FIRST TEST MATCH

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5666, 21 December 1920, Page 5

FIRST TEST MATCH

THIRD DAY’S PLAY

AUSTRALIANS KEEP ENGLISH FIELDSMEN BUSY.

FIVE WICKETS DOWN FOR 332, IN SECOND INNINGS.

(United Press Association—Copyright.) SYDNEY, Dec. 20. ' Play in the test match was continued in fine weather.

Collins and Bardsley imparted a serious note into the play so markedly in evidence in the first innings. Douglas took a hand with the ball making the fifth bowler, but owing to the changes the bowling possessed little element of danger for the batsmen, who determined to play cautiously and pick out the loosA ones. The spectators disregarding the necessity for careful batting, pined for a bright display, hut in vain 1

When in the forties Collins pulled Parkin low to square leg. Hearne got his right hand on it but was unable to hold it. Shortly after Bardsley placed Hearne in front of cover point and ran but endeavored to return when Hobbs looked dangerous. Bardsley slipped in turning but Hobbs overran the ball enabling tne batsman to regain the crease. The “let off” was not of much benfit, however, as Bardsley opened out and Hearne clean howled him.

Macartney was satisfied to proceed slowly but }vas responsible for several fine shots which were unproductive as a result of fine fielding. Collins several times took strike from Macartney with a single off the last hall of the over hut only to put the hall hack to the bowlers. At intermittent periods he momentarily sparkled, hut quickly lapsed again to steady play. With the total at 179 Douglas tried Rhodes who was thus the seventh howler. His second almost brought about the downfall of Macartney who jumped out of the crease to meet the ball but missed, so did Strudwick, with the batsman a yard outside the crease. Undeterred Macartney continued stepping down the pitch executing several brilliant late cuts to the off .and leg drives to the boundary. Others equally brilliant were neutralised by fine work in the field particularly by Hcndren. Collins after a lengthy spell in the nineties reached his century with a single to square leg off Waddington. In the next over he lifted Douglas to mid-on, Waddington accepted an easy catch. Douglas’s next over got Macartney. In endeavouring to make a late cut lie pulled the ball on to his wicket. His 69 included nine boundaries. Macartney was dismissed in precisely similar way in the first innings. (Received Dec 20, 9.1 S p.m.) Taylor rapidly rattled up double figures but a few minutes later poked one from Douglas over Russell's bead at second slip, ,the fieldsman being only able to touch the ball with his finger tips. For this stroke the batsmen ran a single. Douglas varied his bowling, making frequent changes the three left handers, Woolley, Wadding ton, and Rhodes, being treated with the most respect by the batsmen. Kelleway as usual played “rock.’’ When four he returned a very hot one to Hearne, who stopped it, but was unable to hold it. The crowd soon barracked Ivelleway’s stonewall tactics, and an appeal for lbw was eagedly answered by a section of the crowd with “Out! out!” Taylor played stylish cricket all round the wicket. He was caught by Woolley after he passed his fiftieth run. The attendance was 25,000. Following are the scor^:

AUSTRALIA. (First Innings.)

Macartney, b Waddington ... 19 Collins, run out '0 Bardsley, c Strudwick b Heame 22 Kellawav, run out ... 33 Armstrong, st Strudwick b ... Woolley , ••■ ■•• If Gregory, c Strudwick b Woolley S Taylor, lbw b Hearne 34 Fellow, c Hendren b Hearne ... 36 Ryder, run out ? Oldfield, c Hobbs b Parkin ... < Mailey, not out 10 Sundries H Total 267 Bowling analysis.—Hearne three wickets for 77 runs. Woolley two lor 35, Parkin one for 58, W'addington one for 35, Hitch none for 37, Douglas none for 14, W'addington bowled one for ho hall. (Second Innings.) Collins, c W r add:ngton b Douglas 104 Bardsley, b Hearne 57 Macartney, b Douglas ... 69 Taylor, e. W’oolley b Parkin ... ol Pel lew, lbw b Woolley 16 Kelleway, not out 23^ Sundries 1-“

Total for five wickets ... ... 332 ENGLAND. * (First Innings.) Russell, b Kelleway ... 0 Hobbs, b Gregory ... Hearne, c Gregory b Mailey ... 14 Hendren, c Gregory b Ryder ... 2b W’oolley, c Mailey b Ryder ... 52 Douglas, stu Oldfield b Mailey... 21 Rhodes, c Gregory b Mailey ... o Hitch, c Kelleway b Gregory ... 3 W'addington, .run out ‘ Parkin, not out , •* Strudwick, lbw b Gregory ... 2 Sundries * ... - ' Total ••• 190 * Bowling • analysis.—Gregory three for 56. Mailey throe for 90, Rydei two for 20, * Kelleway one for 10, Armstrong none tqr 2. —U.P.A.

