EXHIBITION MATCH

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28983, 26 August 1959, Page 19

EXHIBITION MATCH

Papers Criticise “Buffoonery”

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, August 25.

British newspapers today attacked the exhibition match staged by the English and Indian teams after the fifth test ended before lunch at the Oval yesterday.

Frank Rostron of the “Daily Express” wrote: “Perhaps as an appropriate end to this sadly one-sided series the players turned the exhibition game (22 overs each) into a complete farce to provide entertainment. “They performed every trick of buffoonery (except wearing false noses) without raising more than an odd snicker.

“Roy Swetman fielded in the covers wearing an oversized red Australian Colts cap; Ted Dexter kept wickets without pads; Geoff Pullar bowled in wicket-keeping pads; AH Baig wore a straw beach hat which he exchanged and re-exchanged for Umpire Davies’ brown felt and Trueman dribbled the ball along the boundary.

“But the players were rightly told by officials to ‘pipe down’ after England’s grotesque efforts in the field—so India behaved less like the Crazy Gang. “These exhibition matches were intended to provide bright strokeplaying cricket —not schoolboy horseplay,” Rostron said. The “Daily Mail” under the heading “Farce” said “A farce to the bitter end.

“All pretence at serious cricket in the exhibition was abandoned. Fancy hats were worn and most of the jokes misfired.”