FIFTH TEST MATCH

Hokitika Guardian, 18 August 1930, Page 6

FIFTH TEST MATCH

ENGLAND WINS THE TOSS

WICKET GOOD, PLAY SLOW

[United Press Association —By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright.]

LONDON, Aug. 16,

The final test match began at the Oval this morning. The weather was fine. England" won the toss and decided to bat. The wicket was good. From the English thirteen selected, Ames and Parker were omitted, while Hetidren is twelfth man.

The Australians omitted A’ Beckett, Walker, Hurwood and Richardson. England put on 316 runs for the day for the loss of five wickets, including 138 by Sutcliffe, who was unbeaten at the end of the day.

The Oval was buzzing with excitement for hours before the commencement of the Test, which is to be a fight to a finish. The morning was crisp and pleasant. There were twenty thousand present an hour be! ore the start, in addition to hundreds who were in temporary stands outside the grounds, which had been erected by the owners of the .property commanding a view of the playing area, foi which high prices are being charged. The occupants of the humble flats alongside the Oval have also reaped a harvest from) the balcony seats. The orowd |wandeiied ifreely (over the ground, except over the roped-of) wicket,, and,. ; they thronged round Woodfull as, he ' stopped to consult, the groundsman, when he was returning to the pavilion.;; with Ponsforr and McCabe from practice during the morning. It was not surprising that Parkei was stood down, because the conditions are unlikely to favour his type of bowling, but the Australians made a last-minute decision in preferring Jackson to Richardson, their selectors aiming at solidity of batting a all costs.. ■. A placard, “We Want ,Chapman, appeared &mong a few spectators, but Wyatt had a good reception when he came out to toss.

THE TOSS

Wooilf ully as usual, called out "Heads,” and it was his turn to lose, so England had the advantage of the first use of a wicket "full of runs. The decision to omit Richardson must have caused the selectors heartburnings, for the South Australian’s services will be bound to be missed in the field. It is believed that the vicecaptain. recognising the acuteness, of the position, offered to stand down.

THE START

The Australians had a rousing reception when they took the field. Hobbs, dour and determined, was warmly cheered, when he opened with a debonair Sutcliffe. This is almost certainly the veteran’s last appealance on the Oval ground, on which he must know every blade of grass. Wall bowled an accurate first over but Hobbs stole a neat single off he third bajl and slammed Fairfax’s first ball (a full tosser) hard, but Kippax made a good save. The next two overs were maidens. Sutcliffe opened his score with a single, nicely turned off Fairfax The pitch seemed to be slightly soft, and it offered the howlers no assistance. Wall was bowling at his top pace, and was swinging considerably. He once hit, Sutcliffe on the left leg. Only ten runs went on in half an hour. This indicated the batsmen’s carefulness. Wall’s first six overs cost only four runs, but Hobbs got a four from his seventh. Bradman’s fine fielding twice cut off boundaries.

SLOW BATTING.

Fairfax took Wall’s end at 19, he and Grimmett each sending down successive maidens to the batsmen, who only scored 20 in an hour. They were plainly trying to wear the bowling down. McCabe came on at 24. Hobbs, driving his first ball for four, reached 20. Sutcliffe was now only 8. The play was not exciting, but was satisfactory, from the English point of, view. The bowlers seemed to be making little impression on the batsmen’s rock-like defence. The ball rarely reached the outfield, where sparrows hopped peacefully. McCabe puzzled Hobbs with two successive balls, but Griminett did not seem to worry the batsmen. The veteran Hobbs square cut Grimmett to the boundary, and raised 50 after 100 minutes’ play. Jackson fell among the spectators in trying to save a four.

WALL GETS HOBBS,

Hobbs beautifully hooked a long hop from Wall to the boundary, but off Wall’s next hall, in attempting to repeat the stroke, he put the easiest

ENGLAND 5 WICKETS FOR 316

A CENTURY BY SUTCLIFFE

WYATT VERY LUCKY

possible catch into the hands of Kippax. He had played a good inning. l for 47, lasting for lid- minutes during which lie hit four fours. Whysull started uncomfortably against Grimmott, and lie had not scored a run at lunch, when the total was 71, of. which Sutcliffe had made tweitty-one.

Thirty-two thousand were present when play was resumed after lunch in cool, cloudless weather. Sutcliffe and Whvsall were bright against Wall and Grimmett, getting singles through carefully chosen gaps in the field.

