1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – First Innings
The Duke, a chronic insomaniac had a supply of sleeping pills so powerful that the average recipient would remain oblivious to nuclear attack. In the name of England, Barrington was determined to get his hands on them. "Damn you, Barrington" roared the Duke, "I had only just got to sleep myself." Then, relenting, he said "All right, come and get them". In the same moment that Barrington's hand replaced the receiver his head hit the pillow and he fell into exhausted unconsciousness. The Duke waited and waited. He was still awake when dawn exploded into dazzling sunshine and it was time to get up.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – First Innings
Alan Davidson came down from the pavilion end like a man possessed and bowled with great pace, far more than his controlled fast-medium. David Sheppard was caught in front of the wicket lbw for 0, Ted Dexter's off-stump was missed by a coat of varnish and Geoff Pullar was bowled through the gate. Colin Cowdrey came in at 19/2, but with bags of confidence after hitting 307 (with 4 sixes and 29 fours) against South Australia, his highest first-class score and the best by a tourist in Australia.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – First Innings
Together Dexter and Cowdrey withstood Davidson's burst of speed, the other bowlers failed to trouble them and by stealing quick ones, twos and threes they rebuilt the innings. Occasionally Dexter would strike out and at the end of a long, hot day he gave Bobby Simpson a catch of Benaud (1/82) and was out for 93, his third missed century in three innings. The stand had made 175 runs and the unluckiest bowler was Norm O'Neill (0/19) who had Cowdrey dropped on 56 and dropped a hard-hit return from Dexter on 89.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – First Innings
Cowdrey ended the day on 94 not out with Ken Barrington on 11, England 210/3 – still 106 runs behind – and the game very much in the balance. They returned the next day and Cowdrey made his third and highest century in Australia, having made 102 in Melbourne in 1954–55 and 100 not out in Sydney in 1958–59. The celebrations were short lived when Cowdrey (113) hooked into the hands of Peter Burge off Garth McKenzie, who then had Barrington (35) was lbw to a ball that cut back.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – First Innings
Tom Graveney might have given England a real lead, but his was run out by a cracking throw from Neil Harvey for 41 and the last 4 wickets fell for 16 runs as Davidson (6/75) returned the clean up the tail; Fred Titmus caught behind, Fred Trueman skying the ball to O'Neill, Brian Statham having his stumps turned over and Len Coldwell edging to Benaud in the gully. Alan Smith was left 6 not out and England were out for 331, a lead of 15 runs when they had looked set for far more, or far worse.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Australia – Second Innings
The irrepressible Trueman made one skid a little to Simpson, and his appeal for l.b.w. echoed round the ground. The umpire was not of the bowler's opinion. Back went Trueman, and his next ball, a lovely yorker, knocked the middle stump out of the ground. This is always a magnificent sight to the onlooker. The batsman does not see it and he naturally feels less elation.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Australia – Second Innings
The pitch looked good – apart from the odd ball it played well throughout the match – and Australia had the simple task of batting England out of the match, then getting them out on a wearing wicket. Bill Lawry and Bobby Simpson hit 30 runs in 34 minutes when the top of the innings crashed. Simpson had his middle stump removed by a Fred Trueman yorker and on the next ball Norm O'Neill was snatched in the slips by Colin Cowdrey after the ball had gone past him.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Australia – Second Innings
This was not a novel experience, four years before he had been caught by the same fielder, in the same position, off the same bowler, on the same ground for the same first ball duck. Neil Harvey came in for the hat-trick and drove the ball for two, but went for a fourth run and had his wicket thrown down by Geoff Pullar, Peter Burge was bowled by Brian Statham (2/52) and Australia were 69/4 – only 54 runs ahead. Lawry was dropped off a difficult one handed chance to David Sheppard before stumps and Australia came in with 105/4.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Australia – Second Innings
Lawry (57) and Brian Booth (103) stayed into lunch the next day, the angular Victorian left-hander dominating the strike and made no effort to make runs before his was torpedoed by round-arm Ted Dexter shooter with the last ball of the morning, having made 16 runs in the last two hours. Booth struggled towards his century as Fred Titmus bowled with a leg-side field to cut off his strokes and the off-spinner had Alan Davidson caught by the keeper Alan Smith before Trueman returned with a new-ball spell either side of tea.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Australia – Second Innings
He removed Richie Benaud, Ken Mackay and Garth McKenzie for 6 runs in 15 balls in what David Sheppard called "the finest sustained and accurate fast bowling I have ever seen". Barry Jarman hung around for Booth to both reach his century and to be caught by Trueman off Statham. Australia were all out for 248, leaving England to make 234 to win in just over a day.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
Experienced players like Tom Graveney and Brian Statham sat at the radio with me, eager to know what was happening but far too involved in it to be able to bear seeing each ball being bowled. This does not happen very often in my experience, but in this particular Test, the game swung so constantly from one side's favour to the other's that for those of us who were a living part of it, but not actually on the field at the time, the only way to not become over excited was not to look!


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
Alan Davidson almost had David Sheppard out for a pair in the first over, instead it was Geoff Pullar who was caught in a stunning dive by Barry Jarman off Garth McKenzie's first ball and Ted Dexter came in at 5/1 instead of sending in a nightwatchman. He survived that day and returned with Sheppard needing another 225 runs to win on the fifth day. It rained overnight, but the wicket was well covered and play began on time.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
Sheppard and Dexter settled down for the long haul and apart from McKenzie making the ball lift in the first few overs they were not troubled. Davidson lost his verve and bowled efficiently rather than dangerously. By lunch the Reverend was outscoring his captain, having made 44 off 90 balls to his 41 off 127. After lunch it was more difficult. Benaud dropped Dexter in the gully on 44 and he reached his fourth 50 of the series.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
It was Dexter's sixth successive 50 in Tests, equalling Patsy Hendren's England record; having made 85 and 172 against Pakistan and 70, 99, 93 and 52 against Australia, but he was dismissed by Sheppard, who pushed the pull to cover and set off for a run, leaving a hesitant Dexter to be run out by Benaud. Colin Cowdrey came in at 129/2 and took 30 minutes to score, then edging McKenzie (1/58) knee-high to "the Claw" at second slip, only to see it dropped.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
Sheppard edged a cut from Davidson between Jarman and Simpson at second slip, the keeper leapt at the chance and missed, so spoiling Simpson's line of sight. After this they moved slowly, but surely towards their goal in a stand of 104. Benaud (0/69) lacked control and Sheppard drove him to the boundary to bring up his first century in Australia.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, England – Second Innings
Davidson (0/53) was too exhausted to take the new ball, which was given to Ken Mackay (0/34) and in the end it was divine intervention that gave then their third wicket, Sheppard, who had dropped two catches, been dropped on a pair and run out his captain now took a risky single for the winning run and was run out by Bill Lawry for 113. Ken Barrington came in to stand at the bowler's end while Brian Booth gave Cowdrey (52 not out) the winning run.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Result
The presence in the pulpit of David Sheppard, the centurion of Melbourne, has filled the Anglican cathedral of every state capital from Perth to Brisbane.


