AN UNLUCKY CAPTAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 460, 29 December 1930, Page 5

AN UNLUCKY CAPTAIN

FATE OF ENGLISH CRICKETER J. W. H. T. DOUGLAS ANID DEFEAT By the death from drowning in the North Sea, as a result of a collision between two steamers last week-end, there passed on one of the unluckiest captains that English cricket has ever had. J. W. H. T. Douglas was 48 years old and once led England to seven successive defeats at the hands of W. W. Armstrong, the Australian cricket captain- This was in the years 1920-21, during whith Douglas led an M-C-C. team to Australia and Armstrong visited England at the head of a team which included Collins, Bardsley, Macartney, Gregory, Ryder, and Mailey. /Australia won all five Tests in the Commonwealth and the first two in England after which the Hon. L. Tennyson was appointed captain in place of Douglas, though the latter remained in the Test team for the following three games. This year, Australia won the rubber straight away, the last two games being drawn. Never before had any side shown such overwhelming superiority as was revealed by the Australians during Douglas’ tour. He had succeeded R. H. .Spooner, who was asked to be captain, but found on the eve of the trip that he could not travel owing to domestic reasons. Disaster dogged the side in the south, for on the opening day of the second Test Hearne was taken ill and did not play again. Hobbs and Douglas alone were up to their form at Home- Douglas made 21 and 7 at Sydney, 15 and 9 at Melbourne, 60 and 32 at Adelaide, 50 and 60 at Melbourne, and 32 and 68 at Sydney. In England, the following season, he made 11 and .13 at Nottingham in the first Test, 34 and 14 at Lord’s, 75 and 8 at Leeds, and 21 at Kennington Oval where the fifth Test was played- In the fourth Test, at Manchester, he did not bat, the fixture becoming a two-day match through bad weather. In 1912, Douglas also played for England against Australia. This was in the third and decisive Test at the Oval when England won by 244 runs. This was the only time that Douglas was in a winning English team. “Johnny Won’t Hit To-day” As they said of Mr J. W. H. T. Douglas, captain of England and Essex, when he played in Australia, “ JohnnyWon’t Hit To-day.” It is a pity that he won’t hit, for he surely could with his strength. But there you are —he won’t, said an Englisn writer in describing him. If you don’t happen to know that Mr Douglas is a first-class boxer you can tell in an over that he is a firstclass fighter. He is in no hurry or flurry, and he waits for his opportunities. Useless for that rast bowler to try to tempt him to touch a ball after ball off the wicket; exasperating to that slow bowler to have all his invitations to hit so carefully avoidedHere a deflecting stroke to fine leg, there a safely patted shot to third man, or extra cover, by ones and twos, this stubborn batsman creeps his score up. Keep up your wicket and the runs will come is clearly the principle of John Douglas’ battingHe has been in for more than twenty minutes, and he has yet to score his first 1 ”indary, yet he is worth watching. has personality, he has determination, he has self-confidence. Punch. Johnny Will Hit To-day—-when he gets the ball he is so patiently waiting for. And that ball, going so nicely to the leg boundary, wanted smacking if ever a ball did. Everything comes to him who waits—and Mr Douglas is a champion waiter. Douglas on Attack And his bowling:— A dozen or so quick, purposeful strides, and John Douglas hurls the ball down with the concentrated energy of his strong shoulders and arms. His bowling is strong stuff; forceful, where his batting is sedate, aggressive instead of defensive. The contrast in the two departments of the game is odd. At the last instant the ball dips down in its flight, iw.d the batsman makes a hurried attempt to play it to leg. He misses it; the swerve was too sudden for him. Swinging with the new ball—that is what this very sunburnt Mr IDouglas, with his hair so carefully parted in the middle, his face so set for the fray, is doing. The wicketkeeper tosses the ball back tn him, careful that it shall not touch the ground, and J. W- H. Tlooks at it intently. Then, as he walks back to the mark from which he starts his run-up to the wicket, he rubs it against the inside of his left forearm.

You want to keep the “gloss on the ball as long as you can, especially it you arc a swjrver—hence this affection for the ball. He turns -bid <- mes string up to the bowling crease once more. O , yes, Johnny will Suwl to-day —al ciay, i. needs be. Douglas’ father had made visits overseas, to follow English cricket teams. The last occasion on which he was in New Zealand was when he passed through the Dominion on l i.: way to see tr.e rest, matches between Australia and A. E. R. Gilligan’s t(-ao»