Don Meets the Babe
The 1932 Australian Cricket Tour of North America
By Ric Sissons
January 1995
J.W. McKenzie
ISBN: 9780947821111
Distributed by Trans-Atlantic Publications
125 pages, Illustrated
$30.00 Hardcover
Fifty-one matches in more than 20 towns and cities, over 76 days in June, July and August 1932 with only 12 players, a round-trip of almost 10,000 kilometres, and all for a fee of 100 pounds. This was Arthur Mailey's 1932 Australian tour of North America.
The Canadian promoters insistede on only one condition the party must include Don Bradman.
Don Bradman topped the batting averages. In 51 innings he scored 3777 runs at an average of 102.1. He compiled 18 centuries including two double centuries.
The party also included other gifted strokemakers in Alan Kippax, Stan McCabe, Victor Richardson and Dick Nutt. One young player selected who Mailey felt was blessed with special talent was Leslie Fleetwood-Smith. Besides Mailey, another veteran who made the trip was wicketkeeper Hanson Carter.
One of the social highlights of the tour was being entertained by the legendary Babe Ruth in his private box at a Yankees game. So the Babe and the Don, the two greatest hitters of a moving ball in the history of sport met.