1962–63 Ashes series, Second Test – Melbourne, Result
England won the match by 7 wickets to take a 1–0 lead in Australia for the first time since 1936–37. David Sheppard received great praise for his century, Fred Trueman less so for his 8 wickets, much to his disappointment. Trueman now had 227 Test wickets to equal Richie Benaud behind Brian Statham with 234, only two short of Alec Bedser's Test record of 236.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
"It's horses for courses, skipper." I told him. "It's madness to go with three pace bowlers on that pitch. One of us has to be dropped if we are to stand a chance of winning. I'm loyal to my country, drop me if you like, you can always put yourself on as a third seamer if need be." Ted discussed the matter with the other selectors and the decision was to ignore my advice, and play Len, Brian and myself. It was a farce. The pitch didn't have a blade of grass on it and I was reduced to bowling off-cutters, but I couldn't pitch them slow enough to have much effect.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Regardless of the advice of his bowlers Ted Dexter preferred to continue with the successful bowling attack from Melbourne, and may have been swayed by the Australians who dropped Peter Burge and Ken Mackay in favour of debutants Barry Shepherd and Colin Guest. Mackay was a loyal – if dour – servant of Australia and a great man in a crisis, but public opinion was vocal against his stonewalling and he and Burge were unfairly blamed for the defeat at Melbourne.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
The inclusion of the energetic captain of Western Australia pleased the England team, who had tried to play him into the Tests, but kept getting him out. Colin Guest was a fast-medium bowler who was brought in to support Alan Davidson and Garth McKenzie instead of Mackay. That Richie Benaud was content with three pace bowlers and the leg-spin of himself and Bobby Simpson on his home ground signalled that the wicket was not as flat as Trueman thought.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Dexter was never a man to favour spinners and was disinclined to include the out-of-form David Allen or Ray Illingworth in the team. John Murray's neatness behind the stumps was finally recognised and he replaced the much criticised Alan Smith as wicket-keeper. Peter Parfitt was back in the England team as Tom Graveney had picked up a viral infection.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Alan Davidson led their attack in this and other Tests. He had a beautiful action, run-up and delivery and, besides being pretty fast, he made the ball swing into the batsmen very late. Often, our batsmen had to make a hurried stroke against him because they thought it would not swing. Then when they got used to the fact that it did, he would send one down that didn't! But we found that the great thing about Alan was to keep him from getting a wicket in his first four or five overs. If this happened, he was inclined to lose enthusiasm and with it went his fire. Unfortunately for us, this seldom happened.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
England batted after Ted Dexter won the toss and he soon came in as David Sheppard edged the ball off Alan Davidson into the hands of Garth McKenzie. He played a subdued innings against Davidson's swing and McKenzie's lift and added 61 in 79 minutes with Geoff Pullar before he was out cutting Richie Benaud to Bill Lawry at short-leg for 32. He was replaced by the in-form Colin Cowdrey who added another 67 with Pullar who constantly looked like getting out, without doing so.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
He batted over half the day for 53 when he hooked Simpson to Benaud, who took a nice low catch. Ken Barrington and Cowdrey were the most difficult batsmen to dismiss, though Davidson though Dexter was the most difficult to bowl to, and looked set to stay as they took England past 200/3. It was here that the English batting imploded, Cowdrey was caught at the wicket off Simpson for 85, and the part-time spinner had Peter Parfitt was caught by Lawry sitting in his hip-pocket for 0.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Benaud now took the overdue new ball and Davidson (4/54) whipped in a couple of in-swingers to trap first Barrington (35) and then John Murray (0) lbw and England were 221/7. The "Fighting Freds" Titmus (32) and Trueman (32) saw out the day with a stand of 35, despite Titmus being dropped by Barry Jarman and by Brian Booth in the deep, which they took to 52 the next morning when Simpson got Trueman and Brian Statham with successive balls, but missed his hat-trick and Titmus saw his stumps sent cartwheeling by Davidson to end the innings on 279.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Simpson's 5/57 remained his career best Test bowling and Benaud's 1/60 took him to 228 wickets to match Ray Lindwall's Australian record. Another record was the gate, which on the first day produced £12,534 and 5 shillings. The attendance of 54,476 was a new record for a Friday and second only to the Saturday of the Second Test in 1928–29 when over 58,000 people saw called some bloke called Don Bradman serving drinks as 12th man. Bradman was now one of the selectors, as was the Australian captain Jack Ryder.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Whereas the English faster bowlers could bang nothing out of the pitch Titmus held the attack together in an admirably-sustained spell from the Randwick end, floating the ball away with the help of a long-leg wind and turning it at times almost sharply. Looking back I'll make bold and say that if Allen had had the chance of bowling with Titmus in partnership the result could very well have gone the other way.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Australia's first wicket cost England dearly. After 32 dull minutes Bill Lawry edged a chance off Len Coldwell (1/41) which John Murray took just off the grass in a dive that tore his shoulder ligaments. Lawry was out for 8, but Murray had to be taken off the field for medical treatment and Peter Parfitt took over behind the stumps (both he and Tom Graveney, who he replaced, were reserve wicket-keepers for their county). He did a reasonable job, but took no catches and few Test teams expect to do well in these circumstances.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Norm O'Neill had failed in the number three spot so Neil Harvey came in and was missed in the slips by Cowdrey on 2 and lofted a gentle catch off Fred Trueman to David Sheppard at extra-cover on 37. Sheppard "saw it all the way into my hands – and out of them.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
If ever I have wanted that secret trap-door and underground route to the pavilion it was then", Brian Statham shouted "Bad luck", Trueman's comments are unprintable, but are usually translated as "Pretend it's Sunday Reverend, and keep your hands together", Harvey hit 64 runs out of 160 in 170 minutes with only two boundaries in what Johnny Moyes thought was the worse innings of his career.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
He was the first victim of the Cockney off-spinner Fred Titmus (7/79) who in eight overs dismissed Harvey, Bobby Simpson, Norm O'Neill and Brian Booth for 5 runs as Australia slumped from 174/1 to 212/5 by the end of the day. "Most males in the Australian population knew how to hit Titmus out of the attack but the selectors kept filling the Australian XI with the minority who did not", his flighty off-spin down the leg-side shackling the batsmen.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Harvey was bowled, Simpson was caught off a cut by Ken Barrington for his third Test 90 (and the sixteenth first-class 90 of the season), O'Neill was bowled when he started a drive and changed his mind and Booth prodded one to Trueman at short leg. Barry Jarman came in as a nightwatchman, but was run out for a duck first thing in the morning, overbalancing after pushing the ball to David Sheppard at forward short-leg, who threw down the stumps.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Titmus continued his good work, Alan Davidson (15) was caught at short-leg hitting across the line, Richie Benaud (15) was caught and bowled and Garth McKenzie (4) was quickly lbw. Only Barry Shepherd (71 not out) hit out at the bowlers, with 8 fours and a towering six off Titmus, the last scoring stroke of the innings. Brian Statham (1/67) bowled Colin Guest in his only Test innings after a last-wicket stand of 39 and Australia were out for 319, a lead of 40 far behind what was expected or wanted. The wisdom in the press box thought Australia needed to be 150 runs ahead seeing as they would bat last.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
However, it was a superb spell by Alan Davidson with the new ball in England's second innings that turned a hitherto evenly-poised game towards Australia. 'Davo', with his late swing and cut, was a superb bowler at his best, and this was about it ... Soon after lunch on the fourth day it was over, and England had gone – oh, so mildly.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
Alan Davidson (5/25) and Bobby Simpson combined to ruin England's reply. Beginning at medium pace 'Davo' was chopped onto the stumps by an awful looking stroke from Geoff Pullar and tormented Ted Dexter, who played and missed his first four balls. Dexter was out, caught in a superb leaping dive by Simpson off the shoulder of his bat and David Sheppard followed a ball and edged it into Simpson's willing hands. Richie Benaud (1/29) brought himself on before tea and Colin Cowdrey became Simpson's third victim to leave England 37/4.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
Ken Barrington (21) and Peter Parfitt (28) hung until Barrington was bowled by Garth McKenzie (3/26). The England batsmen had now given up making runs and made only 49 from the last 31 overs of the day. Fred Titmus stayed in for 44 minutes for 6 runs until caught by Brian Booth off Norm O'Neill (1/7). John Murray came in with a strapped shoulder and bravely batted out the day to 86/6. He continued the following morning to make 3 not out in 100 minutes with effectively one hand.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
McKenzie and Davidson sportingly bowled straight to the injured keeper and settled the matter at the other end. McKenzie dismissing Pullar, caught by O'Neill, and Trueman, caught behind by Barry Jarman. Davidson clean bowled Brian Statham and had Len Coldwell lbw and England were out for 104. It was their lowest score at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 1901–02 and gave them a lead of only 64.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
Those who saw it will never forget the sight of thousands of small boys invading the ground when yet another two runs were needed. One youngster managed to get away with a stump, but when he realized the position he restored it, while Simpson waved frantically at the pavilion to have another produced.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
There was a 25 minutes delay due to bad light and Fred Trueman (2/20) showed some late fire with the wickets of Bill Lawry and Neil Harvey, but Ted Dexter brought himself on and conceded 27 runs off 26 balls so that the teams would not have to return the next day to finish the game. The last few overs were played in the rain and it rained for most of the fifth day, so England might have drawn the match with a little application. As it was Australia made 67/2 to win by 8 wickets. Bobby Simpson made 34 not out to add to his 91 and 5/57 in the first innings.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Result
There was not one innings that will be remembered in years to come; not even one that left behind pleasant memories after the day was over. This Test will be remembered – if, indeed, it is recalled at all in after years – because the fortunes changed so rapidly and because of the deed of individuals, chiefly the bowlers. Some, but only a few, came out with their reputations enhanced.


