OTTO ERNEST NOTHLING...HE PLAYED ONE TEST BUT HE DID NOT REPLACE BRADMAN.

Max Bonnell (in Golden Blues, 2014, pp 142-147) has written definitively about Otto Nothling (SUCC 1st Grade cap no186, Australian cap no127, Wallaby no170) and has corrected the often-repeated myth that Nothling once replaced Don Bradman in the Australian Test side.

Nothling had played for SUCC from 1921 until 1926 while studying Medicine in Sydney as, at the time, there was no Medical Faculty in Queensland.

EARLY LIFE

He had been born in Teutoburg near Maleny, Queensland, the sixth of eight children born to Carl Martin Nothling (1863-1936), a stonemason whose family had fled to Australia from Germany (the Kingdom of Prussia) during the 1870 Franco-Prussian war of 1870, and Marie Wilhelmine (nee Teisch) 1868-1939. Teutoburg was the destination for German immigrants at the time but has been known as 'Witta' since 1916 when many German place-names were changed.

Otto was the recipient of a scholarship which enabled him to transfer from Wombye State School to Brisbane Grammar School. At nearly 190 centimetres in height, he was already an imposing figure, a champion athlete, a Rugby full back, a free-scoring batsman and a damaging fast bowler. In 1921 he travelled south to reside at St Andrew's College while studying Medicine and representing the University in rugby, athletics and cricket.

SYDNEY

He came to Sydney without reputation, presumably because no one knew him or had not heard of his ability, and made  his 1st Grade debut with SUCC in 1921-22 after some games in the lower grades (where he averaged 6.3 with the ball in 1920-21 in 2nd Grade and 133.3 with the bat in 2nds in 1921-22). He quickly established himself, initially as a batsman who scored a blistering 124 in that first season. He followed that with four more seasons when his bowling was irresistible and his batting was explosive.

After graduating MB ChM in 1926, he returned to Queensland and, for the next two seasons, he became a fixture in the Queensland cricket side, having previously played five times for NSW.

PATHWAY TO THE TEST TEAM

Dr Nothling's selection in  the Australian side for the 2nd Test against England at the SCG in December 1928 came about as a result of his own good early-season form, injuries to two Australian fast bowlers, and the need to make changes to the side that had been beaten by 675 runs in the 1st Test in Brisbane. Unlike the first two SUCC players to play just one Test, Rowley Pope and Reginald Allen, Nothling was not playing for SUCC at the time of his Test debut, and he earned his selection with substantial performances in 1st class cricket rather than just happening to be available, as Pope and Allen had been.

In October 1928, Nothling's batting and bowling for 'The Rest' in the 'Test Trial' when he scored 62 not out in 61 minutes, and took the wickets of established Test player, Bill Woodfull and Tommy Andrews, put his name in the selectors' considerations.

In November, he played for the Australian XI against Percy Chapman's touring MCC side at the SCG, he took three wickets and remained 29 not out inj the 2nd innings.

Later that month, when Queensland played the  MCC side in Brisbane, his 5 for 78 from 28 overs again caught the eye, especially as his five victims were all established players: Herbert Sutcliffe, Wally Hammond (for a duck), Ernest Tyldesley, Percy Chapman and Les Ames.

Two weeks after Australia's disastrous  performance in the first Test ever played in Brisbane, it was clear that both injured opening bowlers, Charlie Kelleway and Jack Gregory, would need to be replaced. Indeed, both had played their last Test. Further, 20 year old Don Bradman , who had scored only 18 and 1 on debut, would be relegated to 12th man for the only time in his Test career. The selectors replaced Bradman with another batsman, Vic Richardson. Kelleway was replaced by 46 year old off-spinner, Don Blackie, who joined another 46 year old, Bert Ironmonger. Gregory was replaced by Nothling. The all-rounder Nothling DID NOT replace the batsman Bradman.

FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER 1928

On the first day, Australia batted all day to be a respectable 8 for 251 at stumps although Bill Ponsford, having fractured his left hand, was unlikely to bat again. Bradman would be pressed into service in the field when England batted. Nothling, batting at no7, scored only 8 before he was bowled by Larwood.

SATURDAY 15 DECEMBER

Before a crowd of 58,446, a record for Sydney, England batted cautiously after Australia was dismissed early in the first session when Larwood had Ironmonger caught.  Nothling, opening the bowling, was accurate and miserly but wicketless as England set about occupying the crease before bad light stopped play.

MONDAY 17 DECEMBER

After the day of rest, England ground the Australians down, keeping them in the field while the Englishmen took their total to 5 for 420 with Hammond 201 not out and Larwood 37 not out.

TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER

In this 'timeless Test', England went on to amass 636. Hammond, who was to score a record 905 runs in the series, was finally bowled by Ironmonger for 251. The ancient spinners, Ironmonger and Blackie, with a combined age of 92, sent down 127 overs between them and took 6 for 290. Nothling spent another day in the field, wicketless.

WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER

In a vastly improved batting display, Bill Woodfull and 'Stork' Hendry scored centuries and, at 4 for 339 at stumps, there may have been hopes for Australia to set England a total enough for the three Australian spinners (Ironmonger, Blackie and the relatively youthful 36 year old Clarrie Grimmett) to use the wearing surface. Jack Ryder and Nothling had constructed a partnership that had already yielded 93.

THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER

On the sixth day of play, Nothling and Ryder took their partnership to 101 in only 67 minutes before Ryder was Larwood's only wicket for the innings. The last 5 wickets fell for 58. Posford was unable to bat because of his broken hand. Only Nothling stood secure. His 44 included 6 fours and occupied 98 minutes before he was run out by a raking throw from Patsy Hendren. England won comfortably. Nothling had appeared on the Test field for the last time. With the bat, he had looked as though he belonged there. The former Australian captain, MA Noble, considered that "the athletic Queenslander played a fine fighting knock." It was his lack of success with the ball, however,  that told against him when the 3rd Test team to play in Melbourne was chosen. In Sydney, he had bowled 46 overs for the match without a wicket.

THE THIRD TEST...NO NOTHLING

21 year old Ted A'Beckett, making his Test debut, replaced Nothling. 37 year old Queenslander Ron Oxenham, also making his debut, came in for the 46 year old Ironmonger (who was to be recalled for the 'Bodyline' series for years later when, as has since been revealed, he was 50 years old.) Bradman was restored for the still-injured Ponsford and rewarded the selectors with innings of 79 and 112, ensuring his selection for the rest of the series. He was never dropped again.

SHEFFIELD SHIELD

Nothling went back to play the rest of the season with Queensland. He struck a rich vein of form with the bat: 47 vs South Australia, 121 vs NSW, 56 vs Victoria, 50 vs South Australia.

In 21 1st class games, his respectable returns, 882 runs @24.5 and 36 wickets @41.1, were not enough to warrant a recall to the Test side.

EPILOGUE

Otto Nothling led a full life.

He played what are now acknowledged as 19 Test Matches for the Wallabies between 1921 and 1924 as a safe full back. He is one of only two (the other is Johnnie Taylor, also of SUCC) to have represented Australia in Rugby and cricket.

He practised Medicine in Dubbo and Maryborough. In December 1929, a year after his only Test, he took 10 for 16 in an innings in a club match for Maryborough against Gayndoh. He eventually specialised in dermatology. As Major Nothling, he served in World War II as a medical officer in Greece and Crete before being invalided home.

A gregarious character and a loyal friend, he was much respected as President of the Queensland Cricket Association until his death in 1965.

Among all those glittering achievements, he will always be numbered among the 71 Australian players and 23 SUCC players to have played just one Test.

But...he did not replace Bradman in the Test side. That is a good story but it's not correct!

He replaced the distinguished Jack Gregory who played his 24th and final Test the game before Otto Nothling played his one and only.

JAMES RODGERS