MOMENTOUS TEST OPENS

Hawera Star, Volume L, 26 July 1930, Page 5

MOMENTOUS TEST OPENS

y Australian Batting Fails BRADMAN DISMISSED FOR 14 Tourists Lose Seven for 275 Received H a.m. to-day. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, July 25. Though still overcast an hour before the start the weather looked promising for the momentous Test, which Austra 1a must either win or draw to have a hope of regaining le Ashes, for if the rubber ends all square the symbol of supremacy remains in England. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Woodtuil and Ponsford opened the innings and made an excellent stand, but on a separation being effected, the side went to pieces and at the drawing of stumps for the day seven wickets were down for 275 runs.

Old Trafford is the best equipped ground in England and is popular a with the Australians. It has a ‘‘billiard table” outfield. The teams, are:—

from a position which was most unhappy in the early afternoon. Nichols .finished the day with two for 20. Peebles two for 115 and Hammond two for 18.

Scores: AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Woodfull, o Duckworth, b Tate ... 54 Ponsford, b Hammond S 3 Bradman, e Duleepsinhji, bPeebles 14 Kippax, c Chapman, h Nichols ... 51 McCabe, 1.h.w., b Peebles 4 Richardson, b Hammond j Fairfax, not out 21 Oldfield, b Nichols Grimmett, not out 21 Extras 24 Total for seven wickets 275

Australia. England W oodfull Chapman Ponsiford Pcw>!es Bradman Duleepsinhji Richardson. Hobbs Kippax Sutcliffe MeiUabe Hammond Grimmett Tate Hornibrook Leylaml Oidifieid Duckworth Wall Nichols Fairfax l ffoddard Jacksoni (T'Jth) ILcmlren (10th)

Woodfull inspected the wicket alone at 10.30. Chapman, Hobbs, Levesonuower and Amain, the English, selectors, conrerretl on the pitch at 11, presumably with the object of deciding wnether the conditions would suit Goddard, .v few minutes later it was announced that Goddard would replace Robins. Fairfax resumed his place in the Australian side. The English selectors’ surprising decision to leave out Robins was a demonstration of their good faith in Peebles, who is a better length bowler. Fifteen thousand spectators saw Woodfull again call the toss correctly. It was strongly rumoured that neither was anxious to win the toss, for it was uncertain how the wioket would play. The crowd had increased to 20,0QQ at the commencement of play. A light breeze blew across the ground. Nichols, who takes a longer run than Larwood, commenced bowling. He used sawdust freely. Two singles came off the first over. Tate was warmly cheered when he took the other end. Ponsford scored six in twos off his first over. The wicket iustified the predictions that it would he slow and easy. Nichols developed considerable pace in the third over, but neither he nor Tate was able to make the hall kick. Woodfcjnll let some fly harmlessly past the. stump and cautiously played others. Ponsford, however, played the fast bowler confidently. The first half-hour produced, only 13 runs, bnt the batsmen were completely confident. Goddard, the heavily-built professional, took Tate’s end. He bowls without slips and medium-paced over the wicket, pitching on the leg stump. Tate then displaced Nichols. Goddard howled well and the batsmen refused to take risks, while their style was cramped by eager leg traps. Peebles was called on at 30. Thus the third howler appeared for England within an hour for the first time. Peebles’ second tied up Woodfull, who adopted the same tactics as at Lord’s. An hour realised 32 runs, delightful fielding by Peebles, Chapman and Leyland keeping down the runs well. Goddard was taken off after 11 overs yielding 11 runs. Levland was next tried. Fifty appeared on the hoard after 85 minutes. At lunch 75 was *n the board without loss. The cricket was interesting hut not exciting, and the Englishmen’s faultless fielding was the brightest feature of the play, Peebles’ spell of an hour at the howling crease yielding

KEEN INTEREST IN TEST

INCLUSION OF YOUNG BLOOD

onlv 20 runs. Tliirty thousand -were present after lunch, When the hatsmen became more aggressive. Wood-full’s 50 occupied 130 minutes and his second Test century -with Ponsford was recorded in 145 minutes. A triumphant yell from Duckworth at 106 heralded the breaking of a solid partnership as the wicket-keeper snapped up Woodfull off Tate’s howling. Bradman had an excellent reception when he came in. He had only scored four when he narrowly escaped a catch at the wicket. Ponsford’s 50 appeared after 165 minutes. Peebles was worryrt*g Bradman, who snicked one into the * v Tslips, but Hammond failed to hold it. The next ball also beat the batsman. In Peebles’ next over the recordbreaker tried to cut a ball, but it went to second slip, where Duleepsinhji took a brilliant catch. The Englishmen did not disguise their exultation at the cheap dismissal of the phenomenal Sydney batsman. Kippax had a worrying time in playing out the over, twice surviving legbefore appeals. He frequently mistimed the bowling, but Ponsford played soundly until he was bowled by Hammond at 184. The Victorian had batted for 230 minutes without a Chance, but onlv had five fours in his 83. After a short rest Peebles returned to the crease and got McCable with his second ball. The wicket was now playing tricks, and tlln? Australian <lebacle continued when Bichardson became Hammond’s second victim. Thus five wickets fell while 83 runs w r ere added. Kippax and Fairfax were together at tea-time, the former’s 15 having taken him 70 minutes. It was a. deplorable exhibition, which must rank as one of Kippax’s worst in first-class cricket. He seemed helpless and mistimed badly, and it was rather wonderful that he remained there. Two hundred appeared after 265 minutes and Kippax at length began to show better form, driving Peebles ✓twice to the boundary in one over. jATaii’fax meanwhile refused to take the /Tightest risk. Kippax reached 50 in 120 minutes and was out immediately after. He bad hit eight fours. After Nichols had clean bowled Oldfield, Grimmett and Fairfax added a few valuable runs, but Grimmett was dropped by Duleepsinhji off Nichols. The pair were together at the drawing of stumps. Grimmett scored 21 in 40 minutes, compared with the same score bv Fairfax in 105 minutes. These two did much to extricate Australia

