BRADMAN TELLS STORY OF ASHES-WINNING TEST

Southland Times, Issue 21362, 7 April 1931, Page 3

BRADMAN TELLS STORY OF ASHES-WINNING TEST

Oldfield Great Behind Wickets

By

DON BRADMAN.

’ ‘ (Nos. 20, 21 and 22.) .(Southland Tinies Copyright.)

On. our return to London from Northampton, we had three very welcome days’ rest, but on one of these we took the opportunity of having a spell at the nets at the Oval.

Then came Saturday, August 16, the first day, of. the all-important Test. The interest in this game was extraordinary; the fact that it was the rubber match, and that it was to be played to a finish, made it like the last act of a thrilling drama. We wejre confident, but the sensational dropping of Percy Chapman put our team into great spirits. We were simply amazed at the omission of Chapman. Here was a born leader, an inspiration to his side, a man who had captained England in the previous four games, a player who up to this time had the most successful Test season of his career, and one who had, in addition to saving scores of runs, taken several phenomenal catches. And he was dropped on the eve of the decisive game of the series!

As a left-hand batsman Chapman was a distinct foil to Grimmett, the bowler we mainly relied upon, and, to my mind, he was the most Jikely batsman in England to knock Clarrie off his length. The moral effect on the English players must have been considerable. The fact that Chapman was. not to play was wonderful news to us, and we could have wished for no better tonic.

England’s new captain was A. E. S. Wyatt, of Warwickshire, a man with a great reputation as an all-round cricketer, but lacking, I believe, Chapman’s magnetic personality. The other England changes were Whysall and Larwood in place of Nichols and Goddard. Ames, of Kent, Hendren and Parker, the Gloucestershire left-hand bowler, were present, but omitted from the eleven finally selected to play. We made one change. Even though Vic. Richardson had made a century in the previous match, our selectors preferred Jackson in this played-to-a-finish game, believing that his inclusion would strengthen our batting. After a period of uncertain weather, “the day” dawned bright and clear, and the playing conditions were ideal in every respect, z As the winning or losing of the toss might mean the winning or losing of the game., we awaited this part of the proceedings with more than ordinary interest. We were kept in no suspense. The coin had barely reached the ground when a mighty cheer told us that Wyatt had won the first round.

Sensation came early, for, despite the cleverness. of Hobbs and Sutcliffe in running between the wickets, two run-outs might easily have occurred. Once Kippax missed a golden opportunity, while a great effort on the part of Grimmett just missed the stumps. Hobbs and Sutcliffe were quite at home with the bowling, and looked like staying indefinitely when just before lunch Hobbs pulled a short-pitched ball from Wall right into the hands of Alan Kippax. Clarrie Grimmett had Whysall in trouble immediately, and very nearly secured his wicket first over, but it was left to Wall to get him also—lbw to a yorker. Duleep batted beautifully, and reached his 50 in no time; then he made a very bad shot in trying to lift Grimmett into the outfield, and was caught behind the bowler. Hammond also started in great style, but was unlucky in that he pulled a ball on to his wicket; and with Leyland bowled before he got started, our position at the tea interval was grand. It was not so grand, however, at 6.30.

Wyatt came in to an amazing ovation, and it is not to be wondered that he made a shaky start. He soon settled down to play solid, determined cricket, and he batted with such effect that he was still there at the close of play. Meanwhile Sutcliffe was holding one end safe, and he, too, was still unconquered at the end of the day. His was a wonderful innings. I cannot remember that he gave a single chance, his only blemish being an uppish snick through the slips off Wall when in the eighties.

There was much thinking in our camp that week-end, and when Monday came—nice and clear again—we set about our task cheerfully. Before going on the field Fairfax jokingly told us that the last time he wore the particular pair of trousers he had on he took four wickets. It was a prophetic remark! Early on the Monday morning our hearts sank when Hornibrook dropped a “sitter” off Wyatt in the slips, Wall again the sufferer. But then Fairfax got to work, and, aided splendidly by Oldfield, England were all out before lunch.

Too much praise cannot be given to Sutcliffe and Wyatt for their record partnership stand. Then, too, all our bowlers, except Hornibrook, who did not seem to be able to strike his form, stuck to their task manfully, and, I thought, bowled very well. Behind the stumps, Oldfield gave the greatest exhibition of wicket-keeping it has been my privilege to witness, lie was perfection, and one cannot say more than that. His catching of Wyatt on the leg-side was the high-watermark of a great display. We opened as usual with our famous Victorian pair. Woodfull had the burdens of a captain on his shoulders, and Ponsford had not only to contend with Larwood, the man who seemed to have a hoodoo on him, but he bad also in mind the fact that he had never been able to get runs at the Oval.

Is it any wonder then that we watched very anxiously those first few overs, and I can tell you it was heartening to us to sec how Ponsford disposed of the Larwood hoodoo and the Oval bogey. Ponsford, to my mind, played the greatest innings of his career, and at the other end “Steadfast” (our nickname for Woodfull) held the fort in the inimitable Woodfull manner.

