RAIN INTERFERES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 265, 9 November 1936, Page 8

RAIN INTERFERES

M.C.C. AT MELBOURNE i THE ENGLISH INNINGS PROMISING BATSMEN (By J. B. Hobbs—Copyright in all countries—Reproduction in whole or in part forbidden). Received Nov. 8, 7.5 p.m. MELBOURNE, Nov. 8. We might have been in London today and in the football season, too, for typical Melbourne weather held up the cricket after half an hour had sufficed to see the end of the English innings. The drizzle which accompanied play, which commenced at 12.30, persisted and it was decided at 3.30 p.m. there would be no further play to-day. One blessing was that we could sit in the stands waiting the resumption without wearing overcoats. The rain was disappointing because we arrived here on a hot, sunny day with every prospect of these conditions continuing. While surveying the field I wondered why the Australian authorities, with all the wealth of fine stands and pavilions, do not use decent covers instead of one huge sheet of tarpaulin stretched directly on the turf. The rain must get under it. T*he English batsmen gained more useful practice in this match. Allen must be gratified at the form shown by Barnett and Hardstaff and, to a lesser degree by Fishlock. Allen has been anxious to find the right pair to open the innings. He must have given much thought as to whether he should change the order. I am sure he is glad he did not. You need someone like Barnett to push the score along. Most neople at Home think of him as a hitter pure and simple. Actually he is a good stroke player and if he will restrain his natural tendencies he will be a great success. He must be content to go along a bit slower here. Fagg scored only 20. but shaped encouragingly. The strokes were coming from him with such regularity that he seemed to have stolen Barnett’s thunder, for he was scoring quite in his manner. If he had been seeing the ball less clearly he might not have touched the fatal one and been caught at the wicket.

Fishlock and Hardstaff opened somewhat shakily, but soon shook that off and had splendid knocks in their own particular styles. Leyland was disappointing and if he had been a youngster we should have been concerned, but he has had little cricket and lacks practice. What the English batsmen must do out here different from at Home is to push at the ball instead of making full-shouldered wristy off-drives. The ball comes along at a different angle and faster than at Home, and if you are hitting it hard it means you hold the bat in the air longer to get force into the stroke and do not time it well. It pays to push the ball, for fours will come just as easily. In fact, the ball travels to the boundary faster. The Englishmen want more batting practice. The tail is still disappointing, but our tail-enders usually crack up against slow leg-break bowlers. Frederick got three for 7 this morning and six for 65 in the innings, but was flattered as several victims contributed largely to their own undoing. Frederick is the size of Grimmett, but without his flight and guile. Still he can look back on a brilliant international debut.

Details of Scores At the luncheon adjournment in the cricket match against Victoria, England were all out for 344 (Fishlock 42 not out: Frederick, six for 65). Play was delayed by steady rain, ano eventually it was decided to abandon play for the day. England First Innings C. J. Barnett, c Rigg, b Ebeling ... 131 Fagg, cB. A. Barnett, b Ebeling ... 20 Worthington, b McCormick 0 Leyland, run out 24 Hardstaff, c Plant, b Frederick 85 Fishlock, not out ... . 42 Allen, st. Barnett, b Frederick 11 Sims, lbw, h Frederick 16 Fames, b Frederick 0 Wade, c Barnett, b Frederick . . 0 Voce. st. Barnett, b Frederick . 2 Extras 13 Total * 344 Bowling.— McCormick took one wicket for 77 runs; Ebeling, two for 49: Sievers, none for 60; Plant, none for 68; Frederick, six for 65; Gregory, none for 11.