CRICKET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 21 June 1926, Page 5

CRICKET

AUSTRALIAN V. LANCASHIRE FIRST DAY’S PLAY (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) {Router’s Telegrams) LONDON, June 19 Lancashire in the first innigs against Australia made 149. Makcpiece, b Mailo-y 8 Hallows, e Everett, b Mailey 85 Tyldcslev, st Oldfield, b Mailey ... 11 Watson, c Ryder, b Mailey 9 Barnes, Ibw, b Everett Iddon, st Oldfield, b Mailey 4 Green, st Oldfield, h Mailey ......... 2 MacDonald, o Bardsley, b Mailey b Duckworth, b Macartney H R. Tyldesley, run out 1 Parkin, no out 8 Extras 8 Total 149 Bowling—Everett 1 for 32; Macartney 1 for 19, Mailey 7 for 74; Richardson 0 for 16. Australia in the first innings made 124 for 5. Bardsley, c Watson, b Parkin 11 Collins, Jhw, b MacDonald 3 Macartney, not out 62 Andrews, b Watson 32 Woodfull, run out 1 Taylor, e Hallows, b Parkin 14 Richardson, not -out, o Extras 6 5 wickets for 1 124 Slumps were drawn. Ellis, Ponsford, Gregory, Hendry, and Grimmett were left out of the Australian side. The last named is twelfth man. The attendance was 23,000. The weather was fine, ■ cloudy and warm, and the wicket easy and drying. Lancashire-, winning the toss, decided to bat. In the early stHgejs Grimmett fielded for Colling who') (was absent/, Bardsley tossing for him. Everett and Macartney opened the howling. Everett in the first over was going very wide, his deliveries including one no-hall. Collins arrived at the end of half an hour wh;en the score was only eight, all made in the first three overs, which were succeeded by seven maidens. Everett took some time to find hts length but- it was a sufficiently uncertain length to keep the batsmen wondering. Eventually Hallows drove Everett finely to the off for four and after that the fast bowler proved expensive. (Both -Makjepeaee and- Hallows touching and legging him with ease. Mailey, meantime, gave Makepiece an unhappy time. The latter was beaten repeatedly until bowled in the third oyer. Macartney fcpwfcd three more maidens before he was displaced by Richardson. The batsmen’ were taking utmost care, showing little initiative. Ernest Tyldesley was content to iplay Mailey. Nevertheless, he was fiequently beaten, Maile finding his length from the start. Hallows was more- enterprising against Richardson, chiving him to the on boundary, the /first boundary of the match. Seventyfive minutes play brought the lunch hour with the score at 44 for 1. Tyldesley was out in the second over after lunch,( Oldfield stumping him smartly as he dragged his foot a matter of inches. Hallows, who up to this time had been a model of patience with a pc (nodical sparkle now 'became, more aggressive, driving Mailey to the off boundary three times in two overs. This caused the field to be rearranged to provide three men in the long field. Everett then replaced Richardson in his first over yielded nine runs. Watson, attempting a leg drive to Mailey, misjudged -the break and was well taken low by Ryder at mid-dn. Hallows continued forceful hitting till he reached fifty, including a six off Mailey. Then lie had a lucky escape from being stumped when going out to one from Mailey but Oldfield was not sighted. In the next over Iddon plunged for a six, missed and was easily stumped.’ Hallows sent 100 up on the board with a superb drive to the on boundary off Macartney, the first score off that bowler for ten overs. Green, through going out - to Mailey, fell a third victim Lc< Oldfield’s adroitness. Macdonald, was greeted Witli cheers but only stayed long enough 'to have a couple of drives from Mailey, when he. was easily caught in the longfield. Hallows continued cautiously through ne gave a chance at 72, Bardsley being impeded by the crowd. At length success came to Macartney whci beat Duckworth in Macartney's next over. Hallows, then 84, was missed at midon by Ryder hut R. Tyldesley who r:yi hard, was unable to get back and was easily run out. In the next over Hallows, eager to reach the century, threw caution to the winds and was easily caught at mid-on. He was the only batsman playing the bowling with any degree of confidence, Tlie innings last 195 minutes.

In MacDonald’s second over Collins swung to leg, missed the ball which struck his foot and he was given out leg before; while in MacDonald’s third over Macartney cut one hard to E. Tyldsley at third slip, but the latter failed to hold it. Bardsley opened promisingly but lively. An attractive innings was nipped in the bud by a smart catch at first slip very low. Andrews survived a confident appeal for leg when he was only five. While Andrews had a somewhat chequered career. Macartney >vas at his best, placing the bowling attractively to leg and finding many gaps in the field. As se and Andrews settled down, runs began to come freely, mainly on leg side, until Andrews lost bis wicket while playing right across to an inswinger. Woodful played a straight drive from MacDonald, called for a run and started down the pitch. Macartney refused, even though the hall travelled almost to the screen. Woodful was then almost at Macartney’s end. He made a desperate effort to return but without success. With Taylor in, quick, singles were the order of the day. A series of singles from Parkin brought up a hundred in 95 minutes. Despite changes in the howling, runs came merrily in singles until Taylor essayed a six and was well held on the boundary. Richardson had only time to obtain a good off drive to the' boundary before stumps were drawn. AUSTRALIANS’ TOUR LONDON, June IS. The Yorkshire cricket match was abandoned. YORKSHIRE’S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA (Sun Cable.) LONDON. June IS. So long as Yorkshire holds undisputed sway in county cricket, the opinion is freely expressed that they could undertake an .Australian tour on their own. Major Lupton, the eountv captain, is enthusiastic, hut said that the suggestion must naturally emanate from the Australian Board of Control and he fully approved by Marvlehonc. He added that as far as the county is concerned finance was not likely to prove an obstacle. It would he possible

