AUSTRALIA’S TASK

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1930, Page 5

AUSTRALIA’S TASK

RECORD SCORE TO WIN BRADMAN'S OPPORTUNITY [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] (Received June 17, 10 a.m.) , LONDON, June 16. Australia was one hundred and thirty behind with two wickets to fall when the test match was resumed at Trent Bridge this morriing. The weather was cool, and the sky overcast, and there was a light breeze.

Larwood, whose thirteen overs on Saturday cost only eleven, sent down a maiden to Kippax, Tyldesley bowling a maiden to Hornibrook who let every ball go past. Kippax then scored a single. Larwood’s next ball dismissed the Queenslander, who was palpably beaten. Then Wall playing on, became the third Australian to fail to score, the innings ending for a quarter of an hour to-day. The crowd was about, ten thousand at the opening. Hobbs and Sutcliffe forced the scoring right at the outset, both stealing impudent singles, five coming from one over off Wall. Hobbs coverdrove Fairfax’s first ball for four, then ho cut Wall to the boundary, the four overs yielding eighteen. Fairfax was taken off after three overs in favour of Grimmett. Hobbs was still enterprising, twenty-five coming up in twenty-five minutes, an uncommonly brisk start for test cricket.

Sutcliffe hit Grimmett for three fours the bowlers getting no assistance from tfie pitch. Run getting looked simple. The bowling was unimpressive, though Grimmett and Hornibrook each bowled two successive maidens.

Driving Hornibrook to the boundary, Hobbs raised 50 in even time. He and Sutcliffe then did as they liked, hitting the bowling in all directions. Hobbs, who was particularly severe on Grimmett brought his own total to 54 in 70 minutes, then fiercely drove Hornibrook to the fence three times. The hundred took only 90 minutes. This was the tenth time Hobbs and Sutcliffe had recorded a century for the opening partnership in tests.

Wall returned, but did not worry the batsmen. Sutcliffe’s 50 was reached in 105 minutes. Hobbs then walked up the pitch to Grimmett, and Oldfield whipped the bails off. The veteran’s delightful innings lasted 115 minutes. He hit 10 boundaries and gave a chanceless display. The attendance was now 25,000 and the gates were closed. In Wall’s first over, after lunch Hornibrook dropped Sutcliffe in the slips. Sutcliffe was then struck on the hand by a fast ball and was forced to retire.

Hammond went out exactly in the same way as in the last innings, walking right into a straight ball from Grimmett.

Woolley was uncomfortable from the start, and soon had his stumps shattered. LIVELY HITTING. Hendren and Chapman were now associated. Both made numerous boundary strokes. Chapman raised 203 on the board, giving England a lead of 329. When the pair had- added 64 in 40 minutes Chapman was bowled.

Hendren and Tate then batted enterprisingly. Wall seemed to be tiring and the fast rate of scoring was maintained. Hendren’s 50 took 90 minutes. Tate fell to a good low catch on the boundary. It was Kippax’s first catch of the tour. Hendren, upon reaching 55, made his season’s total 1000 runs. Hobbs also aggregated four figures for the season to-day.

Robins was bowled, and at the tea interval England was leading by 404 with four wickets to fall, appearing to be in an impregnable position. Hendren was caught in the slips soon afterwards, having given a bright chanceless display. It was encouraging to see Wall bowl so well after the early failure. Grimmett in the next over bowled Larwood round the legs. Three hundred was reached for 280 minutes,, and with Sutcliffe unable to resume, England led by 428 runs. Nearly, but not quite an impossible task faced Australia. An hour was left to bat before stumps. The wicket was now quite dry. Duleepsinhji fiielded in place of Sutcliffe, j Australia made another disastrous start. Only. 12 were scored when Larwood dismissed Woodfull, who was again caught by the opposing skipper. Bradman resumed his usual position. Ponsford had a lucky escape when Hendren dropped him, off Tate. Bradman batting brightly, severely treated Robins’ bad length slow balls. Bradman edged Tate luckily through the slips to bring up 50 for 45 minutes. Tyldesley replaced Robins. Bradman pulled him for four twice. The pair were together at stumps. Australia must break the record score for a fourth innings in a test match in order to win. The previous best, 411, was scored by England in the first test at Sydney in 1924. The scores are; —•

