FIFTH TEST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 20 August 1934, Page 5

FIFTH TEST

AUSTRALIA’S MAGNIFICENT START HEAVY SCORING AT THE OVAL TWO WICKETS LOST FOR 475 PONSFORD-BRADMAN record PARTNERSHIP (United Presß Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, 18th August. Tlie weather was Hot and fine for the Test at The Oval, where there was a crowd of 22,000. The “gate was £2409. .Many waited throughout the night and there was a queue of thousands at dawn. The ground is materially and aesthetically inadequate for the great occasion. The wicket is green contrasting with the hard, fast, brownish dried outfield. Woodfull won the toss. The teams had a quiet reception. Soon after the start of play the urfipire had to signal film operators to switch off a glaring searchlight which was getting in the batsmen’s eyes.

The teams were— „ , _ , Australia —Woodfull, Ponsford, Pi adman, McCabe, Oldfield, O’Reilly, Grimmett, Ebeling, Brown, Chipperfteld and Kippax. Darling is twelfth man. England—Wyatt, Walters, Sutcliffe, Ames, Hammond, Leyland, Allen, Verity, Bowes, Clark, and Woolley. Gregory is twelfth man. Bowes and Alien opened the bowling, but the former was displaced by Clark at twenty..

CLARK GETS BROWN’S WICKET Clark bowled fast round the wicket with three men in a leg trap. The first three balls were well outside the off stump but the fifth swung in beautifully taking Brown’s off and middle stumps. Bowes then took Allen’s end. Bradman opened badly but he and Poiisforcl soon commenced to put on runs, and with Allen and Hammond on they enjoyed a spell of comfortable scoring. When the total was 57 Ponsford gave a choice off Allen to Wyatt at squaie leg. The hundred was reached m9O minutes. Clark returned at 105 and struck Ponsford painfully on the tlngh, but the latter continued to bat admirably. The score at lunch was one wicket for 123.

PONSFORD’S ESCAPES Ponsford at 68 was dropped at second slip by Woolley off Bowes. It was a difficult right-hand chance. The two hundred appeared in 160 minutes, lhe •batsmen were- scoring at an impressive rate despite the changes in the bowling. Ponsford's fifth test century was compiled in 170 minutes. Bradman reached his hundred iu 165 minutes. Ponsfoid was three times hit by Clark who was again bowling with great zest, swinging the ball awkwardly. Runs continued to come freely, the batsmen exasperating the fieldsmen with cunningly placed singles. Ponsford at 115 had a third escape when Wyatt at niidoff dioppe him off Verity. ‘ Woolley again dropped Ponsford one run later off Allen.

SECOND WICKET PARTNERSHIP PASSED

The partnership of 236 beat Woodfull’s and Macartney’s second wicket Test record established at' Tweeds in 1926 Thus the same pair in successive tests have shattered the second and fourth wicket records. . The three hundred took 235 minutes. Tlie tea score was one wicket for oil. The bowlers were now looking the worse tor wear. Ponsford and Bradman established their second successive test partnership of 309 in 255 minutes. Rungetting now seined, ridiculously easy, Ponsford driving Bowes as though he was a slow bowler. ■ . . Wyatt bowied for the first time m the currant test series at 387, coming on with Verity. Scoring four off each Ponsford raised 300 iu 300 minutes.

. CHANGELESS 200 Bradman .reached a magnificent chanceless 200 in 280 minutes. In the scuTiG over the batsman broke bis own test record partnership of 388 established at’Leeds, smacking two pathetic successive full tosses from Ley land to the boundary. Bradman brought the colossal partnership to 400 in 285 minutes, after which runs came at an even more devastating rate. Bradman jumped out and hit Verity for the first six of the match. PouSford became cautious when approaching his first test double century. which he achieved in 330 minutes. Ten minutes before the close Bradman, in bending and trying to hook a short ball from Bowes, failed to connect and was well caught at the wicket. Ho batted for 310 minutes in a chanceless innings, hitting one six and 32 fours. The partnership realised 451. Ponsford and McCabe quietly played out time. Ponsford has thus far batted for 345 minutes, and has hit one five and 19 fours. Scores :

AUSTRALIA First Innings

Ponsford, not out 205 Brown, b Clark Bradman, c Ames, b Bowes McCabe, not out 1 Extras Total 2 wickets for 475 Bowling Analysis

Byes one, leg byes eight, wides two, noballs four. The hill of wickets was one for 21, two for 372.

