SECOND TEST

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 13 June 1921, Page 5

SECOND TEST

FIRST DAY'S PLAY

AUSTRALIANS AGAIN SUPERIOR.

BARDSLEY'S FINE BATTING.

BY CABLE—PBESS ASSOCIATION—COPYBIGHf

LONDON, June 11. The weather for the second test match between Australia and England waß unsettled and overcast, with alternating sunshine. The crowd was enormous. Ryder was twelfth nran, Hojlfield, Mayne and Collins not playing. Haig, Tennyson and Dipper took the place of Mead, Hearne, and Fry. The Australians, on taking the field, received a great reception. Douglas (England's captain) won the toss and put England in. Gregory opened from the nursery end and, in j view of his Bristol display, Dipper ac- j ompanied Knight to the wickets. Both started confidently. hitting briskly to j both sides. Knight was cheered on J gracefully hitting Gregory to leg for j three, and he followed by splendid on \ strokes off both bowlers. The crowd ! applauded Dipper, who, though, not! graceful, excelled in telling shots, in-j eluding the first boundary on the off ' side off Mac Donald. Armstrong soon j relieved Gregory, who was not so fast-' as usual. A feature of the captain's final over was magnificent fielding by I Andrews at cover. Twenty runs were; made in a quarter of an hour, with. Dipper scoring, twice as fast, as Knight.The ball dismissing Dipper was nipped quickly from the off low down. Knight, j as usual, was not confident facing Arm- j strong, and fell with a wretched stroke ' into the,first slip's hands. Play had j then been proceeding half-an-hour, and ' Armstrong, who was bowling a finer! length., had five men forming a semicircle on the ofE side.-?* At this Btage play was held up owing to the arrival of the King. J The crowd was disappointed because Hendren had a short life. He walked, across to an off ball which whipped be- ; hind him and shattered the wicket. The© was a sensational opening, and, in j view of the circumstances, Woolley . played very cautiously againjst Armstrong, watching the ball all the way. j Armstrong had no slip fielder, but Gregory was stationed at fine leg. Woolley broke a long period of scoreless play by getting a single through the Australian steel legside wall, which shot was' cheered as thotugh it was a boundary.; The new partnership realised four in a quarter of an hour. Gregory replaced Mac Donald at the pavilion end at twenty-nine. Later Armstrong bowled three successive maidens. Woolley hit a beautiful slip boundary at Gregory's , expense, making the total thirty-four for an. hour's play. The Australian fielding now reached a high standard, but the dullness of play was partially relieved by the respect Douglas was showing Armstrong. He was merely blocking. "Woolley was more aggressive facing Gregory, whom he drove straight to the boundary. Amusement was caused when Armstrong placed Andrews at si'ly point far Douglas and was renewed when, after three-quartere of an hour, Douglas hit Gregory nicely td the - square leg boun-Jfiry—his second sear- ! ing stroke. Fifty appeared in eighty minutes. Douglas was cutting a sorry figure, patting the ball mostly, and he scared eight in an hour.

When Woolley was twenty-two a ball from Gregory whistled over the. bails. Gegory was faster than at the opening of play, r:eing a foot above the stumps, Woolley having many narrow escapes. Mac Donald relieved Gregory at sixty- ; one, scored in a hundred minutes. The batting continued lifeless, the crowd ' finding relaxation and amusement in the Douglas-Armstrong duel. Just before lunch Douglas decided to break the

monotony, and drove Mac Donald to' the pavilion. Woolley followed by hitting him to leg for two. ( In the first ovex after lunch. Woolley ! clipped-a beautiful four through sß:ps. Then Maiitey relieved Ai-mistrong at ' the nursery end and Douglas signalised approval by three off drives, the successive balls realisms; five. This variation from back to the wall cricket was

