TEST CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 21894, 21 December 1932, Page 8

TEST CRICKET

THE SYDNEY MATCH BLUFF ENTHUSIAST’S IMPRESSIONS MUCH OF INTEREST (From Our Correspondent). Mr D. Parry, secretary and playing member of Bluff Cricket Club, returned on Friday evening from a visit to Sydney taken for the express purpose of seeing the First Test played in the New South Wales capital. In conversation with a representative of the South Times, Mr Parry said he had enjoyed every minute of the game and gave interesting details of various happenings in the several days of play. “It is difficult to say just which feature of the game made the greatest appeal to me,” Mr Parry said. “Probably if asked the question nine out of ten people who saw the match would reply ‘McCabe’s innings’— and perhaps that was the high point of the play. But for a lover of cricket there was a veritable feast of good things to keep interest from flagging—the fielding, the placing of the field, running between the wickets, bowlers’ methods, the work of the umpires and many other features of a big game. The fielding was fine to watch. In Sydney it was stated that the Englishmen’s display was their best so far on the tour; but, in spite of opinions to the contrary, I considered the Australians were better in the field. In one department the latter’s superiority was narticularly marked—that was in returning- to the wicket. From any part of the field the ball travelled like a flash to the keeper’s hands at the top of the wicket. The unvarying accuracy was amazing. On the other hand the throw-ing-in of tb.e English fieldsmen was frequently erratic and at one stage it became noticeably wild; that was when McCabe was pasting the bowling on the Saturday and when the fieldsmen apoeared to be rattled. A Great Innings. “McCabe’s innings was superb. No other batsman on either side showed anything like his wonderful footwork, while his mastery of the ball was complete. He seemed to place it exactly where he wished and in spite of changes in the arrangement of the field he unerringly found the gaps. On one occasion Larwood put an extra man in the slips, but McCabe cut the next ball to the boundary between first and second man. It was a glorious stroke, the ball keeping to the grass all the way after travelling a foot or so from the bat. He received a great ovation on reaching the century and at stumps that day his 127. not out had been compiled without a chance. On resuming he went for the runs and played a few risky shots, but, as I said, the field seemed to be rattled and McCabe continued to pile up runs. At one stage in 55 minutes he put on 60 of the 70 scored. He and Wall in the last wicket stand knocked up 55 in 35 minutes while the crowd roared its approval. It was cricket at its best and McCabe’s innings alone was worth taking the long trip to Sydney to watch. In that city the opinion was expressed that he is a far more attractive batsman than Bradman.

“Richardson deserves great credit for his 49. He certainly played the rock while McCabe got the runs. Between them they put on 129. Richardson was unlucky in the matter of knocks from the fast stuff and must have been severely bruised. Fingleton looks a likely future champion bat and is a fine field—as, of course, is McCabe also. Naturally the latter is the idol of the crowd, while Richardson is also popular.

“To me the English batting looked stolid and unenterprising, with Hammond’s excepted. The innings started brightly enough, with Sutcliffe and Wyatt playing nice cricket, and then became dreadfully slow. Sutcliffe became absolutely dull. When it is remembered that less than 300 runs came from a day’s play on a batsman’s wicket the slowness of the scoring will be realized. Hammond uses his feet well and is good to watch; but Pataudi was painfully tiring to look at. He seemed uncomfortable all the while, especially to Grimmett and O’Reilly and his century was a depressing effort. England’s Bowling. “England undoubtedly lead in bowling talent, with Larwood and Voce as chief destroyers. The former is very fast. He takes a run of about a chain and for the last few yards fairly hurls himself into it. Jardine uses him judiciously, but Larwood has great staying power in any case. Hammond bowls well a medium-paced ball which develops pace off the pitch. Verity keeps a good length, but in the Test he did not seem particularly effective. The Australian bowlers were very consistent, but lacked the necessary sting for batting such as they were up against. Never at any time was their bowling loose. It looked as if the wicket was too good for- Grimmett and O’Reilly and neither seemed to get much turn on the ball. O’Reilly, by the way, swings his arms a lot and has an action which would prove disconcerting to the average batsman.” Mr Parry scouts the suggestion that the English trundlers bowled “for the man.” “That was merely sensational newspaper talk,” he said, “and it finds little support in Sydney. The visiting bowlers were merely concentrating on a method of attack formulated before they left Home, and in Sydney it is generally regarded as legitimate tactics; though it is admitted that the pace of Larwood and Voce makes it dangerous to local batsmen. As a matter of fact, the English team is a highly popular one, Jardine, the captain, being especially so. > The Crowd. “It is surprising what discomfort a Sydney crowd will cheerfully endure for the sake of watching cricket,” Mr Parry continued. “On the first day of the Test the ground was packed with 46,000 people. On the Saturday it was considerably over-packed with more than 58,000. Crowds pour through the gates and stand in a dense mass around I the playing area. As the players file on to the latter the crowd sits down. So dense is the crush that each spectator has only the ground he or she stands on to make a seat. It is just a solid mass of humanity. Yet everyone remains good-humoured, even through the heat of a scorching day. When a batsman is out the spectators rise to stretch their legs, but as the next batsman walks out seats are resumed and the vast concourse eagerly awaits the recommencement of play. It is dangerous to stand up when the crowd is seated for the ones behind will not tolerate the blocking of their view and a well aimed fusilade of fruit soon brings the interrupter to his senses. Nearly every one brings a hamper which is stowed under the knees and ’and as the luncheon adjournment is taken the hampers come out and the spectators have their luncheon also, in the open air.” [Mr Parry’s impressions of the barrackers, including the famous “Yabba,” and of the methods of umpires, together with sidelights on the game will appear to-morrow.]