AUSTRALIANS WERE DISMISSED FOR 44 AFTER MEMORABLE THIRD TEST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18938, 7 December 1929, Page 27 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIANS WERE DISMISSED FOR 44 AFTER MEMORABLE THIRD TEST .

Dr W. G. Grace Won the Toss And the Match; Tremendous Excitement At Lords 33 Years Ago.

Oft has the old story been told of how the Australian cricket team of 1896 were disposed of for farty -four runs, in the fateful second innings of the third Test at Lords. So many big scores have been made by Australian sides at the expense of the bowlers of Old England, that it is not surprising that Englishmen treasure up memories of the day when Australia’s best could scrape together only the record low total of forty-four. History seemed to repeat itself last year, when the Australian batsmen collapsed before the English bowlers in the first Test at Brisbane.

Thirty-three years ago the veteran W. G. Grace was still going strong in first-class cricket, and it was his luck with the toss that brought about the sensational defeat of the Australians. Newspapers of the time frankly admitted that when Grace won the toss for England in that third Test he practically won the game. Last year Chapman had the best of luck with the spin of the coin, while the previous touring side, led by Arthur Gilligan, had a run of bad luck at tossing. But that is all part of the game.

Forty-four was a pitiful score, even on a bad wicket, for a team which included such giants of the game as comprised the Australian tourists of 1896. Its shining lights were J. Darling, S. Gregory, F. A. Iredale, George Giffen, H. Trott (the captain of that and several other Australian teams). Kelly (a brilliant wicket-keeper), Hugh Trumble, Clem Hill (then a boy of 19), T. R. M’Kibbin and E. Jones (both great bowlers in their day). All these were names to conjure with, and the prospect of getting a side like that out for a ridiculous 44 runs would have been scoffed at before the fateful day of the third test at Lord’s. That Unlucky Penny! On the English side there were also names that are now famous in cricket history.* “ W.G.,” the master tactician, directed the attack, his massive form and big black beard making him seem more impressive than any other veteran could ever possibly be. Peel and Hearne were the English bowlers who did the damage, while Hayward, Jackson and Richardson were other time-honoured names in the team that brought about the collapse. Here is a picturesque and vivid account of Australia’s collapse that peared in the “London Daily Chronicle” after the match. The writer depicts admirably the excitement that prevailed among the crowd at Lord’s as the procession of Australian batsmen came and went. Who wouldn’t be on tip-toes when a whole team was out for 44? .“Now came the finale. ‘Australia was left with 110 to tie and 111 to win. Under ordinary conditions this would

be a number to scoff at, a matter of two, three, or four wickets at the highest estimate. But as the wicket had played during the English innings, 111 was a very forbidding figure, and public opinion as to the result was varied.

“Richardson opened from the pavilion end to I redale. The New South Welshman played a maiden over safely, and then Hearne faced Darling. Two balls were returned carefully on the on side. The third—a momentary look of wonderment, and then the welkin rang with enthusiasm at the sight of Darling’s disarranged stumps. It was a grand ball which broke into -he middle and off stumps. One wicket for 0 and a change in the bowling! Trott, contrary to the order on the card, came in, and Grace, seeing the amount of work to be got on the ground, put Peel on in place of Richardson. Iredalc opened the score by off-driving the Yorkshireman for three runs, which brought him to the opposite end. There was a fatality in store. Iredale emulated Darling in all but the manner of his dismissal, for he lifted the ball cleanly and straight to Jackson, fielding at mid-on.

Two Wickets for Three Runs. Two wickets for three runs in four overs and fifteen minutes. Here was a start, indeed! Trott placed Peel on the leg side for a single, but nothing could be done with Hearne, who had bowled three maiden overs for two wickets. Giffen, with a “pair of spectacles” staring him in the face, slogged out at the first ball he got from Peel, and scored a single,, and Trott made two for a stroke to leg, after which Hearne bowled his fourth maiden. Twice in one over Trott escaped marvellously from Peel, and the cautious nature of

the cricket may be gauged from the fact that nine overs had produced only seven runs. This was the total when Giffen left. The South Australian was morally bowled by the previous ball before one from the insatiable Hearne made a wreck of his wicket. Three wickets for 7 runs, and Hearne had taken them all in five maidens! “ The situation was becoming desperate. It behoved Trott as captain of the side to set an example. He drove Peel hard, and Jackson grandly fielded the ball. He drove again, a little higher, and Brockwell, fielding substitute for Prince Ranjitsinhji, brought off such a catch as falls to one to witness but seldom. The hit was a strong one, and the Surrey man had to fling himself forward to take the ball low down.

Four Wickets for Seven Runs. “Four wickets for seven runs- The excitement found expression in frantic applause, and supporters of the Mother Country were beside themselves. Gregory at last broke Hearne’s spell of maidens by scoring a four through the slips; but it was by a shocking stroke, and went dangerously near Abel. The total was therefore 11; and then Clement Hill, who seemed to be trembling with nervousness, was clean bowled by a ball from Peel, to which he made but a feeble stroke.

