DISMAL FAILURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 138, 13 June 1934, Page 7

DISMAL FAILURE.

ENGLAND ALL OUT 141. Australia's Grim Fight Against The Clock. WALTERS IS TOP-SCORER. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, June 12. The first cricket Test match between England and Australia terminated to-day at Nottingham, resulting in victory for Australia by the large margin of 238 runs. The weather was cooler, but it was a fine day. When stumps were drawn yesterday the Englishmen had completed their first innings, for 2CB runs and the Australians, who had made 374 in thenfirst innings, had lost three wickets for 159 in their second. The not out men were Brown (37) and ]McCabe (74). When the Australian total had been carried to 273 for eight wickets Woodfull declared, leaving England with a deficit of 379 runs, and only a few hours left for play. The spin bowlers dismissed the Englishmen for 141 runs, the last wicket falling nine minutes before time. Going for Runs. The curious habit of English cricket crowds of ignoring the last day's play was again evidenced to-day when, in spite of the prospect of an exciting finish, only 4000 spectators saw Fames and Geary reopen the bowling against McCabe and Brown.

No time was lost. McCabe attacked the bowling and eight runs came off the first two overs. The partnership added 100 in 90 minutes.

The pair continued to force the pace and this brought about McCabe's undoing. In attempting a drive he snicked Hammond a smart catch at first slip. McCabe had played a brilliant, chanceless innings and hit one six and 15 fours. It was all the more admirable because he took risks in the interest of his side, sacrificing his prospects of a third century in successive matches. Fames-Hammond Combination. Verity in his first over should have got Brown at 46, but Walters dropped an easy catch in the covers. Darling started briskly, answering the demand for quick runs at all costs, and 51 were added in half an hour, which was precisely what Australia needed. In his second over with the new ball Fames dismissed Darling, who attempted a big hit, tho ball falling into Hammond's safe hands at first slip. Five for 219. Australia now was 325 ahead. Chipperfield came next and the crowd applauded Australia's race for runs. Fames and Geary, however, were too accurate to be treated over-recklessly. England was fighting to keep the runs down, in spite of which Brown and Chipperfleld, within limitations, took as many risks as possible. Then Fames captured his third wicket to-day, Chipperfleld failing to connect with a goodlength out-swinger, and Hammond completing a "hat trick" of catches. Lucky Brown's Unlucky End. Fames bowled 70 minutes unchanged. Verity replaced him at 244 and got Brown in his first over. The batsman chopped a ball on to Ames' foot and it rebounded and was smartly caught behind the wicket. Brown had batted 235 minutes and hit three fours. O'Reilly should have been out first ball from Verity, but Fames dropped an easy catch. In tho nest over O'Reilly hit Verity for a four, a six and a two off successive balls. O'Reilly made a hectic 18 in seven minutes. He was easily caught in attempting to hit Geary for another sixer. Grimmett and Oldfield added a few more runs and then Woodfull declared at 12.30 p.m., leaving England requiring 380 to win. Fluctuating fortunes. After the lightest possible roller had been used, Sutcliffe and Walters opened at 12.45, both commencing with fours. Grimmett relieved McCabe after two overs. A confident first half-hour produced 24 runs. O'Reilly then displaced Wall and the scoring quietened, Grimmett bowling four successive maidens. The crowd had increased to 10,000 after lunch, when Grimmett and O'Reilly resumed. The batsmen were sedate and intent on keeping their wickets intact, but occasionally swung loose deliveries to the leg fence. Sutcliffe was brilliantly caught by Chipperfleld at first slip, the Newcastrian diving and taking tho ball very low. 51— 1—24.

