Now England’s No. 1 Menace

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30933, 14 December 1965, Page 23

Now England’s No. 1 Menace

[From W. J. O’REILLY. N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent! BRISBANE

Douglas Walters scored a memorable century under pressure in Brisbane yesterday and secured for himself a permanent place in Australia’s side for the remainder of the present series and for many seasons to come.

It took four hours which might sound as if it was long and tedious but, quite to the contrary, the youngster displayed an all-round range of shots which will gladden the hearts of spectators right round Australia as his batting personality expands. Almost one of the four hours was spent in the nervous nineties, a fact that will speak loudly and significantly to those fortunate people who have managed to score a test century at any stage of their career. Walters came to the wickets to face a batting crisis. Australia had lost in quick succession the wickets of Cowper, Burge, Booth and four wickets were down for 125 runs—a situation designed to try the temperament of a much more mature man. To emphasise the problem he was facing, M. J. K. Smith, England’s captain, crowded two short legs and silly point into close position for F. J. Titmus to give Walters a searching personality test. The youngster came through it like a veteran. In fact, he shaped up aggressively and on-drove the wily off-spinner for a boundary to open his scoring.

Right through his long innings it was obvious Walters was holding many of his aggressive shots well in check. The lofted on-drive, for instance, seldom came into play, but I am sure England bowlers will have not been hoodwinked about that now that the young man has secured his position. I can remember only one false step by Walters, a win-and-water shot outside the off stump when D. J. Brown was using the second new ball. Poor Barber felt the full weight of Walters’s bat when he was called late into the attack to bowl his leg-breaks. I felt sorry for the English spinner when his captain decided to give him only three men on the on side. That was a tall order for a stop-gap bowler serving leg breaks. His field was set for a man who had spent a lifetime on the job and who could bowl accurately outside the offstump at will. Walters hammered Barber unmercifully and for a final flourish pulled him right out of the ground. I feel certain England’s test attack will be regarding Walters throughout the season as their No. 1 menace.