Half the wickets gone, and a hundred runs still required for victory! The thing seemed impossible; but we have seen so many remarkable things in cricket that each ball was still watched with intense interest. The people, having exhausted their applause for the Englishmen, felt remorse and shouted for the Australians; but they had little to cheer for, and soon after Donnan, making a lunge at Peel, was easily taken at cover-slip by Hayward. Six for 11. Three “ducks!” Was this to be another innings of 18? Kelly came in.. Peel tried him with a yorker to start with, but Kelly is plucky and defended with strong arms. Meanwhile Gregory was doing no more than keep his end up against Hearne. Amid tremendous applause Kelly blocked one from Peel on the leg side for a single, and Gregory off-drove a two, after which he was all but bowled, the ball appearing from the Press box to go right through the wicket. Kelly was at last brought face to face with Hearne, and twice nearly played on. Gregory, usually so brilliant and dashing a bat, was in nearly half an hour for six runs. Then he was tempted to “draw” a short-pitched one from Peel—his favourite stroke—and Richardson at short leg gently did the rest. Seven Down for 14. Seven for 14 runs, after three-quarters of an hour’s play! Never had there been such a collapse in international matches. Kelly, when joined by Trumble, got two for a cut which the champion might have stopped, and then Trumble, with a really good stroke, took three for a cut off Peel. That brought Kelly at. that end, and the result was prompt leg before wicket. It seemed destiny. Eight for 19, and the match virtually over! Jones, however, slogged a two and a single. Here ended Jones’s stay.. A slow ball from Peel came softly in on the leg side. Jones turned his back on the wicket and slogged mightily to leg, but he missed the ball and was clean bowled. Nine for 25! Then M’Kibbin faced Hearne, and off the first ball he received he scored two from a gentle place to leg. He also cut a single, and then grandly drove Peel_ off for four, on for two and straight for a single, actually accomplishing the feat of reaching double figures!

A single to Trumble was preceded by a splendid four to M’Kibbin to long leg. That was the last score, for cutting at the next ball from Hearne he was magnificently taken behind the wicket, right hand outstretched, by Abel, who, pocketing the ball almost with the same action, ran in, followed by the rest of the players, and the great match was over. England won at 1.40 by 66 rims! When the Fight Was Over. The scene at the close of the match is thus described:—After it had been brought home tg the assembled crowd that England was the victor by as many as 66 runs, the pavilion was literally stormed. Surging round the members’ enclosure, thousands of clamorous tongues gave evidence, not only of the popularity of the victors, but of the high favour in which the vanquished were also held. Nearly an hour was occupied in these greetings, Hearne, Trumble and Peel—the bowling heroes —naturally engaging the greatest attention; but Abel, Trott and M’Kibbin were also warmly greeted, and when finally Grace was brought, much against his will, to face the enthusiastic plaudits of his admirers, the scene within the pavilion was almost indescribable. Old members of the club shook hands with young members—a great concession; cricketers of other years gravely disputed the possibility of finding a parallel to the match which Had just been won; and those who, earlier in the morning, nourished as a rankling sore the possibility of defeat as a consequence of the Surrey players’’ “ revolt ” were among the first to commend the admirable spirit which the players had

exhibited. It was indeed a memorable as well as a thrilling match. Few games, either of cricket or of football, have been followed with the same degree of interest: certainly no game of cricket has been so thoroughly pulled out of a slough of despond by its bowlers as this final trial between All Eng land and Australia. “We were fairly beaten; there was no doubt, about that,” admitted Harry Trott, the Australian captain, in the true cricket spirit, when interviewed after the match. The wicket, of course, was “ awful,” and the bowlers were at their best. “ But,” added Trott, “we began badly to-day by losing wickets so soon at first, and that on a bad pitch is very discouraging to any eleven. It doesn’t matter so much if the wicket is a fast one. Often, in such a case, a side loses men early, but that does not affect the others, because they go in and play a confident game as a rule. But when, on a bad pitch, two or three men are dismissed quickly, as to-day the rest are frightened; they go * biffing ’ at the ball and don’t play their proper game.” In view pf this opinion by Trott, who was one of the greatest of cricket captains, it is interesting to note that the only man on that fatal day to make double figures—l 6 out of a total of 4*l funs—was the very weakest bat in the team, M’Kibbin, whose imagination was not affected by the quality of the wicket and the spin of the balls that Peel, the terror of the master-batsmen, tossed up. It seemed as if the whole, team lost its nerve and just stood helpless while the English bowlers scattered the stumps like ninepins. So that was the third test of 1896, when “ W.G.” and his men dismissed an Australian eleven for 44 runs. luiiiiiiimmimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiumuiiiinniimuniiiiiimiuiunniiiiiiiiiiiinmmmiitii!