1962–63 Ashes series, Third Test – Sydney, Result
Australia won by 8 wickets to even the series 1–1. In the end it was the fast bowlers Davidson and McKenzie who wrecked England's chances, but Dexter's decision to take only one specialist spinner would be long remembered as costing England the Ashes. Fred Titmus (7/79) became the seventh England bowler to take seven wickets in a Test innings in Australia after Tom Richardson (8/94), George Lohmann (8/35 and 8/58), Wilfred Rhodes (7/56 and 8/68), Doug Wright (7/105), Frank Tyson (7/27) and Brian Statham (7/57). A total of 166,626 people came to watch the match, including 20,781 on the last day for a total gate of £39,924 17 shillings.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Preliminaries
Australia had the ill-luck early in the England first innings to lose Davidson with a thigh strain. Thereafter Benaud seemed, not unnaturally, more interested in saving the game than winning it. England were the thrusters, and if their catching had not continued to let them down Australia might have been out early on the last day, so giving Dexter and company a fair chance of victory against an attack reduced to McKenzie, Mackay and three leg-spinners.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Preliminaries
The Adelaide Oval is traditionally a dull, lifeless wicket with bounce so low that even the fastest bowlers rarely rise it above stump height and batsmen found it difficult to get the ball away. On this occasion frequent light rain helped freshen it up slightly for the pacemen and it resolutely refused to turn. England dropped their injured wicket-keeper John Murray and Alan Smith returned to the team. Tom Graveney was well again and replaced the out of form Peter Parfitt and the off-spinner Ray Illingworth was brought in for the fast-medium bowler Len Coldwell.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Preliminaries
Once again Fred Trueman advised the opposite, he thought an extra seamer would be better at Adelaide, but was ignored; in any case the spinners struggled on a pitch that refused to turn. Typically the selectors chose the out of form Illingworth over David Allen because of his superior batting. Barry Jarman was also dropped as Australia's first choice keeper Wally Grout was fit to play against after breaking his jaw in November and the paceman Colin Guest was dropped in favour of Ken Mackay in what would be his final Test. Richie Benaud now had 228 Test wickets, Fred Trueman 229 and Brian Statham 235, just one behind Alec Bedser's Test record of 236. Richie Benaud won the toss for the third time and chose to bat.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
It was Neil's last season and it was a shame that his amazing career should end in an uncharacteristic outburst of bad temper against Ted Dexter. I never did get to the bottom of the row but perhaps it was just because he and Ted were total opposites as people. All I know is that his press comments on Ted lost him a lot of friends.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
These attacks upset the MCC players more than anything else that happened on that tour, and for Neil to retire from the game on this sour note was disappointing for those who had played with an against him, and for the public who had enjoyed his performances. For all this, you couldn't help admiring some of Neil's knocks, including his sixth Test century against England. He was nearly always exciting to watch because he was the sort of batsman who was supremely capable of winning or saving a match.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
He was also good to bowl to because he gave you a chance; he played shots and he took risks. And his fielding was quite brilliant; in this series, it was easily the best on either side. He stopped some wonderful shots in the covers and took some terrific catches. It was just sad to see such a talented man consumed by such bitterness.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
Fred Trueman opened the bowling and soon had Bill Lawry writhing as he made the ball lift off the rain-freshed wicket, but it was Brian Statham who struck first. He had Bobby Simpson out first ball, caught behind by wicket-keeper Alan Smith for a first ball duck to match Alec Bedser's record of 236 Test wickets. Ted Dexter crowded close fielders round the batsmen as Trueman and Statham continued their attack, but he noticed that their footmarks were indenting the soft pitch and after 45 minutes he replaced Trueman with Ray Illingworth and Statham with Fred Titmus.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
They failed to turn the ball, it would not turn throughout the match, but the Yorkshireman almost had 3 wickets for 1 run. Lawry was bowled for 10, Illingworth (1/85) coming round the wicket with a straight ball to remove his off-stump. Neil Harvey had just made 231 not out against South Australia, his last innings in the Sheffield Shield, and was full of confidence. On 11 he snicked the ball to slip where Colin Cowdrey dropped a sharp chance and swung the following ball was to square-leg, where David Sheppard dropped an easy chance.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
On 26 he gave Cowdrey another chance in the slips, the waist-high ball dropped with his left hand off Dexter. Cowdrey finally took a catch to remove Brian Booth (34) off Titmus (2/88) after lunch for 101/3, but England failed to dismiss the out of form Norm O'Neill when he pushed a ball from Titmus close to Dexter's left hand at square-leg. Having survived Harvey and O'Neill set about the English bowling in the most attractive batting of the entire series. They added 194 for the fourth-wicket in 171 minutes and at five runs an over.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
O'Neill swept Titmus to the boundary, followed by two drives to either side of the wicket, and more from cuts through gully and point. Harvey danced down the wicket to hit Titmus for four three times in an over, and became the fourth batsman to pass 6,000 Test runs after Wally Hammond, Don Bradman and Len Hutton. He drove Illingworth through the covers in the last over before tea to bring up his 21st Test century, his 6th against England. But Dexter kept the suffering spinners on until the new ball arrived after tea.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
Trueman and Statham were exhausted and made no impression with the new ball, so Dexter bowled himself with Illingworth chipping in with medium-paced seamers from his youth. At the end of the day the tired batsmen gave themselves out to the tired fieldsmen, O'Neill reached his century in 169 minutes, the fastest of the series, with 14 boundaries, but was caught for 100 by Cowdrey off Dexter (3/94). Harvey cut the ball to Cowdrey off the England captain for 154 with 18 boundaries to leave Australia 302/5.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – First Innings
Alan Davidson and Barry Shepherd took them to 322/5 overnight, but the England bowlers recovered in the morning and Australia crashed to 393 all out, losing their last 5 wickets for 71 runs. Brian Statham (3/66) had Shepherd caught in the gully by Trueman for his record 237th wicket to become the biggest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Trueman (1/54) had Ken Mackay caught behind by an agile Smith, Richie Benaud was bowled by Dexter, Davidson (46) was bowled by Statham and the unsafe hands of David Sheppard held onto a long, high skier from Garth McKenzie in the deep.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
... in came Freddie Trueman who appeared determined to knock the cover off the ball. He blasted some very quick runs, which included two straight sixes off the mortified Richie Benaud. Freddie can always be counted on to surprise you. After the towering first six, he appealed against the light! Even for fiery Freddie, that was cheek of the highest order. Richie and I both burst out laughing and, needless to say the appeal was not upheld. Test cricket can have its lighter moments. Freddie's response was to crash another giant six about 20 yards deeper, but unfortunately, he tried to do it again and was caught by Benaud off Mackay at extra cover.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
England came in to bat in the afternoon and Geoff Pullar did not play his bat to a Garth McKenzie in-swinger and was clean-bowled for 7. Ken Barrington came in instead of Ted Dexter, who was resting after bowling 23 overs in the Australian innings. Barrington lacked his usual assurance and mishit Alan Davidson three times to the boundary on successive balls before hitting him again with the fourth ball, after which Davidson retired with a torn thigh muscle.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
David Sheppard (30) was stumped by Wally Grout trying to drive Richie Benaud (1/82), giving the captain his 229th Test wicket to pass Ray Lindwall and become Australia's greatest Test wicket-taker. England reached tea with 87/2, but Barrington (63) was bowled by the first ball from Bobby Simpson (1/40) and McKenzie (5/89) removed Colin Cowdrey caught behind (though he thought that it had hit the grass) and Tom Graveney to Brian Booth at leg-slip.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
Dexter was now left with Fred Titmus at 165/5, but the England captain fought back by driving Simpson to the fence, lifting him for six twice in an over and reaching his 50 off McKenzie in the last over of the day. There was rain on the rest day and the morning of Australia Day, which earned the South Australian Cricket Association £3,000 in insurance and helped bind the wicket, enabling the fast bowlers to lift the ball, but preventing the pitch from breaking up or taking spin.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
Play began at 1:45 pm with Titmus unsuccessfully appealing against the light and glancing the ball past the seagulls and bird-fancier Bill Lawry at the cathedral end. They played on in a light drizzle and Titmus hit Benaud and Mackay for fours, but when Dexter tried the same against McKenzie he was caught by leaping wicket-keeper off a rising ball. The wet outfield made the ball damp and heavy, and thus useless to spinners, so McKenzie bowled unchanged from the river end except for one over before taking the new ball.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
With Davidson still absent Ken Mackay took over from the other end. Ray Illingworth gave Grout his fourth dismissal of the innings, and his third catch off McKenzie and Alan Smith skied Mackay to Lawry to reduce England to 275/8. Fred Trueman joined Fred Titmus and "The Fighting Freds" thumped 52 runs in 37 minutes. Trueman hit Mackay for four, heaved his first ball from Benaud into the stands and appealed for light.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – First Innings
When this was turned down he hit Benaud to the leg boundary for four and over long-on for another six, followed by a four off Mackay before the ball flew off the shoulder of his bat to Benaud at mid-on to be out for 38, one short of his highest Test score. Titmus made his first Test 50, but was given the light and the last 45 minutes were lost, three hours in the day. Mackay (3/80) bowled Brian Statham in the second over of the fourth day to have England out for 331, 62 runs behind Australia. Titmus was left on 59 not out to give him an average of 200.00 at the Adelaide Oval.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – Second Innings
Our plan this morning was for O'Neill and I to go for runs, and had we been successful I would have closed. But O'Neill got out. After that I toyed with the idea of closing and giving England five minutes batting before lunch, but decided against it. If we had had Davidson to bowl today it would have made a big difference to the whole outlook.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – Second Innings
The out of form Bill Lawry hung on grimly for an hour for 16 runs before he was caught in the slips by Tom Graveney off Fred Trueman, who took advantage of the freshened pitch and hit Bobby Simpson with a nasty rising ball. Neil Harvey cut Brian Statham for four and was caught by Ken Barrington in the gully when he tried it off the next ball. This left Australia 42/2 at lunch, but Simpson and Brian Booth added 86 runs in the afternoon session and opened up after tea.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – Second Innings
Booth hit Fred Titmus for six and overtook Simpson despite his 75-minute start. Their stand was ended in an eventful over from Ted Dexter (3/65); a diving Barrington missed Booth on the first ball, and the batsmen ran a single; Simpson was caught behind on the second ball, having made 71 in 237 minutes, Norm O'Neill took a single off the third ball and Booth hit a boundary off the fifth ball only to be taken by wicket-keeper Alan Smith for 77 with the last ball of the over.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – Second Innings
Dexter struck again before stumps, Barry Shepherd spooning a catch to Titmus at wide mid-off and Trueman had Ken Mackay caught at slip by Graveney in his last over with the old ball. O'Neill and Richie Benaud saw out the new ball and Australia finished the day at 225/6, a lead of 287 runs. Trueman and Statham fired down the new ball in the morning, but Titmus dropped Benaud on the first ball of the day. O'Neill was out to Trueman, caught by Cowdrey at slip, and Garth McKenzie became Smith's fifth catch of the match, taken off Statham.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Australia – Second Innings
Alan Davidson came in for 14 balls before he was bowled by Statham (3/71) and Benaud and Wally Grout added 35 for the last wicket before the captain was caught for 48 by Barrington off Trueman (4/60). Benaud had refused to declare before lunch and make a game of it, but with the Ashes at stake and Davidson unable to bowl he dared not take the risk. As it was Australia made 293, setting England 356 to win in just over four hours.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – Second Innings
A freak catch by wicketkeeper Grout dismissed Sheppard. McKenzie had bowled the opening over from the river end; then Sheppard played forward to Mackay's first ball and edged it to second slip. There Benaud went into contortions; he knocked the ball forward, knocked it a second time as Simpson, from first slip, poised to spring at it. Simpson then plunged to the ground, out of the way, he thought. Grout sprawled over Simpson and clutched the ball as it fell. A circus performance!


