HAS YET TO SEE A TEST

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 300, 15 September 1936, Page 14

HAS YET TO SEE A TEST

Young Tasmanian Cricket Star “Are you fit for the Test?” I asked Jaek Badcock, the ex-Tasmanian, who is now a South Australian representative cricketer, reports an Australian journalist. Jack almost blushed, and modestly waved the suggestion aside. “I’m tremendously keen to see a Test, ’ he naively answered. "Do you know, I’ve never seen one yet.” “But won’t you be playing?” I persisted. “Oh, it doesn’t look like it, There’s Don Bradman to go in, and hardly more than one likely to be dropping out,” he added. “Well you might be twelfth man,” I ventured. “That would be great, but there are a lot of others,” replied Jack. Badcock was not inclined to talk about himself, but when I hinted that playing slow bowling was his weakness, it was like touching an electric button. “It won’t worry me any more,” he said. “For the past couple of months Frank Ward, the googly, and I have been going to a quiet country spot every week-end to practise together. Frank has given me lota of hints. I’m quite confident against slows at last. The trouble was that I never had to face decent slow stuff in Tasmania.”

Vivian McGrath, New Zealand tennis champion, who returned to Australia recently, believes that Australia should challenge for the Davis Cup next year. He says that Australia was close to winning this year, and he believes that the Australian players, especially Quist, will improve rapidly, so they should keep on fighting now. In the future Australia might not be so happily placed. Immediate challenges are more likely to succeed than those postponed for several years. D. J. Tarr, the Welsh international and United Services Rugby hooker who severely injured his neck during the game between Wales and New Zealand at Cardiff in December, told the inhabitants of A manford, who made a presentation to him recently, that he would be fit again in a month or so. Ho hopes > to resume playing next season. 1