#nickname

2 incidents tagged

Charlie Macartney — 'The Governor-General' of 1920s Cricket

Australia and English county opposition

1926-07-15

From 1921 onward, the Sydney crowds called Charlie Macartney 'The Governor-General' for the way he batted as if owning the ground. The nickname stuck across cricket and was the source of dozens of contemporary one-liners — including his much-quoted aside to a slip fielder before destroying him for six.

#charlie-macartney#australia#nickname

⭐Mild

'The Demon' — How Spofforth Got His Nickname, 1878

Australia vs MCC

1878-05-27

Fred Spofforth's nickname 'The Demon' was coined on the afternoon of 27 May 1878. After clean-bowling W.G. Grace for 4 at Lord's, Spofforth — according to teammate Tom Horan — leapt two feet in the air at the wicket and in the dressing-room afterwards repeated the phrase 'Ain't I a demon?' A Vanity Fair cartoon by 'Spy' fixed the name in print within months.

#fred-spofforth#demon-bowler#nickname