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – Second Innings
David Sheppard and Ray Illingworth both suffered from throat infections from the previous day and while Sheppard came to play after seeing a doctor, but Illingworth was sent back to the hotel to recover. Even if Dexter had wanted to go for the runs England's dismal start would have curtailed his ambitions.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – Second Innings
David Sheppard was caught – eventually – by Wally Grout on the first ball of the second over from Ken Mackay (1/13) to give him his 50th Test wicket and Geoff Pullar edged the ball to Simpson in the next over from McKenzie (1/63) to reduce England to 4/2. Ken Barrington and Colin Cowdrey saw the innings safely through the next hour and a half, adding 94 before he was run out by Norm O'Neill for 32. Barrington looked completely assured and began sweeping the Australian spin bowlers as Benaud, Simpson and O'Neill all tried their arm.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – Second Innings
Dexter was out to one-handed catch by Simpson off Benaud with 100 minutes to go and Ray Illingworth was recalled from the hotel in case he needed to bat, but he was not needed. A ball from McKenzie struck a nerve in Tom Graveney's arm, but after he recovered he settled down to a polished innings to accompany Barrington to his hundred. This was reached with a pull for six off Simpson over long-on, his seventh Test century and his first against Australia.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, England – Second Innings
Strangely, the stonewalling Barrington would bring up a Test century four times with a six and he hit another in the same over. Benaud brought in the new ball and gave it to Bill Lawry who nearly knocked Barrington's cap off with a beamer that went for 4 byes followed this with 4 wides, as extras were not counted against the bowler in those days this counted as a maiden. Barrington finished with 2 sixes and 16 fours in his 132 not out and he and Graveney (36 not out) played out the day with an unbeaten partnership of 101 to take England to 223/4.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Result
But the last day was to prove curiously frustrating for a crowd of 22,000. There were some compensating thrills: two remarkable catches; a memorable fielding display by O'Neill; the cheap dismissal of Dexter; a highly competent century by that batting tradesman, Ken Barrington, who reached three figures with a hit for six ...


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Result
The Adelaide Oval had produced another draw to leave the series tied on 1–1, but the three hours lost on Australia Day would have probably have given England enough time to make the extra 133 runs required for victory, but it would have been an historic victory if they had. Ted Dexter said afterwards "Australia never had a hope of bowling us out –  not on this pitch and with their attack so depleted".


1962–63 Ashes series, Fourth Test – Adelaide, Result
This took some of the heat off Richie Benaud whose reputation for "go-ahead", entertaining cricket had taken a severe blow by his refusal to declare on the last morning. The truth was that the Australian bowling attack depended heavily on the injury-prone Alan Davidson and Benaud with the young McKenzie and two batting all rounders in support. Without any turn in the pitch to help Benaud or Simpson Australia were in great trouble. With the retirement of their two premier bowlers Garth McKenzie would have to carry the Australian bowling through the 1960s.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
This deadly dull and absolutely frustrating match left keen cricket followers soured and depressed. A thoroughly bad match unworthy of the occasion, for was it not in effect a "final" to decide the destination of the Ashes? ... This Test was a setback to cricket in Australia. Its lack of sparkle and of the element of combat caused a general revulsion of feeling among cricket followers throughout the country, who were influenced to forget what good points the season had brought forth.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
For the first time since 1936–37 the Ashes were in dispute in the final Test of a series in Australia. Unfortunately the Fifth Test was to be played on the lifeless wicket at Sydney, though critics later pointed out that Norm O'Neill was able to play strokes, and that Neil Harvey, Ted Dexter and even Ken Barrington were able to play strokes on similarly lifeless wickets before in the series.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Mindful of the Third Test three spinners were selected for the England team for the first time in an Ashes Test; Fred Titmus, Ray Illingworth and David Allen, along with Ken Barrington as a part-time leg-spinner. However, the opener Geoff Pullar was dropped due to an injured knee and Illingworth was brought in as a batsman more than a spinner and he bowled only 15 overs in the match and opened the second innings.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Allen was distrusted by Dexter for all that he had been was England's first choice spinner and would take himself to the top of the England bowling averages as a result of this final Test. In any case it appeared that Dexter intended to catch Australia on a spinning wicket, especially if he batted first and caught them on the last day. Richie Benaud was the New South Wales captain and knew the Sydney Cricket Ground better than anyone, but his bowling options were limited.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Alan Davidson had recovered from his thigh strain and Garth McKenzie was showing great promise, but the medium-fast seam bowler Neil Hawke was brought in to give them support and rest Davidson. Ken Mackay was dropped in his favour, which weakened the Australian batting, but they still had nine first-class centurions. This left Benaud as Australia's sole specialist spinner, with help from Bobby Simpson and perhaps Norm O'Neill.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Preliminaries
Peter Burge had made 163, 34 not out, 33 and 54 not out for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and was brought back into the team at the expense of Barry Shepherd. Dexter won the toss for the second time at Sydney, which had not helped him in the Third Test, and decided to bat.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
By taking nine and a half hours to make their 321 on winning the toss England could point to the difficulty of forcing the ball away from so turgid a pitch and so dusty an in-field and finally across a slow, lush, green carpet. Naturally suspicious of player's alibis, I was very much on their side this time – up to a point.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
With Geoff Pullar unable to play Colin Cowdrey opened for England again, a role he did not relish and after making two runs he was out, mis-hitting a ball from Alan Davidson to Neil Harvey at backward short-leg, who darted forward to take it at grass height. David Sheppard became Neil Hawke's first Test wicket, catching a full blooded cover drive off his own bowling. This made England 39/2 after 108 minutes and with Ken Barrington entrenched at one end the crowd were looked to Ted Dexter to produce some excitement.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
The wicket was dead and the sky was clear, so there was no chance of the ball swinging and the famous Sydney Hill was becoming restless, Barrington raising his cap when he was jeered and a slow hand clap started around the ground as Dexter played himself in. This was briefly curtailed when Barrington glanced a full toss from Garth McKenzie for four and Dexter hit three fours off Bobby Simpson. Norm O'Neill caught Barrington on the pads and appealed, but no else joined in and the Englishman stayed put.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Australia were running through 14–15 overs an hour, the fastest so far in the series, but with such defensive play the effort was wasted. Dexter was out after lunch edging O'Neill (1/38) to Simpson at first slip for 47 and Tom Graveney almost went the same way to Benaud. At 5:15 pm the batsmen appealed for light, but were turned down and five minutes later he glanced McKenzie (1/57) off his legs, but "Harvey, anticipating, shot out his left hand; he somersaulted and momentarily stood on his head, then he rolled over and sat up, still clutching the ball."


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Barrington usually woke up when his century was in sight, and a sweep of Simpson was dropped by Brian Booth, but a drive found its way to the boundary and a single brought up his hundred and a surprisingly generous round of applause from the stadium. He drove Benaud straight to Harvey in the covers, who bruised a finger taking his third catch, out for 101 after 320 minutes. Ray Illingworth and Fred Titmus lasted until stumps, with England 195/5 after a full day's play.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
The second day continued in the same dull way, or perhaps worse as only three boundaries were hit between the two sides. Illingworth (27) and Titmus (34) produced, long, slow innings occasionally interrupted by drizzle before they were both caught by Wally Grout, one off Davidson and the other off Hawke (2/57). Even Fred Trueman played a subdued innings before he was caught by Harvey off Benaud for 30.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – First Innings
Alan Smith was bowled by Simpson (1/51) and David Allen and Brian Statham finally livened things up with a last wicket stand of 28 in 35 minutes until Benaud caught Allen off Davidson (3/43). England's 321 had taken them nine and a half hours, an innings more akin to saving a lost cause than trying to win a match.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
The crowd of just on 30,000 was often tense during the fourth-wicket stand; Titmus and Allen, pegging away, demanded concentration. But O’Neill was determined not to be enchained.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Australia had less need than England to increase the scoring rate as a draw would save the Ashes, but the burden of batting last meant that they should overhaul England's total by 50 runs because of the danger of being spun out on the last day. Bill Lawry and Bobby Simpson looked keen enough with 28 runs in the first half-hour even though Fred Trueman hit Simpson on the shoulder with a beamer.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
He had Lawry caught behind for 12 and welcomed Brian Booth with a bouncer and a yorker that nearly bowled him, followed by a lbw appeal from Brian Statham. After this it was the turn of the spinners Fred Titmus and David Allen who bowled 90 over between them in the innings at a rate of 16–17 an hour and with great accuracy.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Titmus bowled Booth in his second over, appealed for leg before wicket against Norm O'Neill before he had scored and had Simpson caught by Trueman at leg-slip to give him 2/10 off 8 overs and to leave Australia 71/3. Neil Harvey had been lowered down the order because of his bruise finger and Peter Burge came out for a few minutes before play ended at 5:38 pm. In the Sunday press conference Ted Dexter thought that England would have a good chance of winning and that three days would be enough to force a win, a minority view.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
On the Monday morning O'Neill was full of confidence after his century at Adelaide and refused to be tied town, or to submit to the flat wicket. He struck 6 fours in the morning session, and Burge 3, compared to the miserly 3 boundaries made on Saturday. He cause was helped by England's shoddy fielding, wicket-keeper Alan Smith failed to stump O'Neill off Allen on 70 and dropped Burge off Statham on 63. O'Neill went after lunch, driving Allen into the outstretched hand of Tom Graveney at short mid-on for 73, having added 109 with Burge.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
This brought Neil Harvey to the crease in his farewell Test on his home ground to great applause and welcomed by the England team, as was Alan Davidson. Rain now interfered with play and there were two 20–25 minutes breaks, which upset his concentration, even so he added 51 with Burge before being caught by the substitute fielder Peter Parfitt off Statham (1/76) for 22, Colin Cowdrey being off the field with an eye infection and Trueman was off with a strained thigh.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Dexter (1/24) tried to bowl around the wicket to Davidson, who had tried to have the sightscreen moved over, only to find that it could not go that far to the left, so Dexter went back to bowling over the wicket, but the palaver had unsettled the batsman and he holed out to Allen. Richie Benaud hit a Dexter bouncer to the boundary and dominated the strike for the last two overs to make 13 not out, leaving Burge on 98 and Australia 285/5, still 36 runs behind.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
Burge took four overs to reach his hundred the next morning, in slower time than Barrington, and was lbw trying to sweep Titmus for 103. Garth McKenzie was caught and bowled by Titmus, but Neil Hawke hung on for an hour adding 44 with Benaud (57) before they were both caught by Graveney to give Titmus 5/103 off 47.2 overs and Allen 2/87 off 43 overs.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – First Innings
The Australians were not riled so much by the crowd as the English batsmen had been, partly as O'Neill and Benaud had been making strokes, but also by the interest in seeing whether they could lead in the first innings. This they did, a total of 349 giving a slim lead of 28 runs.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
Barrington had just missed his second century of the match, and in that he was unlucky, but his innings had been marred because on this last day he had added only 37 runs in 107 minutes. He had batted in all for 263 minutes, and his 94 runs included only two fours; but Benaud’s defensive field-placing had contributed to that…Trueman clouted McKenzie’s first two deliveries high to the fence, missed the third ball and was well caught by Harvey, at mid-off, off the fourth. With the last ball of the last over before lunch, and inevitably his last ball in Test cricket…


