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Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 84, 3 January 1929, Page 9

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IN THIRD TEST MATCH ENGLAND’S SMALL LEAD OVER AUSTRALIA ANOTHER - DOUBLE CENTURY TO HAMMOND Australia’s position in the Third Test match has greatly improved. England’s first innings closed for 417, only 20 ahead of the home side’s score, and the Australians, in their second strike, have made 118 for the loss of two wickets. The feature of the match is Hammond's double century. By scoring two double centuries in Test cricket, Hammond has established a new batting record. Blackie bowled with remarkable success, taking six English wickets for 94.

United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.

(Rec. January 2, 10.30 p.m.) Melbourne, January 2. The weather was perfect for the resumption of the test match. The English not out pair, Hammond and Jardine opened slowly. Jardine was cautious of Grimmett, who was bowling well, and sent down six overs for four runs. The hundred scored by the partnership took 120 minutes. Hammond showed a brilliant patch and drove Grimmett twice for 4. Hammond received a wonderful ovation when, by glancing Blackie for a single he brought his total up to 200 for 359 minutes. Richardson cleverly stopped a drive by Hammond, who tried the other side of the wicket with the next drive from a ball by Blackie. A’Beckett. at left mid-on, threw himself down and took an exceptional catch at arm's length, six inches from the ground. Hammond had batted or 398 minutes. Blackie’s Fine Average. Blackie’s average stood at three for 70. Larwood was uncomfortable facing Blackie and was at the wickets for only eight minutes when Blackie took a right-hand catch. Blackie’s average now was four for 70, the score reading England six wickets for 364. . Geary joined Jardine five minutes prior to lunch. On resuming Jardine, by pulling Grimmett for 4, brought up his 50 in 178 minutes. Grimmett, who was bowling well, had his first reward when Geary went leg before. Seven for 381. Duckworth was batting poorly, but was lively between the wickets. A’Beckett made a wonderful attempt at a catch from Jardine, who legglanced Blackie for 4. The batsman then drove a hot catch, which Blackie accepted. Jardine had scored a patient 62. Blackie was in great form, his average reading five for 81. Tate Hits Out. Tate put pep Into-the game, hitting out at all the'bowling. He rapidly reached double figures. Duckworth managed a 3, but Blackie, with a beautiful ball, clean bowled him. Blackie’s average now was six for 81. 'White, the last man in, .snicked Blackie for 2 first ball. The Australian total was equalled at 2.52. ’>' Tate was enterprising and humorous. He notched the four hundredth run. It had taken 492 minutes. He had brought up a bright 21 when he was caught in the outfield, playing a short-pitched ball from Grimmett. The innings' had lasted 504 minutes'. The Australian position now is more satisfactory. Hammond has secured a batting record by making two successive- double centuries in Test cricket. Australia’s Second Strike. Australia opened with Woodfull and Richardson at 3.35 p.m. Woodfull glanced the first ball from Larwood for a single. Richardson did likewise, and three were smartly run. Tate bowled a maiden. The second ball from Larwood in the second over, got Richardson’s middle stump. He played over the top. Oue for 7 runs, iu nine minutes’ play. Hendry joined Woodfull and played confidently. Tate was in good form, bowling three maidens. Woodfull secured his first 4 from Larwood, whom he hit to leg. The placing of the English field was excellent. For Tate there were two in the outfield, the rest 20 yards from the wicket. Woodfull appeared to be set and was driving forcefully. Geary and White were put on as a change after 45 minutes. Woodfull, stepping out, cut White to the boundary. He was now monopolising the scoring. Fifty-five runs came up for an hour’s play. Woodfull’s tally was 38. Hendry Stumped. Hendry took an hour for 12. He . came out to play a slow one from White and was stumped by Duckworth. Two for 60. Kippax sent his first ball to fine leg, off Geary. Woodfull slowed up. He had scored 50 in 80 minutes. Tate was doing grand work in the field. Chapman persisted with Geary and White, who steadied the scoring, the batsmen taking no risks. Kippax swung a short one from White to square leg for 4, but missed badly the next, a similar ball. Woodfull slowed up facing Tate. Duckworth loudly appealed against Kippax, off Geary, and the crowd started heckling again. Geary gave Woodfull a fright at 57. but the next ball brought 100 runs iu 126 minutes. Hendry made the best stroke of the day, to extra fine leg. off Geary, for 4. Larwood hit Woodfull on the knee, but the batsman recovered quickly. Kippax was going well with Woodfull, the batting brightening up

again towards'the end of the day. The attendance was 28,300, and the gate receipts £2200. The following are the detailed scores ENGLAND. First Innings. Hobbs, c. Oldfield, b. A’Beckett.... 20 Sutcliffe, b. Blackie 58 Hammond, c. A’Beckett, b. Blackie, 200 Chapman, b. Blackie 24 Hendren, e. A’Beckett, b. Hendry. 19 Jardine, c. and b. Blackie 62 Larwood, c. and b. Blackie 0 Geary, 1.b.w., b. Grimmett 1 Duckworth, b. Blackie 3 Tate, c. Kippax, b. Grimmett .... 21 White, not out 8 Extra 1 Total 417