Grimmett repeatedly beat Walters and Hammond, but thelatter made some glorious drives to the boundary, and the partnership held out hopes of saving England, as only three hours remained to dismiss nine batsmen, and England was playing steadfastly for a draw. Hammond was a model of patience until he lunged forward to play a short ball from Grimmett, which came straight through and he was easily stumped. 83 —2—16. Walters drove two sizzling fours from O'Reilly, then was clean-bowled by the next ball, which turned from the off. 91—3— id. This success revived Australia's hopes of victory. Walters played a real captain's innings, and batted for 135 minutes. Grimmett's Marathon. Though the wicket was doing less than was expected, the batsmen occasionally patted worn spots. Keyed up by success, Grimmett and O'Reilly bowled finely. The former was unchanged for three hours, and was turning the ball tremendously from leg. Pataudi and Hendren were uncomfortable; and Pataudi, in attempting to lift Grimmett, was easily caught at longoff. 103—4 —10. Only 125 minutes were then left for play. Ten minutes before the tea adjournment, Hendren reached forward to O'Reilly, was deceived by a faster ball, which rose quickly, and. was well caught by Chipperfield, low down, at fine slip. 110—5—3. Grimmett's figures at tea were 32 overs, 17 maidens, 32 runs, 2 wickets; and O'Reilly's 2G overs, 12 maidens, 40 runs, 3 wickets. Holding the Fort. There remained 105 minutes when the slow bowlers resumed, Leyland and Ames defending stubbornly. Wall at 124 gave Grimmett a rest after bowling 38 overs unchanged, and Chipperfield replaced O'Reilly. O'Reilly and Grimmett, however, returned at 134. Blocking ball after ball Leyland and Ames held the fort for over an hour, and with only another hour left for play it seemed that only a complete collapse could now win the game for Australia.

Then, in O'Reilly's third over, Ames played back and was clean-bowled. 134—6—12. » Forty-five minutes remained. There was a tense atmosphere as Geary entered upon his second attempt to save England, but in his first over from Grimmett he reached forward, barely snicked the ball and Chipperfleld took his third magnificent catch, low, in the slips. 135 —7—o. The fieldsmen clustered round Leyland and Verity. Both negotiated two maidens apiece; then Leyland played too late to O'Reilly's fast ball and was brilliantly caught at the wicket after batting for 105 minutes. 137—8—18. Leg-Before Decision Wins Game. Twenty minutes were left and the crowd was completely hushed as the fate of tho last two wickets hung in the balance. In the second ball of the next over from O'Reilly Fames tipped one and Oldfield took a smart catch. 137— 9—o. Fifteen minutes were left. The fieldsmen swarmed around Mitchell, who survived a leg-before appeal. He scored an accidental four, but in the same over he was given out leg-before, and Australia had won with 10 minutes to spare. O'Reilly's figures after tea were 16 overs, 12 maidens, 8 runs, 4 wickets; and Grimmett's 15 overs, 11 maidens, 7 runs, 1 wicket. England's innings lasted 275 minutes. Scores: — AUSTRALIA.—First innings. Woodfull, c Verity, b Fames 26 Ponsford, c Ames, b Fames 53 Brown, Ibw, b Geary 22 Bradman, c Hammond, b Geary .... 29 McCabe, e Leyland, b Fames 65 Darling, b Verity 4 Chipperfleld, c Ames, b Fames 99 Oldfield, c Hammond, b Mitchell .. 20 Grimmett, b Geary 39 O'Reilly, b Fames 7 Wall, not out 0 Extras 10 Total 374 Fall of Wickets. —One for 77, two for 88, three for 125, four for 140, five for 153, six for 234, seven for 281, eight for 355, nine for 374. BOWLING ANALYSIS. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Fames .... 40.2 10 102 5 Geary 43 8 101 3 Mitchell ... 21 4 62 1 Verity 34 9 05 1 Hammond .13 4 29 0 Leyland ... 1 0 5 0 Second Innings. Woodfull, b Fames , 2 Ponsford, b Hammond 5 Brown, c Ames, b Verity 73 Bradman, c Ames, b Fames 25 McCabe, c Hammond, b Fames 88 Darling, c Hammond, b Fames 14 Chipperfleld, c Hammond, b Fames 4 Oldfield, not out 10 O'Reilly, c Verity, b Geary ..'. .18 Grimmett, not out 3 Extras 31 Total for eight wickets {dec) . 273

