Britain's Hopeless Task

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 5, 7 January 1937, Page 7

Britain's Hopeless Task

Six Wickets Down; Over 450 Behind BRADMAN’S GREAT INNINGS (Bv J. B. Hobbs.—Copyright in all countries.—Reproduction in whole pr in part forbidden.) Received Wednesday, 9.35 p.m. MELBOURNE, Jan. 6. Six hundred and eighty-nine runs stood between England and the ashes when they started on their colossal task in the second innings immediately after lunch. It is just as easy to describe it as impossible, for such a total has never before been compiled in a last innings. Australia had a big lead with which to start the second innings and one always finds in a case like that that things go right for the batting side and they continue to pile up runs. When you have runs to get it is a different proposition. Little accidents will hap pen; also the wicket, although in a really wonderful condition considering it had been four days played on, can’t be quite the same as for a first innings knock. So if England gets anything above 350 they won’t be disgraced. England did not escape Tuesday’s gruelling unscathed. Voce damaged an ankle and could not take the field today. Barnett threw his arm out slightly and Leyland is suffering from an old shoulder injury. I should not have been surprised also to see Robins’ arm right out with all the throwing lie did. He gave a marvellous fielding display and must have been as tired as Bradman last night. Bradman has a cold and did not field in the second innings. It settled on his chest. He told mo if it had been a close fight he would have gone on the field but as things were the risk would be foolish. Ho played before lunch just as if he must have felt it was too much effort to hit the ball, but I believe if he had wishod he could have stayed there as long as he liked. The field opened out and allowed him to get singles.

Bradman only three times attempted really big hits. One hook went to loug-on for two and a terriffic off-drive from Hammond did not bring a run because it went straight to extra cover where Robins stopx>ed it heroically. The third was the cause of his downfall. Verity had been withheld for a long time but coming on and bowling over the wicket Bradman tried to hit him over the heads of the near fieldsmen and he skied the ball wide to midon where Allen safely held a very difficult catch running away from the wicket with his back to it. I did not know Bradman was ill yesterday. It wasn’t quite the oid Don and I called it a fighting innings which was nearer the truth than I imagined. Everyone in Australia is buzzing with excitement over the big score last night, there being no other topic of conversation. A heated controversy has arisen, people attempting to compare Bradman with Hammond. I’m sorry, for they are two entirely different batsmen, each great in his own way. There’s truth in tho old tag that comparisons are odious. After striving all yesterday and capturing only one wicket England secured two with two balls to-day. Allen, who is still putting plenty of vim into his deliveries, got McCabe leg before (new rule) and Darling played on the next ball. Darling was trying out a not at all good shot to attempt off a first ball because it was not wide enough to cut. Runs seemed of little account, though each was another screw in England’s coffin.

When England started batting they soon had luck. Worthington when he tried to hook Sievers, mistimed the ball badly and gave Fleetwood-Smith a chance at forward short leg which was not accepted. England made the best first wicket start in a test this season, but it was nothing to shout about as it beat the 27 at Sydney by only two runs. Then Barnett went leg before to O’Reilly who twice appealed against him for the same thing in the previous over. It looked a clear case. Worthington was not timiug the ball well and at 65 in playing forward to Ward he was caught at slip. Despite this by tea England had scored practically a run a minute for a total of 98. Hammond scored liberally off Fleetwood-Smith though he also made splendid shots off Ward. Fleet-wood-Smith was not able to drop a ball the same length to Hammond as to Leyland whom lie troubled a few times. I think he must have an inferiority complex when bowling against the Gloucester man. McCabe captained the side iu Bradman’s absence and soon put a man on the boundary at extra cover to block Hammond’s shots. Probably no wicket lius been so good as this one in a fourth innings considering that S4O runs had already been scored on it. Tho batsmen played rather more freely this afternoon. Was it because they felt there was nothing hanging to the game? Completing a really excellent halfcentury in 75 minutes Hammond made what looked to me like a careless stroke to Bievers and was bowled. Leyland played cautiously. So often this tour I think he has temporarily lost those offside shots for which he is famous in England. Tho majority of his runs were scored on the on-side. It might almost be said the game from Australia’s viewpoint went according to plan. I wish England, had fought a little harder this afternoon. I know

