CENTURY BEFORE LUNCH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue LXI, 12 July 1930, Page 9

CENTURY BEFORE LUNCH.

It is very rarely that a century is scored before lunch, only Trumper, Macartney and Bradman having done it in Tests. Apparently play started at halfpast eleven and went on until half-past one. Bradman was not one of the openin" batsmen, yet he reached his hundred well within the two hours. Trumper scored 103 before lunch in a Test match at Manchester In 1902. Australia batted first on a dead wicket, and it was the English captain's strategy to keep Trumper quiet in the expectation that in the afternoon, on a more difficult pitch, wickets would fall rapidly. MacLaren put all his experience into placing the field, but at lunch the Australian total was 173 for one, and Trumper was 103 not out. The Australian total was 299. This was the wonderful match that Australia won by three runs. It was in the third Test match at Leeds in 192G that Macartney scored his century, and there is a curious parallel between that morning's play and yesterday's. England won the toss and put Australia in, and Bardsley was caught off the first ball. Macartney came in and was missed in the slips when he was two, but then settled down to play what was probably the finest innings of his whole career. Warner said it was the finest he ever saw. Just as Bradman dominated the batting, so Macartney partnered by the same Woodfull, made 51 out of 64 and 100 out of 131. The second wicket did not fall until nearly three hours later . and Macartney scored 151.