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
England began their second innings after an early lunch taken on the fourth day, David Sheppard and Ray Illingworth making 40, the highest English first-wicket stand since the first Test. Alan Davidson bowled unchanged for two hours, bowling medium-paced cutters off a long run up to waste time. Garth McKenzie bowled one over and Neil Hawke two before they were replaced by Richie Benaud, bowling into a cold breeze which saw most of the crowd depart. Sheppard was dropped by a sleepy McKenzie at fine short-leg, where the excellent Norm O'Neill had just been taken off with another throat infection.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
Benaud (3/71) took the first three wickets. Illingworth (18) driving the ball to Hawke in the covers, Sheppard (68), lifting the ball to Neil Harvey for his fifth catch of the game and Ted Dexter (6) who was stumped trying to hit his opposite number over the fence. Ken Barrington had played a watchful innings from the other end, adding 97 with Sheppard, and Colin Cowdrey ended the day at 165/3 after four hours, a lead of 137 over Australia with one day's play left.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
Quick runs were vital for setting up a victory – Dexter had vowed to declare at lunch come what may –  and Cowdrey brought up his 50 with two boundaries and a three, but edged the new ball off Davidson to Benaud at second slip after making 53 in a stand of 94. Barrington touched a rising ball from McKenzie to Wally Grout for a 94 that contained only two fours.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, England – Second Innings
It was his fourth consecutive Test 50 and he would make 126 and 76 in New Zealand to equal the record of Patsy Hendren made in 1928–29 and Ted Dexter at the beginning of the series. Davidson (3/80) picked up Tom Graveney and Alan Smith and McKenzie (2/39) dismissed Fred Trueman when he hit two fours and gave Harvey his sixth catch of the game with his last ball in Test cricket. Lunch was taken and Dexter declared, England had collapsed from 239/3 to 268/8 and this gave his bowlers four hours to take 10 wickets for 240 runs.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
The crowd booed, barracked and slow-clapped but the Australians refused to try for a result. It was disappointing but, somehow, inevitable. Winning or losing the Ashes was even then such a huge event that no captain wanted to take unnecessary risks.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
Richie Benaud may have been prepared to go for the runs, but Fred Trueman (1/6) bowled Bobby Simpson with his fifth ball and Bill Lawry dug himself in to make 18 not out in the two hours between lunch and tea. Neil Harvey came in at number three, but struggled to 28 when he was bowled by well flighted ball from David Allen.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
Norm O'Neill took 17 minutes to open his score, cut two fours off Ken Barrington and another off Fred Titmus until he tried to force a ball down the off-side and was caught by Alan Smith off Allen, who then bowled Brian Booth with a shooter for a duck and Australia went into tea at 75/4 with Allen on 3/23. During tea Benaud told Lawry and Burge to "stay in" and they needed little encouragement to do so. Lawry dragged out his innings to 45 not out in four hours regardless of cat-calls, hoots, jeers and the rattling of beer-cans.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Australia – Second Innings
At one point, Lawry hit two fours in succession, prompting the crowd to yell "lightning does strike twice!" Burge at least hit the bad balls and made 52 not out when time was called. They have saved a potential disaster for Australia, but were booed off when they left the field on 152/4 and their actions – as ordered by their captain – won them few friends and was bad for Australian cricket.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Result
If there had been no Ashes and £1,000 a man for winning today's game, I daresay there would have been a result. the fact that these matches are played in a series is a damper. The fact that the Ashes must be fought for is a further damper. I believe that if a series is drawn, then the Ashes should at least go into pawn so that no one holds them.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Result
I am extremely disappointed with the overall picture of Test play, which was not the kind of cricket I want to watch. People who pay to see a Test are entitled to see a real match, not a tactical tie-up. I think it is a fair result that neither England or Australia won the series. I can't get out of my head why Test matches are so different from State matches, where I think England played pretty well. It is all so different from what we visualised. After all this talk of brighter cricket I think we should get back to playing cricket. Perhaps a little more action and less talk.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Result
The Fifth Test was drawn and Australia retained the Ashes by sharing the series 1–1. Both captained were criticised by the press and public for such a dismal ending to the series and the reputations of Richie Benaud and Ted Dexter as attacking captains were badly tarnished. Brian Statham ended the series with a record 242 Test wickets, with Alec Bedser, Fred Trueman and Richie Benaud tied on 236. Statham did not tour New Zealand, but Trueman did and he overtook his new ball partner to become the first man to take 250 Test wickets.


1962–63 Ashes series, Fifth Test – Sydney, Result
Ted Dexter made 481 runs (48.10), the most by an England captain in Australia, beating Archie MacLaren's 412 runs (45.77) made in 1901–02, a total that has yet to be exceeded. Ken Barrington made 582 runs (72.75), the most by an Englishman in Australia since Wally Hammond's 905 runs (113.12) in 1928–29.


1962–63 Ashes series, 1962–63 Test Series Averages
This was the last tour to use the old divisions of amateurs and professionals in English cricket so the convention remained of gentleman amateurs having their initials in front of their surname and professional players with their initials after their name, if used at all. The Australians all remained amateurs until the Packer Revolution, even though they played like professionals.


1962–63 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball season, NIT
League rules prevented ACC teams from playing in the NIT, 1954–1966


1962–63 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1962–63 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Joel Eaves, who was in his fourteenth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Auburn Sports Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 18–4, 10–4 in SEC play.


1962–63 Austrian Hockey League season
The 1962–63 Austrian Hockey League season was the 33rd season of the Austrian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Austria. Seven teams participated in the league, and Innsbrucker EV won the championship.


1962–63 Austrian football championship, Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and FK Austria Wien won the championship.


1962–63 Belgian First Division, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and Standard Liège won the championship.


1962–63 Birmingham City F.C. season
The 1962–63 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 60th in the Football League and their 36th in the First Division. They finished in 20th position in the 22-team division, two points clear of the relegation places. They entered the 1962–63 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost in that round to Bury after a replay. They entered the League Cup at the second round and reached the final, in which they defeated local rivals Aston Villa 3–1 on aggregate score to win the first (and, until 2011, only) major trophy in their history.


1962–63 Birmingham City F.C. season
Because of the severe winter weather – the so-called "Big Freeze of 1963" – Birmingham played no matches for ten weeks, between 22 December and 2 March. Their third-round FA Cup-tie was played in the first week of March, two months later than the usual date of the first weekend in January.


1962–63 Birmingham City F.C. season
Twenty-three players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Half back Terry Hennessey played in 52 of the 53 first-team matches over the season (forwards Ken Leek and Mike Hellawell missed only two), and Leek finished as leading goalscorer with 29 goals, of which 20 were scored in league competition.


1962–63 Birmingham City F.C. season, FA Cup
Because of the severe winter weather – the so-called "Big Freeze of 1963" – Birmingham played no matches for ten weeks, between 22 December and 2 March. Their opening third-round FA Cup-tie against Bury was postponed 14 times and abandoned once before finally being played two months after the originally scheduled date.


1962–63 Birmingham City F.C. season, League Cup
The first leg of the final, against Birmingham's near neighbours Aston Villa, was played on 23 May at St Andrew's. Birmingham took the lead when Jimmy Harris fed Bertie Auld who crossed for Ken Leek's powerful shot, but Aston Villa equalised via Bobby Thomson. Seven minutes into the second half, the same combination of players made it 2–1, and after 66 minutes Jimmy Bloomfield "ended an excellent run by scoring from a narrow angle, earning even the applause of Villa players" to give Birmingham a 3–1 lead. The second leg, four days later at Villa Park, was goalless. Former England centre half Trevor Smith marked Thomson out of the game, Birmingham's defensive tactics included repeatedly kicking the ball out for throw-ins, and Aston Villa were unable to break their opponents down.


1962–63 Blackpool F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was Blackpool F.C. 's 55th season (52nd consecutive) in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing thirteenth for the second consecutive season.


1962–63 Blackpool F.C. season
Ray Charnley was the club's top scorer for the fifth consecutive season, with 22 goals.


1962–63 Blackpool F.C. season
Blackpool's FA Cup third round tie with Norwich City was postponed eleven times before finally being played at Carrow Road on 4 March.


1962–63 Boston Bruins season
The 1962–63 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 39th season in the NHL.


1962–63 Boston Celtics season
The 1962–63 NBA season was the Celtics' 17th season in the NBA. The Celtics finished the season by winning their sixth NBA Championship.


1962–63 Boston Celtics season, Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average


1962–63 Botola
The 1962–63 Botola is the 7th season of the Moroccan Premier League. FAR Rabat are the holders of the title.


