BATTING FOR A POUND A RUN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23061, 11 June 1938, Page 13 (Supplement)

BATTING FOR A POUND A RUN

Blythe, the famous left-hand bowler, and Kenneth Hutcliings, whose dashing batting and marvellous fielding for England will not readily be forgotten. It will be realis'ed, therefore, how fortunate was Australia to have Gregory and McDonald ready to step into the place left vacant by the untimely passing of Cotter.

Their arrival led to the launching of new tactics in test cricket with two fast bowlers opening the attack together, instead of a fast bowler and a medium-pace bowler, as had generally been the form of attack adopted when Australia was not fortunate enough to field two fast bowlers of such calibre. The fact that a fast bowler was operating at each end gave the batsmen little time to get the pace of the wicket, or, for that matter, to settle down. This was the form of attack which demoralised English batsmen on their own grounds in 1921. Success of Collins We won that first test at Sydney by nearly 400 runs. The new blood from the soldiers' team blended admirably with the already-established test cricketers, and Australia's success wm duo as much to team work as to individual brilliance. There were, however, some splendid individual batting efforti. Collins proved an immediate success as an opening batsman in making 70 in the first innings and 104 in the second, and thereafter he held his position until his retirement six years later. But undoubtedly the most impressive innings was that of our captain, Armstrong, in the second innings, when he made 158, giving one of the grandest exhibitions of powerful driving that I have ever seen. He treated Parkin's off-spinners and his mystery ball with scant respect; in fact, he gave the seven bowlers employed by Douglas in that innings a thorough trouncing. I shall never forget, however, his dismissal in the first innings, when Strudwick brilliantly stumped him on the leg side after he had soored 12.

TEE realisation of a youthful dream came, much to my pride and joy.* I was made a member of Armstrong's side to play against an England eleven captained * by J- W. H. T. Douglas on the Sydney cricket ground in December, 1920. The match in itself was an historic event, as it was the first test eince the Great War. Not for eight years had Australia and England met in international conflict on the cricket field. When our A.I.F. team had completed its Australian programme, I jiras chosen for the first time to play for New South Wales in a match against Queensland, in Sydney. The following season I played for the New gouth Wales Sheffield Shield side, visiting the southern capitals, Adelaide fend Melbourne. At this time Queensland had not been admitted as a competitor for the Sheffield Shield. Great Left-hand Bowler I was very delighted that my form In these inter-State matches was such *s to gain the'confidence of the selecffcors, E. E. Bean, A. Gehrs and H. L. Collins, who selected me for my first jtest match.

Another most promising career that had been cut short by war wounds was that of R. J. A. Massie, who, before the war, was considered by many experts to be the greatest left-hand bowler of pace in the world. He suf-

Although the A.I.F. team had been Regarded as a strong combination, it {would have certainly been immeasurably stronger, and Australian cricket likewise, but for the loss of that great ifast bowler, " fibby " Cotter, who was filled at Beeraheba, in Palestine.

fered severe shoulder injury which prevented him from playing any further serious cricket.

England, by the same token, suffered grievious loss by the death of those two Kentish internationals, Colin

"Armstrong's 1921 T The Greatest Australia Has Had" FAMOUS CRICKET GIANTS OF POST-WAR TESTS

By W. A. (BERT) OLDFIELD— (Copyright)

The burly batsman was lured from his crease by a simple-looking delivery from Frank Woolley, and in a flash the bails were off, with Armstrong a foot out 'of his crease. Distinguished Company A ball on the leg side ia alwayß hidden to a certain extent from the wicketkeeper, and with Armstrong batting, it will be agreed, Strudwick saw leas of the ball. For me, one of the thrills of that test was the fact that

ness was worn off ho relied entirely on pace, whereas McDonald was able to turn the ball back from the off even at his fastest speed, and, with this ball, he could bo most destructive. The spin which McDonald imparted added speed to his delivery in a most deceptive manner, after the ball made contaot with the pitch. On the other hand, Gregory's delivery did not gain pace from the pitch. Rather did it lose impetus, particularly on a lifeless wicket. ,

