Shane Warne was much loved by his Accrington teammates but club bosses wanted more
Short of cash and out of options, Shane Warne cut his teeth in the lowly Lancashire League - this is the story of how he won over his teammates but lost the club committee.
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On and off the field. Shane Warne’s exploits in the north west of England are the stuff legend and still revered by the local Poms who claim him as one of their own.
Warne may have announced himself to the wider cricketing world when he bowled Mike Gatting with that unplayable delivery at Old Trafford in 1993, but his reputation as the game’s ultimate showman was already being forged in the Old Dart.
Like so many other Australians before him, Warne cut his teeth in the Lancashire League, signing on as the overseas professional for Accrington in 1991, the year before he made his Test debut, where he developed a reputation for burning the candle at both ends, drinking pints of beer before matches then baffling his opponents with his leg spin bowling.
Those that played alongside him at the time knew straight away that he was a genius in the making, who just needed more time because he was just 21 and caught between being the life of the party and a ferocious competitor who refused to be beaten.
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Steve Juliff, one of Warne’s teammates, invited the Australian out to play a round of golf, thinking he would have a bit of fun at his expense because Warne had never played golf before.
“He had only been over a few weeks and was complaining about the cold so I told him to stop being a whinging Aussie,” Juliff recalled.
“So he gets out the driver, smashes it down the middle of the course and just beat the hell out of me every game.”
Duncan Spence, who played for Accrington’s rivals Burnley, was Warne’s first and last wickets in the season he played for Accrington.
He became friends with Warne and said he admired his toughness, particularly after he had an ingrown hair on his backside that caused the Australian no end of discomfort – and his rivals no end of amusement.
“He said he never felt pain like it when he had it removed,” Spence said. “But he had to play through the pain because he was skint.
“He was a tough competitor even back then and could really turn the ball even on those slow wet pitches
“He was great fun after the games, generous and friendly. If only I knew I was playing against the greatest bowler ever.”
Warne was recruited by Accrington for a pittance, with a modest allowance plus accommodation in a terrace house and the loan of a car he rarely drove.
And although he captured 73 wickets at an average of 15.43, the club’s committee didn’t re-sign him for the 1992 season, infuriating his teammates and supporters who started a petition to get him back.
“We all knew straight away how good he was because the things that he could do with the ball were just unbelievable, but I don’t think anyone knew he was going to be the best bowler in history,” Accrington Cricket Chairman Len Dewhurst told The Sunday Telegraph.
“All the players and supporters wanted him re-signed but the committee wanted the club pro to be an all rounder and he just didn’t get enough runs.”
Warne played 22 matches for Accrington in 1991, amassing 330 runs at 15 with a high score of 51, against Burnley.
He had more success with the ball because while he was often the life of the party, he also trained hard and learnt quickly.
The club’s first grade captain Andy Barker thought so highly of the zinc-creamed Aussie that he let Warne set his own fields though wicket keeper Paul Barratt said there were times when he had to reign him in.
“To Andy’s credit, he would always let Shane have a go at something, which more often than not proved to be the right tactic,” Barratt said.
“Occasionally, Andy did have to pull Shane into line as his competitive spirit did cross the line with the odd batsman and umpire, but in general most of Shane’s banter was good intelligent banter.”
After a slow start to the season, Warne hit his straps in the second half, finishing the league with eight five-wickets hauls, including best figures of 6-27.
He never played for Accrington again because the horse had bolted once he was promoted to the Australian team though he always remained in close contact with the club up until his sudden death.
“He was very much loved by everyone here. Not just the players but the supporters too and we’re all very proud of what he achieved,” Dewhurst said.
“He had that special spark so you knew he was going to be successful but he also loved life.
“There was many a time he had a pint before the game, and a lot more after the game, but we were one big social family.
“We played hard on the pitch but we also knew how to celebrate so we’re all really shocked and saddened by his passing.”
WHY CA DENIED WARNE COMEBACK FOR FIVE YEARS
Shane Warne loved Test cricket so much he spoke to Cricket Australia five years in a row after his emotional retirement about the prospect of a comeback to the five day game.
Only the fact that he would have had to play Sheffield Shield cricket stopped him from taking the plunge.
As the cricket world prepares to farewell Warne with a memorial at the MCG on Wednesday, the leg-spinning maestro’s passion for the five day game has been reinforced by the reflections of former Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket Michael Brown who revealed Warne regularly floated the prospect of a Test match comeback.
Warne played the last of his 145 Tests against England at the SCG in January, 2007 at age 37 but with fellow leggie Stuart MacGill unexpectedly retiring in 2008, Australia struggled to find a permanent spinner until Nathan Lyon arrived in 2011.
“Warnie rang me up for every year after his retirement until Nathan Lyon came on to the scene and said he wanted to come back,’’ said Michael Brown, who was CA’s general manager of cricket from 2002-12.
“He was serious. We had at least 10 conversations about it. He would say ‘I am still the best spin bowler in Australia. I can do it Brownie, get me a game.’
“But I would say to play Tests he had to play Sheffield Shield cricket and he would say ‘I don’t want to play State cricket.’
“He didn’t think he didn’t need to play state cricket and he was so good he was probably right. But they were the rules. He was involved with a lot of our young spinners and did a wonderful job with them.
“He had remarkable confidence in his ability. I even saw his mum and dad at the footy and they said ‘what chance Shane making a comeback?’ and I told them he would have to play Sheffield Shield and they agreed that meant he wouldn’t do it.’’
Warne’s stance was that he would not make a comeback unless he was asked.
The closest it came was during a meeting of high-powered officials in the Hobart dressing room with Warne in November 2007 just after Australia had wrapped up a 2-0 win over the touring Sri Lankan team.
Cricket Australia media man Phillip Pope confirmed he advised skipper Ricky Ponting against including a paragraph in his tour diary where Ponting wrote that since Warne retired there had been a lot of public talk about a potential comeback but it was time to move on.
Pope told Ponting that given the discussions that were taking place behind closed doors there was a chance Warne could be called in at short notice so the paragraph was best taken out which it was.
Wednesday’s service will be streamed around the globe and former Test keeper Ian Healy said the huge volume of tributes to Warne, from his family to global superstars, since his death had enhanced his legacy.
“The stories have been incredible,’’ said Healy.
“We knew he was big when he was in our midst. But how big is he? Players like me might have a story for a particular Test but Warnie had so many for every Test day – his hair, his mind, his attitude. He was an incredible superstar.
“On the field he was full on and totally engaged which some superstars aren’t. He was a great fighter. He single-handedly gave Australia a lot of confidence in the 1990s.
“He was a very generous man, with his time and financially and even broadcasters – I think he showed every network around the world what he was going to bowl.
“One of the kids at his funeral said he had a golden heart and that was it.’’
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