UMPIRE DEFENDS GRIFFITH

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31907, 7 February 1969, Page 13

UMPIRE DEFENDS GRIFFITH

(N.ZP.A.-Reuter—Copyright) GEORGETOWN. The former West Indian test cricket umpire, Mr C. Kippins, said yesterday that the first bowler to run out a non-striking batsman who was backing up out of his crease was an Australian.

Mr Kippins, who supported the West Indian pace bowler, C. C. Griffiths, for running out the Australian batsman, I. R. Redpath, in such a manner in the drawn fourth test in Adelaide, traced the incident to 1878 when Australia was playing against Surrey at the Oval.

“Australia can hardly feel that Redpath was the victim of an ungentlemanly act on the part of Griffith, when in fact, they were the first to start the ball rolling,” Mr Kippins said in an article published in Georgetown. Mr Kippins said the run out was not the first in test cricket and that Griffith and the former Indian test player, Vinoo Mankad, jointly

held the “record” for being involved in such dismissals twice.

The Guyanese umpire recalled that of the 10 incidents so far, five occurred in England, three in Australia and one each in India, and the West Indies.

Mr Kippins wrote: “As for test matches, Mankad ran out Bill Brown in this way during the first innings of the second test match at Sydney; Australia v. India in 1947-48. “Mankad did not warn Brown that he was backing up too far and since he (Mankad) had run out Brown in similar fashion one month before the test, he obviously did not see any reason why he should have warned Brown.”