CRICKET.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1926, Page 3

CRICKET.

[Reuter Telegrams.] (Received this day at 12.25 p.m.) (LONDON, June 28. The attendance was 33,000. Gregory and Macartney opened the attack to Hobbs and Sutcliffe. Hobbs opened the score by cutting a full toss from Gregory for three. Sutcliffe fol-lowed-suit in the same over. Andrews was early prominent in the field,

smartly preventing boundaries, and re-

turning the- 'ball excellently. The batsmen proceeded to hit brightly.

Hobbs placing Gregory well in front of the wicket. When the score was 25 an exciting episode occurred. .Sutcliffe blocked one from Gregory and started for a stolen run at the call of Hobbs. Gregory running, alongside Hobbs, kicked the ball into the wickets hut Hobbs got home. Gregory was bowling a good pare, but a trifle erratic, Mailey, mixing his balls, effectively kept the Englishmen on the defensive and had Hobbs guessing. The latter thrice narrowly escaped pulling him on to the wicket. Richardson kept a- consistent length without being dangerous, but it had the effect of converting the game into a, comparative. lifeless display. Good fielding all, round contributed much to keeping down the runs. Sutcliffe just before lunch enlivened the proceedings, driving and cutting Mailey to the boundary nicely. On the resumption the Englishmen hatted merrily at the expense of Gregory, off whom a succession -of sharp

run singles was easily obtained, owing to a deeply placed field. Hobbs bad a narrow escape when sixty. ILe was taking a. quick single when Macartney at mid-off sent in a smart return, missing the wicket by inches. Hobbs was not really comfortable facing Mailiey and was kept constantly guessing owing to the deceptive flight of the ball. Macartney, bowling with rare judgment, was seldom got away till rough the unorthodox, but well placed field. Hobbs at length took a risk, lifting Macartney over the pavilion rails, and followed up with a characteristic boundary cut off Mailey. The latter howler strongly tempted Sutcliffe to hit, but the batsmen resolutely declined until the Australian over pitched a hall, which Sutcliffe clouted twice in succession to the square leg boundary. Huns can lie slowly. Richardson’s length kept the batsmen quiet. He bowled fifteen overs before he was sent to the boundary as the- result of an off-drive by Sutcliffe. Ryder how led better than in the earlier games. His halls were faster and had more sting. Hobbs’ approached the century carefully and left the scoring to Sutcliffe, who was equally cautious in selecting scoring balls. Hobbs was watched by the crowd in breathless suspense. He hung in tlw nineties for nearly an hour and stuck at 99 for nine overs. The crowd, taking up the cudgels on behalf of Hobbs urged Ryder to bowl on the wicket.

A diversion was created by Richardson completely beating Sutcliffe, who was at the crease for 195 minutes and hit eleven fours. The partnership produced 132. In the next over Hobbs obtained a single through the slips, bringing up bis century- in two hundred minutes.

Woolley started early by on driving Ryder to the boundary. Hobbs als? showed more enterprise but the scoring fell off before ten. This was in no way attributable to the bowling, which although good, could have been treated more aggressively. Hobbs went out through a brilliant catch at deep point, low. Ho had batted 2-1 7 minutes. He was brilliant in the morning but quiescent in the afternoon, though his strokes were clean and pretty to watch, hut his placing was faulty. His score included ten fours. Tt is noteworthy that Hobbs has scored two consecutive centuries in tests at Lords, the last ocncsion being in 1912.

With the ntlvent of Hendren the play livened np. Both ho and Woolley indulged in forceful driving. Oldfield was magnificent behind the wickets and it was not until the total was 204 that the first bye was recorded. The fielding generally was of the highest order. There were only a couple of misfields by Andrews, who is usually the safest man on the field. In the last half hour Woolley and Hendren smote the tired howling unmercifully and it was only good fielding that averted a, heavy score.

THE HOSE PIPE INCIDENT. ("Received tins day at 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, June 28. H. White, the head groundsman at. Lprds interviewed re the hose pipe incident, said everything was all right at ten on Sunday evening. 1 had given instructions for the hose pipe to be placed ready for me, las T intended starting at five ill the morning to prepare two other wickets on the lower side of the test pitch. That is the explanation why the hose was ready tor use. Whoever was responsible for such an unsportsmanlike act must have gone thoroughly to work, for the place where the connection was mtule with tho main was not easy to find. There is an iron lid to an. iron box like a chamber and on the lidc are placed two big pieces of turf level with the ground These had l>cen removed land the lid lifted and hose connected. Even the wheel whereby the water was turned on was hard to move and icquired a knock to do it. I cannot think how it was managed. There were two ulntchmen on all night, but they saw nothing. Fortunately the water was not turned full oil. It was also fortunate I got up at four instead of an hour later. But for this the pitch would almost, certainly have been drenched by the extra hour’s soaking.