Closing Matches In English Tour

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

Closing Matches In English Tour

We had now finished our programme as far as the English counties were concerned, and leaving Brighton and its piers and its glorious sea-front, we motored across a very beautiful countryside to Folkestone, for the first of our two festival games. We liked Folkestone at first sight, and were charmed with our surroundings, the promenade and the beautiful walks being especially delightful. Here we found ourselves pitted against a strong England eleven under the captaincy of our old friend (and opponent) Percy Chapman, who, as usual, won the toss.

Even though a festival game, the cricket was not very bright until the advent of Chapman himself. He was in a happy, carefree mood, and promptly hit out at everything, and, although very fortunate, he gave the spectators some thrilling moments during his short innings. One of his exceedingly hard cover drives hit Clarrie Grimmett on the leg, causing the latter some pain both then and later on. In addition, Clarrie strained the tendon of the third finger of his right hand, an injury that put his leg-breaks out oi action for the rest of the tour. I hate to think what would have happened had Grimmett met with this misfortune earlier in the season; he was the stalwart of our attack, and as one of his team-mates I know what his absence would have meant to us.

In this match I had the great pleasure for the first time of seeing Leslie Ames batting at the top of his form, and what a really delightful innings he played. He struck me as being a very high-class batsman indeed, and I don’t think I have ever seen a player drive a ball as straight and as hard as he does. One ball that he lifted for six into the members’ stand was a magnificent hit. Ames is also 'a firstrate wicket-keeper. The English XI innings was closed on the second day at 403 for nine, and the game developed into a fight for a first innings lead. We gradually lost our chance of getting in front, when once again, as in the previous match, our last two men pulled the game our way. This time it was Hornibrook and W’all, who did the good work, and they deserve great praise for their pluck in going for the runs and getting them. Their partnership put on no fewer than 87 runs. Throughout the tour there had been much good-humoured banter and friendly rivalry among those near the bottom of the batting list as to who would finish up with the lowest aggregate. Up to this date Tim Wall was well in the running, and I think he was more pleased with his 40 not out than if he had got five wickets. Maurice Allom bowled very finely against us in this game, and of all the bowlers I know in England against whom I had had previous experience I think he is the most improved. Surrey’s fast bowler is very tall and of magnificent physique, and although mostly referred to as fast, is really only fast-medium; but what he lacks in pace through the air is made up for by his nip off the pitch, while he can keep going for very long periods without a rest. He takes a short run to the bowling crease, has an action not unlike that of Maurice Tate, and has the ability to make the ball do things.

I rate him as a much better bowler now than he was when I saw him in Australia on his way to New Zealand, and think, all being well, he is certain to come to Australia with the next English team as one of their leading bowlers.

Sandwiched between, our two festival games at Folkestone and Scarborough was an interesting two days’ match at Lord's with the Club Cricket; Conference. I understand that the conference represents 700 clubs playing Saturday cricket in and around London, and our opponents were thus all Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) players. For this fixture the larger wickets used in the county games were pitched —our first experience of this innovation. The club cricketers looked like making history in this game. Ponsford was out for a duck. I was missed when I had made four, and Fairfax had also a “life” with the total at 13. But for these dropped catches there might have been a different tale to tell.

The bowling of the Conference side was extremely accurate, and on a lively wicket, with the ball swinging about a good deal, their bowlers were not easy to deal with. The one drawback to their bowling was lack of variety, all their bowlers being medium pace to fast. The addition of a good slow bowler would have made a great difference to their attack. Nevertheless, all their bowlers performed excellently. I cannot say that I was conscious of any difference in playing with the larger wickets, but I can well imagine that on a bad wicket they would be a help to the bowler. It may have been coincidence, but it is remarkable that five of our batsmen were clean bowled.

When the club cricketers’ turn came to bat I am sure we did not see their true form. lam afraid the fact that they were playing against Australia made some of them feel the occasion, and consequently thev did not do themselves justice. Not having played together before, it was only natural that they did not appear ■to be a well-oiled machine—this can only come by playing together—but individually we saw some very fine players, and the experience must have been very beneficial to them all.

This was our good bye to Lord’s. There is an atmosphere about the Lord’s ground which is peculiar to itself—to me it is unlike any other ground in the world.