SUTCLIFFE’S FfltST FOURER

Sutcliffe, after being in for 135 minutes, hit his first four, lifting Grimmett to the on boundary. Whvsall was looking like getting runs, but then he became Wall's second victim, getting in front of a full tosser.,

THE INDIAN LIVENS PLAY

Duleepsinliji mishit Wall’s first delivery for a single. Then he quickly got into his stride with a two to cover off Grimmett, and he raised the hundred. Wall closed the men in. hut the Indian cleverly preferred to score outside the ring, and he enlivened the game by pulling Grimmett to the boundary twice in one over. He was also playing Wall with delightful freedom, glancing aiuh squarecutting with delicate precision. Remembering Duleepsinhji’s previous discomfort at the hands of Hornibrook, Woodfull brought the Queenslander on at 120 in place of Giimmett, but the Indian knocked five off his first two balls. As a testimony that the scoring was livened up, d may be remarked that the first houi produced twenty runs,, the second hour fifty-two, and the third sixtyfour. Duleepsinliji was chiefly responsible for them, and he equalled Sutcliffe with forty-one when he hit Hornibrook for two fours in one over. The Yorkshireman had had 120 minutes’ start of the Indian, who reached fifty runs in as many minutes. Then he tried to get a six off Grimmett, but he skied the ball to hairfax, who took an easy catch. Duleepsinliji hit five fours, and gave a slashing display, full of confidence.

With Hammond’s advent, the, scoring slowed, the newcomer waiting for the right ball to hit, after having sent the first from Wall to the boundary with a characteristic cover drive.

McjCABE GETS HAMMOND

McCabe, who was doing good workin Richardson’s place in the field then took the ball, and he was rewarded by getting Hammond’s wicket at the €l, d of half an hour’s batting, just when he looked like settling down permanently. Hammond’s dismissal spoiled what looked like a formidable partnership, to which the crowd had been looking forward.

ANOTHER WI C'KET GOES

Ley land was beaten hopelessly by Griminett just before tea, and the critical position of 5 for 197 faced England’s new captain, who was received with warm and sympathetic applause when he joined Sutcliffe, the spectators recognising the heavy responsiblity laid on his shoulders in rather embarrassing circumstances.

The English captain had two narrow escapes straight away. Grimmett and McCabe each beat him, and Oldfield each time whipped the hails off lightning-like, just as Wyatt managed to regain the crease. He must have welcomed the tea respite when the score was 5 for 199. Sutcliffe by indefinite patience had now sixty-six on the hoard for his 2-50 minutes’ play. The attendance had now reached thir-ty-five thousand. Wyatt batted, uncertainly and seemed lucky to get a four through the slips off McCabe. England’s captain then cocked one perilously close to McCabe at silly mid-off, and he also survived an appeal for leg before off the next hall. Wall took a new ball at 202 and Sutcliffe began to hit out more freely. Wyatt was cheered on passing the fatal thirteen. Thou ho and the Yorkshirennn began to punish loose ones, and the figures rose steadily. Sutcliffe reached the hundred in five hours by turning Griminett to leg. He had a great ovation for his first Test century this season, and the seventh in his career. The attack was languishing towards

the close, despite frequent changes. Sutcliffe brought the. third century up in 335 minutes. His skipper, after his early difficulties, stuck stubbornly to his task. In the last,half hour, loose fielding and had throwing-in gave awav a number of runs. Oldfield, however, did not allow a single bye.

Sutcliffe’s marathon effort occupied 350 minutes of actual play. It is a notable fact that lie gave one hot chance. He hit nine fours, three threes, and fourteen twos. His unfinished partnership with Wyatt yielded 119 runs.

The crowd rnsl.ed on to the ground to get a glimpse of the new captain, whose first appearance and success were heartily applauded. Scores: — ENGL A ND—lst Innings. Hobbs, c Kippax, b Wall 47 Sutcliffe, (not out) ... 136 Whysall. 1.h.w., T> Wall 13 Duleepsinliji, c Fairfax, ib Grimmett ... Hammond, b McCabe 13 Levland, b Grimmett 3 Wyatt, (not out) 30 Extras ••• l 3 Total for 5 wickets 316 The wickets fell as follows: —1 for 68, 2 for .97, 3 for 162, 4 lor 190, and 5 for 197. Whvsall reached two thousand runs for the season.

TEST MATCH COMMENT

(Received this dav at 8 a.mA LONDON. Aug. 17

The Austral in'' Press says of the first day’s play in the test, that Wyatt’s solid stand when things were going wrong, stamped him as no mere fair-weather cricketer. The Australians worked hard hut cracked up.disappointingly at the end of a heartbreaking .day in the field. The bowlers were dog-tired at stumps. As anticipated, Richardson’s absence led to the loss of security near the wicket. The English papers pay glowing tributes to Sutcliffe’s effort. The “Sunday Express’’ says his runs were golden runs worth double the actual figures, in a desperate situation.