Stephen Harold Gascoigne, better known as Yabba, (19 March 1878 – 8 January 1942) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

sports fan, remembered as a heckler at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

games in the early part of the 20th century. ''Yabba'' was known for his knowledgeable witticisms shouted from "The Hill", a grassy general admissions area of the SCG. In Yabba's era, cricket matches were watched like tennis matches, and spectators at the SCG were much quieter than today. This is the reason Yabba's comments were so clearly heard by players and other spectators. "The Hill" area was replaced with seating in the early 1990s. The new area was then formally named ''Yabba's Hill'' in honour of his colourful comments, several of which have passed into cricketing folklore. In 2007 the

Doug Walters Kevin Douglas Walters (born 21 December 1945) is a former Australian cricketer. He was known as an attacking batsman, a useful part-time bowler, and also as a typical ocker. In 2011, he was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame by the CA. ...

Stand and ''Yabba's Hill'' were demolished to make way for the new

Victor Trumper Victor Thomas Trumper (2 November 1877 – 28 June 1915) was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found ...

Stand. On 7 December 2008 a bronze statue of Yabba, sculpted by Cathy Weiszmann, was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground in ''The Hill'' area of the new stand. It depicts Yabba in a characteristic pose, one hand acting as a megaphone, in the act of delivering one of his famous interjections. Yabba was portrayed by

Paul Chubb Paul Dunford (14 January 1949 – 9 June 2002), professionally billed as Paul Chubb, was an Australian film, television and stage actor and scriptwriter primarily in genres of comedy and drama. Early life He was born in Arncliffe, a suburb of S ...

in the 1984 mini-series ''Bodyline''.

Insults

Some of Yabba's best remembered insults include: * "I wish you were a statue and I were a pigeon." * Telling a fly-swatting English cricket captain,

Douglas Jardine Douglas Robert Jardine ( 1900 – 1958) was an English cricketer who played 22 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches between 1931 and 1934. A right-handed batsman, he is best known for captaining the English ...

, to "Leave our flies alone, Jardine. They're the only friends you've got here." * "Bowl the bastard a grand piano and see if he can play that instead!" * "Oh for a strong arm and a walking stick!" (at bad bowling; leg spinner

Arthur Mailey Alfred Arthur Mailey (3 January 188631 December 1967) was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926. Mailey used leg-breaks and googly bowling, taking 99 Test wickets, including 36 in the 1920–21 Ashes ser ...

, a regular victim of this one, quotes it several times in his book 10 for 66 and All That) * "Those are the only balls you've touched all day!" (To an English batsman adjusting his

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

in between overs). * "Put a penny in him, George, he's stopped registering" (To umpire George Borwick who read

gas meter A gas meter is a specialized flow meter, used to measure the volume of fuel gases such as natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Gas meters are used at residential, commercial, and industrial buildings that consume fuel gas supplied by a ga ...

s and emptied the cash boxes for a living, when Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi was scoring slowly) * "Your length's lousy but you bowl a good width!" (To an opposition bowler)

Notes

References

* * The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket {{authority control Sportspeople from Sydney Cricket supporters 1878 births 1942 deaths Sports spectators Sculptures of sports Sculptures of men Sports culture in Australia Australian folklore Cultural depictions of Australian men Cultural depictions of comedians