BRIGHTER BATTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 February 1937, Page 7

BRIGHTER BATTING

ENGLAND’S BETTER SHOWING DEFEAT PROBABLE I [BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.] SYDNEY, February 16. With New South Wales out in the second innings for 246. England required 405 runs to win when it began its second innings £bi-day. 7 stumps England, having lost seven wickets for 2SO, was facing defeat. Barnett, who opened the innings, scored 117 before being bowled, and he received good support from Hardstaff, who made 64. The weather was sultry for the start, when Faroes and Copson shared tho new ball. Fames dismissed Lush in his first over after Oldfield had added five, Lush turning the fifth ball to Sims at' short leg. Chilvers assisted Oldfield in a breezy partnership. Oldfield made a few excellent cover drives, but Fames dismissed Chilvers and Copson bowled White, the innings ending for 246 runs in 234 minutes! Chipperfield, who was injured, was absent. - The start of the Englishmen’s second innings marked a further success for the 23-year-old fast who caught Worthington crude shot in the seventh ball of his opening over. Barnett and Hardstaff took the score to 37 by lunch. The small crowd after lunch was treated to a. brilliant exhibition" of stroke play by Barnett and Hardstaff, who added runs at a brisk rate. They scored the first 50 in .47 minutes. Barnett drove, cut, and hooked splendidly, and Hardstaff played stylish shots all round the wicket. Runs came freely from Chilvers, who had taken four wickets for two runs in the first innings. Barjictt. when. 43, snicked White to the slips, .where Jackson failed to catch the ball in his left hand. Barnett- roused the small crowd to enthusiasm,in reaching 50 in 80 minutes and making the total 101 by tho same stroke. Hardstaff brought up a century partnership in 76 minutes and his own 50 in 87 minutes. Chilvers’ last over before' tea produced 15 runs.

Barnett, with a magnificent off-drive for' six, reached 99, but Lush, coming on again, dismissed Hardstaff, who was caught at square-leg for 64. The partnership produced 165 runs in 129 minutes. Lush had a further triumph when, after awaiting tho new ball after tea, he had Wyatt brilliantly caught by Robinson at cover point. Leyland was held at first slip by McCabe, making Lush’s figures four wickets for 39 runs. Luch later was erratic. Hynes, a lefthander, took a hand and bowled Barnett, who had just previously ” been struck on tho chest. Barnett’s superb innings of 117 runs occupied 173 minute's and included two sixes and 13 fours. Ames, driving and pulling vigorously, was the only latei’ batsman to shine. Scores: — -N.S.W., Ist" Innings 231. ■ i ” > ENGLAND, Ist Innings 73. -

N.S.W., 2nd Innings., Fingleton, c Duckworth, b Worthington 60 Beattie, c Robins, b Fames • • . 5 Hynes, c Duckworth, b Fames, .. 0 McCabe, c Barnett, b Sims .. 93 Robinson, c Ames, b Copson .. 25 Jackson, c Worthington, b Copson 10 Lush, c Sims, b Fames .. 5 Oldfield, not out 30 Chilvers, c Duckworth, b Fames 8 White, b Copson .. '.. .. 0 Chipperfield, absent •. ■ • 0 Extras , ’ 10 Total 24G ENGLAND, Second Innings. Worthington, c and b Lush i'. 6 Barnett, b Hynes 1/7 Hardstaff, c White, b Lush .. G 4 Wyatt, c Robinson, b Lush .. 11 Leyland, c McCabe, b Lush' .. 1 Ames, not out • • •• •• 44 Robins, b Hynes • • • • 7 Sims, lbw., b Hynes 8 Duckworth, not put 10 Extras 12 Total for. seven wickets 280 MACARTNEY PLEASED. (Received February 17, 8 a.m.) SYDNEY, February 16. Macartney comments: To-day’s cricket provided a feast of batting of quality and quantity calculated to satisfy the most enthusiastic spectator. Tho wicket conditions were delightful, with no suggestion of trickiness. Oldfield batted somewhat in his old style, crisply and with perfect confidence. Tho Englishmen were set a formidable task. They set about it seriously. Most of the batting was bright and attractive, containing the element of risk which makes cricket worth while. Worthington was out to a had shot from a bad ball. The Barnett-Hardstaff partnership produced tho most exhilarating display of batting sen for a long time. I had not hitherto seen Hardstaff in such good touch, and had no idea he had such a wealth of good strokes in his repertoire. If ho appears at Melbourne next week, lie will be a batsman to bo reckoned with. Tie plays a lofty drive with great courage, and gets tremendous power to.his forcing strokes. Barnett gave one of his best exhibitions, graceful square cuts and drives, despite the fact that the bowling was never loose. On the contrary. it was steady and exacting. Barnett eventually succumbed to a slinging yorker from Hynes. Anics was very snappy, and gave the crowd full measure of entertainment.