All through his innings Ponsford played with remarkable confidence, and I have never seen him so satisfied with his own performance as he was on this day. His

only mistake was a hard chance to Duckworth, off Tate, when in the forties. Woodfull was lucky to escape in a similar manner when he was six. Unfortunately for Duckworth he received hard chances at very critical times, and just failed to hold them.

At the tea adjournment Ponsford was very ill, and he knew he couldn’t carry on much longer, so that when his wicket fell shortly afterward we were not surprised. Taking all the circumstances into consideration, his was, indeed, a magnificent performance. Then came my own turn, but, on going out to bat, rain caused a stoppage before I had reached the crease. Going but again later I had scored three when an appeal against the light by our skipper was upheld, and once more we adjourned to the pavilion. A third time we went out, only to see Woodfull caught behind the wickets off Peebles. Though he did not score many runs, Woodfull had played a very fine innings.for his side. Kippax and I played out time, and with our score standing at 215 for two against England's total of 405, the game was in a fairly even position. Tuesday was fine once more and. conditions were ideal for batting, but it was not long before we lost Kippax, out to a beautiful one-handed catch by Wyatt at short leg off Peebles. Archie Jackson, out of form and not too confident, was also facing an ordeal. As soon as he came in, he hit a ball to Hobbs, called, and we ran. I can well believe that our supporters didn’t dare to look as Hobbs threw the ball at the wicket. The ball—thrown underhand —missed the stumps by a hair’sbreadth with Archie two yards from the crease—and we ran one from the overthrow.

After this escape, we gradually settled down, and slowly but surely gained the upper hand, though I was fortunate in being missed by Duckworth off Hammond when in the eighties. George, to date, had had a bad match.

At lunch, Jackson and I were still together, but during the interval there was a heavy shower of rain. While waiting for it to stop we had the honour of meeting the Prince of Wales, and he jovially chatted with us while waiting for the weather to clear.

We resumed after three o’clock, but batting was not so easy a matter now, and Archie received one or two painful knocks. Down came the rain and once again we adjourned. Following a disagreement by the captains, the umpires inspected the wicket and came to the amazing decision that play should start at 6.25 —five minutes before stumps were drawn.

We had to go out, of course, and, incidentally we were subjected to a good deal of barracking from a section of the crowd because we refused to take risks to score. Only thirteen balls were sent down, but it was more important to us that we should keep our wickets than make runs during these two very critical overs. , Think what a wicket falling at that stage of the game would have meant to Australia. However, we survived, and next morning continued the game on a somewhat difficult and slightly damp drying wicket. Larwood made the ball fly, and we had a very trying time against good bowling during the period before lunch. At length Archie went out to a simple catch in the covers after having got over by far the hardest part of the wicket. Apart from the nearly run-out, he gave but one chance, a very hard one on the leg-side to Duckworth, and played a most praiseworthy innings in every way. Certainly he was slow, but his policy was justified. We had put on 243 for the fourth wicket under difficult conditions, and in doing so had created a new test match record.

McCabe started to lay the wood on quickly, and soon livened things up. He gave a most difficult chance to Hammond in the slips, but his innings was beautiful and daring.

Shortly after lunch I was given out, caught by Duckworth off Larwood. Though still trying hard, I felt our position was by now fairly secure.

Fairfax and Oldfield carried on, each in turn playing the best innings I have seen from either of them in test cricket. Larwood made an excellent catch to dismiss Oldfield, while Alan played a “not out.” Peebles took the bowling honours, and he deserved them, for he was always troublesome and doing something with the ball. The other English bowlers all did heroic work, and their figures are no indication whatever of their fine efforts.

After such a long spell in the field, Hobbs and Sutcliffe had an unenviable experience in having to open England’s second innings with less than an hour left for play. It was Jack’s Test farewell, and as we rallied round and gave him three hearty cheers when he reached the crease I felt genuinely sorry that this was to be the finish of a wonderful Test career.

Hobbs started well, and was most unfortunate in pulling a short-pitched ball on to his wicket. I really think that this marked the beginning of the end for England. Sutcliffe was missed by Oldfield off Fairfax, then he and Whysall played out time. Rain set in, and there was no play next day, but on Friday the wicket was dry and play began only fifteen minutes late.

Sutcliffe was missed by Hornibrook in the first over, and .just momentarily it looked as if things were not to go our way after all. But the wicket wits tricky, and when Hornibrook at last found a length he bowled so well that he made a win for Australia certain.

Duleep, Hammond and Sutcliffe all batted finely in a plucky effort to pull the game round, but to no avail, and toward the finish it was just a matter of time.

With the last man in Hammond hit me a catch in the outfield. It only meant holding it for me to have the ball as a souvenir, but to my chagrin I dropped it. The ball is now the property of my club mate, Alan Fairfax.