Fall of Wickots.—One for 2, two for 32, three for 69, four for 181, five for 210, six for 231, seven for 234, eight for 207. BOWLING ANALYSIS. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Fames 25 3 77 5 Hammond . 12 5 25 1 Geary 2.3 4 40 1 Verity 17 8 48 ,1 Mitchell ... 13 2 40 — ENGLAND.—First Innings. Walters, lbw, b Grimmett 17 Sutcliffe, c Chipperficld, b Grimmett 02 Hammond, c MeCabe, b O'Reilly .. 25 Pataudi, c MeCabe, b Wall 12 Leyland, c and b Grimmett 0 Heiidren, b O'Reilly 79 Ames, c Wall, b O'Reilly 7 Geary, st Oldfield, b Grimmett 53 Verity,' b O'Reilly 0 Fames, b Grimmett l Mitchell, not out ] Extras 5 Total 208 Fall of Wickets.—One for 45, two for 102, three for 100, four for 114, five for 145, six for 105, seven for 200, eight for 200, nine for 200. BOWLING ANALYSIS. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Grimmett .. 58.3 24 81 5 O'Reilly ... 37 10 75 4 Wall 33 7 82 1 MeCabe ... 7 2 7 — Chipperficld .3 — 18 — Second Innings. Walters, b O'Reillv 40 Sutcliffe, c Chipperficld, b O'Reilly . 24 Hammond, st Oldfield, b Grimmett . 1G Pataudi, e Ponsford, b Grimmett .. 10 Hendren. c Chipperficld, b O'Reilly 3 Leyland, c Oldfield, b O'Reilly .... 18 An'ies, b O'Reilly ,12 Geary, c Chipperficld, b Grimmett .. II Verity, not out 0 Fames, c Oldfield, b O'Reilly 0 Mitchell, lbw, b O'Reilly 4 Extras 8 Total 141 Fall of Wickets.—One for 51, two for 83, three for 91, four for 103, five for 110, six for 134, seven for 135, eight for 137, nine for 137. BOWLING ANALYSIS. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. O'Reilly ... 42 24 54 7 Grimmett .. 44 20 3!) 3 Wall 13 2 27 0 MeCabe .... 2 0 7 0 Chipperfield. 4 1 0 0 FEATURES OF THE PLAY. After the 130 th Test at Trent Bridge yesterday, the position between the two countries stands: — Won by Won by Where played. Aus. Eiig. Drawn. Total In Australia ... 33 o'J 2 72 In England 14 10 25 58 52 51 27 130 Australia thus took the lead, and evened up the account at Nottingham, where each side has now won two games, the remaining two having been drawn. The battle against time at Trent Bridge yesterday is reminiscent of the 1905 Test at Nottingham, when Australia, half an hour before lunch, wont in to battle out time against a deficit of 402. The wicket was perfect. Joe Darling (captain) and Reg. Duff plodded steadily along until after 3 o'clock. Then Bosanquet, the original googly bowler, took charge, and in half an hour credited himself with five wickets. Sid Gregory, who top scored with 51, defended desperately, and after tea, with the light becoming very bad, and rain threatening every moment, it seemed that Australia might get out of it. At last Gregory was caught, after much juggling, by Arnold at mid-on, and there was a leg-before decision against Charlie

McLeod, off Bosanquet (eight for 107 off 32 overs). Victor Trumper, who had strained his back and had to retire after making 13 in the first innings, left the dressing room supported by two team-mates, in a heroic effort to reach the crease, but he could go no further than the pavilion gate, and Australia wa3 thus forced to submit to defeat. Trumper, uninjured, would surely have saved it, and it seems very doubtful, according to authorities, whether the light during the last hour was really fit for cricket—clearly the Australians did not think so. Fames has joined a select band of Test cricketers who have taken as many as ten wickets on their first appearance in an international. The list is: F. Martin, 6—50 and 6—52, for England, at the Oval, 1890; Tom Richardson, 5 —49 and 5—107, for England, at Manchester, 1893 (in the corresponding game of 1896 his figures were 7 —168 and 6—76); H. V. Hordern, 5—85 and 7—90, for Australia, in first Test, at Sydney, 1911-12 (in final of same series he got 5 —95 and 5—66); C. V. Grimmett, 5 —45 and 6—37, for Australia, at Sydney, 1924-25.

By the way, W. J. O'Reilly, after failing to equal this feat in his first Test, actually did take ten wickets on his next appearance, 5—63 and 5—66, when Australia beat Jardine's side at Melbourne, at New Year, 1933. There was some resemblance to yesterday's debacle on that occasion, for although England required only 250 to avert defeat, O'Reilly and Ironmonger (4 —20), who bowled eight maidens in nineteen overs, turned the Britishers out for 139 runs. Perhaps some cricket historian can say if spin bowlers ever sent down so great a percentage of maidens as O'Reilly and Grimmett did at Trent Bridge yesterday. The latter had only 39 runs scored off 44 overs, and for both innings he aggregated 50 maidens in his 102 overs. O'Reilly's figures were 40 maidens out of 79 overs. O'Reilly took 11 wickets for 129 runs, and Grimmett eight for 120. The ex-New Zealander has now taken 89 wickets in Tests between Australia and England, his tally yesterday putting him ahead of the number captured by his 1926 companion, Arthur Mailey, who had 86 to his credit when he retired from the international arena.