M.C.C. V. VICTORIA

Hokitika Guardian, 7 November 1936, Page 5

M.C.C. V. VICTORIA

SEVEN FOR 326

VISITORS MAKE GOOD RECOVERY (United Pross Association—By Electric , Telegraph—Copyright;.

MELBOURNE, November 6

Recovering well after a bad. start, the Maryjetione Cricket Clufyteapi -. made 326 runs for seven wickets ..iij.,the,first day of* its four-day match,., against Victoria at Melbourne to-Say. C. J. Barnett, opening the innings with AH. Fagg, made his first century of the tour, being caught at 131. J. Hardstatf also batted well for 85. W.. R. Hammond was not included in the English team. The teams were:— England—G. 0. Allen (captain), C. J. Barnett, A. H. Fagg, lv. C. Fames, L. B. Fishlock, J. Hardstaff, M. Leyland, J, M. Sims, T. H. Wade, T. S. Worthington, W. Voce, H. Verity (twelfth man). Victoria—H.' I. Ebeling, K. E. Rigg, I. S. Lee, L. P. p’Brien, L. S, Darling, M. W. Sievers,. E. L. McCormick,. Plant, Gregory, ('Frederick, - B.’, A. Barnett, J. Ledward (twelfth man). : ;The Melbourne;'’Oriclcp’t Ground) brings back many pleasant ,ntsmor|e|j to me and is soaked in cricket histoiyu it ’was truly . my happy ground! Old players ’'like Hayward j. Rhodes, and Maclaren \yould:^qa^cel^| recognise|A e gri> l,n d lioVi’ A- few' jen^ ago a new .members’ pavilion was bu’Tb almost straight - behind the wicket. Now, where an asphalt mound used to be, a huge double-decker stand is rapidly nearing completion, so that with the exception of 50 yards the enclosure will be entirely ringed with stands. In front of the stands are seats for many thousands. The total accommodation for the coming tests will be 100,000 outrivalling Wembley as a sports arena. McCormick, a favourite for the position of fast bowler, in the Australian test eleven,- opened the attack with Ebeling. As in the past, they were able to get a bit of life out of the Melbourne wicket at the start, and. one could not- help remarking on the difference from the Adelaide v* wicket.

Fagg and Barnett -were again chosen to open the innings. Fagg was shaping well and looking as if lie had broken his run of haddock. He scored 20 and then, in feeling for one outside, the off stump from Ebeling, was smartly caught, at the wicket by the other Barnett. Worthington, without. scor- , ins:, hack a stump" knocked back bv McCormick with a hall of good length which swung away. J

Leylandi received a good reception on bis initial first-class appearance of the tour. He' had difficulty in timing the ball, but he is sure to gather his usual harvest’ of' runs before many weeks are past. Leyland was missed at second slip when eight,- and , was run out entirely through his own fault. A great partnership developed between Barnett and Hardstaff. England was fortunate to recover to such an extent, because Hardstaff was missed when he was eight, at second slip. Barnett, when 62, edged one just over the. same fieldsman. It must have taken i a weight off Allen’s mind to see these two get among the runs. Barnett worked hard, although just at lunch time liei was only 30. After lupch he went along much faster, the more so as he approached the hundred. He made one magnificent cut and completed 50 after batting 133 minutes. A bad length ball bit very hard by Barnett to the fence past cover took him to the hundred after 188 minutes. It' was his fifteenth .four. ; > ' , The’ spectators brightened ‘ up, darling tHe 'last quarter of an hour. “They had previously struck me as, , being, suppressed fbr a Melbourne crqwd, possibly .because of the. dull weatbei after yesterday’s sunshine. ,

Hardstaff, after his escape, never seemed the slightest troubled, playing well, as we know he can, and timing the ball much better. This also applies to Barnett, because when both hit the ball it went like a flash to the boundary in spite of the outfield having a 'liberal coat of grass. A fine shot of Hardstaff’s was a drive off Plant to the left of mid-off, which never left the turf. Another fine / stroke was when MrOormick howled a short one and he hooked it high over mid-oh. A hundred for the fourth wicket in 77" minutes was good going. Hardstaff s father, who is now an umpire, had a successful tour of Australia 29, years ago. It was left to another Gloucester man to carry on Hammond’s sequence, and I believe that Englishmen, would rather see that hundred from Barnett this time, because already they know Hammond is in form.

With the advent of Fishlock, the | scoring slowed perceptibly. He could j not he expected to indulge in fireworks, being badly in need of match practice. Hardstaff displayed an array of beautiful off-side shots. The partnership passed 50 safety. _ Victoria’s ground fielding was good without being brilliant. McCormick dropped two catches. He bowled better than his figures indicated, and undoubtedly has pace and is a trier, but he was on the short side. All dqy I liked (Sievers’ fast-medium howling. He was unlucky, both catches being missed off him. The wicket was. more like the true Australian.;- type, and lucky was the batsman who batted on it. Allen received a great welcome from the crowd. > ■ 'Scores:—

ENGLAND, First Innings

Barnett, C Rigg, b Ebeling ... 131 Fagg, c Barnett, b Ebeling ... 20 Worthington, b McCormick 0 Leyland, run out ••• Hardstaff, c Plant, b Frederick ... 85

Fishlock, not out ... ••• Allen, st Barnett, b Frederick ... 11 1 Sims, llnv, b Frederick .... ••• Id Extras ... >•-: 13 .Total for seven wickets ... 326 Bowling—McCormick, took one for 77 j Ebeling, two for 49; Sievers, none for 50; Plant, none for 68; Frederick,' three for 58; Gregory, none for 11.