Doug Ring

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Doug Ring
Australia
Personal information
Full name	Douglas Thomas Ring
Born	14 October 1918(1918-10-14)
	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Died	23 June 2003 (aged 84)
	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Role	Specialist bowler
Batting style	Right-hand
Bowling style	Right-arm wrist spin
Test debut (cap 181)	6 February 1948: v India
Last Test	25 June 1953: v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1938–1953	Victoria
Career statistics
	Tests	FC
Matches	13	129
Runs scored	426	3418
Batting average	22.42	23.25
100s/50s	0/4	1/20
Top score	67	145
Balls bowled	3024	27956
Wickets	35	451
Bowling average	37.28	28.48
5 wickets in innings	2	21
10 wickets in match	0	2
Best bowling	6/72	7/88
Catches/stumpings	5/0	93/0
As of 29 February 2008 Source: [[1]]

Douglas Thomas Ring (14 October 1918 — 23 June 2003) was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953.

Born in Hobart, Ring later moved to Victoria and attended Melbourne High School.^[1] After playing schoolboy cricket, he played the final matches the 1935/36 season with the first grade side at the Prarhan Club. He batted, and bowled right-arm leg breaks. He topped the Victorian Cricket Association's second-grade bowling averages and joined the Richmond first grade team. In 1938, after five matches with Richmond, he was selected for Victoria.^[2]

Ring (r) and Bill Johnston (l) leave the field after their unbroken last wicket stand guides Australia to victory at the MCG over the West Indies in 1951-52.

Prior to the Second World War, the Australian captain Don Bradman said of Ring, "If I were picking an Australian XI to go to England now, one of the first men on my list would be Doug Ring".^[1] The war was to interrupt Ring's first-class career during which he served with an anti-aircraft regiment in New Guinea. During his miliatry service he injured his back, displacing a disc. The injury would flare up from time to time, especially in cold weather and affect his length.^[1]

He made his test début against India in the 1946/47 test series, in the Fifth Test at Melbourne.^[2]

The 55-over new ball rule limited his effectiveness.^[2]

He joined The Invincibles in The Ashes in 1948 for a single Test match, at The Oval. He returned to tour England in 1953. In the series against the West Indies at home in 1951/53 he batted 65, 67 and 32 n.o. In the first test of the South African series at home in 1952/53 he made his best bowling figures of 6/72.^[2]

Outside cricket, Ring was employed by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries from 1946 to 1982 where his supervisor was Les Menzies, brother of Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies.^[1] In 1958, he entered the media as a cricket commentator on Melbourne radio station 3DB. In 1961, he moved to television where he was a much loved presented of the HSV-7 program World of Sport.^[1] Ring had three children with his wife Lesley. He died in Melbourne on June 23, 2003.^[2]

[edit] Style

Ring was a large man, 6 feet (183 cm) tall, and with his large hands he was able to impart plenty of spin on the ball, although he was not eager to flight the ball especially in English conditions. As a batsman, he was good enough to be considered a genuine all-rounder however his habit playing the ball in the air prevented from scoring more runs.^[3] Ring never brought himself a bat, choosing to rely on a bat he borrowed from the Victorian Cricket Association practice kit.^[1]

[edit] References

v • d • e Australia squad - "The Invincibles" 1 Sid Barnes • 2 Don Bradman (c) • 3 Bill Brown • 4 Ron Hamence • 5 Neil Harvey • 6 Lindsay Hassett (vc) • 7 Ian Johnson  • 8 Bill Johnston • 9 Ray Lindwall • 10 Sam Loxton • 11 Colin McCool • 12 Keith Miller • 13 Arthur Morris  • 14 Doug Ring • 15 Ron Saggers (wk) • 16 Don Tallon (wk) • 17 Ernie Toshack • Coach: Keith Johnson

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