SOUTH AFRICA NARROWLY MISSES WIN IN FINAL TEST

Evening Star, Issue 26185, 21 August 1947, Page 8

SOUTH AFRICA NARROWLY MISSES WIN IN FINAL TEST

(Bee. 1 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 20. In a most gallant bid to win the fifth test match, South Africa just failed to make the necessary runs before the time limit expired. With three wickets in hand the South Africans needed only 28 runs to win at stumps. Mitchell, following his century in the first innings, made a magnificent 189 not out in the second innings. Only a small crowd was present at the Oval for the final day’s play, as few considered South Africa liad any chance of scoring the 443 runs required to-day for a win in 390 minutes. Mitchell, for the first 90 minutes, hardly made an attacking shot. The crowd, thinking he was playing for a draw, did not criticise the tactics. The English bowlers aide'd him by pitching the ball off-wicket.

Nourse showed that the bowling possessed little danger. He and Mitchell added 99 in 80 minutes, Nourse scoring 63. Mitchell took 210 minutes to reach 50, but after lunch he and Nourse scored 43 in 35 minutes. The bowling at this stage was inaccurate and harmless. Nourse continued brilliantly, and when lie left he was only three short of his first century. After a partnership worth 184, South Africa had a chance of unexpected victory. These hopes faded when Melville’s and Dawson’s wickets went cheaply. The Mit-chell-Nourse stand finished dramatically when Evans appealed for a catch at the wicket on the leg side against Nourse. The umpire signalled not out. Nourse walked a short distance from the crease and seemed about to resume his innings when the other’ umpire from square-leg indicated that the ball had hit the wicket. Nourse was then signalled as out, bowled. Evans presumably mistook the click of the ball hitting the stumps for a snick from the bat.

MITCHELL’S SECOND CENTURY. Mitchell at tea had batted 5} hours for 122. Throughout the entire game he had batted 11 hours 35 minutes for 232 runs He completed his second 100 of the match with five successive 4’s off Howorth and he is the second South African batsman of the tour to score a century in each innings of a test. Mitchell is the tenth cricketer to accomplish ‘this feat, which has been performed four times in 1947—by Morris and Compton in Australia, and by Melville and Mitchell in England.

' Everything centred on Mitchell in South Africa’s grand fight. Mitchell’s job at first was to keep his end intact until the bowling was truly mastered. He scored seven in his first 95 minutes, hut when Nourse began scoring well Mitchell also attacked, .and runs came freely from both until Howorth howled Nourse round his legs, and when Melville and Dawson reverted to the safety-first policy, thereby throwing away the opportunity of forcing a victory! The scores: SOUTH AFRICA. Second Innings. s Mitchell not out ... ... 189 Dyer lbw b Wright ... ... ... 4 Viljoen st Evans b Howorth ... 33 Nourse b Howorth 97 Melville c Evans b Cranston ... 6 Dawson c Howorth b Cranston ... 0 Fullerton c Evans b Howorth ... 14 Mann c Hutton b Wright ... ... 10 Tuckett not out ... 40 Extras 30 Total for 7 wickets ... ... 423 Fall of wickets: One for 8, two for 48, three for 232, four for 247, five for 249, six for 266, seven for 314. —Bowling Analysis.— , O. M.-R. W.

Copsoji ... 30 11 66 0 Gladwin ... 16 5 33 0 Wright ... 30 8 103 2 Howorth ... 37 8 85 3 Cranston ... 21 3 61 2 Compton ... 4 0 30 0 Hutton ... 2 0 14 0 Yardley ... 1 0 1 0 The match was drawn.