COUNTY CRICKET TALENT

Southland Times, Issue 23649, 26 October 1938, Page 3

COUNTY CRICKET TALENT

Good Performances Noted PLAY IN AUSTRALIAN MATCHES During the cricket season just concluded (writes C. G. Macartney in The Observer, London) so much attention has been centred on Test matches and Test cricketers that the performances of many players in county games have gone comparatively unnoticed, being overshadowed by those who were in the running for Test honours. Yet these performances were well worthy of attention, all the more so when it is remembered that in the games to which I am referring—the counties V. the Australians—the county players were facing the full strength of Australia, while they could not expect from their own team the support that a Test side gives to the making of a fine individual effort.

The first of these performances to attract my attention was that of Yardley in the Cambridge University match, very early in the season. Captaining a side which was one of the weakest to encounter the visitors, who furthermore already had overwhelming victories to their credit, he nevertheless played as if he had all England at his back and everything in his favour! That performance, in my opinion, stamped Yardley as an England player, and he should have played in the Tests. In no subsequent game did he give me any reason to alter that opinion—he possesses the strokes and the courage to play them in any situation. Bartlett, of Sussex, is another batsman who will always provide entertainment, and who should find and retain a place in the England Eleven of the future. His century against Australia at Brighton was one of the finest displays of the Australian tour.

The innings by Oldfield, of Lancashire, are also worthy of mention, as being animated by the spirit of adventure, so necessary, and yet so lacking, in the batting of the present day. Ord, of Warwickshire, too, demonstrated what could be done by taking the offensive.

I cannot allow the opportunity to pass without paying a tribute to Frank Woolley, that consummate artist with the bat. Although retiring this season, he gave the Canterbury crowd, and incidentally the Australians, a taste of his quality by making a magnificent 82, which was a brilliant display of stroke production. Among his numerous strokes, his demonstration of the lofty drive, beautifully placed in the unguarded areas of the outfield, should have been an example to all reputable batsmen that attack is the best means of defence. It is to be hoped that England will have in. Bartlett another Woolley to carry on a type of batting which will always fill a ground and which, to my way of thinking, is the art at its best GALLANT BOWLERS Nor have fine performances been confined to batsmen, but that hard-work-ing and much put-upon body—the bowlers—also demonstrated that they did not need Test matches to enable them to put up a gallant effort. The work of Partridge, of Northants, against the Australians, showed him a bowler of merit, and all the more outstanding in view of the weakness of his county side. A bowler in a weak county has a very hard row to hoe, since his individual performances, no matter how fine they are, are lost sight of if his side is persistently defeated. J. Smith, of Middlesex, gave a splendidly sustained display of bowling at Lord’s in the M.C.C. match, and it was surprising to me that he was not played in the second Test match, where his bowling would have been valuable on his own ground, and also his big hitting, even it it were unscientific. Phillipson, of Lancashire, showed himself to be a destructive agent on a green top wicket at Manchester, while the brothers Pope, of Derbyshire, also displayed high-class quality in the fast-

medium variety, particularly at Folke- j stone. P. Smith, of Essex, showed plenty j of ability as a slow bowlor at South- : end, while considering his standard as I a batsman, it was all the more surprising that he was not given an opportunity to display his skill in a Test match. Wilkinson, of Lancashire, too, is another slow bowler of great potentalities. He did not impress me during the Lancashire match, but at Folkestone he proved that he possesses all the attributes which go to make a reliable slow-spin bowler." These are only a few instances selected at random from the younger brigade, but they go to show that cricket in England is sound, and that there is no need for the pessimism which undoubtedly existed up to the beginning of the season. AN ADMIRABLE OPPORTUNITY Reviewing the season which has now come to an end, there is no doubt that it has been a very successful one for English cricket. When one considers what little difficulty the Australians experienced in overwhelming, the majority of the county elevens, it was hardly expected that the combined elevens of England in the Test matches would have proved so strong; in fact, it now seems highly probable that England would have regained the laurels of international matches had she been able to field her full strength in all games. This is a most encouraging state of affairs, and a bright outlook for the future, provided the right constructive policy is pursued. Every avenue must be followed to discover young and talented players, not only to fill the vacancies as they come along, but to have the benefit of association with the older men before these retire from action. It is imperative that potential internationals be given every possible chance to gain the necessary experience, and England has an admirable opportunity of putting this policy into effect in consequence of the teams from some part of the Empire visiting the country every ’ summer. The Mother Country should be in a position to send a very strong combination to Australia next time, and if a few bowlers of the types required come to the front next season, there is every probability that they will return home with the laurels.