Solving the leg-theory problem
Cartoon by John Frith
The Bulletin, February 1933
Reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia
John Frith also produced cartoons for the ‘Sporting Notions’ section of The Bulletin. The popular sports of the 1930s provided a sense of escape for Australians caught in the grip of the Depression. Sports later became a regular feature of Frith’s cartoons as he employed sporting metaphors to capture the political manoeuvres of the day.
During the summer of 1932-33, Frith produced cartoons about the ‘Bodyline’ cricket series between England and Australia. English captain Douglas Jardine instructed his fast bowlers to pitch their deliveries short, in a manner intended to hit the batsmen or dismiss them as they tried to avoid getting hit.
In 1933 the Australian Cricket Board cabled the Marleybone Cricket Club (MCC) warning that unless this “unsportsmanlike” bowling was stopped it was “likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England”. After the MCC rejected the cable, Frith came up with a few suggestions as to how the Australians might handle the situation.
