FIRST TEST.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1921, Page 5

FIRST TEST.

OPENING DAY’S PLAY. ENGLAND ALL OUT FOR 112 AUSTRALIA SIX FOR 167. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received May 29, 5.5 p.m. London, May 28. The first test match between England and Australia opened at Nottingham today. The weather at the start was alternating sun and cloud. The wicket was easy. Owing to the state of the wicket Hendry played instead of Mailey, who was twelfth man.

Douglas (England’s captain) won the toss and Knight and Holmes opened to Gregory and McDonald. The scoring at the start was brisk, eighteen being hit up in ten minutes. Then Knight played Gregory into Carter’s hands. Tyldesley followed and succumbed to Gregory’s first ball with the score unchanged. The bowling had plenty of devil; Gregory quickly found his length and made the ball hum, while McDonald kept the batsmen strictly oh the defensive. Hendren was the next and there was consternation when Gregory sent his stumps spinning before he had broken the ice—3 wickets for 18 runs for twenty-five minutes’ play. Holmes was batting finely, making pretty leg and side glances and hooks. He was joined by his captain. The fielding was keen and clean. Douglas shaped without confidence, preferring to stop Gregory’s- fast ones with his pads. Armstrong relieved McDonald at thirtyeight and immediately fouml length. Douglas, trying to pull one to leg, fell into Gregory’s hands at slip. -‘He playefl purely defensive cricket, but Gregory was often unplayable and Armstrong had a ring of fieldsmen round the wicket. The Australians showed fine team work. Woolley followed. When the score was at fifty rain stopped play for half-an-hour, and there was a second stoppage after a few minutes’ play. These interruptions hampered the bowlers and both batsmen scored freely before Gregory recovered his length. The fieldsmen often slipped. At the lum cheon adjournment the score was 4 wickets for 63 runs (Holmes 26 and Woolley 10). GOOD FIELDING. On resuming, Gregory and McDonald had charge of the attack. The batsmen scored freely, and then Woolley, attempting a late cut, was taken finely by Hendry at second slip, In the same over Holmes, in trying an off drive, was clean bowled.—6/30/78. Woolley batted crisply, driving to the off and cutting superbly, while Holmes was cautious, smothering the ball. Jupp signalised his appearance by square cutting both Gregory and Hendry, who were now bowling. Rhodes started briskly with a lucky four over the heads of the slips, and the century was hoisted in a hundred and ten minutes. The crowd continually applauded the fielding, particularly that of McDonald, Andrews and Pellew. Jupp, at eight, tapped an easy one off McDonald to Armstrong, and Gregory claimed another victim when Rhodes tipped a rising ball into Carter’s hands. He played pluckily.— 8/19/107.

The remainder were soon disposed of. Collins accepted an easy chance in slips from Strudwick and Richmond drove one back to Gregory, which he held. Though the wicket assisted the bowling, Gregory and McDonald were superb and they were assisted by great catching in the slips. Gregory bowled throughout. The weather was sunny and the attendance probably twenty thousand when the Australians started their innings, Collins and Bardsley facing Howell and Douglas. The batsmen opened cautiously, and then Bardsley square cut each bowler to the boundary. Richmond relieved Douglas' at 28 and Bardsley pulled his googlies to the boundary, and in the next over Collins treated him twice similarly. Collins at seventeen had a narrow escape from being run out and before he added to his score he got a leg in front in attempting to drive. The fifty occupied an hour in compilation. BARDSLEY IN GOOD FORM.

