ENGLISH CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 242, 13 October 1938, Page 13

ENGLISH CRICKET

REVIEW OF THE SEASON H. T. BARTLETT A DISCOVERY YORKSHIRE CHAMPIONS (Own Correspondent.) LONDON, Sept. 1. A famous Australian captain has commented on the wealth of batting talent England has among her younger players. He is correct in his view that while we have few bowlers of outstanding ability, there is no lack of promising run-making material. Hutton, Compton and Edrich have already won their way into our test teams while in their early twenties, and there are others, like Gibb and Yardley, who are on the verge of the England eleven. One of the discoveries of the season has been H. T. Bartlett, the old Cambridge “blue,” now of Sussex. Seeing that in 31 innings he has scored 1548 runs with an average of 50, it is to be regretted that a place could not be found for him in the team for South Africa, where his brilliant left-hand hitting would have created a furore, and almost certainly have added to the attractiveness of the tourists’ matches. Bartlett’s crowning feat of the year came on Monday, when he scored 157 against the Australians, crediting himself the fastest century of the season, knocked up in 57 minutes. It is true he had to face neither O’Reilly nor Fleet-wood-Smith; nevertheless, it was no mean feat to hit six 6’s and 18 4’s against the bowling of Ward, Waite and McCabe.

At one time during the game it looked as if Sussex would be the first county to beat our visitors, and they owed their escape from defeat mainly to a fine effort by the dependable Hassett. Truth to tell, the Australians. suffering from the aftermath of the Oval test, were not at their best, and one imagines they will be heartily glad when the curtain is rung down on the tour. The number of their casualties is quite appalling. Bradman's ankle injury will prevent his playing before he gets back to the Commonwealth and Fingleton is still out of action with a torn ligament. Chipperfield is recovering from an operation for appendicitis; and now Walker has splintered a bone in his finger. To add to these misfortunes, one or two of the players, notably McCabe and McCormick, are dead out of form. So it will not be surprising if our popular visitors suffer further defeats in the field of play before they sail for home. Yorkshire are again the county champions. In the late ’eighties Lord. Hawke became captain of the side and proceeded to effect a purge amongst the players, some of whom, fine cricketers as they were, did not always live as carefully as they might. The county championship was won for the first time in 1893. In the 41 seasons that have followed Yorkshire has carried off the honour on no fewer than 19 occasions, eight of them since the war. The result of this year's competition was in doubt up to the beginning of this week. Middlesex were on the heels of Yorkshire and if they could win their last match with Surrey the Tykes might be in jeopardy. As it turned out. Surrey easily took first innings points, and so Yorkshire could afford at least one defeat in their last two matches. They smothered Kent, who were beaten with a.n innings to spare. Verity’s bowling, nine wickets for 95 on a pitch that just suited him, was one of the deciding factors.

The Australians have always had the highest respect for the bowling of Kenneth Farnes, the young Cambridge University schoolmaster. Beyond all question, when Farnes gets a pitch to suit him, he can be the most dangerous bowler in the world. Against Glamorgan he had the astonishing analysis of 15 wickets for 115 runs. The Welsh county were handsomely beaten by Essex in two days. Derbyshire on the same ground were likewise defeated in two days. In their present form Essex are one ot the best sides in the country, and if they had not lost seven matches in a row at the start of the season, might have been bidding for the championship. It is doubtful if any county possesses four better bowlers than Farnes, Nicholls, P. Smith and R. Smith. Unfortunately, the batting is not always consistently good, and so Essex lose matches they ought to win. Kent are even more disappointing. What a fine farewell to F. G. Woolley it would have been if the hop county had finished amongst the leaders instead ot languishing in ninth position. The talent is there, but somehow the team is guilty ot lapses following brilliance which precludes the possibility of championship honours.

A tragic fate pursues Northamptonshire. The Midlanders have not won a county championship fixture since May, 1935. Against Worcestershire it really looked as if they would break the unlucky spell, when, after making 200, they dismissed Worcestershire for 104. They set Worcestershire 237 to win, and when six Worcestershire wickets were down for 91, victory seemed assured. It was not to be, however, for a fine stand between last year's Oxford captain, A. P. Singleton, and Martin, put on 85 runs and brought about Northamptonshire’s downfall, the seventeenth of the season, by two wickets. Wellard, the Somerset professional, has long had the reputation of being «ne of the biggest hitters in the land. Against Kent, on the small ground at Wells, he made 31 runs in one over off Woolley’s slows, the ball being lost in the adjoining gardens. Altogether, Wellard hit five 6’s Ln his score of 57. Woolley will not have pleasant memories of his last firstclass cricket match in Somerset. He bowled only two overs, and they cost 40 runs; and when he went in to bat Wellard bowled him with his first ball. Woolley has so many fine performances to his name that he can afford to smile at his misadventures at Wells.