TEST SENSATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1926, Page 7

TEST SENSATIONS.

PITCH TAMPERED WITH.

ENGLAND'S GREAT OPENING.

297 FOR TWO WICKETS

A CENTURY BY HOBBS

(By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.)

LONDON, June 28. The second Test cricket match, England v. Australia, was resumed this morning at Lord's. One hundred enthusiasts had waited in a queue outside the gate since midnight. The first two men who arrived were found by those who followed them lying on the ground attempting to sleep. When stumps were drawn on Saturday the visitors had made 338 for eight wickets (Bardsley not out 173). The total, was carried to 383 before the last wicket fell. The weather was fine and warm this morning. It was the first spell of summer-like weather of the tour. The wicket was good. WATER ON THE PITCH. An extraordinary occurrence was that the groundsman, on arriving at Lord's at 4 a.m. found a hose pipe had been turned on a patch of ground 15 yards in diameter about 20 yards from the pitch, which was saturated and required treatment with sawdust. Further, he found the water had run down over the wicket and left a soft spot in the middle of the pitch. A heavy roller was applied prior to the resumption of play ■on what should have been a- plumb wicket. The bowling ends were not affected, but a strip two yards wide crossed the pitch right in the centre. Hobbs was at cover and Root at mid-off on each side of the patch as Oldfield received the first ball from Tate, who, with Larwood, opened the bowling. Tate's first went to the boundary for four leg byes. His second was neatly turned to leg for a single. AUSTRALIA GETS 383. Attention to the pitch resulted in the start being 10 minutes late. In the third over Carr appealed to the umpire as to the condition of the ball. The appeal was upheld and another ball, more or less equally worn, was used. In the same over Bardsley received a nasty blow on the fingers from Larwood necessitating his retirement for a doctor's attention. This caused a second interruption. Kilner replaced Tate at 353. Kilner, from his second ball, missed an easy return from Bardsley, who was then 177, the ball going through his hands over-head. In the next over Bardsley hit the first boundary of the day. Oldfield was quick on his feet and gathered some attractive singles to leg before he opened out against Tate. He square cut one for three and then sent Tate to the boundary. Kilner was not difficult. Jn one over he was finely cut by Bardsley for three.' Oldfield then cut him to the boundary. The next ball slipped out of Kilner's hand above Oldfield's head. Nevertheless Oldfield inexplicably hit it to leg. The score was now 379 for nine wickets. In, the. next over Kilner gave Mailey a single and Bardsley a three, but the third ball had Mailey leg-before and closed the innings which had lasted 398 minutes. Kilner's average this morning was two for 21. Bardsley received an ovation on coming out. He was somewhat shaky this morning and had luck in the number of lives he was. given, but his was a superb exhibition. The bulk of his scoring strokes were through the slips and to leg. He had hit 13 fours, eight threes and 23 twos. In only two previous Test matches has a bat been carried through, namely, by Barrett (67) at Lord's in 1890, and by Abel (132), at Sydney in 189 P. ENGLAND'S START. 182 FOR FIRST WICKET. (Received 11.30 n.m.) LONDON, June 28. There was an attendance of 33,000 when Gregory and Macartney opened the attack to Hobbs and Sutcliffe. Hobbs opened the score by cutting a full toss from Gregory for three, Sutcliffe following suit in the same over. Andrews was early prominent in the field, smartly preventing boundaries and returning the ball excellently. The batsmen proceeded to hit brightly, Hobbs placing Gregory well in front of the wicket. When the score was 25, an exciting episode occurred. Sutcliffe blocked one from Greg> ory and started for a stolen run at the call of Hobbs. Gregory, running alongside Hobbs, kicked the ball into the wickets, but Hobbs got home. Gregory was bowling a good pace, but was a trifle erratic. Mailey, mixing his deliveries, effectively, kept the Englishmen on the defensive, and had Hobbs guessing. The latter thrice narrowly escaped pulling him on to the wicket. Richardson kept a consistent length, without being dangerous, but had the effect of converting the game into a comparatively lifeless display. Good fielding all round contributed much 'to keeping down the runs. SUTCLIFFE IS STEADY. Sutcliffe just before lunch enlivened proceedings by driving and cutting Mailey to the boundary nicely. On resumption, the Englishmen batted merrily at the. expense of Gregory, off whom a succession of sharp-run singles were easily obtainable owing to the deeply-placed field. Hobbs had a narrow escape when 60. He was taking a quick single when Macartney, at mid-off, #ent in. a smart return, missing the wicket by an inch. Hobbs was not really comfortable facing Mailey, and was kept constantly guessing owing to the deceptive flight of the ball. Macartney, bowling with rare judgment, was seldom got away through the unorthodox but wellplaced field. Hobbs at length took a risk, lifting Macartney over the pavilion rails, and followed this up with a characteristic boundary cut off Mailey The latter bowler strongly tempted Sutcliffe to hit, but the batsman resolutely declined until the Australian overpitched the ball, which Sutcliffe clouted twice in succession to the square leg boundary. Runs came slowly, Richardson's length keeping the batsmen quiet. He bowled fifteen overs before he was sent to the boundary as the result of an off-drive by Sutcliffe.

