MAILEY ON O'REILLY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 25, 13 February 1937, Page 14

MAILEY ON O'REILLY

INTERESTING OBS10BVATIONS In view of the suecess of W. J. O'Reilly in recent years and of the rise to fame pf L, O'B, FlpetwppdSmith, fhe fpllqwing comments by Ar« thur Malley, publlshed befqre " the 1932-33 Test* in Australia, are pf more than usual interest: — "To the question whether W, J. O'Reilly is a possible Test match bowler my answer is that while being a handy bawler, he has not convinqed me that he is the type. "He is tpp fpst tq he a slqw bowler, and if he wpre to take,. say, Grimmett'* ]piace. there would be something missing in the Australian XI attack. "O'Reilly's fiight is more disconoeriing than his break, and qp a good wicket he breaks very little. if pt all, from the leg, "This i* proved by the fact that tjme after time good-length palls pitched on the middle stump are piayed to the leg side, If thege brolce, to any extept, from ihe leg ihe ball would naturally find lts way

acrog* tq the pff, it does when Grimmptt bowis hi* leg break. "Q'Rejlly is difficult to gcpre ptr. and cuijsequently wifi always appear tq be a. gbod bowler. He bowis u spiendi } tongi u and varle* his pace wejl, Ha has a battgp phance pf fcammg hi* place in the Australian KI a* a m'edlum jpape bowler tnan aa a slpw bnwler, "Against the Englishmen he might be a rival fpr inclusion tP Ironmpngar but I tn.nk as a *ipw bowler pure aua simple, Fleetwood-Smith's claims de? mand nmre cQnsidiratipn," A Wtek later (April 9, 1932), the fpitowxng paragraBh appeareaj-r? W, Q'Reilly, the New Sputh Wale* hpwler, bpwled aplendldly against south AugtraUa, and his figure*, five fo? 98 and flvo for 59, vrere gainpd frpm as good bowltog «as one pouid wigh to *ee from a siow madium bqwtor. O'Reilly kept a fine iength, turned a little from kg, and made pace from the piteh. "Not Qut" In tho Bydney Referee eomments thu*iy: "O'Reilly |s one pf the spin bowler* of a typ§ for which Australia onee was famous and the sort we have been loofjng fpr.'1 A. A- Mailey ha* hl* doubt*. deeming that O'Reilly does not fiight the ball suffieiently tomake good in the very best company.