WHY ENGLAND FAILED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 615, 18 March 1929, Page 13

WHY ENGLAND FAILED

HAS AUSTRALIA FOUND THE BOWLER SHE NEEDS? j TEST MATCH REFLECTIONS The first defeat of the English cricket team is the story of a young, fast bowler who broke the back of the English batting in the second innings, and left Australia with an odds on chance of victory. FVER since the tests began, Australia has been looking for a match - winning bowler. It is too soon yet to rank Wall as a potential Spofforth, but liis success in this match at any rate makes it almost certain that he will go to England with the next Australian team, along with the other colts, Jackson. Bradman and Fairfax. Australia proved in the final tests that constitutionally and fundamentally, she possessed no tail. England, on the other hand, has been dependent on one o.r two men, Hendren in the first test, ITammond in the next three, and Hobbs and Leyland in the fifth. So long as Hammond could be relied on for one of his phenomenal scores. Chapman could depend on White, Larwood, Geary and Tate to do the rest, but when that great batsman failed, England found itself in “Queer Street.” Not even the remarkable “come-back” of a veteran like Hobbs could counteract the strength of Australia’s batting, and once Wall liad carried out his mission, the match, on the law of averages, was worth a two-to-one wager on Australia. AUSTRALIA DESERVES HONOURS England may be lamenting the fact that she swapped horses in midstream, and left Chapman in the ludicrous role of the man who takes drinks out to the players or fields as “sub” in the team he formerly led with such conspicuous success. But it is hard to see that the absence of Chapman could have made any material difference to the final result. Sutcliffe’s inability to play was a different matter, but the travel-worn English team was soundly beaten on its merits, and Australia deserves all tlit* honours of a great battle.

The essential feature of the tests from the Australian viewpoint has been the eclipse of the Old Guard, and the belated opportunity given to the colts to prove that Australia can still produce young players in the class of Trumper, and the Gregory of other days. The Australian selectors deserve little of the credit for making the discovery. They dallied too Jong vvitn the old-timers, and %here #as a touch of grim humour in their final S.O.S. to Hornibrook, who has waited eight years for his chance in test cricket. No one but a super-optimist could have expected Hornibrook to reproduce his old form after his long absenco from big cricket and spasmodic appearances in club matches. To add to the discomfiture of the selectors, the tall Queensland dentist, after his moderate success as a bowler (the primary object of his selection), earned greater credit for his surprising displays of batting when runs were badly wanted. From the individual viewpoint, the selectors are enabled to claim the complete vindication of their surprise selection of Ryder as Australia’s test, captain. The quiet-spoken Victorian giant has been a tower of strength to tho batting, a sound captain, and a more than useful change bowler. Unlucky as he has been, Grimmett, a one-time Plunket Shield cricketer in New Zealand, is still a potent factor as a ‘.’googlie” bowler, and Woodfull has been a veritable rock of ages, at which the English attack has hurled itself time and again with scant success. With these outstanding exceptions, it is the old story—youth will be served. Even Duckworth is challenging Oldfield’s position as the greatest test wicket-keeper since the war, and Tate seems to be a spent force in big cricket.

The Englishmen can have no excuse for their defeat. They won the toss, and started with one of the biggest scores ever registered on a ground which is the home of cricket records in Australia. Even the magnificent uphill light of the Australians in their first innings did not wipe out the huge tally of their opponents, and it was tho comparative failure of the English batting in the second innings which was the chief cause of their defeat. There are lesser factors, of course, the chief of which is that a team cannot go on playing and travelling day after day for over live months without staleness setting in. It was this factor which prevented the tour <$ Armstrong’s team in 1921 from ending in tlie greatest triumph in the history of Anglo-Australian cricket. It is England’s experience now.