PRESS COMM.KNT-ON SATUR- *. • • DAY-'S-' GAME. V ■

MAILEY’S. FINE. W'OR K.

LAMHNTAHLe display of. -6.7,.“' CRICKET..

/' . SYDNEY, Dec. • 20. ' . The HeraJcTs expert: says,*-that Satr urday’s "play-showed;, good -bowling, but ‘bad, ‘batting. He attributed the' succesk to- the Australian- 'bonling, and the inability,of the Englishmen to ,get the mastery of. Mailey; whoso worth is mot indicated- by the analysis. He had the/.' batsinen guessing all tlie; time, ‘ m'akiiig kthings /uncomfortable at both "ends/ He' 'sent down SOme gifts, .but throughout did not falter/in. length .or- persistency.,. Despite fine work in the fieldv. it, was not ‘so impressive.'as ■ England ,s heldino-.- It needs fin .'Australian .breakdown or- a brilliant •English recovery to avert the expected result. Tlie Telegraph strifesAs an hibition of first class .cricket the play Avas lamentable. It is rubbish to talk of super-howling. Bad cricket is the answer. Only two men on ' the English side ..plaved cricket— Hobbs’, and W’oollcv. The.former ’is brilliant, 'enterprisiin'g,.. and welLlikeo _ 'by */ Australians; but - is. bestrl'ked in .tb'e pavilion. He alone; among the -English-: men. knew'how to play Mailey ’s googlies.—U.P.A. ' -

HOW- BOW/LERS WON. v In discussing the Bnglnnd-N.S I .W, rematch, Mr: L. 0. -S. Poidevin, him,;self an" old general, says of the colonial bowling: The Englishmen were, as a matter of. fact/in precisely the right cricket frame' of mind to be vic-timised-by our bowlfers; lulled into , a sense of seeming security, they, were inclined to take things less seriously than‘the circumstances of their form •and their . estimate of the opposition

warranted. They were meeting two types of bonding, that of Gregory and Mailey, of. a class they had not yet encountered here, and these two bowlers successfully solved the problem of the English batting—for the timebeing at all events. Of the two the bowling of Gregory earned the better reward on figures, but it was the bowling of Mailey that gave the more real anxiety to the batsmen. The “bosie” bowler was quite new to the English batsmen, of whom only one or two really played his unorthodox deliveries with any degree of comfort. It was not a matter of -merd" unfamiliarity; that alone would not gain success in such company. Mailey sustained a fine length throughout, his attack was well designed, and his methods were full of studied purpose. It was clever bowling* and beyond a doubt it fairly disconcerted the opposition. , Some of the English hats, men will meet Mailey again—and may regret it. On the whole, however, they should play him better at thenext time of meeting, and they probably will, hut they will certainly respect him. Anyone patching closely must have noticed how eager, to get runs, even to the extent of indulging iu unnecessary risks, some of the batsmen were when opposed to Gregory during the time that Mailey «ai; a bowler at the other end, hut as

soon as Mailey was taken off and replaced by a howler of the deferent type, the eagerness to score o.iickly off Gregory or take risks at Ids end immediately lapsed. It was very noticeable, for instance, while Fender hatted. This, of course, is precisely the way in which one bowler often helps another to get wickets. At one end lie disconcerts and unsettles a batsman who gets out trying to help his score along unduly at the other end. This must not be taken as a suggested factor in Gregory’s success. He howled a trifle faster than was expected, and he maintained his paceall the time. He made the good length hall “get up” on the excellent wicket with that life and hostility that characterises the extra howler. This energy and aggressiveness must have delighted the most fastidious critic. He snicked out or forced into a fatal indiscretion some of the. opening batsmen, he gave trouble, too, after the intervals, and he hustled out the tail-enders after the manner of thq very best of fast bowlers. And, now Australian cricket looks towards him. There are big crickettasks ahead.