TEST INCIDENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 12, 16 January 1933, Page 8

TEST INCIDENTS

THE "BODY ATTACK"

WHAT WARNER WROTE

HIS ENGLISH COMMENT

(By "Not Out.")

Cricket sensations are following "thick and heavy" upon one another during the present series ' of Tests in Australia, and, as was pointed out in "The Post" on Saturday, some of them unfortunately are not in keeping with the spirit of tho game. The play-itsalf on Saturday added further to the startling1 events of the first day. The valiant stand by-Payater and "Verity greatly improved England's position, and a further improvement was effected when three of Australia's leading batsmen were disposed of almost as cheaply as England's first three. "With all the thrills of play there are also other incidents, and the cabled news to-day contains further news of the kind which makes one wonder, as one English critic puts it, what the Tests are testing^ The "leg-theory." or body attack has cropped up again, and this time Wood' full is outspoken. It is stated that the newspapers are featuring Warner's comment upon this type of bowling. When Bowes adopted similar tactics in the Surrey-Yorkshire match, in England last season,. Mr. P. F. Warner wrote in condemnation of them. The following is taken from an article which he contributed to the "Morning. Post":— "While giving Yorkshire all credit for their out-cricket, Bowes must alter his tactics. Bowes bowled with five men on the on-side and sent down several very short-pitched balls which repeatedly bounced head high and more. Now that is not bowling; indeed it is not cricket, and if all the fast bowlers wero to adopt his methods, M.C.C. would be compelled to step in and penalise the bowler who bowled the ball at less than halfway up the pitch. "Now, Bowes is s, fine, natural bowler. He must stand 6ft sin and therefore brings the ball down from, a great height, but he'would be a far better bowler if he . concentrated on length and cut out the short stuff. He is not doing justice to.himself, to his ability, or to the game of cricket by his present methods. I have always taken an interest in Bowes's cricket since the day some faur or five years ago when the secretary of the M.C.C. asked mo to bat to him in a net at Lord's. Whoever is responsible for his present style of bowling I know not—but Yorkshireinen are great cricketers and good sportsmen, and I appeal to Bowes and to others, if any, who may have influenced him to his present style, to get him back to orthodoxy. *

"It could not have been a very pleas ant day's cricket. First, we saw' obvious protests in the field from Hobbs/then the crowd shouted for Bowes to be taken off, and later Maeaulay sent down two fast full-pitchers to the Surrey captain. Very coolly Mr. Jardine ducked, and the^first "header" went for four byes, the second being taken by the wicket-keeper. "Now, I am a great admirer of Yorkshire cricket. I love their keenness and the. zest .with which they play, but they will find themselves a very unpopular side—if there is a repetition of Saturday's methods. Moreover, these things lead to reprisals— and when they begin, goodness knows where.they will end. "All this may sound like a sermon. I have no desire to preach or to attempt to lay down the law in any way, but I do love'cricket, and on Saturday Yorkshire fell from her high pedestal and her reputation was tarnished. Once again I appeal to all who control Yorkshire cricket, to' the president of the club, to the committee, to the captain, and to man like Sotoliffs to s*e ths,t *.b.fa>£s We altered. I ha*e written,' I 0..W6, Jumcstly and fairly, *rA I ant aer\m I wio the aplaloa of all wbo tare, for crickot and who wish to see its high traditions and prestige maintained."

When approached by a contributor to the-Australian Press regarding those, views, Mr. Warner is reported to have remarked tersely "Misreported." However, the article- in the /"Morning Post" appeared as having been contributed by "P. F. Warner."