THIRD TEST MATCH

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18617, 12 July 1930, Page 9

THIRD TEST MATCH

CHANGES IN ENGLISH TEAM. (By “Burwood,” in the “Dominion.”) As expected, after the unmerciful hammering the Australian batsmen gave the bowling in the second test at Lord's, the English selectors have strengthened the attack for the third Test at Leeds.

The inclusion of Larwood, Geary, R. Tyldesley, and Leyland, in place of Allen, White, and Robins, will lend more variety to the English bowling. Larwood, who is the best fast bowler England has produced since Tom Richardson's day, has evidently recovered from the indisposition which caused him to retire during the first Test at Nottingham, and kept him out of the second Test. The Warwickshire express gets up such sheer pace that he is very apt to dispose of the best of batsmen before they get their eyes in.

The Warwickshire bowler made a most auspicious start in the first Test at Brisbane in the 1928-9 season; hitting up 70 in the first innings, and assisting Hendren to add 124 for the eighth wicket. He then caused a sensation by having Woodfull caught off him before a run had been scored in Australia’s first innings, clean bowling Ponsford after the Victorian champion batsman had scored two runs, and clean bowling Kelleway. His three wickets up to this stage had cost nine runs. He went on to also get Hendry, Ryder, and Ironmonger, and finished up the innings with six wickets for 32 runs, in a total of 122. In the second innings Larwood again got rid of Ponsford for six runs, and caught and bowled Kippax, securing two wickets for 30 runs.

In the five Test matches in Australia that season, Larwood took eighteen wickets for 728 runs, an average of 40.44, and scored 173 runs, at an average of 21.62 per innings.

That he is back in form again this season, he proved by securing three wickets for 59 for Warwickshire against the Australians on Saturday, and these included Ponsford, who he clean bowled for 6 runs.

In the five Test matches, Geary took nineteen wickets for 477 runs, an average of 25.10 per wicket, and scored 95 runs with the bat, at an average of 13.57 per innings. Leyland was only given a trial in the fifth Test match at Melbourne, and covered himself with glory by scoring 137 and 53 not out.

Last season, in the county championship, Leyland scored 1078 runs for Yorkshire, at an average of 32.78 per innings, and took 35 wickets wickets for 939 runs, an average of 26.82 per wicket.

Last season R. Tyldesley headed the Lancashire bowling averages in county matches with 136 wickets for 2164 runs, at the good average of 15.91 runs per wicket, but only had a batting average of 15.14. He is a player on the burly side, and will not strengthen the English fielding department. With Tate, . Larwood, Geary, Hammond. Tyldesley and Leyland to call upon. Chapman will have a good variety at his command, but it remains to be seen whether they will trouble the Australians more than did Allen, Robins and White.

The Australians, by their second sweeping victory over Yorkshire last week, showed- that they are right at the top of their form, and if they can only break up the Hobbs-Sutcliffe partnership they should have a good chance of repeating the brilliant success they scored at Lord’s in the second test.

However. Sutcliffe's presence in the team will make a difference, as he and Hobbs make an ideal opening pair. The Australians will be glad that the selectors have dropped the lion-hearted Middlesex batsman, “Patsy” Hendren, for the third test, as one never knows when the sturdy Middlesex man may not hit up a century, as he did in the first test as Brisbant in the 1928-29 season, when he piled up 169 and 45, following this up with 74 in the second test at Sydney, and 95 in the fifth test at Melbourne. It should be Woodfull’s turn to win the toss this time, and if the sun will only shine at Leeds the world should see another such orgy of scoring as was witnessed at Lord's, Australia s hopes are centred in Grimmett, the big-hearted ex-New Zealander, who keeps pegging away with his googlies whether he has to bowl on a shirt-front or a glue-pot.

Giimmett will want all the assistance Wall, Fairfax, Hornibrook and McCabe can give him, as Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Duleepsinhji, Hammond. Chapman, Leyland and Larwood will take a lot of digging out if the wicket is firm.