TEST AVERAGES

The averages for the series of five Tests concluded at Melbourne on Saturday show Maurice Leyland (England) at the top of the batting list with the remarkable figure of 190. This was obtained in the final Test, when Leyland scored a century in the first innings, and was not out for 53 in the second. The first man on the Australian batting list i.i Archie Jackson, the New South Wales colt. His figure is 69. Bradman is second on the list. Of the bowlers J. C. White, of England, lias taken a total of 25 wickets. The highest Australian is C. V. Grimmett with 23. Fallowing are the averages: ENGLAND

OTAGO’S GOOD WIN

EIGHT-OAR CHAMPIONS CUP RACE AT LYTTELTON Press Association C I f RISTCHU RCH, S u nday. In the Lyttelton Harbour yesterday afternoon the inter-provincial eightoar championship for the Hally burton Johnstone Cup was won by Otago. Canterbury, the previous holder, was second. The Southern crew’s win was thoroughly deserved, and was due to the excellent, well-trained condition of every man of the crew, and the line oarsmanship of their stroke, FBrough. The race was timed to start at 2.30, but just before two o’clock the northeast breeze freshened, and a lumpy sea rose. With the sea following them, the boats got safely to the starting point, but on pulling up to turn all were in trouble. The Canterbury and Otago boats partly filled, and were beached and emptied. The Wellington boat filled near the rocks, but was safely beached. Marlborough swamped far out off shore, and the crew was in jeopardy for a while, out launches brought the men and boat ashore. The crews, soaked as they were, felt the cold a good deal and were brought back on launches to Corsair Bay. At five o’clock conditions had improved. The wind dropped, and the sea, with the rising tide, became smoother. The race was started with little delay, all boats getting away well. At the quarter-distance Canterbury led by two lengths from Otago, which was over a length ahead of Wellington, with Marlborough half a length away. Otago began to close up on Canterbury, and off Rapaki was nearly a length ahead, with Wellington, challenging Canterbury for second place, and Marlborough six lengths in the rear. Otago crossed the line nearly two lengths ahead of Canterbury in a fast finish. The Marlborough boat, halffull of water, was a. dozen lengths in the rear. The time for the miles course was 12min 20sec. The presentation of the cup was made at a smoke concert in the evening.

Batting In. N. O. II.S. Ti. Av. M. Leyland . 2 1 137 190 190.00 W . 11. 1 hunmond . 9 1 251 905 113.13 11. Hendren . 9 0 109 472 52.44 H. Sutcliffe . 7 0 50.71 J. 13. Hobbs . 9 0 142 451 50.11 L). R. Jar dine . 9 1 98 241 42.62 P. Mead . 2 0 72 80 40.00 H. Tyldesley . 2 0 31 52 26.00 A. I J . F. Chapman 7 0 50 105 23.57 H. Jiiu-wood 8 0 70 173 21.62 M. W. Tate .10 0 54 214 21.40 J. C. White . 8 4 29 70 17.50 < C Duckworth . 9 4 *39 7 6 15.20 Q. Geary .. . 8 1 6b 95 13.57 Signifies not out Bowling Huns. ‘Wickets Aver. 1 9 25.1 1 White .. .. 3 0.40 Harwood .. IS 4 0.44 Tate 17 40.76 Hammond .. . 2S7 5 7.40 Jardine none for 10, and Leyland none for 11, also bowled. AUSTRALIA Batti ng In. X.O. JI.S. Total. Av. Jackson. . . 4 0 104 27 (i 69.00 Bradman . . S l 123 408 Fairfax . . . 1 0 65 65 65.00 Ryder .... 10 1 112 492 54.66 "Woodfull . . 10 1 111 491 54.55 Kippax . . . 10 0 100 31L 31.10 Hendry . . . s 0 112 337 2S.37 a’Beckett . . 4 0 41 104 €«.oo Nothling . . 0 41 52 26.00 Horn i brook 26 14 22.00 Oldtiekl . . . 10 4S 159 19.87 Oxenham . . 39 88 17.60 Grimmett . . 38 95 15. S3 Wall 2 0 9.00 Richardson . 4 n S.75 Black ie . . 6 11 24 8.00 kelleway . . l 0 S 8 S.00 Pon.sford . 1 6 13 6.50 Ironmonger . 4 0 4 5 1.23 Bowling Runs. Wickets. Aver T. L. Wall .. .. 1S9 8 23.62 D. r> J. Blackie . . 444 14 31.71 J. Ryder . . 179 35.80 C. V'. Grimmett . . 924 23 40.17 H. L. Hendry .. 32S S 41.00 J. M. Gregory . . .. 142 3 47.33 P. M. Hornibrook . 193 4 48.25 R. K. Oxenham . . 349 7 49.85 H. Ironmonger . . 306 fi 51.00 A. Fairfax . . 104 2 52.00 H. Tj n'Beckett 216 108.00 A. H. Tvellewa 77 0 0. T7. Xothling .. A. F. Kippax .. as 0