I have always enjoyed my games there and long may it be remembered and spoken of just as Lord’s. The farewell dinner given to us by Sir Kynaston Studd, president of the M.C.C., was a happy affair, and here I had the great pleasure of meeting that enthusiastic follower of cricket, Sir James M. Barrie. He was characteristically merry at my expense—“Mr Badman” he called me —and suggested that I had carried my plan of not knowing how to get out to such an extent that I was now unable to get cut of anything—not even out of the ship when we got to Australia—and there he left me “a dark and gloomy figure” pacing the deck!

Sir James poked fun at us all, and not even Grimmett could have run through a side as thoroughly and as expeditiously. I now come to the Scarborough fixture, the last game of our tour. Woodfull and Ponsford remained behind in London, and although Clarrie Grimmett played he was not able to bowl. This left us a much weakened team, and we were surprised to find that in the English eleven we had to face practically another Test side. So there we were —tired, somewhat stale, and with depleted, ranks—up against a strong England side in our last match. It is little wonder, therefore, if we felt a trifle anxious; but we set out to dp our best to preserve our good record, and hoped that the fortunes of war would be kind.

Decidedly it was not cricket weather at Scarborough—in fact, winter seemed to have set in all at once. Following heavy rain the wicket was sodden, while the outfield was so slow that it was difficult to hit a four along the ground. The cricket was anything but bright and festive, but our boys did not forget to give Percy Hornibrook a handshake when he got his 100th wicket for the tour. He bowled excellently at the start of the season, but a strained leg prevented him from being at his best in the middle of the tour; then during the last few matches he was again at the top of his form and thoroughly deserved all the success that came his way. In the evening we attended a banquet to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Scarborough cricket festival. Everyone was full of enthusiasm, and the only regret seemed to be that the sun was not shining. During the night the wicket was covered, and though it rained solidly we expected to start at 12 next day. On reaching the ground we found that the water had soaked through the covering in patches, and the wicket was soft and hard in strips —a rather dangerouAooking pitch.

No play was possible before lunch—afterwards the captains disagreed, and the umpires decided to play at 2.45. The English skipper immediately closed and sent us in to bat.

We found ourselves on a typically English wicket where the ball turned but slowly, and once again it was a dull and very uninteresting day for the spectator. Toward 5.30 the light became bad, and eventually I appealed, stumps being drawn at 5.45.

There was . considerable discussion and comment regarding the appeal, and I was advised by one gentleman that there had never been an appeal against the light in a festival game at Scarborough, and, not only that,- it was distinctly against the wishes of the festival committee.

I do not wish to appear unsportsmanlike, but I do not think it is cricket for anyone to expect batsmen to play in a bad light (with the risk of injury both to themselves and opponents) just to satisfy the wishes of a committee.

Up to this stage the game had been played seriously, not in a festival spirit, and in this, as in all matches, we played within the rules governing the game. I am quite sure the public appreciated our position, and my only regret is that the light became so bad as to cause an appeal to be made.

The final day of this game, our last day’s cricket in England, was undoubtedly one of festival cricket.

After our side had all been dismissed (and here we must not forget to add that Stan McCabe secured his thousand runs for the tour in this innings), England batted again and gave the spectators a rare treat.

Jack Hobbs hit with delightful freedom. Sutcliffe, Duleep, Leyland, everybody entered into the spirit of things until, to cap the lot, even George Duckworth hit a beautiful six—in fact, nothing short of that seemed to satisfy the batsmen, and our chaps were enjoying the fun just as much as the other fellows.

I got a rapturous cheer from the crowd when before starting to bowl my second over I took off my sweater, but there was much laughter when they observed that I had a second sweater underneath. In this game, Wilfred Rhodes made his last appearance in first-class cricket. I never saw this great Yorkshireman in his prime, but his record is sufficient to show what a wonderful cricketer he has been. Even in this, his final game, he put up an excellent bowling performance against us. Would that there were many more players of his calibre to follow in his footsteps. We were sorry to say farewell to Wilfred Rhodes; it was the close of a magnificent career.

Then came the finish of the game, when the umpires lifted the bails for the last time to signify that the 1930 tour of the 17th Australian touring side was over. The ceremony marked the close of the most interesting chapter in my cricketing career.