THE FIRST TEST

Evening Star, Issue 20040, 4 December 1928, Page 5

THE FIRST TEST

WARNER'S TRIBUTE TO GREGORY NEWSPAPER'S EXTRAORDINARY OUTBURST Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 3. (Received December 4, at 2 p.m.) Warner, in the ‘Morning Post,’ says: “Only a cricket miracle can deprive England of victory. Remembering the Sydney test of 1894 so graphically described in Giffeu’s book, who will say that Chapman was wrong in not enforcing the follow-on rule If it be true that Gregory has played his last big match he retires with the reputation of having been one of the chief factors of Australia’s’ Jong run of success, which began in 1920- Ho has a great attractive personality on aid off the field, and has added fresh lustre to his illustrious name.”

Warner expresses the opinion that Chapman, Mead, Heudreu, and Hammond ran a grave risk of fielding bareheaded in brilliant sunshine, though they possess more locks than some cricketers wo know.

The 1 Daily Express ’ has an extraordinary _ outburst in its editorial columns, in which it refers to the fact that the crowd barracked. England’s slow batting tactics. “The barrackers, of course, were annoyed at Chapman’s decision which gives the Australians the fourth innings on a worn wicket. Why should he notP What it comes to is: That this time our men aro not going to make any mistakes. They are out to give Australia the biggest biding it has ever had. They are out not mereiy t) keep the ashes, but to double padlock the urn. Chapman’s tactics concealed a deadly merciless intent to break the opposition. In other words, be is leading his men with the will to win. That is why they went to Australia.”