with some of the players he looks at, along the lines of Barry Nicholl's book 'The Establishment Boys'. However I was very pleased to see that the 1974/75 SA first class team was give its due.

'Chappell's Last Stand' is far from perfect, in part because Sexton relies on a lot of oral history that is at times a bit uneven in its application, unsure as to its attribution. He also has to conflate his prime narrative about the South Australian team with plenty of coverage of the contemporary tour by the West Indian test team. Having said that its understandable to include such a key moment in then Australian (and world) cricket.

I picked up two faults that annoyed me as a pedant, insofar at one point Sexton talks about Jeff Thomson. The author is happy to talk about Thommo's sporting excellence both as a paceman but in other areas such as surfing and rugby league. However he makes no mention at all about JT's soccer career. Considering Thomson himself has talked about how important football was to him, it is disappointing to see such bias or ignorance from the author.

Also, in the epilogue Sexton talks of the WSC careers of players like Wayne Prior and Dennis Yagmich, however he fails to say anything about Ashley Mallett's time in 'Packer's Circus', including the bad injury he received in a Cavalier's Game when he was hit in the head by a fast bouncer. I know this is a minor issue, but if one is to write with any authority about a subject what you leave out or ignore is a reflection on said authority.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this book to cricket tragics, especially those who grew up with the game in the 1970s. 'Chappell's Last Stand' is an enjoyable, easy read that definitely adds to the huge corpus of Australian cricket literature.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Great memories for me, as this was early in my cricket following. Ian Chappell was (and still is) a fantastic leader.

[Wayne's · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book that tells the story of Ian Chappell immediately before World series Cricket

[Marco Trevisiol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally uninspired as a read; biggest strength is the detailed rundowns of South Australia's matches that summer which give a great taste of what the season was like.