SCARCELY DESERVED TO SAVE MATCH

Chronicle (Levin), 8 January 1947, Page 7

SCARCELY DESERVED TO SAVE MATCH

X.Z. I'res.s Association's

BHQLAND'S UNOONVINCING REARGUARD ACTION.

(JJ.v the

Specim

Kepresetitative, Xeville Cardus.) liecei\ eci \\ ednesdav, 12.5 a.m. MELBOHRNE, Jan. 7. After an exclting linisli England today just saved the rnatcli, but tliey scarcely deserved to escape punishmOut for a rather unconvincing rearguard actiou. The innings would have been invertebrates except for Washbrook wlio gaiued his lirst century against Australiu. Tliose who have known him for yea rs have luul faith in his stroke play and technique generally. E\erything was a collaboiatof this jnoiiiiag to Kaglaml's effort to save themselves. The wicket cvas easier perhaps tlian ever before, for some unl fatlioinable reason, probal)ly geological. 1 Tlie ball seldom if ever turned and only gently. And all the time heavy clouds overhead promised to appear as an ally for Hauimond at any liour. But the army of clouds, "not far distant for long, seomed to wander and vacillate and never find real contact with tlie main forces. Iike ATapoleon's meandering army at Waterloo. A livelv shower actually stopped play for a quarter of an liour after lunch and imparted a monientary liveliness to the pitch, and it was now that Ikin got out to a hopeJess stroke caught at silly nird-on. But the mainstays of the English innings largely contributed to their own ends apart from Washbrook and Hauimond, botli well and truly bowled. For an liour after the sixth day opened Washbrook and Hutton suffered no hardship at all. Hutton, was satished to def'end, and when Hutton does not wish to score on a somnolent turf there seenis to the spect'ator no legal means of getting him out. Wushbrook played a grand innings, ,for though he kept a resolute watch n n (1 ward he allowed no atrophy to visit him. He was usually making his strokes with ease. Some of his square drives and square pulls were of the authentic test mateh style and dignitv. If clrcumstanc.es for more than thfee hours compelled his bat to p.erform the service of a stout oak door there weTe some fine carvings on it.' a Hutton, also a sentiuel for tliree iiou'rs, chose at last to essav a drive from' a pnar short tength ball from Toshack only io loft his stroke to the off noar ihe iiowier where Bradman made an easy but triumphant catch, throwing up the ball as though to say: "When he ;s ou'c they Jre all cut!"

Edrich after oue spleudid off-drive fumbled here and there agamst a spin that was potential ratJier than actual and suecumbed leg before to McCool who was b rough t baclt to the attack by Bradman with only a few minutes to go before lunch. Throughout the matcli Bradman has quick to make deductions from the evidence, psycliological as well as technical. The sad niishap or folly of the day occurred just after half-past two. Compton drove exquisitely to the off, was nearly stumpecl oft McCool, and then he hit again with grace and speed to the oflfside near cover-point and dashed for a run even though the ball went quickly too near Miller, a supertt ; fieldsman wnose pickup and return to | Tailon left* poor niisguided Compton j swinging his heart, soul and body round in an agonised attempt to retrieve his I impetuosity. 1 Xo doubt this stroke went so beauti i fully from the bat that a champagne sensatiou of willow hitting leather tingled through the veius of him and he went to his end. Xot for worlds would the preseut writer chide Compton for impulsiveuess in the right place and nioment. Today it was his duty to absent himself from felicity a while. England 's positiou hei;e was one 'in which runs were a vanity, and boun daries mere baubles, Washbrook proceedoil on his way and with Hammond liis next conipanion there was, of coursc, _ much stronglh left yet iu rcserve for Eiiglttnil. Bradmau asked Hoolancs lo imwi again and with a ball oi alluring Jcugtli — and Dooland liad bowled much short sl ii fT so far — he cntircly brolu; thruu;.;!: Washbrook 's i'orwari.l defeiisive pit-.li with possibly a googly, .So a nmi.'i; tliat ul oue o'clock liad siumicd lo 1m- . no more problems for Eiiglanil lo becanio ulive and cxlreiu ly 'pti."/i. •! All the timo the weather wa- inlimj#'-.'

tory to Australia. The sky luwcrcd and: j cleared tantulisingly. N After t,ea Hanuuoud ua: buv. b-1 b; ' i Lindwall al'ler au iuning -o ctiougji and cairn that it was a eJaa-ae p' li tr or j I coiumu. The ball . that slialteicl iu---atumpa kep.l iow. This surely u a., the j axe,.,. ; : . 'ijhji 'liiii-tJ pf day ivas tuenly pac-f four. Aub't'lierj tert ruiiilid es bf interlexeuce by raiu.-oiily sliuiuluted tlie occa. -iou Mud| t>he sight uif Bedser; cuiuing out I'.vjoin . Yardley .pfpvoke'd _i;esignaLiou in an Eiigiislimaii ;a broast arot unmixed with' huufouc. Eape.oially tvheu Bed?.er pul a; IjaL Ao ' ihe1 ball of such eertainly and : noUchalance tliat he mighl well liave. been performing the great eerenionv of! openiug an England innings with llobba; at Ihe other end. Yardley as usual was| apparently a batsman wilhout sense oi" i crror or difficulty. Ten minutes past iive arrived to find; Australia after all assuming an air of; impatience and frustration while tlie; sky glowered again as though imlicat-j ing that six days of hard labour liad; been lavished on a cricket mateh. I5ut| the combatants were back aud at it | again at 25 past five in a gloom so en- ; ciTcling that only good sportsinanship prevented an appeal. Compared with ( this visibility the light appeal edj against the other day by Barnes was as, the light of the garish universe. To sustain to the end of a eaprioious-t ness that has enliyened us sinee tlio New Year another cloudburst einptied' the iield from haft'-past live to twentyl minutes to close of play. I In an improved light Bedser succumb-i ed and palpitation afflicted us in earnest. Tliree wickets to go and the opportunity for hat tricks and catches terribly missed or as terriblv held. i Evans faced the music with the cairn, and composure of Toscanini, while Yardley continued with the impcrturb-l ability which a man presumably ac-; quires while playing in the more searchiirg atmosphere of Lancashire and Yorkshire matches. Appropriately he was undefeated to tlie end.