First Innings 397 . Second Innings. Woodfull, not out 64 Richardson, b. Larwood 5 Hendry, st. Duckworth, b. White 12 Kippax, not out 34 Extras 3 Total for two wickets 118 A GRIM FIGHT HAMMOND’S WONDERFUL ' PERFORMANCE (Notes by “Burwood,”) The stirring fight for the cricket supremacy of the world which is being waged at Melbourne must-thrill the whole British Empire, as well as every country on the globe which admires .healthy athletic sports. What more thrilling spectacle could be witnessed than the flower of the manhood of two virile nations contending for supremacy upon the playing field? It has been said, and said truly, that it is his love of athletic pastimes that has given, the Britisher the place he holds in the sun to-day. The third Test match between England and l - Australia, which commenced pn . the Melbourne ground on . Saturday, lias now been in progress for four days, ■and. is little more than half over. -It has been a veritable battle of giants, and the most pleasing thing about it so far is that the Australians . have recovered the form they so unaccountably lost in the first and second Test games of the present series, and are extending the Englishmen to the utmost. In reply to the Australians’ opening knock of 397, the Englishmen did well to run to 417 in their first innings. This solid total was mainly due to that star batsman, W. R. Hammond, of Gloucestershire, who created a new record in this match by being the first batsman to score two double centuries in Test matches, his first being the 251. he hit up in the first innings of the second Test match at Sydney a few weeks back. To show how rare it is for a batsman to flog Test bowlers to the tune of a double century, it need only be mentioned that in the whole of the 117 matches which have been played between England and Australia double centuries have only been scored on six occasions, and Hammond claims two of them. The Gloucestershire man is the second Englishman to record a doublecentury in a Test match, as R. E. Foster hit up 287 for England at Sydney in December, 1903. W. L. Murdoch holds the record for Australia with 211, made at the Oval in August, 1884; S. E. Gregory scored 201 for Australia at Sydney in December, 1894, and J. Ryder mt up 201 not out for Australia at Adelaide in the 1924-5 season. Hammond, who is only 25 years of a ? e ’ J ias a nie teoric rise and is one of the outstanding players of the day. He is a batsman of the free, forcing type, a useful medium-pace bowler, and one of the most brillian fieldsmen England has produced. lie is also a firstclass wicketkeeper. It is extremely pleasing to see that those two great batsmen, Woodfull and Kippax, are maintaining their best form in Australia’s second innipgs, and that the brilliant 20-year-old New South Welshman, D. Bradman, has more than justified his right to be replaced in the Australian eleven.

How splendidly the Victorian veteran, D. Blackie, must have bowled in the Englishmen’s first innings to send down no fewer than forty-four overs, thirteen of which were maidens, for 94 runs and six wickets. It is a surely a reflection upon the Australian selectors that such a brilliant bowler as Blackie should have had to wait until his forty-seventh.year before being allowed to show the world what he could do againts the best of batsmen on the best of wickets. It’ the Australians can only .manage to put on a respectable score in their second innings they should win the third

Test match, as England will have to make the runs required to win upon a wicket which must be more or less worn by the heavy scoring which has already been done upon it. Blackie, Grimmett and Oxenham should take some playing in the fourth innings of the match. It will be an epic struggle, as the Australians are fighting for their very lives, with two defeats already stacked up against them, while the Englishmen will strain every nerve to clinch the argument by taking the rubber with three straight-out victories. When men are playing as gallantly as are both sides in the third Test match it matters little who wins. All the world, with one breath, can shout “Well done I HAMMOND’S PERFORMANCE HIGHLY PRAISED BY ' CRITICS (Australian Press Association.) (Rec. January 2, 5.5 p.m.) London, January 2. p. F. Warner in the "Morning Post” describes Hammond as the gregt batting success, of the tour. ‘‘Obviously he is the best young batsman since Hobbs. As an all-rounder he may be compared with anyone, for he is a : glorious field, and a good medium-paced bowler, but cannot be expected to make huge scores run about the field,, bend down iu the slips, and take wickets in the Australian heat. He is the greatest cricketer Gloucester has provided since Grace,-not forgetting Jessop and Townsend. Before the end of his career he may rival even Graces deeds. Woolley, in the “Daily Chronicle,’ says he always had the highest opinion of Hammond’s cricketing abilities, as a batsman, a bowler, and a fieldsman, but often wondered whether he was concentrating sufficiently to do justice to himself. Apparently he did so both in Sydney and Melbourne. His latest is his most valuable effort, seeing that England was up against a more substantial total and sterner bowling. Woolley does not agree with the suggestion that Sutcliffe failed because Hobbs did. He is of opinion that Sutcliffe irf simply out of form. Clem Hill, in the “Daily Telegraph, considers that Hammond’s performance was outstanding, and was in the mam front of the English batting. His footwork was inimitable, and he gave no chance. He did not make a weak stroke. The Australian attack on the whole was more virile than in previous matches, out lacked Gregory’s devastating fast bowling. 'SHEFFIELD SHIELD NEW SOUTH WALES v. QUEENSLAND (Rec. January 2, 11.25 p.m.) Sydney, January 2. The first Sheffield Shield match of the season iu Sydney was notable for the infusion of new blood on the New South Wales side, and for rapid scoring by the Queenslanders’ tail-enders. After the first half of the team were disposed of for Iba runs, the tail wagged effectively, ahd the first innings ended for 435 for _S7 minutes’ play. (McCombe 62, Thompson 143, Behsted, not out 93). Nicholls took five wickets for 97 runs. New South Wales made 457 (Fairfax 58, Seddon 80, Punch 72, McCabe 60). Thompson took three wickets for 21, and Brew, three for 114. Queensland, in the second innings has made 228 for five wickets (Thompson, 70, not out, McCombe, 50).

Bowling Analysis. Overs. Meins. Runs. Wkts. Blackie 44 13 94 0 A’Beekett 37 7 92 1 Grimmett • • Ut> 14 114 2 Oxenham 35 11 07 0 Ryder 4 0 14 0 Hendry 28 3 35 1 AUSTRALIA..