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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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