me draw in the third Test, though verv decidedly iu favour of Australia, left the teams level iu matches, one wm each and a draw. But it invested tihe fourth, which began yesterday, with peculiar and striking interest because the Australians, going to England with a somewhat pessimistic public opinion round them, have very decidedly dispelled that impression and have gone on steadily to make their presence felt in the world of cricket at Home and have proved that so far they are well up to the standard of previous teams and able to more than hold their own with England’s best players. . . ~, First by their success against the strongest county teams, and then bv their wonderful effort in the fourth innings of the first Test, their decisive win the second and their brilliant form in the third, when they had a moral victory and were most unlucky to be robbed of that by the weather, they have made Australian cricket stock in the English market, if one may coin such a term, very high and have caused the English selectors “furiously to think.” The result of the fourth Test will be awaited with very close anticipation, for upon it depends practically the rubber. A draw will make the teams still level and a win to either will serve to make the position curiously interesting. To England it will mean continued possession of the Ashes because, even if Australia wins the fifth the Englishmen could not he beaten in Test points. For Australia the position would be different because, although they would be a- match ahead, there would ‘still he the possibility of England equalising by a win in the fifth and thus retaining the coveted trophy. Australia, on the other hand, must'win or draw in the fourth to he in the running. But in either event the possession of the Ashes will depend on the fifth. The unkindness of the weather last week meant, therefore, much more to the Australians* than appeared on the surface. It has to be noticed in this connection that six days are allotted to the final and this practically puts a draw out of the question altogether.

that the two fresh howlers selected for the English team in the Test at present being played have been performing exceedingly well. In a match last week, playing against one another, Peebles (Middlesex) secured seven Essex wickets for 77 and two for 60, while Nichols (Essex) took no less than nine Middlesex wickets for 116. Nichols, it will he recalled, was the fast howler with the English team m New Zealand last year. His first Test experience will he watched with very keen interest. Nichols last year had a wonderful season, securing over 100| wickets and scoring over 1000 runs in all matches. He was the first Essex professional to achieve this distinction. An injured arm kept him out of action for some time or he would have improved considerably on these figures. Peebles last season had a. very successful run and finished with a tally of 107 wickets at a cost each of 19.43, runs. Apparently at the last moment Robins was not played and Goddard was included. He is a leading bowler for Gloucester and had last season no less than 154 wickets for 15.97 runs each. He is, however, a very poor batsman. R. W. Robins, also a Middlesex howler, who was dropped by the English selectors prior to play being commenced yesterday, had even a better record aiul secured; last- year 125 wickets for 20.2 runs apiece. He also proved a reliable batsman, scoring a century against Somerset and finishing with an aggregate of 871 runs and an average for 25 innings of 20.03. The batting and .howling average is strangely alike. Robins did so well in the first lest that it was generally considered unwise to retire him on account of a failure in the second. It wonjd appear that the selectors at Home have realised at last the urgent need of young blood and of lnokinsr to the future, and one can nrohablv expect oven more changes before long. An interesting feature of the fourth Test is the fact that the great champion Hobbs, in view of his indifferent scores, suggested that he be omitted from the English team. It seems hard to nicture an English Test team without Hobbs, hut that must happen very soon. His performance in the present match mav decide the Question of his inclusion in the final Test. One wonders whether the English selectors would not he wise, in the .best- interests of English cricket, to

consider seriously a change when one reads a foremost cricket writer remarking that “the crowd did not like the appeal against the light and made an emphatic protest-. Evidently they desired to see a. fight to a finish. We may be sure that with the old pair stonewalling and patting the wicket as they always do, even when it is-granite-faced, the hatting was slower than ever.” REMAINING MATCHES. July 30, 31, August I—v.1 —v. Somerset, at Taunton. August 2,4, s—v. Glamorgan, at Swansea. August 6,7, B—v. Warwickshire, at Birmingham. August 9, 11, .12 —v. Northamptonshire, at Northampton. August- 16. 18. 19. 20, 21. 22—Fifth Test, at The Oval. August 23, 25, 26—v. Gloucestershire, at Bristol. August 27, 28, 29 —v. Kent, at Canterbury. August 30, September .1, 2—v. Sussex, at Brighton. September 3,4, s—v. South of England, at Folkestone. September 6, S—Cricket Club Conference (provisional). September 10, 11, 12—v. an English Eleven, at Scarborough.