# Cricket Captains' Walk

The Cricket Captains' Walk is a collection of specially commissioned bronze busts of Test captains of the Australian men’s national cricket team, arrayed on pedestals on the outside of a rectangular path set in a large public park in Cootamundra, New South Wales. The all-weather path, which starts and ends at Wallendoon Street is wheelchair friendly, and approximately 150 metres around.

## History

The Walk was planned and executed by the Cootamundra Shire Council (now Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council) with the approval of the Australian Cricket Board (now Cricket Australia).
* Stage 1, unveiled on 30 August 1998, comprised the likenesses of Unaarrimin (Johnny Mullagh), Dave Gregory, Bill Murdoch, Arthur Morris, Richie Benaud, Bobby Simpson, Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, Allan Border and Mark Taylor. Modelling of these busts was performed by Carl Valerius, sculptor and stone mason of Harden–Murrumburrah, perhaps best known for his bronze statues at the Australian Light Horse Memorial in Harden–Murrumburrah, notably the horse "Bill the Bastard", of which the full size version is now installed at Harden-Murrumburrah.
The nearby statue by Valerius (shown below) of Bradman in action was unveiled during the celebrations for "Sir Don"'s 92nd Birthday in August 2000. A minor mystery surrounds the Brian Booth sculpture, similar in style to others by Valerius, but not credited in the official documentation. There is no obvious clue in the plaques, which have remained uniform in style and execution over 30 years.
* Stage 2, comprising the remaining 30 captains, was unveiled by the sculptor Tom Bass on 27 August 2008, the centenary of Bradman's birth barely a kilometre away. Much of this work was performed by Bass and his team. His bust of Bradman was unveiled by the cricketer's grandson, Tom Bradman.
* Stage 3, unveiled on 12 March 2020, brought the walk up-to-date with the unveiling of three new busts - Shane Watson, Steve Smith and Tim Paine and a plaque for Michael Clarke, who was mid-career when the second tranche of busts was commissioned. All three were made by the Tom Bass sculpture studio.
In 2023 the pedestals were relocated to a more formal arrangement with the Bradman statue as a focal point.

