SUNDAY will mark the 70th anniversary of Australian legend Don Bradman scoring his last century at Worcester.

Among those who witnessed the day in 1948 was long-standing journalist Alec Mackie who has been a Worcestershire member for 71 years.

Bradman made 107 and on his previous three visits to New Road scored 236 in 1930, 206 in 1934 and 258 in 1938.

The three-day match saw Eddie Cooper (51) and Charles Palmer (85) put on 137 for the second wicket as the County were dismissed for 233.

Mackie said: “Day two dawned and spectators began to queue over the Severn Bridge as far back into Broad Street anxious to get into the ground to see the legendary Bradman.

“Schoolboys, and I was one (aged nine), had been given a half-day to see the great man. And we were not disappointed!

“Together with hundreds of other small boys we were seated on the grass inside the boundary at the New Road end when Bradman joined Arthur Morris at the fall of the first wicket.

“We watched entranced as Bradman gave a fluent display of superb driving to reach 107 in 135 minutes in a partnership of 186 with Morris for the second wicket.

“I remember vividly watching as Peter Jackson ran in to bowl his right-arm medium-pace off-cutters from the Diglis end. The Don went to off drive, missed and was clean bowled.

“Applauded all the way back to the pavilion, Bradman stopped momentarily to speak to Roly Jenkins who years later told me what he said to Bradman.

"He said: ‘You lifted your head to that one, didn’t you Don?' To which he replied, ‘Well Roly, there’s one or two in this side I want to have a look at.’ “When he reached the Australian dressing room he asked Norman Whiting, the Worcestershire 12th man, to get him a small whiskey from the players' serving hatch to the members' bar. And, like Roly, Norman dined out on this story for years to come.”

Australia reached 462-8 declared and Worcestershire were dismissed for 212 in their second innings as the tourists won by an innings and 17 runs.

The attendance over the three days was 32,000 and receipts were over £4,000.

During their stay in the city, the tourists visited the Royal Worcester Porcelain factory where they autographed a gold plate featuring the cathedral.

The plate along with others commemorating previous visits is displayed in the Museum of Australian Sport at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The tourists were also given batting gloves and and a pair of Jack Hobbs-patented buckskin leg guards when they visited Frank Bryan’s Leather and Sports Goods factory in Bromyard Road.