CRICKET TOUR

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 206, 28 May 1938, Page 11

CRICKET TOUR

Hampshire Dismissed

For 157

AUSTRALIA’S GOOD START One Wicket Down For 201 By Telegraph — Press Assn. —Copyright. London, .May 26. A day’s play having been lost owing to rain, the cricket match between Hampshire and Australia was started to-day. Bradman won the toss, and the warm sun following yesterday’s rain induced him to send Hampshire in the county being dismissed for I;>7 (O’Reilly six for 05). At stumps Australia had made 204 for one wicket, Fingleton, SI, and Bradman, 71, being the not-out batsmen. Hampshire’s innings lasted 135 minutes. The score was creditable m the circumstances. The wicket, while not sticky, certainly assisted the bowlers. The pitch seemed to have recovered a little when Australia batted. Fingleton and Brown opened cautiously, but later Brown became aggressive and outshone his partner, who, while safe, waited for the runs to come. The spin bowlers were not called upon until 78 runs were on the board. Boyes, a slow left-hander, immediately (gsmissed Brown. A crowd of 10,000 was present after tea, when most of the venom had departed from the wicket. Fingleton and Bradman carried the score along steadily, though they were careful when facing the spinners of Boyes and Hill. The first 100 runs occupied 110 minutes. Bradman was uneasy and mistimed a number of shots, while Fingleton played mostly dead bat strokes. Later the pair, especially Bradman, livened up, and a century partnership was realised after 95 minutes. The batsmen scored freely in the closing stages. Bradman at stumps needed 53 runs for his 1000 runs in May. Details: — \ HAMPSHIRE. First Innings. McCorkell, c. Chipperfield, b. O’Reilly 10 Arnold, b. O’Reilly -g Paris, b. O’Reilly ■ 1° Creese, b. O’Reilly 22 Pothecary, c. Walker, b, O Reilly • • 16 Moore, b. Fleetwood-Smith o Steele, run out Hill, c. Fingleton, b. White 11 Boyes, c. Bradman, b. O’Reilly .... 11 Baring. b. White " He'ath, not out J Extras 16 Total Bowling.—McCormick took no wickets for 16 runs; McCabe, none for 9; O’Reilly, six for 65; tVhite, two for 1J; Fleetwood-Smith, one for 35. AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Fingleton, not out 81 Brown, c. Pothecary, b. Boyes Bradman, not out i_Extras 0 Total for one wicket2ol STIFFER OPPOSITION Match Against Middlesex To-day (By Burwood.) The Australian team will be back at Lord’s cricket ground to-day for the match against Middlesex, whose eleven can be expected to provide stiffer opposition than the Australians have yet met with on the tour. For the eighth time since the county championship commenced, Middlesex last season finished as runners-up for the honour. After a bad start, they won 12 matches, eight in succession, and six with an innings to spare. During this period they five times wrested the lead from Yorkshire. ■ At their best, Middlesex were a great Sid , powerfully equipped in all departments of the game. The county played 28 matches, of which 16 were won, five lost, and seven drawn. The side was rich in batsmen of class, W. J. Edrich, D. Compton, and E. Hendren all scoring well over a thousand runs each. Hendren, who had scored 40,302 runs for the county, including 119 centuries, retired from first-class cricket at the end of the*season. Edrich has maintained his brilliant form this season, as he has already hit up IS2 against Gloucestershire, and 24,> against Worcestershire. Compton is also going well this season, as he has scored 163 against Gloucestershire, aud 134 against Lancashire. In these two Middlesex has a pair of outstanding batsmen, who will be certain to play for England in Ihe Tests this year. J. Smith, the fast bowler of the side, headed the bowling figures last season, with 118 wickets at an average of 16.32. J. Sims, who toured New Zealand with the M.C.C. team recently, took 91 wickets at 18.98 apiece. R. W. V. Robins, another slow bowler, captured 63 wickets at a cost of 19.47 each. L. H. Gray, a fast bowler, rendered Smith good support by faking 63 wickets at an average of 20.55. The county has a first-class wicketkeeper in W. F. Price, who last season helped to dismiss 76 batsmen in championship matches, and in the game against Yorkshire at Lord’s set up a new record by holding seven catches in an innings. Middlesex has been doing well this season. In a great match against Gloucestershire at Lord’s this month, both elevens totalled 478 in the first innings, and Middlesex eventually won by three wickets. Lancashire beat Middlesex by 113 runs at Lord’s this month, but the same week Middlesex routed Worcestershire at Lord’s by an innings and 51 runs. This was the match in which Edrich scored 245, and Sims took seven wickets for 55 runs. In 1934 the Australians defeated Middlesex by 10 wickets. The county scored 258 (E. Hendren 115, R. W. V. Robins 65), to which Australia replied with 345 (Bradman 160, Kippax 56, Barnett 40, Darling 37). Middlesex collapsed for 114 in their second innings, and Darling and Barnett hit off the 28 runs required to win without loss. Bowling for Australia, Grimmett took three for 80, and five for 27; Wall, three for 41,'and one for 27; Ebeling, two for 37, and one for 21 ; and O'Reilly, two for 56, and three for 34. For the county, Smith took four for 99, and 11. J. Enthoven four for 59, including the bat-trick. Bradman played a magnificent innings in this match, hitting up his 160 in just over two hours.