Ron Hamence with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948

Ron Hamence was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team of 1948, which toured England and was undefeated in its 34 matches. As a result of this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England, the team earned the nickname The Invincibles.
A right-handed middle-order batsman, Hamence was not instrumental in the team's success. Regarded as the last batsman to be chosen for the team, his selection was the subject of controversy because many batsmen who had scored more runs in the preceding Australian season had been overlooked. Hamence and Colin McCool were the only squad members who did not play a Test on tour. Hamence was used in non-Test tour matches so that the leading batsmen could conserve energy for the Tests, as play was scheduled for six days a week. Along with Doug Ring, Hamence and McCool called themselves "ground staff" because of their scant playing duties in the major matches, and they often created and sang ironic songs about their lack of opportunities. Bradman was reluctant to risk the team's unbeaten record and as a result, Hamence did not receive many opportunities to bat high in the order, something that was the subject of criticism.
Hamence scored 582 runs at a batting average of 32.33, with a top-score of 99. He was the only frontline Australian batsman not to score a century. The remaining eight frontline batsmen each scored at least 973 runs and all averaged no less than 47.30. Hamence also occasionally opened the bowling in the tour matches with his gentle medium pace, allowing the team's leading bowlers to recuperate between Tests.
Background
During the preceding 1947-48 season in Australia, Hamence was dropped from the national team. He had played sporadically in the Test team, being selected in three of the ten matches in the previous two seasons. In those three Tests he scored a total of 81 runs at an average of 27.00. From the start, Hamence was on the outer with regards to selection in the Tests. He was not selected for any of the Tests during the English campaign, but in a 2008 interview, emphasised that he felt no resentment over his omission. Hamence was a popular member of the touring party and his cheerful nature and splendid tenor voice added to the good spirits of the team. His roommate during the tour was the seamer Ernie Toshack.
Early tour
Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice team in the tour opener, which was customarily against Worcestershire. Being a fringe member of the squad and having made only sporadic Test appearances in previous seasons, Hamence was not selected. Australia promptly crushed the hosts by an innings. and made only seven. His dismissal triggered a collapse of 5/38 as Australia were bowled out for 448 before winning by an innings. The next match against Yorkshire, on a damp pitch that suited slower bowling, was the closest Australia came to defeat on the tour. Batting at No. 4, Hamence made 12 in the first innings as Australia replied to Yorkshire's 71 with 101. He batted slowly, coming in at 2/24 before departing at 7/74. However, Australia scraped home by four wickets after a counterattack by Neil Harvey and Don Tallon, aided by a dropped catch and missed stumping.
Hamence was rested as the Australians travelled to London to defeat Surrey at The Oval by an innings. and Jack Fingleton opined "a nice innings it was, too, in its neat strokemaking". Hamence also bowled for the first time on tour, sending down three overs for seven runs in the second innings without taking a wicket.
In the following match, Australia crushed Essex by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin for the summer. Halfway through the day, at 2/364, all rounder Keith Miller came to the crease. A cavalier and carefree character, Miller resented Bradman's ruthless attitude towards annihilating the opposition and often refused to try when Australia were in an unassailable position. He deliberately let the ball hit the stumps and was out for a golden duck. Hamence came in and struck 46, adding 146 runs for the fifth wicket with Sam Loxton. and Australia went on to win by an innings. Miller later said that one of his reasons for gifting his wicket was to protest the lack of opportunities given to Hamence and other fringe batsmen.
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage. Given Hamence's early struggles in the English conditions, which saw him make only 161 runs at 26.83 in his first six innings, His second innings was praised for the aesthetic quality. It was the first match on tour that Australia had failed to win. He did not get another chance with the bat as Australia recovered to win by eight wickets. Australia went on to complete an innings victory. In the second innings, Hamence opened the bowling with Ray Lindwall. He took an early wicket before ending the innings by claiming the last man to fall, a stumping by Ron Saggers standing up to the stumps.
Test omission
Since World War II, the first five positions in Australia's Test batting order had regularly consisted of Arthur Morris, Sid Barnes, Bradman, Hassett and Miller, while the sixth position saw many occupants. All of the first five were selected for the matches against Worcestershire and the MCC, and retained their positions for the First Test. Brown had played in the first-choice team in the matches against Worcestershire and the MCC. all rounder Loxton had 310 runs at 51.66, but was injured, This was the exact situation that had unfolded in the Worcestershire and MCC matches where Australia fielded their first-choice team; Brown batted in the middle order. Bradman explained the decision in his memoirs: "Hamence was not in good enough form and Harvey scarcely ready". During the opening stages of the tour, Bradman spent little time talking to Hamence at practice sessions, leading analysts to conclude that the Australian skipper viewed Hamence as being highly unlikely to play in the Tests. Australia went on to defeat England by eight wickets, although Brown struggled and made only 17. In the second match before the Second Test, which was against Yorkshire, Hamence made 48 and six not out, and took a total of 1/17 as the game ended in a draw. The first innings 48 was a determined performance on a sticky wicket that helped Australia to 249; Bradman felt that Hamence's grit was a notable factor in Australia managing to pass 200. Harvey made 49 and 56 while Brown made 19 and 113 as an opener. This was enough for Brown to retain his middle-order position for the Second Test at Lord's, where Australia fielded an unchanged team. Australia went on to a crushing win by 409 runs but Brown made only 24 and 32.
For the following match against Gloucestershire before the Third Test, Brown and Hamence did not play.
During the drawn Third Test, opening batsman Sid Barnes was injured. This opened up a vacancy for the Fourth Test. Hamence made 30 as Australia defeated Middlesex by ten wickets in their only county match before the Fourth Test at Headingley. Hamence was overlooked for the vacancy as Harvey was called in. Australia scored 3/404 to set a world record for the highest successful Test run chase; Harvey scored a century. In the next match against Glamorgan, Hamence was yet to bat when rain ended the match at 3/215 in Australia's first innings. He was rested as Australia defeated Warwickshire by nine wickets. In the last match before the Fifth Test, a non-first-class fixture against Durham, Hamence scored 24 batting at No. 6 in Australia's 282. The match was a rain-affected draw that did not reach the second innings. Despite this, they completed an innings victory. In the next match against Somerset, Hamence put on 195 for the fifth wicket with Ian Johnson to take Australia to 4/501 with his score on 99. The other batsmen had all made centuries, and the Australian players were keen to see Hamence do the same. With his score on 99, the rest of the team left their card games in readiness to applaud his impending milestone. According to Bradman, Hamence "fell to what everyone said was the best ball all day". Nevertheless, Australia won by an innings and 374 runs.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was the fixture against Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last tour in 1938, this team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted that only six players currently in England's Test team be allowed to play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, so Hamence was left out. Australia led by 312 on the first innings and were well in control, but the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays. The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. Hamence batted once in each match, scoring six and 15 as Australia ended the tour with two innings victories. and as Australia won many of their matches by an innings or by eight or more wickets, he seldom batted in the second innings. On four occasions, he was unbeaten when Australia either declared, reached their target or time ran out.
Barnes reported that Hamence, along with the other frequent omissions Colin McCool and Doug Ring, termed themselves the "ground staff". Bradman did later state that "because of the strong array of batsman ahead of him, seldom had an opportunity to make big scores" but "was an extremely useful reserve who could have been played in the Tests with confidence". Bradman added that Hamence had few opportunities because of Australia's batting strength but "always batted well and often at a critical moment made valuable runs". Bradman said that Hamence "could have been played in the Tests with confidence" and praised his contributions to team morale. Fingleton said "there was criticism of his selection in this side, but had the war not intervened he undoubtedly would have made a trip before".

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