VARIED COMMENT

“PONSFORD’S GREATEST INNINGS

BRADMAN THE DESPAIR OF THE

FIELDSMEN

(Received 20th August, 9.10 a.m.) LONDON, 19th August. Commenting on the cricket the Australian Press Association says: “There has been ample precedent to warrant the assumption that a consistently good, fast attack will keep the score within reasonable dimensions, but Ponsford and Bradman, with the Australian knack ot making precedent luou foolish, rose so

far above the occasion that a spectator, knowing nothing of the history of the tour,' might be pardoned for thinking that tins spate of speed was turned on especially for the challengers’ benefit. There was never a dull period, to which the fact there were only eight maidens all day, is eloquent testimony. “Ponsford was missed four times before he reached 116; none were easy chances but two provided a reminder how lpany Woolley must make to justify the selectors recalling him from the wilderness.. Nevertheless Ponsford played the greatest innings of his test career. That delightful old soldier, with his cap over one ear, expressed, after his unlucky dismissal, at Leeds, the determination to get two hundred at The Oval, and also to show he is capable of playing fast bowling. He fulfilled both ambitious witli the greatest credit and pluck. He suffered many bruises but gamely stood his ground. “Bradman never played a bad stroke after the first run, obtained from mishitting Bowes to the boundary. He made the Englishmen despair, constantly tantalising the field by smilingly malicious placements to counteract each move made to block his run getting.” J. R. Jardine says that it can scarcely be doubted that the partnership of Ponsford and Bradman to all intents and purposes won the match by tea time on the first day. Equal credit is due to both partners.” “ENGLAND’S RESERVE TEAM PLAYING”

The “Dispatch” says: “England’s reserve team is playing owing to politicians interdicting Jardine, Larwood and Voce, making the test a farce.” Lord Tennyson in the “News of the World” says: “Bradman is the wonder of this and all cricket ages. His ovation was the greatest ever heard at The Oval and lie deserved it.”

CLARK BUMPING MORE THAN VOCE

A. W. Carr in the “Sunday Express” says: “I should say Clark bumped more than Voce did at Nottingham. Some of the ducking, particularly by Ponsford, was absurd. Batsmen who duck balls little more than stump high deserve all they get if they are hit. Why Clark was allowed to bowl as he did after all the recent fuss about Voce is a great puzzle. Perhaps it is legitimate as long as.it is not bowled by a Notts bowler.” The “Observer” in an editorial criticises the M.C I C. for not postponing, the Australian visit until the leg theory quarrel subsided or was settled. It says that no governing body could have faced the difficulty with more feebleness. There were never so many people who neither cared what the result of the current test match be, nor attached any relish to tlie prospect of another.

DEMAND TO STOP’ THE TESTS Tate in the “Reynolds News” says: “The time has coine when the rulers of the game must arrive at a definite decision about leg theoi'y. The Australians came keen to bury the past and i>, is high time the past was really buried. The “Reynolds News” editorial renews the former demand to stop the tests.

BODYLINE BOWLING AUSTRALIA’S VIEWPOINT (Received 20th August, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, 19th August. The Australian Press Association says that the Australians did not the tactics of the bowlers despite the rapidity and apparent ease with which they scored! It is considered Clark s attack with a ieg-siclo field and to a lesser degree the bumpers by Bowes with a leg trap infringed what is regarded as England’s undertaking that such bowling would not be employed in the tests.

The Australians emphasise the fact that though they scored so handsomely, this does nob affect their stand on a principle against a fast attack directed at the body with a leg side field. As a member of tlie team told the Australian Press Association: “We’ve never contended that bodyline could not he scored against, but the physical danger and the bad feeling engendered leave us as antagonistic as before. Now we can’t be accused of disliking bodyline because we. failed against it.” The “Sunday Times’’ says: “Maybe Larwood and Voce would have given the Australians more than the wickets to defend, and would have succeeded in unsettling, or in plain English intimidating them and preventing their true form, if so we need not regret that the dangerous attack has been eliminated. Clark, Bowes aud Allen are quite hostile enough for any game.” Sir Stanley Jackson, one of the English selectors told the “Sunday Chonicle” : “The leg theory is not dead. The sooner England and Australia realise that they must still find a solution the better. I firmly believe that if Larwood and Voce bowl in Australia there is grave risk of an outburst terminating cricket relations. It would he better to discontinue permanently than permit really bad feeling.’’

WEATHER FORECAST

LIGHT RAIN PROBABLE

(Received 291 h August, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, 19th August. The weather forecast for the Test is cloud increasing, with probably slight rain in the afternoon. (Received 20th August, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, This Day. A depression is likely to bring rain late this afternoon.

ENGLISH CAPTAIN OPTIMISTIC (Received 20th August. 12.50 p.m.) LONDON. This Day.

“There is no reason why we should not get as good a score as Australia’s,” Wyatt told the “Daily Mail.”

0. M. R, W. Allen .. 18 1 110 0 Bowes .. 21 1 110 1 Clark .. 22 3 77 ' 1 Hamroond 9 0 36 0 Verity .. 23 3 79 0 Wyatt 4 0 21 0 Ley land 3 0 27 0