TEST OPENS TO-DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 20 July 1934, Page 1

TEST OPENS TO-DAY.

Winning of This Game Vital to Each Side. ENGLAND'S UNLUCKY GROUND. (Written for the “ Star ” by E. G. GARBUTT.) The fourth of this season’s Test matches between England and Australia will commence on the Headingley ground at Leeds to-day, and since each side has a victory to its credit, this game will be vested with more than ordinary interest. Broadly speaking, the winning of this match is vital to each side, for it would limit the playing time of the fifth Test to four days; consequently, should either side prove victorious at Leeds, the tendency would be for the victors to adopt safety-first tactics in the final Test—a not altogether difficult policy in view of the heavy run-getting which is usually associated with Kennington Oval, the ground on which the final game will be contested. So a victory for Australia in this match would en-

sure them the Ashes only if they prevented an English success at the Oval; whereas if England won the game the Ashes would remain in the possession of the Home country irrespective of the result of the final Test.

The final composition of the English side should not differ greatly from that which did battle at Manchester, beyond the substitution of W. E. Bowes for E. W. Clark, and the possible reintroduction of T. F. Mitchell, the slow spinbowler. The wicket at Headingley is noted for its assistance to spin-bowlers, so in the event of settled weather conditions, the selection of Mitchell may be expected, while if rain is forecast the inclusion of either James Langridge or J. L. Hop wood would be preferable to Mitchell. The prospects for Australia have been improved by reason of the return to form of both Don Bradman and W. M. Woodfull, together with the fact that the Headingley wicket should assist C. V. Grimmett and W. J. O’Reilly to a much greater extent than did the Old Trafford turf. For the sake of equality it would be well if Woodfull won the toss in this match,, a department of the game in which the Australian captain has met with little success during the tour. Headingley has always been England’s unlucky ground, and it is one of the curious anomalies of cricket history that England should never have beaten Australia on the ground of her most famous cricketing county. It was not until 1899 that h Test match was played at Leeds, and of the six games so far contested there, Australia have won two and four have remained drawn. The drawn game of 1926 will be remembered chiefly for the absolutely magnificent innings of C. G. Macartney, who scored 151. He scored a century before lunch, and altogether played one of the very greatest innings ever seen in Test cricket. Australia, sent in to bat, scored 494 ip their first innings. Four years ago the match furnished Don Bradman with the opportunity to play the highest innings ever played in Test cricket. The first ball he received beat him, and went perilously close to his wicket, but thereafter he did not give a semblance of a chance and went on to score 334, an innings which prompted a wealthy cricket enthusiast to forward Bradman a cheque for £IOOO in recognition of his feat—almost £3 a run! Australia scored 566 altogether, while England made 391 and, following on, 95 for three wickets. W. R. Hammond scored 113 in the first innings of this match, which was drawn.