Australia's shocking loss to Eastern Canada here in 1975 followed a night when the tourists were tricked into partying hard, recalls a senior cricket official
Dennis Lillee (left), Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell (right) were a part of the 1975 Australian team that lost to Canada
Toronto: Australia's shocking loss to Eastern Canada here in 1975 followed a night when the tourists were tricked into partying hard, recalls a senior cricket official.
Dennis Lillee (left), Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell (right) were a part of the 1975 Australian team that lost to Canada
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Howard Petrook, Chairman of cricket of the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club (TCSCC), says the team boasting the Chappell brothers, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh to name a few, were made to party the whole night on the eve of the match in the summer of 1975.
Party time
"We convinced them they should not stay in a hotel and and instead they were put up in an adjacent house and brought mattresses. We kept on giving them refreshments the whole night as the party continued till morning," said Petrook fondly remembering the incident.
"We had the priority for the Aussies and ensured that our guys go to bed early. We partied with the Australians the whole night and the next day we beat them at cricket," he said.
The trick was quite successful as the next morning the Aussies, who had stopped by in Toronto on their way to the first Prudential World Cup in 1975 in England, were bundled out for 159 with Jitu Patel and Roy Callender taking four wickets each.
Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh topped the Aussie batting with 55 while Greg Chappell scored 20. Ontario batsman Franklyn Dennis scored a valiant 57 not out against an Aussie attack of Lillie, Alan Hurst and Max Walker as Eastern Canada responded with 161/5 for the historic win.
"(Ian) Chappell still talks about it when he comes here. He was a commentator during the Sahara Cup and he visits here often. It was a famous day in Canadian cricket when we beat Australia," Petrook added.
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