Nothing in cricket was prettier than the action of the late E. A. McDonald. He bowled with such rhythm that his aotion ■eemed to flow aa smoothly as a river. All hiß energy went into flinging the ball down, and none into superfluous pounding of the earth or waving of the arms. At an age when most fast bowlers have long since burned themselves oat, McDonald still could achieve tremendous pace. When he returned to England after our 1921 tour, Australia lost for all time one of the greatest fast bowlers we have ever produced. Uncanny Anticipation One of the highlights of the fourth test match, in Melbourne, was Carter's remarkable catching of Hobbs off McDonald in the first innings for 27. I was not there to see it, but the players told me that Carter displayed uncanny anticipation to bring off a onehanded catch which was so wide off the wioket that it would have reached Gregory at first slip. In this match Mailey achieved that outstanding performance of taking nine Drickets for 121 in England's seoond Innings—a very remarkable feat for any slow bowler, but mora remarkable still on our hard wickotoi. In the first innings he took four wickets for 115 runs.

for the first time I was playing in the same test match as Macartney, Bardsley, Kelleway and Armstrong, all of whom I had previously admired from the other side of the fenoe before the war.

Throughout that 1920 series Australia's batting was consistent, and big scoring was the rule rather than the exception. This waa the case in, the second test at Melbourne, when, after Bardsley and Collins had scored 116 for the first wicket, Fellow and Gregory made oharacteiistic ocnturfce. At th® luncheon adjournment, whern these two players wfiro round about the fifties, an admirer came into the dressing room and offered each of them a sovereign for every nin ho made over the hundred. Gregory did not profit, because as soon as ha got the hundred he was caught on the boundary by Russell, off Woolley, when attempting to earn six sovereigns, with one hit. Pellew was more fortunate, as he stayed there until he had made 116. Hobbs, the Master

Though heavily defeated, England, like ourselves, had thoroughly enjoyed the renewal, of these international contests, and as evidence of the harmonious relationships between the players, both teams were very soon on their way to England on the Bame steamer, the R.M.S. Oaterley, to play in another series two months later. " Our Waterloo "

Armstrong's powerful side, which, up to the last test, had not been defeated, met its " Waterloo " on the Saffrons ground, Eastbourne, against a team of amateurs selected and led by A. C. MacLaren. The chief factor in our defeat was a South African, the late G. A. Faulkner, who batted magnificently in the second innings, scoring 153. He also bowled with marked success, taking six wickets in the match.

It was in this match that we had our first taste of Hobbs' batting ability on Australian wickets. The Englishmen, too, had their first experience of Gregory's real speed on Melbourne's fiery pitch. Cleverly evading his rising deliveries, Hobbs stayed until he had passed the century. He was sedate, skilful and correct throughout his masterly innings of 122. We won by an innings and 91 runs, due, once more, to all-round superiority in the field and Gregory's fine bowling. He took seven wickets for 69 in the first innings, a wonderful analysis, considering England's total score was 499.

Others to bowl well were M. Falcon, the fast bowler from Norfolk, who took eight wickets in the match, and C. H. Gibson, who finished with six wickets to his-credit. Being left with 196 runs to win, we failed by the narrow margin of 29 runs. Our second and final defeat was in the festival match at Scarborough, against a strong combination chosen by C. I. Thornton. We were defeated by 13 runs. However, after considering the merits of the various teams that I have toured and played with, I regard Armstrong's team of 1921 as the greatest combination that has represented Australia during my association with the game.

For the first time in test cricket, Gregory and McDonald came together as a fast bowling combination at Adelaide's picturesque oval. This was in the third match of the series, which our side won by 119 runs, giving us the first " rubber " of post-war test cricket. Inevitably, from my position behind the Btumps, I found myself studying these two bowlers and noting the contrast they presented. Gregory and McDonald It is notable that throughout their association in test cricket, Gregory always had the advantage of bowling with the wind. I found McDonald's approach to the wicket rhythmical and gracoful by comparison with the bounding and somewhat ungainly run and delivery of Gregory. Gregory, to my mind, always swung the new ball much more effectively than his team mate, and htf was, if anything, slightly faster while the sheen remained on the ball. Once the new-