1962–63 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team was an NCAA University Division college basketball team competing in the Mid-American Conference. They finished with 19 wins and 8 losses, and in conference play, they led the MAC with 9 wins and 3 losses. In the 1963 NCAA tournament, they beat Notre Dame in the Mideast regional quarterfinal before falling to Illinois in the regional semifinal.


1962–63 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The 1962–63 Bradford City A.F.C. season was the 50th in the club's history.


1962–63 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The club finished 23rd in Division Four (being re-elected to maintain their Football League status), reached the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and the 1st round of the League Cup.


1962–63 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The club had to be re-elected to maintain their Football League status for the second time in their history, the first being in 1948–49.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season
During the 1962–63 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division for the first time in the club's history. 67 goals from former international forwards John Dick, Billy McAdams and Johnny Brooks helped fire the Bees to the division title and an immediate return to the Third Division.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season, Season summary
Brentford was at one of the lowest points in its history after suffering relegation for the Fourth Division at the end of the 1961–62 season. The relegation completed a 15-year fall from the First Division to the bottom tier and the average attendance at Griffin Park had fallen by 18,000 in that time. Chairman Jack Dunnett pledged that he and his directors would invest money in the first team squad, which had been ravaged by a mass clearout over the previous year in a bid to cut costs amidst the abolishment of the maximum wage.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season, Season summary
Club legend George Francis was sold to Gillingham for a £4,000 fee, ending a six-year Brentford career in which he scored 136 goals in 280 matches. Funds were made available to manager Malky MacDonald he spent £5,000 on Norwich City wing half Matt Crowe and £10,000 on Leeds United's former Northern Ireland centre forward Billy McAdams. Tommy Cavanagh was appointed as trainer to replace the departed Fred Monk.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season, Season summary
Three wins and four defeats from the opening seven matches led to the chequebook opening again, with the £17,500 purchase of West Ham United's experienced inside left John Dick breaking Brentford's incoming transfer record. The transfer meant the Fourth Division Bees could field an ex-international forward line – Dick (Scotland), McAdams (Northern Ireland) and Brooks (England). The team showed excellent form between September 1962 and the end of the year, rising from mid-table to 2nd place.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season, Season summary
John Dick had as yet failed to live up to his status, but Billy McAdams ended the year on 15 goals and Johnny Brooks on 12. The football calendar was frozen out between late December 1962 and February 1963 due to poor weather, but as league play got back underway, Brentford solidified their position in the promotion places, especially after another £18,500 was spent on new signings John Fielding and Mel Scott in March. John Dick came into form in mid-March and supported by McAdams and Brooks, his 15 goals in the final 17 matches helped fire Brentford to the Fourth Division title. The title win made Brentford the first club to win each of the Second, Third and Fourth Division championships.


1962–63 Brentford F.C. season, Season summary
A handful of records were set or equalled during the season:


1962–63 British Home Championship
The 1962–63 British Home Championship football tournament came after disappointment for the home nations in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, for which only England qualified, only to be beaten 3–1 in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The Home Championship was won by a Scottish team which dominated all their matches and whitewashed their opponents for the second year in a row as part of a period of temporary but pronounced dominance.


1962–63 British Home Championship
The Scots and English both started strongly, beating Wales and Ireland away respectively. This was followed with similar victories at home in the second fixture, England comprehensively outplaying Wales in a 4–0 win, whilst a Denis Law inspired Scotland hammered the Irish 5–1 with Law scoring four times. In the final games, Wales gained some points by beating Ireland, but the deciding match of the tournament was closely fought between England and Scotland at Wembley Stadium, from which Scotland emerged eventual 2–1 winners to claim the championship.


1962–63 British Ice Hockey season
The 1962–63 British Ice Hockey season saw a return for the Scottish League but there was still no league structure in England for the third consecutive year. Durham Wasps competed in the Scottish League.


1962–63 British Ice Hockey season, Scottish League, Regular season
Eight teams participated in the league, it utilized an inter-linked schedule, as three of the eight teams did not have a home rink.


1962–63 British Ice Hockey season, Scottish League, Regular season, Group B
Note: These standings are the last known ones for the year, dated February 8, 1963.


1962–63 Bulgarian Cup
The 1962–63 Bulgarian Cup was won by Slavia Sofia, who beat Botev Plovdiv 2–0 in the final at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.


1962–63 Bulgarian Hockey League season
The 1962–63 Bulgarian Hockey League season was the 11th season of the Bulgarian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Bulgaria. 11 teams participated in the league, and Cerveno Zname Sofia won the championship.


1962–63 Cardiff City F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was Cardiff City F.C. 's 36th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing tenth.


1962–63 Cardiff City F.C. season
Following relegation the previous year and a poor start to the season, manager Bill Jones was replaced by George Swindin.


1962–63 Cardiff City F.C. season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1962–63 Carlisle United F.C. season
For the 1962–63 season, Carlisle United F.C. competed in Football League Division Three.


1962–63 Celtic F.C. season
During the 1962–63 Scottish football season, Celtic competed in Scottish Division One.


1962–63 Challenge Cup
The 1962–63 Challenge Cup was the 62nd staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.


1962–63 Challenge Cup
The final was contested by Wakefield Trinity and Wigan at Wembley Stadium in London.


1962–63 Challenge Cup
The final was played on Saturday 11 May 1963, where Wakefield Trinity beat Wigan 25–10 in front of a crowd of 84,492.


1962–63 Challenge Cup
The Lance Todd Trophy was awarded to Wakefield stand-off Harold Poynton.


1962–63 Chester F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was the 25th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.


1962–63 Chester F.C. season
Also, it was the fifth season spent in the Fourth Division after its creation. Alongside competing in the Football League the club also participated in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and the Welsh Cup.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
The 1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 37th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a third-place finish for the fourth consecutive season in 1961–62, as Chicago won a team record 31 games and tied a club record with 75 points. The Hawks would go on and upset the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens in the NHL semi-finals for the second straight season, however, the Black Hawks would lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1962 Stanley Cup Finals.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
During the off-season, the Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly came to agreement which would see the Hawks acquire Frank Mahovlich from Toronto for $1 million, however, the deal was nixed when Maple Leafs general manager Punch Imlach, on the advice from Conn Smythe, refused the deal, stating that $1 million does not score goals.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
Chicago started the year off hovering around the .500 level through their first 12 games, as they had a record of 5–4–3. Goaltender Glenn Hall, who had played an NHL record 502 consecutive games, injured his back early in November and suffered a pinch nerve, and was relieved by backup Denis DeJordy in a game against the Boston Bruins. Hall would miss the next game against the Montreal Canadiens, ending his streak, however, the Hawks won the game by a 3–1 score.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
Hall would rebound from his injury, and the team would play very good hockey for the remainder of the season, winning a team record 32 games, and also setting a club record with 81 points, and finishing in second place in the NHL standings for the first time since they finished second in the American Division back in 1935.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
Offensively, the Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who led the team with 45 assists and 76 points, and tied Bobby Hull for the team lead in goals, with 31. Hull added 31 assists to his goal total to finish second in team scoring with 62 points, while Ab McDonald set a career high with 61 points, as he scored 20 goals and added 41 assists. On defense, Pierre Pilote led the way, scoring 8 goals and 26 points, along with superb defensive play, as he won the Norris Trophy. Eric Nesterenko provided the team toughness, as he had a team high 103 penalty minutes.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
In goal, Glenn Hall played the majority of the games, winning 30 of them, while posting an NHL best GAA of 2.47, and earning 5 shutouts. Hall would win the Vezina Trophy, as Chicago had the fewest goals against during the season.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
The Hawks would face the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL semi-finals, as Detroit finished fourth in the NHL with a record of 32–25–13, earning 77 points, and only 4 behind Chicago. The series opened up at Chicago Stadium for the opening two games, and the Black Hawks took advantage, taking a 2–0 series lead a close 5–4 victory in the series opener, followed by a 5–2 win in the second game.


1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season
The series shifted to the Detroit Olympia for the next two games, and the Red Wings responded, defeating the Black Hawks 4–2 and 4–1 to even the series up. Detroit continued their good play in the fifth game in Chicago, doubling the Hawks 4–2 to take a 3–2 series lead. The sixth game was played back in Detroit, and the Red Wings had no problems closing the series out, easily beating the Black Hawks 7–4, as Chicago was eliminated in the NHL semi-finals for the first time since 1960.


1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs season
The 1962–63 NBA season was the Zephyrs' 2nd season in the NBA, as well as their final season in the Windy City before the franchise's relocation to Baltimore for the following season. As a result, Chicago would not have another NBA franchise until 1966, when the Bulls began play.


