Clarrie Grimmett

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someblokecalleddave

someblokecalleddave

Well-Known Member
Clarrie Grimmett

I reckon we should have a thread in honour of the great man himself, so if anyone has got any good links relating to his life, victories and gems of advice post it up here for all to see.

After months of searching I've finally got all three of the books that I'm aware that he wrote -

Tricking the batsman
Getting Wickets
Grimmett on Cricket

If there's more please let us know and the search can start afresh. I'm aware of the flicker books which are out there and going for thousands of pounds, so I'm not after them.

Anyway here's the first link.

Clarrie Grimmett | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

someblokecalleddave;405636 said:
After months of searching I've finally got all three of the books that I'm aware that he wrote -

Tricking the batsman
Getting Wickets
Grimmett on Cricket
Click to expand...

According to this seemingly reliable source it would seem those were the only books he wrote. My copy of "Getting Wickets" came this morning and I've already read it right through! What are the other two like?
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Spiderlounge;405656 said:
According to this seemingly reliable source it would seem those were the only books he wrote. My copy of "Getting Wickets" came this morning and I've already read it right through! What are the other two like?
Click to expand...

Tricking the batsman is a better in depth guide for leg spin bowling. Getting wickets is a bit light on and more for teaching schoolboys.
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

chippyben;405750 said:
I got it photocopied by the National Library of Australia online for $30 to $40 from memory.
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There's a copy going for a decent price in Australia at the minute, but with the postage/shipping costs it's a bit steep if you want it and you're living in the UK.
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Chippy no worries, I myself got a copy here in the UK a couple of days ago, but cheers for the offer. All those that I've seen though so far have been paper backs, has anyone seen Tricking the Batsman in a hardback?

Here's the two that are to be found easily http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?bt.x=0&bt.y=0&sts=t&tn=tricking+the+batsman one of them is in your neck of the woods.

I've just noticed that one of these is a first edition and seems to be published by RM Osbourne, whereas the copy I've got is a 1934 version published by Hodder and Stoughton. So I'm assuming that the ones that we'll pick up here in the UK are the Hodder and Stoughton version?

Tricking+the+Batsman+UK+version+paper-back+1934.jpg
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Here's all three of them, all published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton. The Aussie versions seem to be published earlier and by a different publishing house and might even go by different titles. I think Macca had said the Aussie version of 'Getting Wickets' is titled 'Taking Wickets'?
Clarrie+Grimmett.jpg
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Here's one of my favourite Grimmett links THE VIC GRIMMETT STORY

Its about his son, Victor Grimmett DFC. He flew in the air war over Europe and went on to become a pro photographer. He must be an old man now. Not even sure if he is still alive but there is email there.
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

macca;406021 said:
Here's one of my favourite Grimmett links THE VIC GRIMMETT STORY

Its about his son, Victor Grimmett DFC. He flew in the air war over Europe and went on to become a pro photographer. He must be an old man now. Not even sure if he is still alive but there is email there.
Click to expand...


Watch those hit No.s (2922) go up now and for this to be in the top 10 results in Google for Grimmett searches in the next few weeks.
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

someblokecalleddave;405802 said:
Here's all three of them, all published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton. The Aussie versions seem to be published earlier and by a different publishing house and might even go by different titles. I think Macca had said the Aussie version of 'Getting Wickets' is titled 'Taking Wickets'?
Clarrie+Grimmett.jpg
Click to expand...
Where did you find his Getting Wickets book? I couldn't find it anywhere online :(
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Jesus it's difficult to find on-line and I honestly think that this forum and the wrist spinning forum has generated an increase in interest about this book that the price is going up because of the demand. You just have to keep looking around - it turns up on Amazon, ebay, but more on 'Antique book websites' and you have to keep going back to them and checking them out.
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

I've now got both "Getting Wickets" and "Grimmett on Cricket". The latter seems to be a more comprehensive and thorough version of the former, with some added information about flippers and other topics like wicketkeeping and captaincy. I'm already looking for "Tricking the Batsman", saw one on sale in the UK for £250 but I'm not that desperate. If anyone sees a copy on sale anywhere please let me know.

Just in case anyone was wondering, the copyright on these books doesn't seem to run out until May 2030... (the author's life plus 50 years)

To answer Teesra's question, I found "Getting Wickets" on Amazon.co.uk (there seems to be two for sale at the mo) and "Grimmett on Cricket" at cricket books and memorabilia
 
Re: Clarrie Grimmett

Spiderlounge;408373 said:
I've now got both "Getting Wickets" and "Grimmett on Cricket". The latter seems to be a more comprehensive and thorough version of the former, with some added information about flippers and other topics like wicketkeeping and captaincy. I'm already looking for "Tricking the Batsman", saw one on sale in the UK for £250 but I'm not that desperate. If anyone sees a copy on sale anywhere please let me know.

Just in case anyone was wondering, the copyright on these books doesn't seem to run out until May 2030... (the author's life plus 50 years)

To answer Teesra's question, I found "Getting Wickets" on Amazon.co.uk (there seems to be two for sale at the mo) and "Grimmett on Cricket" at cricket books and memorabilia
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link mate. Pretty good price for such a rare book! You can buy the Tricking the Batsman book here:

Tricking the Batsman: The Technique of Bowling: Grimmett, CV - AbeBooks - Pioneer Books
 
I'm currently re-writing my Leg Spin blog (See link below) with shed loads more content and hopefully more images and video clips, most of which I'll be re-shooting. As part of the research for it I've been reading Grimmetts 'Getting Wicket's which I must admit I read at haste first time round whilst reading Philpotts "Art of Wrist Spin Bowling".

In 'Getting Wickets' Grimmett only explains the Leg Break, Top Spinner and the Wrong Un and then goes on to explain how he uses the Flipper Click technique to spin the ball in four directions Off, Leg, Top and Back-spinner as a demonstration. He then says that he demonstrates the variations of the break through the differing positions of the wrist across a distance of 8 - 10 yards, finishing with the comment -

"This method of spinning the ball is particularly hard to apply to practical use, and I would not advise anyone to attempt it, the main difficulty lying in the propelling of the ball the full distance, and spinning it as it leaves the hand".

So it seems that in 1930 he was using the Flipper in demo's across short distances and fully understood, that using the Flipper click he was able to affect four variations.

It is possible, however to bowl a leg-break with a Googly action in this way (Wrong Wrong un), and a Off-break with a Leg-Break action (Off-spinning Flipper).

These observations follow up a more detailed description of the wrist position in conjunction with Off/Leg/Top and back-spinning Flippers.

None of the other chapters suggest that they've got any further content where he describes The Slider, he seems to omit the Slider completely and doesn't discuss spinning the ball back into the body as Philpottt does to effect he Slider and the Big Leg Break. In fact Grimmett only describes the Leg Break in terms of its variation through the scope of being bowled with 90 degrees from the Top-Spinner through to the Leg Break bowled at 90 degrees to the direction of flight. Seemingly either holding back with info on a back-spinner and its potential for producing an even bigger Leg Break.
 
did Grimmett even have a back spinner though? he famously stated that the back spinning flipper had no purpose, so why would he use a zooter variation if that was his opinion?
 
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