Bill Ponsford (1900–1991) was an Australian cricketer, the only player
to twice break the world record for the highest individual score in
first-class cricket. Predominantly playing as an opening batsman, he
formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for
Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and
national captain. Aside from Brian Lara, he is the only man to score
400 runs in an innings on two occasions. Ponsford holds the Australian
record for a partnership in Test cricket, set in 1934 in combination
with Don Bradman—the man who broke many of Ponsford's other individual
records. Despite being heavily built, Ponsford was quick on his feet
and renowned as one of the finest ever players of spin bowling. His
bat, much heavier than the norm and nicknamed "Big Bertha", allowed him
to drive powerfully and he possessed a strong cut shot. However,
critics questioned his ability against fast bowling, and the hostile
short-pitched English bowling in the Bodyline series of 1932–33 was a
contributing factor in his early retirement from cricket a year and a
half later.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ponsford>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1741:
War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia defeated Austria at the Battle
of Mollwitz in present-day Małujowice, Poland, cementing Prussian King
Frederick II's authority over the newly conquered territory of Silesia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mollwitz>
1815:
Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent volcanic
eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora>
1925:
The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby>
1941:
World War II: The Independent State of Croatia was established, with
Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić as head of the puppet government of the Axis
powers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante_Paveli%C4%87>
1971:
In an attempt to thaw Sino-American relations, members of the American
Table Tennis Team entered the People's Republic of China for a weeklong
visit.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_Pong_Diplomacy>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
turtle (v):
1. To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
2. To turn and swim upside down.
3. To hunt in the water
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turtle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is well that there is no one without a fault; for he would not have
a friend in the world.
--William Hazlitt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Hazlitt>