The fielding was excellent, and Oldfield was brilliant, and made some remarkable. saves from the legside deliveries. Chilvcrs received rough treatment to-day. Lush was decidedly lucky with some of his victims. Hynes, however, was menacing, and found a beautiful ball for Barnett. The situation at present looks promising for New South Wales;

HOB B S A P PRE CI AT IV E. (By J. B. Hobbs. Copyright in all countries. Reproduction in whole or in part forbidden.) (Received February 17. Koon). SYDNEY, February 17. Hobbs writes:— Yesterday was the first occasion this season I have

seen Oldfield produce anything like the batting form he showed when he was such a thorn in England’s side in the Tests about 1921. Some of his cover drives were splendidly executed. Hardstaff and Barnett put the English batting back on the map after Monday’s sad display. It was the best batting seen on this tour, in an important match. It scintillated with all the strokes, and there was brilliant running between the wickets. They kept chasing runs, as well as running them quickly. The spectators appreciated the splendid batting. ” The batsmen did not merely guide th*e ball, but hit it with full-blooded smacks. The bowling was never loose, and) runs were never presented to them. Hard- ! staff played the best innings I have / 'seen from him in Australia. - The wicket' was a gem. Perhaps .1 wns-’raUXer..unkind, on the previous {day, in not making allowance for it, ; when condemning the.'English hats'men, and maybe it was not so good as I thought, but the wicket was no excuse for the other failures. Yeste'r- < ; day, there was a collapse when a. new ball was used, England losing four wickets while scoring twenty. If. is regrettable that Barnett and Hardstaff were let down, as their effort de- i served to bring England near to victory. I except Ames, who a forceful innings towards the close. It was excellent cricket and win or defeat in this matchedbes not really matter. New ..South Wales is the only State to beat'England. It must be a long time since any State did it twice, and I. cbngratitTate New South-. Wales: ALLEN ON TIME LIMIT. (Recd. February 17, 1. p.m.) ' .SYDNEY, February 17. The English hajitain, Allen, speaking at a social function, answering criticism of England’s slow batting in the second Test, ascribed the tactics employed to Australia’s system of % Test matches without a time limit. > , “If you are going to play matches that go on indefinitely, the side winning the toss and going in sa'ys ‘The longer we stay in the worse for the •.! opposition; as the picket' will wear.’ If there is limited cricket, and’ you win the toss, you, say ‘We must get the opposition.in on the fifth day. We must get on with the game.’ If you .have limitless cricket, you always have dull cricket. I have always ad- ./ vocated a time limit, and when Igo p back to England I shall urge it all the more.'” J; V PUBLIC ATTENDANCE. '•■■ -■SYDNEY, February 16. '{■ Neville Gardus, writing in the / “Bun,” agrees witlt Hobbs about the . ’ poor attendances at State matches in which the English cricket team is engaged. He says: “This sad state of things, I believe, is caused by the mania for Test cricket which battens '■ bn the game like some 'Moloch devour- ,■ ing its own young. If the public stay away from ordinary games' and; ! if the players in these games use them as moments of relaxation, then how are future Test match cricketers ,to be bred and made accustomed to the atmosphere of important and challenging cricket? . Everything in this world perishes where high finance is the first and the riiain consideration.”,