BRADMAN BOOED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23529, 18 June 1938, Page 17

BRADMAN BOOED

INCIDENT AT THE OVAL CRITICISM AND DEFENCE (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON. May 25. Bradman has been both criticised and defended for not forcing the foliow-on at the Oval when Surrey were 257 behind on the first innings. The booings and hootings of the crowd, which took little interest in watching Badcock and Barnett piling on the runs, has likewise found sympathy and been condemned. “It comes to a pretty pass when a captain has to make public apology.” said The Times correspondent. “ Bradman is captain appointed of his team: his duty is to conserve the energy of the team; and any action he may see fit to take is no business of any other person in the world. So far as one can make out. his bowlers—and he has a rather slender resource—are at the moment physically defective. In that case he was right to spare them the labour of bowling against such a batting side as Surrey. As it was, the day's cricket was dull and had no meaning whatsoever. “I never-believed that I would hear anything so distressing, but when’ the Australian team took the field their captain was ‘ booed ’ all the way out. A possible mistake in tactics is no excuse for gross insult to the greatest cricketer of the age, It was a moment of shame for the Oval.” C. W. Packard, in the News Chronicle, said: “Considering that the Australians had ample time in which to win the game comfortably, the action of their captain was severely criticised. and rightly so. It rather made a farce of the whole thing, and it most definitely was not cricket. The official excuse will hardly do. We were informed thpt the Australians had decided to resume batting owing to early-season soreness of several players 'and in order not to over-bowl O’Reilly and Ward in view of the near approach of the first test. “As this does not commence until June 10 there ia surely ample time in

which bowlers could be given the necessary rest. Hampshire, Middlesex, Gloucester, and Essex are to be met in tuyi before the match at Netting-. , ham, and, in addition, the team need,, not see a bat or ball for the three pre-.-vious days. “The perfect stroke play of Badcock and the improved form of Bgr-<, nett made no impression on the crowd., • Their favourite game was being treated; other than with respect, and they did' ;- not like it. Each run scored was V ridiculed, and when Barnett eventu-v ally reached the first century of Ini - career it was received in comparative > silence and some booing, followed by* roars of laughter when Badcock walked down the wicket to shake him by the hand in congratulation.” “The day was a farce whichever way we look at it,” Howard Marshall com- , mented in the Daily Telegraph and„ Morning Post. . “And a pity that ; a game of cricket should be reduced, to, such a travesty. There were reasons' for Bradman’s decision. We can easily -' sympathise with Bradman in his. dilemma. He has to nurse his players,* even at the expense of individual games. This is presupposing that the test matches are the whole subject of the tour. If they are, then either the tour is too strenuous or touring teams should bring more players. ■ "I say this in no unfriendly spirit:' towards the present Australian team. Their difficulties are real and obvious, and in Bradman's place most of us’ would possibly have done the same. It , is unfortunate, nevertheless, that circumstances should bring' such futility,, into cricket. From the Sui’rey point of view, it was entirely unsatisfactory,; The Surrey players would willjnigly have fielded or bowled their hearts out -; if any purpose could have been served ; by it, but to spend most of their day in giving Australia. batting, practices was an ironical waste of energy. Surrey also have -a stiff programme before them.” “ E, R. T. Holmes, the Surrey captain, said: “ I appreciated Bradman’s point of view in, not putting us in again. He has his team and the tour to consider. But I also appreciate the point of view of people who came to see a gay's/, cricket,” ' .