M.C.C. V. VICTORIA

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1936, Page 5

M.C.C. V. VICTORIA

RAIN INTERVENES

VISITORS ALL OUT FOR 344.

(Australian Press Association.)

MELBOURNE, Nov. 8

The match between the, Marylebone Cricket Club and Victoria was delayed by steady rain on Saturday. At lunch the Englishmen’s innings had closed at 344.

, VVe might have. been in London to-, day, and in the foo’tball season ' too, for typical Melbourne weather held .up the cricket for half an hour ■which sufficed to see''the end of the English innings. The drizzle which accompanied play when it was commenced at 12.30 persisted, and it was decided'at 3.30 p.m. that there would be no further play to-day. One blessing was that we could sit in the stands waiting for the resumption without wearing overcoats. The rain was disappointing because we arrived liere on a hot, sunny day with every prospect of those conditions continuing.

While surveying the field I wondered why the , Australian authorities, with all their wealth of fine stands and pavilions, do not use decent covers instead of one huge sheet of tarpaulin stretched directly on the turf. The rain must-get under it. I

The English batsmen gained, more usfifu.] practice in this match. Allen must be gratified at the form shown Ivy Barnett and Hardstaff and to a lesser degree by Fishlock.

Allen has been anxious to find the right pair to open an innings. He must have given much thought to whether lie ” should change the order. I,am sure he is glad he did': not. You need someone like Bar-'-nett to push the score along. Most people at Home think of him as a hitter pure and simple. Actually is a good stroke player and if he will restrain his natural tendencies he will be a great success. He must be content to go , along a bit slower here.

Fagg scored only 20, but shaped encouragingly. Strokes came fr6m him with such regularity that he seemed to' have stolen Barnett’s thunder, for he was scoring quite in ■Barnett’s manner. If he had been seeing the ball less clearly he might not have touched tliff fatal one and been c aught at tli'e ffiekefc. ' Fishlock and, Hardstaff opened somewhat shakily hut soon shook that off. They hfi'cP splendid knocks in their own particular, styles; Leyland was disappointing and if he had been a youngster we should have .been:.concerned > but he had .had little . cricket and lacks .practice. What the English batsmen must do out here, not as at Home, is to push at the buff instead of fullshouldered /wristy 'off drives. ‘The hall, comes along at r .a,different angle and faster than at Home, and if you are hitting it hard it means you hold the bat in the air longer to get force inti the stroke and ,do , not time it well. It pays to push the ball, for fours will come just . as easily—in fact, the ball travels to the boundary faster. ' The English ffwant more batting practice. - The ‘tail is still disappointing, for our tail-enders usually crack up against slow leg-break bowlers.

Frederick got three wickets for 7 runs this morning, and six for 65 in the innings, but he was flattered, as several victims contributed largely to their own undoing. Frederick is tbe size of Grimmett, hut without lus flight and guile. Still, he can look back on a brilliant international debut.

ENGLAND, First Innings. Barnett, Rigg, b Ebeling ... 131 Fagg, c Barnett, b Ebeling ~.. 20 Worthington, b McCormick ... 0 •Leyland, run out ••• ••• 24 Hardstaff, c Plant, b Frederick ... 81 Fishlock. not out 42 Allen, st Barnett, b Frederick ... 11 Sims, lbw, 1) Frederick *l6 Fames, b Frederick 0 Wade, c Barnett, b Frederick ... 0 ■Voce, st Barnet, b Frederick ... 2 . Extras 13 Total ... 344Bowl ing—McCormick, took one for ,77; Ebeling, two for 49; Sievers. none fo v 61; -Plant, nolle for 68 ; Frederick, six for 65 ; Gregory, none for 11,