1962–63 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented University of Cincinnati. The team's head coach was Ed Jucker.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
The 1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season was the team's 15th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its sixth in Cincinnati. The Royals were shifted from the Western Division into the Eastern Division before the start of the season because the Philadelphia Warriors had relocated to San Francisco. In their first season in the Eastern Division, the Royals posted a 42–38 record and finished in 3rd place. The season saw the Royals challenged by a rival league, the American Basketball League run by Abe Saperstein, like few NBA teams ever have been.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
Larry Staverman and Win Wilfong had left the team for the new league. #1 draft picks Larry Siegfried and Jerry Lucas were both also signed away by the ABL. These key losses would later greatly affect the team's playoffs result. Lucas was particularly missed by Cincinnati fans. Oscar Robertson nonetheless led a balanced and solid Royals five that year, supported by Wayne Embry, Jack Twyman, Bob Boozer and Bucky Bockhorn. Draft pick Adrian Smith had arrived and joined Tom Hawkins and Hub Reed at the head of the bench. Robertson posted 28.3 points per game, and his league-leading assists total was twice that of all but one other NBA player. He sank the second-most free throws in the league, and was a strong third on the Royals in rebounds.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
The Royals were consistent winners all season long, buoyed by a 10–6 November.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
In the playoffs, the Royals would win their first playoff series in 11 years. The Royals upset the second-place Syracuse Nationals with an overtime win on the road in Game 5 on March 26. The two teams had each won their two home games before Robertson led the upset. It was the last NBA game ever hosted by a team in Syracuse, New York. In the Eastern Finals, the Royals faced the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics and stunned them with two wins at Boston Gardens to seize a 2–1 series lead.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
Thomas E. Wood, the team's key owner, died in 1961. An ownership dispute between competing groups came to a head in 1963 when Louis Jacobs, who had bought Cincinnati Gardens from the Wood estate, scheduled a circus for the week of the Boston series without telling the Royals. The team was furious and had to host their second home playoff game at Xavier University's small Schmidt Fieldhouse. Despite that fact, and the earlier loss of draft pick Jerry Lucas, Robertson led the team to a third win over the Celtics in Game Six to force a seventh game. The Royals lost Game Seven in Boston on April 10, 142–131. Robertson had 43 points, the Celtics' Sam Jones had 47 in that concluding game. The season marks arguably the closest the Cincinnati Royals ever came to an NBA title, despite the obstacles mentioned above.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season
Ballyhooed #1 pick Jerry Lucas, two-time NCAA Player of The Year, was signed away by George Steinbrenner of the ABL Cleveland Pipers, a serious blow to this year's team.


1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season, Regular season, Season schedule
The Royals won five straight to move to 10–6 in November, and followed that with a 6–8 December. They were 9–9 in both January and February, reaching 36–31 on 2-21-63. The Royals won four straight to finish the season 42-38.


1962–63 Colchester United F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was Colchester United's 21st season in their history and their first season back in the third tier of English football following promotion from the Fourth Division the previous season. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup. Colchester consolidated their Third Division return by finishing mid-table. In the cups, they bowed out in the first round of the FA Cup to Isthmian League side Wimbledon, while they overcame Watford in the first round of the League Cup only to crash out to Northampton Town in the second.


1962–63 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
Despite debts of £2,000, the club were not prepared to sell prize forward Bobby Hunt when Newcastle United came in with an offer of £17,000.


1962–63 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
During the season, Colchester made their television debut when they featured in the new Anglia Television programme Match of the Week. Highlights were shown on 13 October 1962 of Colchester's Layer Road defeat to Crystal Palace. Martyn King was back on top of the scoring charts for Colchester, leading the way with 26 league goals, Hunt following up with 19. With the defence shipping 93 goals across the season, a mid-table finish loomed for Colchester on their return to the Third Division after just one year away. However, in the FA Cup, they were ousted by Isthmian League Wimbledon in the first round, while they also experienced a second round exit in the League Cup to Northampton Town.


1962–63 Colchester United F.C. season, Squad statistics, Player debuts
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.


1962–63 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1962–63 collegiate men's basketball season. The Huskies completed the season with an 18–7 overall record. The Huskies were members of the Yankee Conference, where they ended the season with a 9–1 record. They were the Yankee Conference Regular Season Champions and made it to the first round of the 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The Huskies played their home games at Hugh S. Greer Field House in Storrs, Connecticut, and were led by seventeenth-year head coach Hugh Greer and first-year head coach George Wigton.


1962–63 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
Hugh Greer led UConn until he died on January 14, 1963, of a massive heart attack. Assistant George Wigton finished out the season and led them to the NCAA Tournament. UConn credits the first 10 games of the season to Greer and the rest of the season (including the NCAA Tournament) to Wigton.


1962–63 Copa México
The Copa México 1962-63 also known as the Copa Presidente Adolfo López Mateos is the 47th staging of the Copa México, but the 21st staging in the professional era.


1962–63 Copa México
The competition started on April 20, 1963, and concluded on June 2, 1963, with the Final, held at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City, in which Guadalajara lifted the trophy for first time ever with a 2-1 victory over Club Atlante.


1962–63 Copa del Generalísimo
The 1962–63 Copa del Generalísimo was the 61st staging of the Copa del Rey (King's Cup). The competition began on 25 November 1962 and ended on 24 June 1963 with the final.


1962–63 Coppa Italia
The 1962–63 Coppa Italia, the 16th Coppa Italia was an Italian Football Federation domestic cup competition won by Atalanta.


1962–63 Coupe de France
The Coupe de France's results of the 1962–63 season. AS Monaco won the final played on May 12  and May 23, 1963, beating Olympique Lyonnais.


1962–63 Cuban National Series
The second season of the Cuban National Series was a display of parity, as three of the four teams were within one game of .500. Tied at the top were Industriales, with the first of many titles, and Oriente, so they played a best-of-three-playoff to decide the title.


1962–63 Cupa României
The 1962–63 Cupa României was the 25th edition of Romania's most prestigious football cup competition.


1962–63 Cupa României
The title was won by Petrolul Ploiești against Siderurgistul Galați.


1962–63 Cupa României, Format
In the first round proper, two pots were made, first pot with Divizia A teams and other teams till 16 and the second pot with the rest of teams qualified in this phase. Each tie is played as a single leg.


1962–63 Cupa României, Format
First round proper matches are played on the ground of the lowest ranked team, then from the second round proper the matches are played on a neutral location.


1962–63 Cupa României, Format
In the first round proper, if a match is drawn after 90 minutes, the game goes in extra time, and if the scored is still tight after 120 minutes, the team who played away will qualify.


1962–63 Cupa României, Format
From the second round proper, if a match is drawn after 90 minutes, the game goes in extra time, and if the scored is still tight after 120 minutes, then a replay will be played. In case the game is still tight after the replay, then the team from lower division will qualify for the next round.


1962–63 Cupa României, Format
From the first edition, the teams from Divizia A entered in competition in sixteen finals, rule which remained till today.


1962–63 Cypriot Cup
The 1962–63 Cypriot Cup was the 21st edition of the Cypriot Cup. A total of 21 clubs entered the competition. It began with the first round on 12 May 1963 and concluded on 30 June 1963 with the final which was held at GSP Stadium. APOEL won their 5th Cypriot Cup trophy after beating Anorthosis 1–0 in the final.


1962–63 Cypriot Cup, Format
In the 1962–63 Cypriot Cup, participated the teams of the Cypriot First Division and the teams of the Cypriot Second Division.


1962–63 Cypriot Cup, Format
The competition consisted of five knock-out rounds. In all rounds each tie was played as a single leg and was held at the home ground of the one of the two teams, according to the draw results. Each tie winner was qualifying to the next round. If a match was drawn, extra time was following. If extra time was drawn, there was a replay match.


1962–63 Cypriot Cup, Format
The cup winner secured a place in the 1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup.


1962–63 Cypriot Cup, Final
Because the match was drawn after extra time, a replay match was played.


1962–63 Cypriot First Division
Statistics of the Cypriot First Division for the 1962–63 season.


1962–63 Cypriot First Division, Overview
It was contested by 12 teams, and Anorthosis Famagusta FC won the championship.


1962–63 Cypriot Second Division
The 1962–63 Cypriot Second Division was the 9th season of the Cypriot second-level football league. Panellinios Limassol won their 2nd title.


1962–63 Cypriot Second Division, Format
Nine teams participated in the 1962–63 Cypriot Second Division. The league was split to two geographical groups, depending from Districts of Cyprus each participated team came from. All teams of a group played against each other twice, once at their home and once away. The team with the most points at the end of the season crowned group champions. The winners of each group were playing against each other in the final phase of the competition and the winner were the champions of the Second Division.


1962–63 Czechoslovak Extraliga season
The 1962–63 Czechoslovak Extraliga season was the 20th season of the Czechoslovak Extraliga, the top level of ice hockey in Czechoslovakia. 12 teams participated in the league, and ZKL RH Brno won the championship.


1962–63 Czechoslovak First League, Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and Dukla Prague won the championship. Karel Petroš was the league's top scorer with 19 goals.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga
The 1962–63 DDR-Oberliga was the 14th season of the DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of league football in East Germany.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga
The league was contested by fourteen teams. SC Motor Jena won the championship, the club's first-ever national East German championship. The club would go on to win two more, then under the name of FC Carl Zeiss Jena.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga
Peter Ducke of SC Motor Jena was the league's top scorer with 19 goals. For the first time the title East German Footballer of the year was awarded, going to Manfred Kaiser of SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga
On the strength of the 1962–63 title Motor Jena qualified for the 1963–64 European Cup where the club was knocked out by Dinamo Bucharest in the preliminary round. Seventh-placed club BSG Motor Zwickau qualified for the 1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup as the seasons FDGB-Pokal winner and was knocked out by MTK Budapest in the second round after having received a bye in the first round.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga, Table
The 1962–63 season saw two newly promoted clubs, SC Karl-Marx-Stadt and Dynamo Dresden.


1962–63 DDR-Oberliga (ice hockey) season
The 1962–63 DDR-Oberliga season was the 15th season of the DDR-Oberliga, the top level of ice hockey in East Germany. Six teams participated in the league, and SG Dynamo Weißwasser won the championship.


1962–63 DFB-Pokal
The 1962–63 DFB-Pokal was the 20th season of the annual German football cup competition. It began on 1 June 1963 and ended on 14 August 1963. 16 teams competed in the tournament of four rounds. In the final Hamburg defeated Borussia Dortmund 3–0.


1962–63 Danish 1. division season
The 1962–63 Danish 1. division season was the sixth season of ice hockey in Denmark. Five teams participated in the league, and Rungsted IK won the championship.


1962–63 Detroit Pistons season
The 1962-63 NBA season was the Pistons' 15th season in the NBA and sixth season in the city of Detroit.


