O'REILLY IN FORM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 July 1938, Page 5

O'REILLY IN FORM

AGGRESSIVE AND SUCCESSFUL ATTACK England Out for Moderate Score HAMMOND PLAYS A. MASTERLY INNINGS By Telegraph—Press Association. —Copyright. (Received This Day, 9.3 Q a.m.) LONDON, July 22. For the third time in succession Hammond won the toss for England, and decided to bat, in the fourth Test match between England and Australia, which began at Leeds today. The wicket had dried out well after the heavy rains of last week, and promised to provide a good surface for the four days’ cricket. It was carrying a fair amount of grass. . Contrary to expectations Badcock retained his place in the Australian side at the expense of Barnes, while Waite made his Test debut, replacing Chipperfield, this being the only change from Australia s side in the-second Test. O’Reilly put plenty of devil into his bowling and frequently beat the batsmen with “wrong ’uns.” Waite bowled in the early stages with hard luck, Barnett being dropped twice off his bowling. The Australian bowling was such that the English batsmen could do very little with it and the innings finally closed for 223. England was fighting for runs during the whole time. There was a lively interlude when Verity and Wright went for the bowling, adding over 40 runs to the score. Hammond played a masterly defensive game and was the only batsman to make any real attempt to play the bowling. Australia opened with Brown and Fingleton, but runs came slowly and Brown, who was shaping well, lost his wicket when he had scored 22. When stumps were drawn Australia had lost one wicket for 32.

WAITE’S HARD LUCK. Barnett and Edrich opened for England. McCormick bowled the first over from the pavilion end, a maiden, to Edrich, who survived a leg-before appeal off the second ball. At the other end Waite 'made his Test bowling debut; Barnett taking three from the over. At 14 Barnett firmly hit Waite to O’Reilly at short square leg, but the fieldsman did not accept the chance. There was a fair amount of life in the pitch and the batsmen had to watch the ball very carefully. With 19 on the board after half an hour’s play, O’Reilly replaced Waite, who took over from McCormick at the other end. McCormick had bowled six overs for 7 runs. Barnett had a further life when he snicked, one from Waite to Brown at second slip, the fieldsman again failing to accept the chance. With the score at 29 O’Reilly completely beat Edrich with a “wrong ’un.” The batsman played at the ball but clean missed it and his wickets were shattered. His total of 12 included one 4, Hardstaff replaced Edrich at the wicket. “WRONG ’UN” USED FREQUENTLY. Hardstaff opened his account with a glorious four through the covers off Waite. O’Reilly was bowling with great hostility and using his “wrong ’un” frequently.

Hardstaff was then run out through a misunderstanding off the first ball of O’Reilly’s seventh, over, Hassett returning the ball sharply from mid-off. Two wickets had then fallen for 34 runs. Hammond then came in, receiving a great ovation from the crowd. He opened his account with a leg-glance off Waite for 2. With the score at 36, McCormick came on again in place of Waite, who had bowled 12 overs for 23 runs. He had been most unlucky in not taking a wicket in his first bowling spell in Test cricket. He was attacking the batsman all the time. The cricket was very slow, the first 29 overs bringing only 38 runs in a little over one hour’s play. In his first 11 overs O’Reilly bowled 8 maidens, his deliveries having the batsmen on the defence all the time. Except for the two missed chances, the Australian fielding was excellent. England reached 44 runs after 90 minutes play, 10 runs coming from mishits and 7 from no-balls. At 48 Fleetwood-Smith took over from O’Reilly, bowling a maiden to Hammond. Hammond brought up 50 in 101 minutes with a 2 off McCormick. O’REILLY GREATLY FEARED. Barnett and Hammond defended until lunch when two timorous hours had produced 62 runs. O’Reilly was greatly feared throughout the morning’s play. His figures at the adjournment were: 14 overs, 11 maidens, 4 runs, 1 wicket. Upon resuming Hammond gloriously straight drove a no-ball from McCormick for 6, but in McCormick’s fourth over after lunch Barnett edged a ball, for which the Australian wicketkeeper, Barnett, and Fleetwood-Smith, at first slip, both dived, Barnett taking a brilliant catch. Paynter joined Hammond and was immediately struggling for runs. Hammond off-drove O’Reilly twice in succession for boundaries, raising 100 runs

