A small piece of paper from a hotel note pad is enthusiastically pushed across the bench in the ABC commentary box. The writing is small and sometimes hard to decipher, but it's well worth the effort.
You have probably heard of Ric Finlay but you have probably never heard him. Finlay, from Hobart, is a silent but pivotal member of Grandstand's cricket team every summer, providing the all-important statistics for the commentators.
This week at the Gabba Ric has revealed:
James Pattinson's first innings dismissal of Ross Taylor was the 1,500th Test wicket in matches between Australia and New Zealand.Daniel Vettori and Dean Brownlie's 158-run sixth-wicket stand was a New Zealand record in Australia.The late Sam Loxton played 232 first-class matches, had a highest first-class score of 232 and 232 batsmen made Test ducks at the Gabba before the start of this Test.In most instances, Finlay's offerings are promptly shared with the listeners but his enthusiasm for cricket's numbers isn't always shared by his colleagues.
As the commentary team arrived on day four in Brisbane, Finlay had a glint in his eye.
"Only one more leg bye is needed for 1,000 in Tests at the Gabba," he said.
In a week where he's produced a few gems, this was his cubic zirconia.
He once calculated the number of days of cricket played by Allan Border.
"I worked out he had played for about five years cumulatively," he said.
Finlay's obsession with cricket statistics started at the age of nine.
Every summer he meticulously kept score in the ABC cricket book - his home library includes every one printed, including the first edition in 1934.
His first gig for the ABC was a tour match between Tasmania and Pakistan at Hobart's TCA Ground in 1983.
"I ran with Roger Wills during a fun run in Hobart and we were running along Main Road, Moonah and the topic of my hobby as a cricket statistician came up," he said.
"There was an opening and as they say, the rest is history.
"I had no idea what it would develop into."
Finlay recently retired after 34 years as a school teacher - not surprisingly, maths was his subject of expertise.
Retirement hasn't only afforded him more time to indulge his passion for cricket, with singing another of the 58-year-old's past times.
In January he'll head to Arizona for an international barber shop quartet competition.
"I am a tenor," he said.
"We're silver medallists in Australia for the senior barber shop singing category. We do alright."
The singing competition falls in the middle of Australia's four-Test series against India but Finlay says he'll be following closely on the internet.
Follow Ric on Twitter - @RicFinlay
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted December 04, 2011 16:16:25
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