HOBBS IN NO HURRY. Ryder bowled better than in his earlier games. His bowling was faster and had more sting. As Hobbs approached the century he carefully left the scoring to Sutcliffe,. who was equally cautious in selecting 'the scoring balls. Hobbs was watched by the crowd in breathless suspense. He hung in the nineties nearly an hour, and stuck at 99 for nine overs. The crowd, taking up cudgels on behalf of Hobbs, urged Ryder to bowl on the wicket. A diversion was created by Richardson completely beating Sutcliffe, who had been at the crease 195 minutes, and hit eleven fours. The partnership produced 182. In the next over Hobbs obtained a single through the slips, bringing up his century in two hundred minutes.

Woolley started early by on-driving Ryder to the boundary. Hobbs also showed more enterprise, but the scoring fell off before tea. This was in no way attributable to the bowling, which, although good, could have been treated more aggressively. Hobbs went out through a brilliant low catch at deep point. He had batted 247 minutes, and was brilliant in the morning, but quiescent in the afternoon. Though his

strokes were clean and pretty to watch, his placing was faulty. His score included ten fours. It is noteworthy that Hobbs has scored two consecutive centuries in Tests at Lords, the last occasion being in 1912. FAST SCORING AT THE FINISH. With the advent of Hendren play livened up. Both he and Woolley indulged in forceful driving. Oldfield was magnificent behind the wickets, and it was not until the total was 264 that the first bye was recorded. The . fielding generally was of the highest order, there being only a couple of mis-fields by Andrews, who was usually the safest man on the field. In the last halfhour Woolley and Hendren smote the tired bowling unmercifully, and it was only the good fielding that averted a 'heavy score. Details of the score are: — AUSTRALIA.—First Innings. Collins, b Root ~. 1 Bardsley, not out 193 Macartney, c Sutcliffe, b Larwood .. 39 Woodfull, c Strudwick, b Root 13 Andrews, c and b Kilner 10 Gregory, b Larwood 7 Taylor, c Carr, b Tate !) Richardson, b Kilner 35 Ryder, c Strudwick, b Tate 28 Oldfield, c Sutcliffe, b Kilner 10 Mailey, Ibw, b Kilner .1 Extras 28 Total 353 Bowling Analysis.—Tate two wickets for 111, Root two for 70, Kilner four for 70, Larwood two for 09, Woolley none for 5. ENGLAND.—First Innings. Hobbs, c Richardson, b Macartney .. 119 Sutcliffe, b Richardson 82 Woolley, not out 50 Hendren, not out 42 Extras 4 Two wickets for 297 — (Reuter.)