COMPTON DANCED ON A TRICKY WICKET

Northern Advocate, 29 March 1947, Page 8

COMPTON DANCED ON A TRICKY WICKET

ENGLAND OUT FOR 240

EDEN PARK. This Day

RARELY, if ever before, has Eden Park wicket been inspected and bat-patted so often as it was yesterday. Although it had been announced that play was most unlikely to commence at 11 a.m., a large crowd, including a big contingent of Northlanders, assembled early.

Spectators waited tolerantly while Norman Yardley and Merv Wallace, still in civilian garb so as to dispel false hopes, every now and then walked out to disturb the seagulls on the saturated wicket.

Use of the light roller only served to bring more water to the surface.’ Had there been a drying wind play would have been possible much earlier, but as it was, the slow “cooking” of the sun brought its worst elements uppermost, Once Peter Smith, the English slow bowler, made a personal inspection, no doubt with visions of the sticky surface yielding a big personal “bag*” When play did actually commence at 2.45 p.m. the wicket was not so much tricky as dead but treacherous, with the ball coming through at variable heights. Almost every delivery from the fast bowlers dinted or tore the surface, so that tomorrow Bedser, to quote one of the English party, is likely to be “murder.”

He was 67 not out at stumps. With Yardley he added 84 in 65 minutes.

Becoming associated immediately after the tea interval, both struggled for a time on a wicket which appeared to have become more difficult. Wicketkeeper Kent made a valiant attempt to dismiss the English captain for 0.

He dived with his outstretched hands inches from the eaten.

WEIR TIIE BOWLER

After the first ball or so, Cowie topdressed the bowling approaches copiously with sawdust. The crowd was well rewarded for its patience. Their chief satisfaction was at seeing Denis Compton in what was approaching his top form. THE TEAM MISSED IT This should have been denied them, for soon after tea, when he was only IG, he skied heavenward a ball. So high did it soar that even Cowie, the bowler, could have reached the catch, and almost the whole team could be said to have shared in prolonging his life. Wiles actually got right under the ball, but, evidently thinking that the wicketkeeper was there, simply let it go by. When 48, Compton was dropped oIT Snedden.

When Weir was tried at 95. Yardley hit his first boundary to bring the 100 up in 90 minutes. Weir had him feeling and nearly yorked him soon after, but Yardley forced anything pitched on his leg with great power, if not with the same elegance as his mercurial partner. When he was 35 Yardley twice spooned the ball high, first to Wiles, who misjudged it after turning and, a minute after, to Emery, who made a weak attempt, Snedden being the sufferer.

With the total at IG2 Yardley, in attempting another forcing shot, was well caught at mid-off by Wallace off the fourth ball Emery sent down. It was n maiden over.

The last of the day’s play has been mentioned first because it was the best. THE TWO WASHBIiOOKS

It was then that he really opened out. He reached his half-century in 100 minutes by driving the same bowler for two, and with a Big Bertha hit for six. endangered the lives of small boys clustered at the foot of the scoreboard.

Even though Cowie nad shortened his run and was bowling below ins usual pace, Fisnloek wai twice painfully rapped on the knuckles. When only 10 runs had been scored the Auckland “cxpi’ess” had him caught by W N. Sneddon at square leg. Sluggish wnen he first, went in, Washbrook, after half an hour, employed some beautiful punishing shots on the leg side. .

A sweet leg-glance for a brace, a pull to leg for four, and another sweep to the on-boundary followed. In his batting entirely undisciplined;., in his personality entirely unspoilt: that is the verdict on the Middlesex champion by those who have spent the last seven months with him. He pulled off some extraordinarily audacious coups, mainly because he used his feet like a ballet dancer and his bat alternately as wand and sledgehammer. UP WICKET FOR CUT

Once he was three paces down the wicket to fast-bowler Cowie, who cleverly dropped the ball much shorter. Compton, with the speed of light, executed a perfect and productive cut when somewhere in the region of midwicket.

He took an uppish four then swept tiie hall from Snedden on to the steps of the membe s’ stand. Immediately after tea he v.as trying to repeat the shot. In scoring 25 in 23 minutes. Eclrich was the only oatsman to beat the clock. His drives and cuts were delightful. , * It is possible that either today (Saturday) or on Monday a new wicket wil* be used. The Governor-General (Sir Bernard Fro.vbcrg) watched play after the tc-3 inlet \al.