the position was hopeless but this would hardly excuse them from crumbling up. Fleetwood-Smith was erratic but delivered some excellent balls. Scores:— AUSTRALIA. First Innings 200 Second Innings. O’Reilly, c aud b Voce 0 Fleetwood-Smith, c Verity, b Voce 0 Ward, c Hardstaff, b Verity .... 18 Ri gg, lbw (new rule), b Sims .... 47 Brown, c Barnett, b Voce 20 Fingleton, c Ames, b Sims 136 Bradman, c Alien, b Verity 270 McCabe, lbw (new rule), b Allen 22 Darling, b Allen 0 Sievers, not out 25 Oldfield, lbw, b Verity 7 Extras 19 Total 564 Bowling Analysis. O. M. R. W.

Second Innings. Worthington, c Sievers, b Ward .. 16 Barnett, lbw, b O’Reilly 23 Hammond, b Sievers 51 Leyland, not out 69 Ames, b Fleetwood-Smith 19 Hardstaff, c Ward, b FleetwoodSmith 17 Allen, c Sievers, b FleetwoodSmith II Robins, not out 27 Extras 8 Total for six wickets 23C Bowling Analysis.

Fingleton’s Admirable Innings AUSTRALIA SHOULD WIN THE FINAL TESTS. SYDNEY, Jan. 6. C. G. Macartney, commencing in the Sydney Morning Herald on the Test, says:— ‘ ‘ The methods employed by Bradman and Fingleton from the outset were cautious and the scoring slow. Nevertheless, the batsmen became firmly entrenched and no bowler showed any signs of being able to dislodge them. ‘ ‘ Fingleton played his role admirably. His defence was impregnablo and he was doubly careful that no mistake on his part should jeopardise Australia’s chance of retainiog the Ashes. ‘ ‘ Bradman, for a long time, was not a hectic batsman, but he made no mistake about the ultimate result. His innings was a mixture of sound defence and punishing strokes, but it was not of the adventurous type. For the first time in the series Australia revealed her batting powers, and it is some satisfaction that the captain showed tho way. ‘ ‘ The English bowling and fielding were never loose—rather the opposite. The fielding generally was splendid. Verity took the bowling honours; no liberties could bo taken with him aud, had he been blessed by fortune, ho would have brokeu the partnership. “One admirable feature of the play was tho running between the wickets. Stolen singles xvere delightfully judged, and this judgment was ol’ even greater value when the fine fielding and field placement are considered. Bradman’s Records. The Test partnership of 346 by Bradman and Fingleton for the sixth wicket is a Test record. Bradman has now made six scores of over 200 in Testa against England and Hammond, with three, is the only other batsman with more than one innings of 200 or more. Bradman has made a century against England iu each of his four Test appearances in Melbourne. Fingleton has now made five centuries in six successive Test matches. He compiled a century in each of the last three Tests in South Africa last season and two in the first three against England this season. Commenting on yesterday’s play, the Herald's cricket writer says: “Bradman stepped back on to his throne. He showed that he is again capablo of demoralising the best bowlers.” Arthur Mailey in the Daily Telegraph considers that if the best team is chosen Australia will win the fourth Test and wiil the Ashes in the following Test,”

Voce 2 120 3 Hammond .. 3 89 0 Allen .... 2 84 2 Verity .. , 9 79 3 Robins .. .. 2 46 0 Sims 1 109 2 Worthington 4 ENGLAND. 0 18 0 First Innings 70

0. M. R. W Sievera 2 JU 1 McCabe 0 13 0 O’Reilly G 40 1 Flcetwood-Smith 21 1 101 3 Ward 1 GO 1