A HUGE SCORE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 June 1938, Page 7

A HUGE SCORE

ENGLAND 8 FOR 658

BATSMEN BREAK RECORDS. AUSTRALIA’S POOR START. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Copyright. LONDON. June 11. The English batsmen broke records during the first two days of the first cricket Test against Australia at Nottingham. Barnett and Hutton, the opening pair, established a record for a first-wicket Test partnership in England, both scoring centuries. At lunch on the second day the team had scored four centuries, which is the most they have ever scored in one English Test innings, while only two centuries had ever been scored in previous Tests at Trent Bridge. England, with the loss of eight wickets for 658 declared, passed its previous best total against Australia. Paynter, unconquered at 216, and Compton bettered the old fifth wicket, figure. English cricket enthusiasts are delighted at the splendid beginning, the dashing batting by Paynter and the impressive stand made by Compton. The Australian bowlers were a little unlucky because of indifferent fielding and lost opportunities. A LONG UP-HILL FIGHT. The Australian batsmen 'oegan a long up-hill fight in the middle of the second afternoon, and at stumps had lost three wickets for 138, Bradman being caught with his total at 51 and Brown going similarly with his score at 48. The attendance on the first day, when the weather was changeable, the wicket giving no aid to the bowlers, was 18,000 and the gate takings £1406. On the second day the attendance was 30,098 and the takings £2698. The weather was dull when play was resumed today. Paynter and Compton opened brightly. Compton was in splendid form, timing hooks and drives perfectly, while impudently stolen singles delighted the crowd. WONDERFUL TEST DEBUT. Paynter, when 88, should have been stumped off McCabe, the ball lodging in Barnett’s' pads. The pair played McCormick with the utmost ease. O’Reilly’s first over cost fourteen. The partnership reached 200 in 130 minutes, Compton reaching his century in fast time considering the slowness of the first half-hour. He was then caught .at the square leg boundary after a chanceless innings lasting 140 minutes and including fifteen fours. It was a wonderful Test debut, a noticeable feature being his driving and powerful hitting through the covers off the back foot. It also was a fifth wicket record. CLUMSY FIELDING. The Australian fielding was clumsy. When Bradman attempted to throw out Paynter both Brown and Ward failed to save four overthrows. Seventeen came from Ward’s first three overs due largely to bad fielding. The constant changing over for the left-hand-er Paynter because of stolen singles helped to disrupt both bowling and fielding. Fleetwood-Smith, returning when the score had reached 573, bowled Ames in his first over with a leg-break. Ames hit six fours. The gates were closed after lunch. Verity, who was never comfortable, was bowled by Fleetwood-Smith after the resumption. Paynter had an escape at 163, Fleetwood-Smith fumbling a running catch and a chance to run him out was lost when O’Reilly misfielded the ball. Paynter was shaping finely, using great power. PAYNTER PUNISHES BOWLERS. Sinfield was out leg-before wicket to a good length ball, but Wright defended cautiously while Paynter continued to punish the bowlers, taking England to the highest score in history against Australia. The innings was declared closed at 3.15 p.m. Paynter had batted 325 minutes and hit one six, one five, and 26 fours. He played the fast bowling splendidly, and was almost equally confident, against the slows, giving a display of versatile stroke-making, especially on the leg side. BACKS TO THE WALL. The Australians clearly had their backs to the wall. Six of the first eight overs by Hammond and Fames to the openers, Brown by Hammond and Fames to the openers Brown and Fingleton, were maidens. An early disaster came when Fingleton went out through playing on a leg break. Bradman, who was given a fine reception, had a lucky escape when seven. He mis-timed one and Wright dived for it and just failed to hold a difficult catch. Wright, who is a slow medium experimental bowler, then badly beat Bradman with an extra vicious leg break. The batsman lunged forward, but managed to survive an appeal for stumping. APPEALS. AGAINST LIGHT. Brown meanwhile was defending courageously. Bradman’s appeal against the light at 5.30 p.m. was not sustained. Bradman compiled 51 in 80 minutes, being caught at the wicket by Ames. The crowd’s excitement reached frenzy. McCabe arrived and faced a difficult situation. A further appeal against the light at 6.10 p.m. failed. Brown was batting steadily when caught at the wicket on the leg side. McCabe and Ward played out time. Details: — ENGLAND. First Innings. Barnett, b McCormick 126 Hutton, lbw, b Fleetwood-Smith 100 Edrich, b O'Reilly 5 Hammond, b O’Reilly 26 Paynter, not out 216 Compton, c Badcock. b FleetwoodSmith 102 Ames, b Fleetwood-Smith 46 Verity, b Fleetwood-Smith 3

Sinfield, lbw, b O’Reilly .... 6 Wright, not out 1 Extras 27 Total for eight wickets (dec.) 658 Bowling Analysis. —McCormick took one wicket for 108; A’Reilly, three for 164; McCabe, none for 64; FleetwoodSmith, four for 153; Ward, none for 142. Fall of Wickets.—One for 219, two for 240, three for 244, four for 281, five for 487, six for 577, seven for 597, eight for 626. AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Brown, c Ames, b Fames 48 Fingleton, b Wright 9 Bradman, c Ames, b Sinfield 51 McCabe, not out .1 ' 19 Ward, not out 0 Extras 11 Total for three wickets 138 Bowling Analysis.—Fames took one wicket for 31; Hammond, none for 6; Sinfield, one for 23; Wright, one for 47; Verity, none for 20. WORST END OF STICK. AUSTRALIANS UP AGAINST IT. COMMENTS BY CRITICS.

I LONDON, June 11. The Australian Associated Press representative says . the Australians will heed all their fighting qualities to make a draw. Having lost' the toss, fielded for nine hours on a batsman’s wicket, and opened their innings when the light, began to get fussy, they had the* worst end of the stick. Bradman’s dismissal was the turning point of the day. It is rare to see a leg-break bowler worrying him. Wright chose the element of surprise several times. He did so in such a way that Bradman never quite had his usual amount of assurance. Moreover, there was something more in Sinfield than the Australians were privately prepared to admit since' his Bristol performance. Paynter made a glorious come-back, and the performance of Compton following Hutton’s 100 suggests that a new generation of batsmen has really arisen. It need only be said that some Australian fieldsmen with reputations failed to preserve them in this match.

J. B. Hobbs, in the “Star,” says: “If no rain falls this week-end it will probably be impossible to dismiss Australia twice and win.” The match so far is generally acclaimed as a triumph for English cricket. The “Sunday Graphic" is of the opinion that Hammond ought to have declared at lunch-time. The “Sunday Dispatck” disagrees with this suggestion. It regards England as impregnable, chiefly due to Hammond's leadership. Oldfield criticises Bradman’s placing of the field, saying that Bradman should have instructed his boiylers to bowl to the field. He adds that the Australian fielding was ragged all day. Other critics pay a tribute to Hutton, Compton, and Paynter, who have given England new heart, and to the Australian Brown, who displayed his old form, grace, and doggedness. STATEMENT DENIED AUSTRALIAN NOT SEEKING REINFORCEMENTS (Recd This Day, 10 a.m.) LONDON, June 12. Shown a statement in a Sunday newspaper, that the Australians were getting into a panic because of their overwhelming arrears of runs at Nottingham, and that they were considering enlisting the services of either the South Australian, Williams, or the Australian fast bowler, Robert S. Earle, who is now a resident of London, Bradman said "The report is utterly unfounded, and the suggestion has never been considered, officially or unofficially.”