BIG CRICKET

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3468, 19 May 1934, Page 9

BIG CRICKET

AUSTRALIANS ABROAD. THE TEST TEAM'S PROGRAMME. DATES AND PERSONALITIES. The Australian team of 1934 faces a programme of 33 matches (writes “ Old Sport,” in the May issue of “The Australian Journal”). Details are given of the probable players> the tourists would meet in the several games up to date, and then the writer proceeds: l — on the list is Essex •(16 th May), an improving county nowadays, finishing 4th on the 1933 table. J. W. H. T. Douglas was their captain and mainstay for years, but now they have several useful batsmen in O’Connor, Cutmore, Eastman and Pope, and a, splendid all-rounder in Nichols, who last year knocked up thirteen hundred runs and captured 120 wickets. A game against Oxford University follows (19th May). Oxford is generally the stronger of the two great Universities, owing perhaps to the presence of Rhodes Scholars from the Dominions. Last year, they were skippered by Brian Hone, the South Australian batsman. Other Australians who have appeared in the Oxford team are P. R. le Couteur and J. A. Seitz. Hampshire provide the next opponents (23rd May). Their captain is Lord Tennyson, grandson of the poet and captain of England in 1921. Philip Mead is still Hampshire’s best bat, despite a record of service stretching back to 1905. Returning to London the Australians next tackle Middlesex (26th May), once a very powerful side in the days of P. F. Warner and the Australians, Tarrant and Albert Trott, but now handicapped by the fact that they are rarely able to place the same eleven in the field for two consecutive matches. Patsy Hendren and J. W. Hearne carry the batting of the team on their shoulders, while G. 0. Allen, R. W. V. Robins and I. A. R. Peebles are their best bowlers. If the latter trio played regularly the side would be much more successful but it is quite likely that they will turn out against Australia.

On May 30th, the tourists meet Surrey at the Oval. Surrey is another county handicapped by changes in the team. Last season Jardine batted only 9 times, while the vicecaptain, Allom made even fewer appearances. A long line of noted cricketers have appeared for Surrey, chief among them being Hobbs, Hayward, J. N. Crawford, Strudwick, Hitch, Abel. Richardson and Lockwood. Hobbs still plays, though not so regularly as of yore, while another stalwart, P. G. H. Fender, retains his form despite the years.

From the Oval the tourists travel to Lancashire (2nd June), one of the most powerful of the county teams, captained by an able leader in P. T. Eekersley. Except Ernest Tyldesley and Duckworth, none of the Lancashire men are well known to Australians, the team’s success being due to teamwork rather than individual

brilliancy. Great Lancastrians of the past are A. C. McLaren, Johnny Briggs and J. T. Tyldesley, while the Australian fast bowler, E. A. Macdonald helped them to many a victory in more recent years. A couple of free days follow the Lancashire game, and then on Bth June the First Test Match is commenced at Nottingham. Four days are allotted for the game. After the test match, the Australians play Northamptonshire (13th June), whose fast bowler, Clark, and leading matsman, Bakewell, may possibly be seen in the test matches, as they both possess international colours—.secured against India and South Africa.

Returning to London, Woodfull’s men meet a team selected from English amateurs, at Lord’s (16th June), and then, on 22nd June, commence the Second Test Match on the same ground. A trip to Taunton in the West of England follows, where Somerset will be encountered (27th June). J. C. White is the best man this county has produced of recent years, but in pre-war days they had well known players in L. C. Braund —seen in Australia in 1901-2, 3-4 and 7-8 —- and L. C. Palairet. Another famous cricketer associated with Somerset was S. M. J. Woods, the Sydney all-rounder, who captained the team for many years prior to the War. A return match with Surrey follows (30th June) after which comes the Third Test, played at Manchester (6th July). Then a visit is paid to Derbyshire (11th July), a county that, after a long period in the doldrums, is now cn the up-grade, chiefly owing to the batting form of Townsend and Storer—a son of the Storer who visited Australia with Stoddart’s team in 1897-98. Derbyshire has a good slow bowler in T. B. Mitchell, who came to Australia with Jardine in 1932-33, but did not have many opportunities.

