INCIDENT AT LORDS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 14, 9 October 1937, Page 17

INCIDENT AT LORDS

• •* TWENTY-FOUR BYRS GIVEN was it really cricket ? E. R. T. HOLMES UNREPENTANT. "I hope that when the tabtics of E. R. T, Holmes, the Surrey captain, in giving away 24 byes" in an over in his side's match with Middlesex, are examined it will be decided that a mountain has been made out of a molehill," writes a London correspondent. The incident in the meantime is being described as a "blot on cricket," and "a regrettable incident." "Holmes is unrepentant, and declares that there was nothing unsportsmanlike in his action. The orily thing wrong with his move to hurry the tinie when his bowlers might have the new ball in an attempt to capture the last three Middlesex wickets and win the match was that it was made at Lord's. Certainly it was a shock to the elders sitting in the pavilion, though there have been manj: other ocpasions when captains have ordered runs to be given away to claim a new ball under similar cbnditions. Holmes, in fact, declared that the same move had been made against Surrey this season. "Naturally a team threatened with defeat do not welcome the introduc-

tion of a new ball, and it has not been complained when they do not make! a serious attempt to advance their score to 200. But why should not the opposition reply fo this "go lslow" policy by givhig runs away? In the case of Middlesex it was said that they were willing to make all the runs possible. In that case I do nqt understand why there should be complaint when they are presented to them. K But it may scarcely be cricket when a bowler deliberately sends the ball down in such a way that it is bouhd to go to the boundary, and the M.C.C. may qonsider the incident at Lord's from this point of yiew.' One suggestion is that, instead bf the introduction of a new ball being goyerned by scoring, it should be by time. For instance, one might be available at the ;end of thrge hour§' play • irresoectiye of the runs which had been otltained. I think the question will prob'ably be approached on this lipe. Nineteen Tiraes CJhampions. The Yorkshireman Is proud of the CQunty's cricket and the bqast may be made with some justification when it is seen that they have won the championship 19 times, iO since the ' war. But well as their success was achieved this summer, it is not pretended — eyen in Yorkshire — that the team has been up to the best standard. There was scarcely the old decisiveness in the bowling, and there were tinies when the batting was undistinguished. But •the fighting spirit remained, and it Was remarkable how offen the oceasion produced the man. Yorkshire's reputation as match wiimers is a big asset. In fact, they start most games with a moral advantage, and they have acquired the habit of striking swift blows to force it home. Their fielding, too, is superb. Every man is on his toes, and i belieye |hat they fewer c'atches than* any other team. Middlesex werp a more. spectacular side with their array of fast bowlers, and three others capabje of concealing the googlie among "their leg-breaks. They were aiso rich in scoring talent. But they changed their team, more frequently than Yorkshire in or'der to maka room for their amateurs, and possibly this was a little against thepi' To sum up the two rivals I think the brilliance of Middlesex was more than offset by the soundness of Yorkshire. "