Read Online Spinner by Ron Elliott - Free Book Online Page B

more than anything. As did the wild swings.
    David looked at Uncle Mike who tapped his forehead. This was his uncle’s sign that Frederick was a wild swinger. They had settled on some calls by mid morning. The wild swinger. The dancer, who’d try to advance down the wicket. The sideswiper. The prodder. Uncle Mike privately called them punters and seemed to know what they would do.
    David decided on the perfect ball for a wild swinger. He tossed it up slow, with a good arc, watching Frederick open his eyes, not believing his luck with such a slow thing. The lad took the bat back way past his shoulder, then started to bring it forward just as the ball dipped suddenly in the air. David watched Frederick realise. He tried to speed up his stroke, to bring the bat forward faster than he had first intended, but he never quite got there. The ball hit the mat, a good six inches in front of where Frederick could possibly reach it, and bounced high. Frederick’s bat flashed uselessly, but also kept going, dragging the lad forward with his own momentum. His front foot went too far forward then, and Frederick fell over on his back.
    The crowd cheered hugely, and David couldn’t help turning to them.
    Amidst the laughing, jeering faces, David saw a serious man who wasn’t looking at fallen Frederick but at David. He was a big man with a full, browned face. He wore a checked suit and a derby hat. He looked at David and then tapped his nose, knowingly.
    David looked away.
    Uncle Mike was helping Frederick up and making a big show of dusting him off. The young lad was blushing red, and trying to shrug David’s uncle off.
    â€˜Let’s have a big hand for Frederick, please folks. And I’ll tell you something. If this bloke here goes into theboxing tent, I’d put a couple of shillings on him.’ The crowd cheered again, especially Frederick’s mates, and the lad settled down. ‘Can’t bat for nuts, but good shoulders.’ And the crowd laughed again, and Frederick found himself grinning too, as his uncle gently pushed him back towards the crowd.
    Uncle Mike stopped smiling.
    David looked where he was looking, and it was the big man in the derby moving forward. People were patting him on the back.
    David looked back to his uncle, who had made the smile come back to his mouth but not his eyes. He looked at David and made his eyebrows go up and down.
    â€˜You get ’em, Jack,’ yelled someone from the crowd.
    â€˜That’s Jack Tanner,’ David heard someone nearby say.
    â€˜Jack, how are you?’ asked Michael flatly.
    â€˜So this is where you’ve been hiding,’ said the big man, without any humour at all. Tanner took his coat off and flexed his shoulders. He was tall and well fed, with massive forearms. He had a yellow silk vest that caught the light and shimmered.
    â€˜Not hidin’, Jack. I been waiting for you, so I can take your sixpence.’
    There was a look in the man’s eyes that David did not like. It was clear Jack Tanner did not like his uncle, and David felt compelled not to like Jack Tanner on that account alone.
    â€˜Well, then, will you take a pound worth,’ said Jack loudly, bringing out the note. ‘Thirty or fifty balls ought to do it, eh?’
    Uncle Mike’s shoulders slumped, ever so slightly, before he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. ‘Come on now, Jack. A state cricketer like you trying to take money off akid of twelve years old.’
    Jack turned to the crowd with his pound note still raised high. ‘Seems to me this kid’s been taking plenty of pounds out of Northam. Just want to get a little back for my home town.’
    They cheered.
    Uncle Mike licked his lips, then shrugged. ‘Suits us then doesn’t it, David. We’ll take the great Jack Tanner’s money. I’ll make sure I spend it at the Colonial here in town tonight.’
    Another cheer.
    Jack Tanner smiled, as he handed