RECORDS GALORE

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 148, 25 June 1938, Page 11

RECORDS GALORE

The first cricket Test will probably stand out in cricket history as a record one for record-breaking. Outstanding, of course, is the scoring of seven centuries—by Barnett, Hutton, Paynter, Compton, Brown, Bradman and McCabe—in one match. This, a feat unparalleled in the history of the Anglo-Australian Test matches, is the most obvious of the records created.

Then comes the feat accomplished by four English batsmen of scoring centuries in the first innings of the Test. Four centuries have often been scored by one eleven during a Test, but never in one innings. By scoring 658 runs in her only innings, England eclipsed all her previous records for high scoring in an innings. The Australians, however, have twice passed the 700 mark and on one occasion reached 695.

Then comes England’s first-wicket stand of 219 by C. J. Barnett and L. Hutton. This is the best stand made in England by an English pair of opening batsmen, and was better than any score made under similar circumstances by Australians in either country.

Hutton (100) and Compton (102), both newcomers to Test cricket, made centuries in England’s innings. This was the first time two men (Australia or England) had ever scored centuries in the same match on their first, appearance.

Among the other achievements which are record markers were:—

Fingleton and Brown putting on 89 runs for the first wicket, the best the Australians have ever done at Nottingham; the second-wicket stand by Bradman and Brown, which realised 150 runs in Australia’s second innings, an Australian record for a Test played on Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground.

By piling on 169 runs before lunch on the first day, the English batsmen established another record for all the Tests played up to the present time. Paynter and Compton, too, created a new record when they scored 206 | for England’s fifth wicket. Neither I England nor Australia had ever acI complished that feat before. ! Excepting the seven centuries per- ' formance for the whole match, the : greatest new record of the Test was created by Paynter, when he retired unconquered with 216 runs to his credit. This was the highest score ever made in England by an Englishman. It was also the highest score i ever made in England or Australia by a left-handed batsman.