in 115 minutes. The batsmen were now playing more confidently and more runs were made in an hour after lunch than in two hours before. The partnership was becoming threatening for Australia. O’Reilly, however, with a ball which turned sharply from the off dismissed Hammond, who had batted 140 minutes and hit one 6 and ten 4’s. O’Reilly badly beat Compton, the ball being snicked to the fence. Paynter, after scoring 28 in 90 minutes, jumped out to Fleetwood-Smith and was well stumped. After a most uneasy time - Compton was bowled in the last over before tea, with the score at 6/171

AUSTRALIA’S STRONG POSITION

Australia is in the strongest position in any Test thus far. Only one run was added after tea when O’Reilly had Price caught in the slips.

Wright and Verity now became associated, and hit with more determination than some of the recognised batsmen. Wright, pulling FleetwoodSmith for three 4’s, raised 200 after 275 minutes play. The pair added 41 runs for the eighth wicket in half an hour, when Wright was easily caught at mid-off. In the same over Fingleton took a superbly judged running catch at long-off to dismiss Fames.

England’s innings closed after 300 minutes play.

Australia opened at 5.45 o’clock in a moderate light. Both Brown and Fingleton made lucky snicks in Faroes’s first over. The batsmen, however, especially Brown, batted confidently against the fast attack. The score reached 28 in half an hour Brown having scored 22. When-Wright was called to the crease he bowled Brown with his first ball, which the batsman tried to pull. As only twelve minutes for play remained Barnett came in as a stopgap. The official estimate of the attendance is 25,000. The Australian team is: Bradman, McCabe, McCormick, Hassett, Badcock, Fingleton, Brown, Barnett, Waite, O’Reilly and Fleetwood-Smith, with Barnes as twelfth man. The scores are as follow:— ENGLAND. First Innings. Barnett, c Barnett, B McCormick 30 Edrich, b O’Reilly ■. 12 Hardstaff, run out 4 Hammond, b O’Reilly 76 Paynter, st Barnett, b Fleetwood- a Smith 28 Compton, b O’Reilly 14 Price, c McCabe, b O’Reilly 0 Verity, not out 25 Wright, c Fingleton, b FleetwoodSmith ■ 22 Fames, c Fingleton, b FleetwoodSmith 2 Bowes, b O’Reilly 3 Extras 7 Total 223 Fall of wickets: 1 for 29, 2 for 34, 3 for 88, 4 for 142, 5 for 171, 6 for 171, 7 for 172, 8 for 213, 9 for 215.

AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Brown, b Wright 22 Fingleton, not out 9 Barnett, not out 1 Total 1 wicket for 32 FORECAST FOR TODAY. LIGHT RAIN POSSIBLE. (Recd This Day, 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, July 22. The forecast at Leeds for Saturday is for a morning of fog with rather warm weather and the possibility of light rain later. FOURTH TEST IN 1934. NOTES BY “THE BOWLER.” The fourth Test, played in 1934, between England and Australia resulted in a draw. England, in the first innings, was dismissed for the small total of 200 runs, Grimmett obtaining 4 wickets for 57 runs, and O’Reilly 3 for 46. Australia’s first innings totalled 584 runs, Bradman 304 and Ponsford 181, each playing a brilliant innings. England, in the second innings, compiled 229 runs for 6 wickets, when rain prevented the completion of the game.

Bowling. O. M. R. W. McCormick 20 6 46 1 Waite 18 7 31 0 O’Reilly 34.1 17 66 5 Fleetwood-Smith 25 7 73 3 McCabe 1 1 0 0