to give the Australian Status a good game, and certainly the team would, enjoy the experience. It would be neeos-. nary to try and take the whole of the present team, together with several colts as reserves. 11, L, Collins, the Australian captain, said that, the visit would he an excellent experience for Australian cricket. Yorkshire could field a tine side, though he doubted whether the bowling would be strong enough to easily dismiss the State teams on plumb wickets. (Rec 21st June, 9.55 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. The Weekly Despatch understands that the Marylebone Club is sending a team to Soutli Africa in the autumn with CJilliga.il as captain, late has accepted an invitation. The Observer, recalling a paragraph in 1 >illywhite’s Annual of 1882, that unseiously arid perhaps without suspicion, the Australians had seriously and perceptibly aggravated symptoms of the commercial spirit into cricket, declares that the suggestion still holds. The visitors never attempted to disguise their paramount interest in the gate returns. The increasing tendency in the last 20 years is to only regard the tours in two aspects—a crusade for the defeat of England' and a commercial proposition. They have never understood nor appreciated the importance England attaches to the county championships. If international cricket ceased, we will be woefully poorer, but if county cricket lost its grip cricket vvmud quickly die. Lengthening matches by a single day is one thing, and unlimited extension another. We have suffered enough from the influence of the Australians’ unlimited cricket upon our leading players. Tile time limit is indispensable. The true interests and delight of the game wilt’ be more and more obscured so long as England and Australia are more concerned in avoiding defeats than forcing a win. If the process advances far enough the day of reckoning will come when the public awakes to the fact that the game is really dead and will seek recreation elsewhere. The whole tendency of modern sport has been to increase the pace. Is cricket alone to deliberately reverse the process? ( SUGGESTED AUSTRALIAN TOUR LONDON, June 19 The project of the Yorkshire County cricketers touring Australia next winter was mooted quite unofficially during the visit of the Australians to Sheffield, says the Daily Chronicle. The idea originated with the visitors who expressed the belief that a visit of the team which won the championship four years in succession and still heads the iable, would be a "big attraction. The Chronicle adds that it is certain the team would be able to make a show against the strongest State sides. It is equally certain that the players would jump at the chance of such a trip. A DENIAL LONDON, June 20 ' Mr Toone, Yorkshire secretary, and various newspapers are busy denying that Yorkshire cricketers are going to Australia, but the Daily Chronicle made it clear that it was only a friendly good humoured interchange between members of the teams while playing at Sheffield. Naturally the question of tours is in the hands of the Board of Control. SHOULD TESTS BE PLAYED TO A FINISH? The Nottingham fiasco, as it might be termed, seems to strengthen the position of those who urge that all the tests should be played to a finish, even if five; or six ■ days Were required for the purpose. That is the’rule in Australia; in England there is a three days’ limit, ■with the proviso that the last bf the five matches shall be played out if the mighty issue of the possession of the “ashes” is still in doubt. It is not a one-sided question ; substantial arguments can he advanced in favour of either view, comments the Otago Daily Times. Supporters of the system obtaining in England contend that the suggested extension would seriously disorganise tine arrangements of county cricket, arid also that it would encourage a further development of the slow kind of batting which has admittedly been too conspicuous of late years. The advocates of change, brushing aside I tjiese pleas, has\e their cafae. on tire ground that the international consideration, tiro crux of England versus Australia, should predominate over everything ‘ else. Some go to the length of suggesting that the many thousand miles of water are voyaged, not to engage in enjoyable sport and friendly rivalry, but to fight, desperately for* the shadowy “ashes.” It has even been hinted that the long series of tours might be interrupted if the Australians were trot to carry their claim for an extension of the time limit. It is asserted that tlie county clubs overstate the disadvantage to which they would he subjected if they were deprived of tire services of international players for more than' three consecutive days. Mr Sydney Smith, the Australian manager, is of opinion that, “the tests mean more to tiie Empire than the mere playing of cricket.’ That, by the way, is a dictum to which very many cricket devotees will be disposed to take exceplioni It might seem to invite a reminder that cricket, when all is said, is a game, not an internecine struggle involving the fate of nations and the safety of civilised humanity. Some commentators take the view that if all the tests were played out the effect would not be to encourage slow batting ,and stonewall tactics, as “the teams would play for a win, whereas the present limit is conducive to playing for a draw.” For the moment, evidently, there is a strong rally of opinion in favour of a change of ,system, but the question is not likely to be decided in a hurry. N.o alteration would be practicable during the present season, and there will be plenty of time for discussion before 1930