English Batting Would Not Have Suited Grace

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30059, 18 February 1963, Page 8

English Batting Would Not Have Suited Grace

(N.Z. Prut Assoctetfon—Copvrioht)

LONDON, Eeb. 17. W. G. Grace was once alleged to have said: “Draws are ne good except for bathing in.” What the old man would have said about the fifth test might have made even the staunchest censor blanch, the “Sunday Telegraph*’ cricket writer, R. A. Roberto, said today.

* England is in a fairly good position to take command,” he sold in a report from Sydney.

“But it would be stretching pafriotism to the limits to rejoice if the Ashes were regained because England’s first innings labours for nine and a half hours proved to be a winning score.” ‘‘This was an ‘instance where the end does not justify the means, for cricket is still a game of challenge and not negotiation," said Roberts.

‘The moot unfortunate point about the series has been that two tests have been played at Sydney. The truth is that the finest cricket ground in the world now has one of the poorest squarta. "The whole middle needs to be dug up and the turf sent bock up the creek from wbroce it came," he said. The London evening newspapers praised the England “tail-end” batsmen for their fight bock on the second <Uqr.

Ttil-end Heroes “These heroes stood firmer than we had any right to hope they could on a pitch so widely advertised fay tbefr peers as being impossibly atrocious, he said. "The Mossy, boardroom types among Englands batemen have declared strokemaking toipoarible on Sydney’s patchwork strip. Yet whatever the pen-pushing

wage-earners used in its place, and however anata, it served a most useful pur* pose.” In Ibe “Evening News," B. M. WoJling. stod the off-spin-ner, F. 3. Titmus, “had nut IShdplaffwf (mi top, having earlier helped to swell Ito total begrond what could reasonably be expected, with an ioningß of 34.” WrfUngs said: “Australia did not bowl weU, and

Benaud gromly over-bowled himself. He did take more than one wicket in an innings for the first time since the first tattings of the opening test, but he was the most wayward of bowlers. I have never seen an Australian test attack manage to land fewer balls on the wicket in such a long period. “Unless some bold Australian emerges who will go dawn the pitch to challenge the spinners they may well bowi England into a commanding position on Monday,” he arid.