ENGLAND—I bi. INNINGS .. 274. AUSTRALIA—IST. INNINGS. Woodfull, c Chapman, b Tate .. 2 Ponsford, b Tate 3 Fairfax, c Hobbs, b Robins .. 14 Bradman, b Tate 8 Kippax (not out) 64 McCabe, c Hammond, b Robins .. 4 Richardson, b Tyldesley .. .. 37 Oldfield, c Duckworth, b Robins .. 4 Grimmett, st. Duckworth, b Robins 0 Hornibrook, 1.b.-w., b Larwood .. 0 Wall, b Tyldesley .. .. . • 0 Extras 8 Total 144 The fall of wickets -was: One for 4,2 for 6, 3 for 16, 4 for 57, 5 for 61, 6 for 105, 7 for 134, S for 140, 9 for 141, 10 for 144. Bowling analysis: Larwood 15 overs, 18 maidens, 12 runs, 1 wicket; Tate, 19 overs, 8 maidens, 20 runs, 3 wickets; Tyldesley 21 overs, 8 maidens, 53 runs, 2 -wickets; Robins 17 overs, 4 maidens, 51 runs, 4 wickets; byes 4, leg byes 4.

ENGLAND—2ND. INNINGS. , Hobbs, st. Oldfield, b Grimmett 74 Sutcliffe, retired hurt 58 Hammond, l.b.w. b Grimmett .. 4 Woolley, b Wall .. J/ Hendren, c Richardson, b Wall .. 72 Chapman, b Wall * 29 Tate, c Kippax, b Grimmett .. -, 24 Robins, b McCabe * Larwood, b Grimmett 7 Tyldesley, b Grimmett .. •• 5 Duckworth, not out •- 14 s Extras •• ® Total 202 Bowling: Wall 26 overs, 4 maidens, 67 runs, 3 wickets, Grimmett 30/4/94/5; Fairfax 15/4/SS/0; McCabe 14/3/42/1, Hornibrook 11/4/35/0. Fall of the wickets: 1 for 125, 2 for 137, 3 for 147, 4 for 211, 5 for 250, 6 for 260, 7 for 283, 8 for 283 9 for 301. AUSTRALIA—2ND. INNINGS. Woodful, c Chapman, b Larwood 4 Ponsford, not out 21 Bradman, not out 21 Extras .. 4 "

Total for one wicket .. .. 60 WORST OF THE LUCK LONDON, June 15. Mr. P. F. Warner, writing in the “Morning Post,” says:—“So far fortune has been against the Australians. They have had to bowl with a slippery ball and to bat on a pitch that was affected by rain. It was certainly Robins’s day on Saturday. Seldom had anyone made so happy a debut as an all-rounder in a test.” Mr. Warner says he would like also to pay a tribute to the clever way in which Grimmett altered his pace in accordance with the different styles of the batsmen. He adds that no praise is too much for Kippax’s graceful innings, his late cuts and his strokes on the off and leg sides being all beautifully made. Mr. Warner says he must emphasise that Australia has had all the worst of the luck.

A YOUNG PLAYER. Robert Robins, the Middlesex allrounder, who is distinguishing himself in the Test, was one of tho five cricketers of the year mentioned by Wisden’s Annual for 1930. He was born in 1906 at Stafford and was coached as a. boy by his father, who played for Staffordshire before the War, and later on by Albert Knight, the old Leicestershire, professional. His all-round cricket made him one of tho great schoolboy players of 1925, and on proceeding to Cambridge ho secured his Blue as a Freshman. In his last year at the University he was invited to play for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord’s, but met with only moderate success. Ho has played for the Middlesex County team, which ho has assisted with increasing credit, particularly as a. bowler, and last season his googly bowling proved of great value. Curiously enough, he was not always a bowler of this type, for only in his year of captaincy of the school team did he practise this ball. Only towards the end of the summer of 1928, when playing for Middlesex, did he blossom out as a bowler possessed of special gifts. Robins played in his first Test match at Lord’s against South Africa, and in the second innings of tho visitors ho proved very effective as a bowler. For his success he relies on his very powerful finger-spin, which enables him to make the ball turn quickly, and at a sharp angle. As a batsman he is a fine driver, hitting the ball very hard on either side, _ and he fields splendidly at cover point.