The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1933. SPORT OR WARY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11836, 18 January 1933, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1933. SPORT OR WARY

It is to be regretted that so much ill-feeling lias developed in connection with the • cricket tests between England and Australia. The roof of the trouble is, as is well-known, the complaint on the part of Australia, that the visitors’ bowling tactics are unfair. No one will credit that the Australians are poor sportsmen and that they, are squealing ‘because they are not having things all their own way. What is palpably , the position is that two of the visitors’ fastest howlers calmot, or do not, refrain front sending down deliveries which are dangerous. The Australians can have no grounds for complaint against tho M.C.C 1 . side for adopting the leg theory of howling, as loug as-it is of a legitimate type. As a matter of

fact, in! years, gone by, they vcs exploited what is known as the] ■-Teg trap”, for all they were worth-;It! is, however, quite a different matter when'a side ulloiVs any'of its howlers to adopt a-form of delivery which is liable to occasion physical' injury to an opposing batsman, 'f liore .can be, no question but that the Australian; captain is. very sore, both physically! and otherWise', as a result Of the injury which ho received-at the hands of Larwood. In any match, accidents, are, of course, liable to happen. WoodfulL boyveyer, is, seemingly, not convinced' that his injury was the,result of misadventure. Mis statement to Mr. Warner that it rests with the visitors whether he continues }» play in further tests really amounts to ,a suggestion that he feels that .ho n. marked man, or. in other words, to a charge that Larwood adopts • the, wretched tactics of bowling at h‘m instead of at the wickets. Woodfull may reckon, that he is not alpne being made the object of. illcgit-. imatc attack, 'per medium of Lurwood. He did hot, however, broadon has remark to imply that other Australians besides himself would have 'to give deep study to the. point as to whether it was in tlieir inter-, ests to continue to participate in big cricket. The unfortunate injury which Ohllichl suffered was .apparently, of quite, a ddfeient chaiucter, seeing that the ball was deflected by Ids bat to bis head, hut for a U that, the delivery might have been quite unplayable.- It does not follow that Woodfull’s injury was not, 1 as Clem Mill says, all in the game. For all that Woodfull, as wo have indicated, is far from con vine-, ed that it wa s duo simply to. a pure accident and wliat is significant is that he is supported by such a famous cx-crickoter as Noble. There is, unquestionably, a great difference between exploiting a r ‘leg trap’’ and sending down speedy bumpers on the log side of the wicket which are bound to fly up and are liable to occasion physical injury to the batsnieu. What makes the position very awkward fo r the visitors is that, prior to their departure from Home,’ Hobbs found grave fault with Bowes for sending down to him short and last bumpers, which even such a great master batsman as himself could not play, and Mr. "Warner, now a co-manager of the M.C.C. tourists, joined in what became a chorus of protest against Bowes. It may be recalled that, on the occasion of tlieir last visit- to England, the Australians had no difficulty in playing Larwood, '[bo only possible explanation, of tlie complaints now levelled against the M.C.C.’s greatest speed merchant can be that lie is now adopting a much more dangerous type of so-called “leg theory” bowling. If it "ere the case that Larwood bad merely improved liis speed, the Australians would, surely, not he protesting so vehemently concerning Ids deliveries. Ti will be noted that the Australian Board of Control lias made representations by cable to the M.C.C. on the subject and in all the circumstances, it will not be surprising if Larwood is counselled by Jardino to (one down the worst features of his attack. Whatever the result of the present series of tests, sufficient ill-feeling lias been aroused to ensure that it will be memorable.