One of a Kind: The Doug Walters Story

by Ashley Mallett

From the moment he first stepped onto a test pitch, cricket fans around the world were dazzled by Doug Walters' red-blooded strokes, his immaculate timing, and his great enjoyment of the game. But they also loved him because he refused to be a star. He drank, he smoked, he loved a punt. The boy from Dungog was one of us. In One of a Kind, the man many regard to be one of Australia's greatest batsmen ever talks frankly with Ashley Mallett about his years in cricket, his successes, and his slumps. He doesn't hold back on his thoughts about the game's administration, the pampering of modern day players, and selection decisions. And he makes some bold predictions about the future of the game. Doug Walters thrilled the nation with his batting. This is his story.

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ashley Mallett was a former South Australian and Australian off-spinner. He played in 39 Test matches and nine One-day Internationals between 1968 and 1980.

In 91 first-class matches for South Australia he took 390 wickets at an average of 24.44, second only to Clarrie Grimmett. In 183 first-class games he claimed 693 wickets at 26.27. He was Australia's most successful off spin bowler since Hugh Trumble, who played for Australia between 1890 and 1904.

He took 8-59 at the Adelaide Oval against Pakistan in 1972-73, the best Test performance in the 20th century at that ground.

Since retiring from cricket he has been a successful coach and has written 26 books, mostly on cricket. One of his non-cricketing books is 'The Boys from St Francis, Stories of the remarkable Aboriginal activists, artists and athletes who grew up in one seaside home'.

Reviews

[Alayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been a far more interesting book had it not been overly full of cricket statistics - for every game in which Doug Walters ever played, all the runs and wickets were listed. If you are not a cricket tragic, just interested in finding out about Doug Walters' life, this is not really the book for you. It is about Doug Walters the cricketer - his personal life is barely mentioned. A passing reference to his father's death, his marriage and the births of his children made me feel as if these were the least important parts of his life, when I'm sure that's not the case. Only recommended if you absolutely live and love cricket!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mentioned previously my childhood idolisation for the late Australian test cricketer Ashley Mallett, as seen in my review for his autobiography Spin Out , and one of the reasons why he became my hero was that he was part of one of the best Australian teams to ever play. Those who pulled under the baggy green under the captaincy of Ian Chappell, such as Rod Marsh, Dennis Lille, Max Walker, Jeff Thomson and Mallett himself were not just some of the best exponents of their respective roles in the game, they were characters; larger than life men who came to define so much about what it meant to be Australian in the 1970s. And one of the key members of this band was Doug Walters; a dashing and exciting cricketer who also loved a beer, a bet and a smoke. In One of a Kind: The Doug Walters Story Mallett does an excellent job of reminding those of us who saw Dougie play cricket how great he was on the pitch, and how his wry and funny he has been over the years.

The best thing about this biography is that Mallett brings an intimacy to his subject, revealing plenty of anecdotes and yarns about Walters, whilst also letting Dougie speak for himself. From his childhood up near Dungog in the Hunter region of NSW, through his playing career, time in the army (the only Australian test player to be conscripted during the 1960s), his adult relationships, his first class cricket career and his retirement, Walter's life is given an enjoyable and interesting coverage by his old team mate. Mallett writes ebulliently and intelligently about Walters and the reader is left with no doubt as to what a good bloke and great cricketer he has been over the years.

Mallett might be accused of writing a very biased account of Walters, but surely that isn't a sin in that anyone who picks up this book will very quickly realise the close links between the two men, and thus understand why 'Rowdy' is so positive about 'Freddie'. To be fair to Mallett and to Walters there is some discussion of flaws in Walters' technique when playing in England, so it isn't all hagiography. Yet One of a Kind won't satisfy those who want a truly objective biography (if such a things exists). This is a celebration of Walters, of Australian cricket in the 1970s, and a way of life that has long gone.

So who will want to read this book? Anyone who loves cricket should have a look at One of a Kind, especially if you are, like me, a fan of the players and games that were played in the 1970s. Aside from that audience I don't expect this book will appeal to other readers. That is of course part of the burden of such a biography; Walters, like so many sports personalities, has a relatively limited presence in our popular consciousness aside from what they did on the sporting field, so that is where the attention of the reader will gravitate.

One of a Kind is written in a fairly easy conversational prose, and Mallett peppers his narrative with plenty of enjoyable anecdotes and memories. There are some reasonably detailed accounts of specific matches, and in the process the author sometimes gets bogged down in statistics that aren't really that interesting aside from the meaing a cricket tragic may take from them. The considerable amount of quotes, derived from interviews with Walters' friends and colleagues make doubly sure of Mallett's conversational style, and one won't have much trouble reading his work.

I enjoyed One of a Kind more because of what and who it was about, and what Mallett brought to his account of Doug Walters' life and career. This isn't a great book, but it is enjoyable and evokes great memories...much like Dougie himself.

[Srinivas Veeraraghavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a lifetime Cricket connoisseur and bibliophile; the '70's era in Australian Cricket is endlessly enthralling for yours truly and fortunately, the era is incredibly well documented.

This is another eminently readable piece by 'Rowdy' but the hagiographical account of a much loved Ozzie hero starts to grate after a while. But what the hell, 3 stars it is!!!!

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Walters will forever be remembered for his "batting genius hat-trick" - a century vs. the World XI before lunch, a hundred between lunch and tea vs. the West Indies, and another between tea and stumps vs England. The last one came up with a 6 off Willis of the last ball of the session! What a player.