Next comes a match against Yorkshire (14th July), the champions of England, and the country that produced Hirst, Rhodes, F. S. Jackson, Lord Hawke, J. T. Brown and a host of other great men of the past. Thenpresent position is mainly due to the efforts of Sutcliffe, Leyland, Mitchell and Barber with the bat, and Verity, Macauley and Bowes with the ball. The Australians can generally depend on a stern tussle with the Yorkists.

The Fourth Test starts at Leeds on 20th July, after which will come a comparatively easy game against Durhani (25th July), a county, but generally included in the. itinerary on account of the local interest in the game.

After a visit to Edinburgh, where a combined Scottish side is played on 27th July, the tourists play Gloucestershire (Ist August), a county famous in cricket annals for having produced Dr Wt. G. Grace, the Grand Old Man of the Game, and his brothers E. ML and G. F. They'-still have a champion in Walter Hammond, the greatest individual match-winning force in England. Last season he made over 3000 runs. Other pres-ent-day players are B. H. Lyon, the captain, held by many authorities to be the most enterprising leader in the country; Dacr,e, the former New Zealander, and the bowlers Goddard and Parker.

Next the team goes to Wales, to play Glamorgan, at Cardiff, on 4th August. Glamorgan is the youngest county in the championship, and is

hardly likely to extend the visitors. Their leading player is the captain, M. J. Turnbull, seen here with Harold Gilligan’s M.C.C. team for New Zealand a few years ago. • Warwickshire, captained by R. E. S. Wyatt, provide the - next opponents (8 th August). The Warwick team is a very sound one, with good bowlers in Paine, Mayer and Hollies. The greatest cricketer this county has ever produced is Frank Foster, who, with Barnes, .skittled the Australian batsmen in 1911-12.

Another good match should be the next, with Notts (11th August) who, under A. W. Carr’s leadership, generally give a good account of themselves. Nottinghamshire is Larwood’s team, and among his colleagues are Voce, Sam and Arthur Stapes, Keeton and Walker. This county has almost as great a record as Yorkshire. Among the great men of the past are Shrewsbury, the Gunns*' —'William, John and George—and A. O. Jones, England’s captain in 1907-8. There has always been a Gunn playing for Notts, and present bearer of the name is G. V., son of the famous George, Avho caused Australian bowlers a good deal of trouble twenty-odd years ago. The match against the Army, at Aldershot (15th August), is a oneday fixture, and will probably be of the picnic variety, as the soldiers, no matter how keen, can hardly meet an Australian XI. on level terms. It will, however, serve as a pleasant interlude before the Fifth Test, commencing at The Oval on 18th August. Sussex, famous for its association with C. B. Fry and Ranjitsinhji, comes next on the list (25th August). With Maurice Tate, Cook, John and Jas. Langridge, H. and J. Parks, Bowley, and Cornford, Sussex can put a fine team in the field, although the side has recently had the misfortune to lose the services of Duleepsinhji through ill-health. Kent is played next (29th August), during the picturesque Canterbury week. Kent has a wonderful cricket tradition, and on their roll of honour figure the names of J. R. Mason, K. L. Hutchings, Colin Blythe and H. T. W. Hardinge. Woolley has been their outstanding man for many years, but he did not have a very good season in 1933, when Antes, the wicket-keeper batsman, headed the averages. Another great Kent cricketer is Freeman, who has taken over 250 wickets in each of the past six seasons —a feat without par. all-el in the history of the game.

A match against an English XI. is played at Folkestone bn. September 1, to. give the^holiday., crowds. a ;cljance of seeing the Australians in action, after which conies a two-day fixture against a combined side from the Minor Counties at The Oval (sth September).

Finally the team goes to Scarborough on Bth September to take part in the annual cricket festival and play against an English side selected by H. D. G. Leveson-Gower, the. one-tinie Surrey captain. By the time they draw stumps at>. Scarborough on 11th September, the. keenest men on the Australian side' will probably heave a sigh of relief! *