Days at Lancaster Park (xii)

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31987, 14 May 1969, Page 15

Days at Lancaster Park (xii)

IBy

J.H.E.S.)

T AM impelled to close x these recollections by adding a few afterthoughts, apologies, and casual notes on the ground, its regulars, and its amenities—not at all an. apt word; but in days when it is applied to sewerage, bathing sheds, and gas, electricity, and water supply it is best to comply and use it. I missed some notable players at Lancaster Park; and on some that I did see the shape of this series did not allow me to comment. It is, for instance, an odd thing that I only once saw Sutcliffe play a good innings before, years later, I saw him score a lovely hundred on the Basin Reserve against an overseas team—the South Africans?—and was shown, in an innings of marvellous grace, certitude and strength, how much I had missed in years gone by. Again, I think I only once saw Cowie, whom good judges would (and do) rate as New Zealand’s best fastmedium bowler. This was in the test against Hammond’s side in the match of March 21, 1947: a match in which Cowie bowled 30 overs, four maidens, for 83 runs and four wickets, against England’s 265 for seven declared. (Net£ Zealand had scored 345 for nine, declared, including Hadlee’s opening 100 and Sutcliffe’s 58: good but perhaps a bit jaded and not surprisingly so, after his astonishing centuries in both innings at Carisbrook for Otago against England, a few days before.) But Cowie here showed

me why in New Zealand’s 1937 tour of England he had been considered a bowler of the first rank. I saw a big man—l should guess of Alex Bedser’s size, or Maurice Tate’s—who developed great power. in a very well-controlled run and delivery, and had such a variety of pace, flight, swing and turn as to make even Hammond take him very seriously. And that gives me the occasion to say, apologetically, that in his innings of 79 he counteracted the impression I had received (and have described) from his giant score in his previous visit to Lancaster Park. That, I thought, had been

all skill without character; this one, I thought, had both supreme skill and character—even if the character was that of a lofty carelessness. Power and finesse combined. And it was his last test innings. Fitly enough, it was Cowie who had him caught by Sutcliffe. Cowie’s other wickets on this memorable occasion were Washbrook, Yardley, Compton, Ikin, and T. B. Smith. What a bag, for 14 each. Auckland, in the period of my retrospects, was very fortunate in its bowlers. I repall S. G Smith Al.

co.tt. Cleverly, and Matheson, for example: Allcott, particularly, for his beautiful smooth action, the action of a bowler to bowl all day and never bowl a loose one and he could bat, too; Smith was an English professional, infinitely cunning, who always bowled with his sleeves buttoned at the wrist and his brain buttoned even closer. Cleverly was fast, but, I think, not so clever as his name would suggest: rather an enormously strong man who could hurl the ball down fast, very fast, and leave it to the batsmen to tickle, shrink, and mistime. Matheson I recall only to express the ancient grudge I bear him. A good bowler, he had the obnoxious trick of coming in late and hitting up a large score, as he did in the Christmas match of 1930, when he came in at number nine and was not out on 94, seriously embarrassing Canterbury in reaching its win in this remarkable match, just on time, by four wickets. It is hard to forgive this sort of misbehaviour on the part of a bowler; and he repeated it on Eden Park and elsewhere. A character.

To revert to batsmen, I must say a word about Dacre, whom it was always a joy to see in action: so swift, so exuberant. But our expectations, in my time, were always cheated of a full display of Dacre’s genius. A few lovely, clean shots, and then out. And so I make up the weight by repeating what one of his teammates on the 1927 tour of England told me. I think it related to the Lord’s'

match of May 11, and probably to Alien’s bowling. Anyway, the last man out came in, after three New Zealand wickets had fallen, and said, “He’s bowling inswingers.” Dacre, finishing the buckling of his pads, said, "I’ll give him inswingers!” And, facing Allen, scored 107. I may have got the details of the fact wrong; but I have the truth of the fact right.

I remember clerical figures on Lancaster Park. The Rev. Freddie Brittan, chaplain of Christ’s College, who was always there, and Canon de Courcy, who looked and sounded after his Norman name, and Bishop Wbst-Watson often.’ I was there one morning with a young friend, and the bishop, before I had time to attend to formalities, said. “Introduce me to your wife.” Which faintly disturbed my non-wlfe.

A well-known Canterbury firm of caterers used to provide lunch and afternoon tea under one of the stands; I think, under the main stand beside the members’. But a year came when another caterer won the contract Poor fellow, he turned it on too generously. Cold meat, potatoes, and salad; or ham and ditto; and come again, if you wished. Thereafter, really marvellous peach pies, with whipped cream in basins; and come again if you wished. Those who wished to come again were numerous. The price was half a crown. Not surprisingly, the new tenderer gave it up and the old lessee took over again. Does this institution continue# At half a crown?