1962–63 Detroit Red Wings season
The 1962–63 Detroit Red Wings season was the Red Wings' 37th season. They finished in fourth place in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record of 32 wins, 25 losses, and 13 ties. Detroit defeated the Chicago Black Hawks four games to two in the Semi-Finals, but lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs, four games to one.


1962–63 Detroit Red Wings season
This season saw right winger Gordie Howe capture the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He potted 38 goals and added 48 assists for 86 points. Howe was also named winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, his sixth overall.


1962–63 Detroit Red Wings season, Player statistics, Playoffs
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus-minus PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals;      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals-against average;  SO = Shutouts;


1962–63 Divizia A
The 1962–63 Divizia A was the forty-fifth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania.


1962–63 Divizia A, Champion squad
Goalkeepers: Iuliu Uțu (17 / 0); Ilie Datcu (13 / 0). Defenders: Cornel Popa (25 / 0); Ion Nunweiller (18 / 0); Dumitru Ivan (25 / 1); Ilie Constantinescu (8 / 0). Midfielders: Vasile Alexandru (13 / 1); Lică Nunweiller (22 / 1); Constantin Ștefan (25 / 0).


1962–63 Divizia A, Champion squad
Forwards: Ion Pîrcălab (21 / 7); Constantin Frățilă (15 / 9); Iosif Varga (22 / 4); Aurel Unguroiu (20 / 3); Gheorghe Ene (19 / 7); Ion Țîrcovnicu (24 / 7); Vasile Anghel (3 / 0); Haralambie Eftimie (5 / 3); Nicolae Niculescu (2 / 0); Constantin David (12 / 1); Nicolae Selymes (8 / 2); Vasile Gergely (1 / 0). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


1962–63 Divizia B
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Jolicnikola (talk | contribs) at 13:54, 5 April 2020 (→League tables). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1962–63 Divizia B
The 1962–63 Divizia B was the 23rd season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system.


1962–63 Divizia B
The format has been maintained to three series, each of them having 14 teams. At the end of the season the winners of the series promoted to Divizia A and the last four places from each series relegated to Divizia C.


1962–63 Divizia B, Team changes, Other teams
Jiul Petroșani was moved from Petroșani to Petrila and renamed as Jiul Petrila.


1962–63 Drexel Dragons men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Drexel Dragons men's basketball team represented Drexel Institute of Technology during the 1962–63 men's basketball season. The Dragons, led by 11th year head coach Samuel Cozen, played their home games at Sayre High School and were members of the College–Southern division of the Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC).


1962–63 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
The 1962–63 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University. The head coach was Vic Bubas. The team played its home games in the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.


1962–63 Duleep Trophy
The 1962–63 Duleep Trophy was the second season of the Duleep Trophy, a first-class cricket tournament contested by five zonal teams of India: Central Zone, East Zone, North Zone, South Zone and West Zone.


1962–63 Duleep Trophy
West Zone won the title, defeating South Zone in the final.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was the 79th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup. In addition Dumbarton competed in the Stirlingshire Cup.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Scottish Second Division
After the previous season's disappointments, Dumbarton were having similar problems in the league until a run of five victories at the end of the campaign improved the team's position to finish in a creditable 12th place with 34 points, 21 behind champions St Johnstone.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Scottish League Cup
The League Cup was to prove the bright spot of the season, and after 3 wins and a draw from their sectional ties, and a subsequent play off win over Cowdenbeath, Dumbarton were to lose a close quarter final encounter against Rangers, the highlight being a 1-1 draw at Ibrox.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Scottish Cup
In the Scottish Cup, Dumbarton fell at the first hurdle for the fourth consecutive season, losing to Arbroath.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Stirlingshire Cup
Dumbarton lost out to Falkirk in the first round of the county Cup.


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, Transfers
Amongst those players joining and leaving the club were the following:


1962–63 Dumbarton F.C. season, Reserve team
For the second year running, Dumbarton played a team in the Combined Reserve League, finishing 3rd of 7, winning 10 and drawing 8 from 24 matches. In the Scottish Second XI Cup, Dumbarton lost in the first round to Queens Park, after a draw.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season
Dundalk entered the 1962–63 season on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the League and a fifth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1962–63 saw the side trained by 1932–33 title-winning veteran Gerry McCourt, assisted by Mickey Fox, Colm Bellew and Shay Noonan. Team selection was still the responsibility of the club's 10-person management committee. It was Dundalk's 37th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
The new season would see the 30th anniversary of the club's only previous League title pass. Since then they had been runners-up three times. They had been uncompetitive throughout the 1950s, but had made strong challenges for the League in both 1959–60 and 1960–61. The season opened with the P.J. Casey Cup – a single-season competition run to replace matches lost due to the reduction in teams that season. It ran as a two group, single match round-robin with the top two in each group then playing off in a semi-final and final.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
The competition was named in memory of P.J. Casey - a long time Honorary Treasurer of the League, and former committee member at Dundalk, who had died in late 1961. Drumcondra defeated Dundalk in the final. The Shield followed, a competition Dundalk had yet to win, and they were pipped to the runners-up spot on goal average. The Dublin City Cup saw them knocked out in the first round, 4–3 on aggregate, while the Leinster Senior Cup saw them knocked out in the semi-final on corner-count after a 2–2 draw with Shelbourne.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
With four competitions essentially dealt with by the time the League was up and running, all attention turned to the League schedule. A run of five wins and a draw saw Dundalk lead the table going into the new year, but a defeat and three draws in their next five games raised doubts about their ability to stay in front.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
Their rivals were faltering too, however, and with six games remaining Dundalk led by four points – although their closest rivals, Waterford and Drumcondra, both had two games in hand, as bad weather that winter had seen a number of postponements. Another slump in form followed, with a second round exit in the FAI Cup to Cork Hibernians and two League defeats in three weeks, leaving them top on goal average only with an extra game played.


1962–63 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
But they rallied as their rivals continued to drop points, needing a win away to Bohemians in their final match to seal the title. They went two goals behind, however, and with supporters believing they had blown the title, they came back to score twice in the last five minutes and secure a point. They then had to wait a full week for the fixture backlog to clear, with Shelbourne, Cork Celtic and Drumcondra all in the hunt. All three faltered, confirming Dundalk as Champions.


1962–63 Dundee F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was the 61st season of competitive football played by Dundee. The club finished in ninth place in Division One, as well as competing in the Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, and European Cup after winning the league the season prior. Dundee's European Cup run was the main focus of the season, as the Dark Blues made it to the tournament's semi-finals.


1962–63 Dundee F.C. season
They recorded large victories throughout the campaign, including 8–1 against German champions 1. FC Köln, a 4–1 win over Portuguese side Sporting CP, home and away victories over R.S.C. Anderlecht, and an unlikely win over eventual European champions A.C. Milan. Alan Gilzean was Dundee's top scorer with 24 in the league and 41 overall, including a 7-goal game against Queen of the South which tied Albert Juliussen's club record for most goals in a single game.


1962–63 Dundee F.C. season, Match results
Dundee played a total of 53 competitive matches during the 1962–63 season.


1962–63 Dundee F.C. season, Squad and statistics, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1962–63 Dundee United F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was the 55th year of football played by Dundee United, and covers the period from 1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963. United finished in seventh place in the First Division.


1962–63 Dundee United F.C. season, Match results
Dundee United played a total of 48 competitive matches during the 1962–63 season.


1962–63 Dundee United F.C. season, Match results, Legend
All results are written with Dundee United's score first. Own goals in italics


1962–63 EPHL season
The 1962-63 Eastern Professional Hockey League season was the fourth and final season of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, a North American minor professional league. Four teams participated in the regular season, and the Kingston Frontenacs were the league champions.


1962–63 East Stirlingshire F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was East Stirlingshire Football Club's eighth consecutive season in the Scottish Division Two, having been re-elected to Scottish Football League in 1955–56. The club also competed in the Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and the minor Stirlingshire Cup.


1962–63 Eerste Divisie
The Dutch Eerste Divisie in the 1962–63 season was contested by 16 teams. Teams from the two leagues were united in one national Division for the first time this season. DWS won the championship for the first time.


1962–63 Eerste Divisie, Entrants in the new national league
The following teams entered the new national Eerste Divisie, mainly from the A- and B-division from last season (1961–62):


1962–63 Eerste Divisie, Entrants in the new national league
[ Tweede] Champions of the 1961–62 Tweede Divisie [Eredivisie] Relegated from the 1961–62 Eredivisie


1962–63 Egyptian Premier League
The 1962–63 Egyptian Premier League, was the 13th season of the Egyptian Premier League, the top Egyptian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1948.The league consisted of 2 groups each of 12 clubs. The season started on 28 September 1962 and concluded on 5 June 1963. Tersana managed to win the league for the first time in the club's history.


1962–63 Ekstraklasa, Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and Górnik Zabrze won the championship.


1962–63 Eredivisie
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1962–63 season was contested by 16 teams. PSV Eindhoven won the championship. Last year, there were still sixteen participants, so there was only one promoted team this year.


1962–63 European Cup
The 1962–63 European Cup was the eighth season of the European Cup, a football competition for European clubs. The competition was won by Milan, who beat two-time defending champions Benfica in the final at Wembley Stadium in London. Milan's victory was the first by an Italian club.


1962–63 European Cup
Albania entered its champion for the first time this season.


1962–63 European Cup, Preliminary round
1 Feyenoord beat Servette 3–1 in a play–off to qualify for the first round.


1962–63 European Cup, First round
1 Feyenoord beat Vasas 1–0 in a playoff to qualify for the quarter-finals.


1962–63 European Cup (handball)
The 1962–63 European Cup was the fifth edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament.