What am I out for? You've been there long enough

October 19: Bill Ponsford's birthday. Ray Robinson, the famous Australian writer, had hailed him as 'founder of total batting'

Haresh Pandya' dwelt at length on Ponsford in his appreciation peice in The Hindu

Until Bradman appeared on the scene and stamped his authority with his phenomenal batsmanship, Ponsford was the biggest draw down under.When Victoria was to play New South Wales (NSW) in Sydney in January 1928, big banners hit the city and suburbs right in the eye. They proclaimed: ``Bill Ponsford in the town. Come to the cricket ground and see the world's greatest batsman.''
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One day in 1943, a British MP declared in the House of Commons: "We have got Ponsford out cheaply but Bradman is still batting." To what was he referring? Mussolini had been deposed; Hitler, however, was still around

Source: B. Johnston, Rain Stops Play

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Over the next few years, Bill Ponsford became reknowned for his astronomical scoring: he is still the only man to have passed 400 twice in first-class cricket. When no bowler seemed capable of taming him, it took former Victorian all-rounder Allie Lampard to re-establish the status quo.

Lampard had been a St Kilda teammate of Ponsford through the Saints' glory reign. In a charity match he was a relieving umpire. `Maybe another Ponsford 100 would have suited the crowd,' he said, `but it would have made the game one sided. I told the bowler Charles Winning: `If you hit his legs I'll give him out'.

`The bat was always there, though, so in an undertone I prompted the bowler to appeal for a ball that Ponny had let pass well off the wicket when he was 40.'

Ponsford : `What am I out for?' Lampard : `You've been there long enough.'

Ken Piesse, Cricketer, November 1979, p19
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Between Wickets (Robinson)
EYES FRONT
Although Ponsford's faculties always seemed superhuman, Ray Robinson subsequently discovered that his eyesight was sub-par. After all that had been said about Ponsford's wonderful sight, the doctor that examined him when he volunteered for the airforce was astonished to find that he was colour blind; he could not distinguish
between red and green. A dialogue like this followed:

Dr : What colour did the new ball look to you?
Ponsford : Red.
Dr : What colour did it look after it became worn?
Ponsford : I never noticed its colour then, only its size.
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