For a fast bowler whose career ended when he was only 23, Geoff Griffin left an indelible impression on Test cricket. He was the first South African to take a Test hat-trick, at Lord’s in 1960, but his exultation was ruined by being repeatedly no-balled for throwing in that match and in an exhibition contest which followed on the same ground. Attempting to finish an over by bowling underarm, he was called again for not informing the umpire of a change of action. Although he tried to straighten his arm, the authorities were not satisfied.
Griffin suffered an accident in his youth which meant he could not bowl without bending his elbow. He was unfortunate also to play at a time when there was much debate over “chucking”, chiefly concerning Australians.
As the Lord’s Test ended early, England and South Africa staged an exhibition for the benefit of the crowd, only for Griffin to be no-balled again. “We didn’t take the warning seriously,” he recalled years later. “It sounded so preposterous to use an exhibition match to do the dirty on me.” He remained on the tour, playing as a specialist batsman, but his career never recovered.
He played only two Tests. In the first, at Edgbaston on the same tour, his action was not challenged, but in other matches against county opposition he was called for throwing 13 times by six umpires. At Lord’s the umpires who cautioned him were Frank Lee and Syd Buller, one of the most famous officials in the game. He was also no-balled for dragging his back foot over the crease at the point of delivery. The South African Cricket Board decided that Griffin should not bowl again on the tour but did not send him home.
Hence Griffin became something of a martyr in the eyes of spectators and was given standing ovations on all grounds on which he batted for the remainder of the tour. A good-natured and popular person, he was widely praised for the way he took this setback. He was contacted by a lawyer who offered to take the matter to court, free of charge. “You’ll win hands down and end up a wealthy young man,” he said. But Griffin declined. “I loved cricket too much to sully the great game further,” he reflected later.
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Complaints about Geoffrey Merton Griffin’s action were rumbling well before he arrived in England at the age of 20. A fine all-round athlete, he had played hockey for Rhodesia as well as holding titles in Natal for high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault. He also played under-19 rugby for Natal. He was no-balled for throwing twice in provincial matches in South Africa in the 1959-60 season, when he finished top of the domestic averages with 35 wickets at an average of 12.23. Remedial work under the eye of Alf Gover in his indoor cricket school in South London failed to modify his action satisfactorily and, although opinion throughout the game was that he threw almost every ball he bowled, there was much sympathy for his public disgrace.
The MCC had promised to exclude from the game all bowlers whose actions were considered suspect. Many felt that the relatively unknown Griffin had been singled out by the authorities, who were determined to show that throwing would not be tolerated. The fear was that a row would erupt if Australia brought several suspect bowlers to England in 1961, and hence Griffin was repeatedly no-balled to emphasise that umpires were prepared, if necessary, to act. If so, it worked. Australia omitted all their fast bowlers whose actions had caused such rancour in 1958-59. “I was the victim of a thoroughly distasteful ‘chucking’ conspiracy,” Griffin said this year. “I was the fall guy. I attribute the blame to the South African cricket authorities and MCC, who should never have allowed things to develop as they did.”
Griffin’s hat-trick at Lord’s was all the more praiseworthy for being achieved in such circumstances. He had already been no-balled six times during the second day when he came back for a last spell and had Mike Smith caught by South Africa’s wicketkeeper and bowled Peter Walker and Fred Trueman with the first two balls of his next over.
After he returned home, he moved from Natal to Rhodesia, but within two years his career was over after he was repeatedly no-balled when playing against North-Eastern Transvaal at Salisbury.
In retirement Griffin played club cricket and worked as a coach and for SA Breweries as a hotel manager. He was married twice. In all first-class cricket he took 108 wickets at an average of 21.51 and scored 890 runs at 17.90. In his two Tests he took eight wickets and made 25 runs.
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Geoff Griffin, cricketer, was born on June 12, 1939. He died on November 16, 2006, aged 67