Macartney immediately got to work; he hit Howell to the boundary and made ten off one over off Richmond. Douglas camp on in place of Howell at 63. Bardsley was in fine, all-round form. Macartney, after twenty minutes’ dashing play, stopped one from Douglas with his leg.—2/20/86. Bardsley was 40 when Taylor joined him, and the newcomer, after a narrow escape of being run out in attempting a big drive, was caught by Jupp at mid-off. Armstrong had a great reception. Bardsley brought up the century and hip own fifty in a hundred minutes. Armstrong was slow getting going, making a single in a quarter of an hour. The bowlers were keeping a good length, while the fielding was excellent, many of Bardsley s cuts being saved on the boundary. Woolley displaced Richmond at 114 and Jupp bowled instead, of Douglas. Armstrong continued- to be cautious ami scored two in half-an-hour, while Bardsley also slowed down. Armstrong went tit eleven, being clean bowled by Jupp. Bardsley was 63 when Gregory arrived. He opened his account by an off drive to the boundary and then a flukey three oft* Woolley. Bardsley took threequarters of an hour to make fifteen after his half century and then he fell leg before trying to turn Woolley—his only mistake in 2J hours’ great batting. He hit seven fours. Pellew came next and should have been caught and howled the same over. Richmond resumed at 138. Gregory played confident cricket all round the wicket, but when fourteen he made the mistake of putting a leg before to Richmond. Carter partnered Pellew with only five minutes to go. In view’ of the rain there was no tea adjournment. Pellew’ was confident and lively and marked the close of the play by two smashing hits off Richmond. England’ batted 1,30 minutes and the Australians 170 minuts. The Australians’ batting was generally marked by solidity and hard hitting. The English bowling and fielding was always of a high standard. Detailed scores are:

ENGLAND. First Innings. Knight, st. Carter, b Gregory .... 8 Holmes, b McDonald 30 Tyldesley, b Gregory . 0 Hendren, b Gregory 0 Douglas, c Gregory, b Armstrong .. 11 Woolley, c Hendry, b McDonald .. 20 Jupp, e Armstrong, b McDonald .... 8 Rhodes, c Carter, b Gregory « 19 Strudwick, c Collins', b Gregory .... 0 Richmond, c and b Gregory 4 Howell, not out 0 Extras ... 12 To.cl 112 ’Tii? wickets fell as follow: 1 for 1 ? : •2 for IS; 3 for 18; 4 for 43; 5 for 77; G for 78; 7 for 101; 8 for 107; 9 for 108; 10 for 112. Bowling analysis: Gregory took 6 wickets for .*3 runs; McDonald, 3 for 42; Armstrong, 1 for 0. AUSTRALIA. First Innings. > Collins, lbw, b Richmond 17 Bardsley, lbw r , b Woolley 66 -Macartney, lbw,- b Douglas 20 Taylor, c Jupp, b Douglas 4 Armstrong, b Jupp 11 Gregory, lbw, b Richmond ......14 Pellew, not out 21 Carter, not out 3 Extras ................... 1] Total (for 6 wickets) 167 —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. COAL STRIKE TROUBLES. HOURS OF PLAY CONTROVERSY. BITTER NEWSPAPER ATTACK.

Received May 30, 12.25 a.m. London, May 28. On the eve of the test match the Australian eleven went to bed by candle light, as, owing to the coal strike, severe restrictions prevail in Nottingham, the town being practically in darkness at night. At the Hotel Victoria, where the Australians were staying, the elevator is not worked in the evening, and the visitors were obliged to obtain on the ground floor candles, which were generally placed in beer bottles, and then ascend flights of stairs to their bed-

The Observer signalises the commencement of the tests with an amazing article on the hours of play dispute and a heated attack in unmeasured terms. The paper says: “The management of the team is governed by all-take-and-little-give principles.” It talks of farcical excuses, and blames the counties for weakly giving way. It suggests that the M.C.C. should have played on after six o’clock and claimed the match if the Australians refused to play. The Observer twits the Australians with unsporting behaviour at Bristol and the hours of play condescension. It asserts that the hours fixed for June 29 and 30 and July 1 have set the Midlands aflame. Other unpleasant statements include an accusation that the Australians objected to the publication of the names of umpires for the first test, on the grounds that the umpires might be got at. The writer urges the Australians to reconsider the question of hours and abandon a policy which flouts insults at English cricket from the M.C.C. downwards, “and, what is graver still, is a breach of good manners.”— United Service.