"WORST WICKET EVER SEEN”

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 161, 11 July 1938, Page 16

"WORST WICKET EVER SEEN”

NO PLAY YET.

THIRD TEST. LITTLE PROSPECTS OF TWO CLEAR DAYS’ PLAY. FINANCIAL) LOSSES. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, July 10. A drizzling Sunday morning after further rain last night does not offer much prospect of two clear days’ play in the third Test. , The umpire, Mr. Reeyet, says it is the worst wicket he h«s ever seen. Ernest Tyldesley describes the action taken in the'efforts’to make the ground playable as unprecedented. About £4OOO has been received from booked seats which will not be refunded, but the turnstiles were not opened. Seventy thousand spectators were expected for the first two days. The Australians and all the counties will suffer a loss through the delay in the game.

* -V LONDON, July 9. Owing/, to; continuous rain, play was impossible in the third cricket Test match England : versus Australia at Manchester yesterday and to-day. The umpires at 4 p.m. to-day decided to abandon the game for the day.; After that it rained heavily until 5.30 p.m. Then the weather was fair, but not very promising. The cricket writer of the Australian Associated Press says the heavy rain soon after the. abandonment raises a doubt as to a punctual start on Monday. The saturated ground in the neighbourhood of the wicket .-." 5 the principal obstacle. Not all the apparatus devised in Manchester’s experience of washed-out matches proved sufficient- tor provide fieldsmen with a foothold. '' J

Absorbing rollers, blankets, the towing of two light rollers round the outfield behind a motor car, the laying down of new sods of turf adjoining the pitch had so little effect that the umpires, to whom the captains left the decision, needed only a few minutes to decide to abandon play for the day, during which there was never much hopefof play. Assuming that there is a draw at Man* cheater and another to keep up the reputation of Leeds, the Test series may begin; and end at the Oval on August 20 .adilfollowing days. Bradman ; has a recurrence of trouble with his right knee, which has suffered several times on the tour and occasionally has been painful. It is not believed, to be serious.fi PREVIOUS TESTS., MARItKO BT RAIN. _____ Forty-eight years ago the Test at Manchester waa abandoned without a ball being bpwled. Another instance of the weather causing a Test to be abandoned was in 1920. In the srst game of the series at Nottingham’on June 12 the first of the five Tests was restricted to 50 minutes’ play on the Saturday. The weather turned wet in the' early morning and although matters improved toward noon the outlook was! always unpromising. The game began shortly after mid-day, A v ,.-W, Canhaving won; the toes and opened with Hobba and Sutcliffe. The pair; put on 32 runs, when,; in the middle of an bver, a heavy rain -storm burst over the ground and that was the end of the dayVplay. Delightful weather prevailed on the Sunday, but' on Monday alternations'; of downpour fund drizzle led to all play being abandoned shortly after two o clock. S On; Tuesday conditions were so hopeless thdt by 11 AO a.m. the captains agreed to abandon the match. HAjfMOND LEADS. | anrousK cricket averages. DEMPSTER STANDS FOURTH. v (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, July 10. *' Hammond leads the latest batting averages # in English cricketjjamasi. . Dempster, the former New Zea 1 amter, stands fourth. The averages are as fallows:—

j ii ETON-HARROW HATCH. |gg|!, }c;s RAIN CAUSES ABANDONMENT. < „ ■M LONDCWf-'ju^ & ; The aandal cricket match and HarrouMvssdrawn, rain interrupting P Jhft'on: secOnd 1 113 (Hayward five for 40). Harrow: innings, 200; second innings, 10 for one w!ekct.

b Hammond .. Paynter . .. Edrtch ; .. ATTI • •• |o. - | Runs. Amim.*' * 1724 82.00 . 1508 88.45 i 1452 88.00 £ 912 85.14 . » 1212 88.78 | 612 61.2 «$§ > 1116 55.8 • Geary I’/.'.l Hutto. .... Compton .. • • j • •! Ames Hirdstaff . •Mj B ' 4 Bowes Leyland ..... Mayer ...... Olay .i-.i.... Pollard ..... Verity V...... Nichols > .... Bmallea ..... Wellard Barnett and Go avenges. • • 782 inKSagL* ••§• 878 >48.12 • OWL<NG. % Wickets. Average. yfr 5» 10.33 V' ddard do not appear in the