enjoyed. Douglas brought m> the cen-i----tury in 13Q. minutes, cutting Mailey j for two. He and Woolley were more! confident, and, although Maiiey was fre- j qnently turning the ball several inches farom the off, both were driving igor- ■ ously. Douglas was dismissed by a1 beautiful ball he attempted to drive, playing across it, and a careful innings ended a partnership which, at this stage of the game, was very valuable. "Woolley brought up fifty by a glorious square cut to the ropes off Mailey, the fifty being made in 150 minutes. Evans survived an appeal for caught behind the wickets, but he knew nothing of the next ban, which shattered his stumps. Ma.cDohald was preserving hi» length, keeping low. After Woolley I hit a some*what fluky boundary to deep ' leg off Mailey he magnificently square cut Mac Donald to the ropes—the best stroke of the day. He was olaying ex-' cellent cricket, his driving being parti- I cularly attractive. Gregroy replaced j Mac Donald at 139. Tennyson was never happy; he walked out to Mailey and ' was easily stumped. Three wickers had fallen in an hour after lunch. Woolley was making use of h:s. leach j against Mailey, meeting she ball n. yard ■ in front of the crease. Two beautiful j cuts through cover raised th« crowd to | the highest enthusiasm. Pellew, who j was fielding grandly, failed to hold a! ball which Haig drave to the off I just above his head when Hag was two and Mailey was the bowler. Hai^ went out in the following over. The ball that -d:smis.sed Parkin went between his leas from the off. Strudwirik's hie was short but happy. He jwice puned Mailey to leg to thVropes, and then hit a soft catch to short leg, all in one over. After Durston's appearance Woolley got four over the heads of the slips off Gregory, and with'the next ball he e;ave a chance to Hendry at first slip. He was then eighty-nine,' b-at had not shaped confidently during tht la*t few overs of Gregory's, but, boing anxious to reach the century, he opened his shoulders with the last man in and : lost the wicket through stepping out to one from Mailey. Woollev "received a ] great ovation for a beautiful innings, having batted 190 minutes. England's innings lasted 210 mOnutes and iroduced 187. AUSTRALIA OPENS WELL. Dursto'n opened the bowling against Australia from the nursery end, and Bardsley and Andrews both commenced batting brightly—Bardsley \vith graceful cuts and leg shots, while Andrews started by driving Douglas. Theii, after delightful square, cuts off Duirston, who was bowling off the wicket, Andrews attempted to hit a bal whijch should have been ignored, and was easily caught, with the innings only ten minutes old. Bardsley and Macart-j ney immediately settled down to brilliant cricket, treating both bowlers with scant courtesy. Bardsley hit poetic boundaries through the slips, cutting and dyriyJng beautifully, while' Macartney hit Douglas twice to the square leg boundary in one over. These and perfect cuts were loudly applauded, and fifty appeared in twenty-five minutes. Parkin relieved-Douglas, at fifty-six and Macartney turned him to the ropes behind the wicket and then drove him Straight for four, There was no im-

provement in the bowling, the batsmen Having no ditfcculty in placing tiie bail. Macartney's character} st-c innings closed in a manner similar to Andrews, after he had batted for.. .twenty-live m.nutes. .: The Tjlay was not so bright after Macartneys departure. Ihxrston and Parkin were beg.nnvng to r find the length, but Pellew made tome nice shote on both, sides j emulating Baidsley in punishing unythnsr icose. Haig replaqed Durston at ninety-nine, tellew sent up tne century in n"rty-s:x minutes with a hit to the deeo leg boundary. Bardslep was now forty" and Pellew, getting into his stride, "cut Haig to the ropes in the same over with a beautiful hit. Then Woolley relieved Park-n. l'he batting contrast provided by the two teams was remarkable; wJiereas England laboured, Australia went for the bawling. Bard?tey was like the rock of Gibraltar and hit crisp boundaries in. all position®, while Pellew punched the ball to the ropes with delightful vigour. Woolley sent down the first maiden cf the innings to Pellew when the score was 116. In the next over of Woo Ley's, Bardsley, with a glorious boundary behind the wicket and a straight drive brought his fifty np for seventy minutes play The crowd, enjoying'the fine exhibition, a.Dplauded Bardsley, and the applause was (renewed when Pellew, with a powerful drive, sent Haig past coverpoint to the ropes. The fielding was fairly clean, but the batsmen's placing was irresistible particularly that of Bardsley, who was playing one of his greatest innings. Pel-tew-s scoring rate was one per minute, and both batsmen were completely masters of the situation. Pellew followed a perfect shot to the boundary behind tile wicket by playing over a ball breaktog low He gave a capital display, lasting fifty minutes. Taylor joined BardsJey and Du.rston replaced Woolley whose batting effort resulted in sting! less bowling. One hundred and fifty appeared in ninety-five minutee AVoolley was tried again at 161, Bardsley sending his second delivery to the boundary past a third man. Then Durston was put on again at the nursery end but rapid changes did not affect Bardsley, who continued perfect shots all round the wicket. Taylor, apart from one smashing drive past cover to the ropes, played cautibusly, getting in front of the wicket over-much Parkin relieved Woolley at 176, but he. like ir-s predecessors, found Bardsley's defence impenetrable. The sun was becoming hotter as the afternoon advanced, arid the fieldmen were"working under Autralian conditaons. Taylor, passed the English total with a beautiful drive to the on boundary oft Parkin ten minutes before time, after he had been batting two hours' Bardsley was eighty-eight. He then gave a difficult return to Parkih and the crowd applauded the let-off. Detail^ of the p!a^' are: ENGLAND. F;xst Innings. Dipper, b Mac Donald 11 Knight, c Gregory, b Armstrong ... 7 Heridren, b Mac Donald 0 Douglas, b Mac Donald 34 Tennyson, st Carter, b Mailey ... 5 Evans, b Mac Donald .....' 4 Haig, c Carter, b Gregory 3 Parkin, b Mailey " 0 Strudwjck, c Mac Donald, b Mailey 9 Woolley, st Career, b Mailey 95 Durston, not out 6 Extras ;..... 14

Total 187 Howling analysis: Gregory y took 1 wicket for 51 runs. McDonald 4 fo,r 58, Armstrong 1 for 9, Mailey 4 for 55. Mailey took four wickets for twentytwo in twenty-six balls and bowled one bye.

AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Bardsley, not out 88 Andrews, c Strudwick, b Durston 9 Macartney, c Strudwick, b Durston 31 Pellew, b Ha-g 43 Taylor, not out 15 Extras 5 Total (for thire wickets) !. 191