## The busts

* For a more complete summary of each captaincy, see List of Australia national cricket captains.
| Name | Specialty | Tests as Captain | Artist | Notes |
| Johnny Mullagh, traditional name Unaarrimin or Unaarrimmim | | Led Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868 | Carl Valerius | Sponsored by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission |
| Dave Gregory | | 3 Tests 1876–77 1878–79 | Carl Valerius | Sponsored by Goldenfields Water County Council |
| Billy Murdoch | RH batsman | 16 Tests 1880–1890 | Carl Valerius | Murdoch was a practising solicitor in Cootamundra in 1880s. Sponsored by Australia Post |
| Tom Horan | RH batsman Bowler | 2 Tests 1884–85 | Robert Pratten | |
| Hugh Massie | RH batsman | 1 Test 1884–85 | Bernice Lowe | |
| Jack Blackham | Wicketkeeper RH batsman | 8 Tests 1884–85 1891–92 1893 1894–95 | Karen Alexander | |
| Tup Scott | RH batsman Bowler | 3 Tests 1886 | Damien Lucas | |
| Percy McDonnell | RH batsman | 6 Tests 1886–87 | Wendy Black | |
| George Giffen | RH batsman Bowler | 4 Tests 1894–95 | Michael Christie & Sue Alexopoulos | |
| Harry Trott | RH batsman Bowler | 8 Tests 1896 1897–98 | Damien Lucas | |
| Joe Darling | LH batsman | 21 Tests 1901–02 1902 1902–03 1905 | Lea Ferris | |
| Hugh Trumble | RH batsman Bowler | 2 Tests 1901–02 | Sue Alexopoulos | |
| Monty Noble | RH batsman Bowler | 15 Tests 1903–04 1907–08 1909 | Carol Crawford | |
| Clem Hill | LH batsman | 10 Tests 1910–11 | Bernice Lowe | |
| Syd Gregory | RH batsman | 6 Tests 1912 | Michael Christie | |
| Warwick Armstrong | RH batsman Bowler | 10 Tests 1920–21 | Christine Crimmins | |
| Herbie Collins | RH batsman | 11 Tests 1921–22 1924–25 1926 | BJ (Beomjin) Kim | |
| Warren Bardsley | LH batsman | 2 Tests 1926 | Peter Bartlett | |
| Jack Ryder | RH batsman Bowler | 5 Tests 1928–29 | Julieanne Mahony | |
| Bill Woodfull | RH batsman | 25 Tests 1930 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1934 | Virginia Lloyd–Tait | |
| Vic Richardson | RH batsman Slips fieldsman | 5 Tests 1935–36 | Robert Pratten | |
| Don Bradman | RH batsman | 24 Tests 1936–37 1938 1946–47 1947–48 1948 | Tom Bass | |
| Bill Brown | RH opening batsman | 1 Test 1945–46 | Karen Alexander | |
| Lindsay Hassett | RH batsman Bowler | 24 Tests 1951–52 1952–53 1953 | Petrena Shaw | |
| Arthur Morris | LH batsman | 2 Tests 1951–52 1954–55 | Carl Valerius | |
| Ian Johnson | RH batsman Bowler | 17 Tests 1954–55 1956 1956–57 | Janet Coyne | |
| Ray Lindwall | RH Bowler Lower-order batsman | 1 Test 1956–57 | Michael Christie | |
| Ian Craig | RH batsman | 5 Tests 1957–58 | Peter Bartlett | |
| Richie Benaud | RH batsman Leg spin bowler | 28 Tests 1958–1964 | Carl Valerius | |
| Neil Harvey | LH batsman Cover fieldsman | 1 Test 1961 | Bernice Lowe | |
| Bob Simpson | RH opening batsman Leg spin bowler Slips fieldsman | 39 Tests 1963–1978 | Carl Valerius | |
| Brian Booth | RH batsman | 2 Tests 1965–1966 | | |
| Bill Lawry | LH opening batsman | 25 Tests 1967–1971 | Carl Valerius | Sponsored by the City of Darebin, Victoria, who have a replica in their council chambers. |
| Barry Jarman | RH batsman Wicketkeeper | 1 Test 1968 | Carol Crawford | |
| Ian Chappell | RH top-order batsman Slips fieldsman | 30 Tests 1970–1975 | Carl Valerius | |
| Greg Chappell | RH batsman Bowler Fieldsman | 48 Tests 1975–1983 | Carl Valerius | |
| Graham Yallop | LH top-order batsman | 7 Tests 1978–1979 | Damien Lucas | |
| Kim Hughes | RH batsman | 28 Tests 1978–1984 | Wendy Black | |
| Allan Border | LH batsman Bowler Fieldsman | 93 Tests 1984–1994 | Carl Valerius | |
| Mark Taylor | LH batsman Slips fieldsman | 50 Tests 1994–1999 | Carl Valerius | Sponsored by Pat Kerin, Cootamundra cricketing aficionado |
| Steve Waugh | RH batsman Bowler | 57 Tests 1999–2004 | Carl Valerius | |
| Adam Gilchrist | LH batsman Wicketkeeper | 6 Tests 2000–2004 | Sue Alexopoulos | |
| Ricky Ponting | RH batsman | 77 Tests 2003–2010 | Wendy Black | |
| Michael Clarke | RH batsman Slips fieldsman | 47 Tests 2011–2015 | Christine Crimmins | |
| Shane Watson | RH batsman Fast bowler | 1 Test 2013 | Wendy Black | |
| Steve Smith | RH batsman Slips fieldsman | 34 Tests 2014–2018 | Monika Scarrabelotti | |
| Tim Paine | RH batsman Wicketkeeper | 19 Tests 2018–2021 | Christine Crimmins | |
| Pat Cummins | Right Arm fast bowler | 2021– | | |

## Gallery

* List of Test Captains at the MCG
* History of Cricket Captains' Walk
* Info on Cricket Captains' Walk
* Don Bradman statue nearby
* Carl Valerius and Bill the Bastard