ENGLAND'S GREAT START

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 August 1938, Page 5

ENGLAND'S GREAT START

1 IN THE FINAL CRICKET TEST Centuries to Leyland and Hutton SECOND WICKET RECORD BROKEN By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright. LONDON, August 20. The two Yorkshire County mates, Leyland and Hutton, gave England a great start in the fifth and final Test between England and Australia at the Oval today. At stumps England’s total was 347 for the loss of only Edrich’s wicket. After Edrich was dismissed at 29, Leyland and Hutton batted patiently and skilfully. They mastered the spin-bowlers and were still unconquered at stumps, each having scored well over a century, in addition to breaking the second wicket record of 188 for England against Australia, established by Sutcliffe and Hammond at Sydney in the 1932-33 tour. The Australian Associated Press critic says: “The Australians must rely on a prodigious success on the part of their batsmen to compensate for the failure of the bowlers if the rubber is to be won outright and not merely drawn. Australian bowlers so far have escaped fairly lightly. The Yorkshirernen attached more importance to keeping their wickets intact than to following the dictum that the last hour is the best time for run-getting against tired bowlers. “They preferred to take safe, twos and sharp singles to prevent the bowlers from concentrating on either partner. It was a stout, authentically Yorkshire performance, proving how well-founded is Australia’s respect for Leyland, while .Hutton, quick-footed and wristy, though not brilliant, seems to be heading to become a rather sounder version of Sutcliffe.” ,

The weather was fine, crisp and sunny and the wicket appeared to be in excellent order when play began. Rain temporarily held up play about the tea adjournment. The teams are: England: W. R. Hammond (Gloucestershire), captain, K. Fames (Essex), M. Leyland (Yorkshire), H. Verity (Yorkshire), W. E. Bowes (Yorkshire), L. Hutton (Yorkshire), E. Paynter (Lancashire), D. C. Compton Middlesex), W. J. Edrich (Middlesex), J. Hardstaff (Nottinghamshire), A. Wood (Yorkshire). A. Fagg (Kent) is twelfth man. . Australia: Bradman, McCabe, Fingleton, Brown, Badcock, Barnes, O’Reilly, Waite, Fleetwood-Smith, Barnett, Hassett. White is twelfth man. McCormick was omitted on account of neuritis of the shoulder, thus weakening Australia’s attack. Neither of the two Kent players, L. E. G. Ames and D. V. P. Wright, who were injured during the match between their county and Leicestershire this week, was available. Wood took Ames’s place. Hammond won the toss for the fourth time and England batted. The first hour’s play was slow, McCabe and Waite opening the bowling. The former mixed slows with mediumpaced deliveries. Neither Hutton nor Edrich- was taking any liberties with Waite. The first wicket to fall was Edrich’s, after 1 three-quarters of an hour, in O’Reilly’s third over, giving him his hundred Test wickets. CAUTIOUS OPENING.

Leyland began cautiously. He was quite happy against Fleetwood-Smith. He scored faster than Hutton, but was less sound. Both Fleetwood-Smith and O’Reilly bowled a consistent length. The rate of scoring was subdued until just before lunch, when the score was 89 for one wicket. Australia’s enforced reliance on spin prevented the batsmen from getting on top. Within half an hour after lunch Bradman had tried all four bowlers, and in this period England's batting was admirable, Leyland particularly. The latter had a narrow escape at 70, when he nearly played Waite on. Bradman at this stage tried Barnes, ,who sent, down a creditable first over. Meanwhile Fleetwood-Smith was getting expensive, one over yielding twelve runs. Hutton reached his century in three hours, when the pair had added 189 and established a new second wicket record for England against Australia in Tests. Leyland was forty minutes in the nineties before registering his century in three hours 25 minues. Rain stopped play at 4.25 p.m. with England’s score standing at 242. Hutton gave possible chances at 40 and 48, otherwise he had not offered the bowlers much hope. .The wicket was playing perfectly and the batting was of a type likely to win Tests. A RUN A MINUTE. Play was resumed after tea in sunshine, when the attendance was 26,000. The rate of scoring was not remarkable; perhaps a run a minute. The batsmen were finding it difficult to penetrate the field, while the bowling generally was accurate. The batsmen refused to take risks and fewer than 50 runs were scored in the last hour. Hutton hit fifteen 4’s and Layland fourteen 4’s. Details: — ENGLAND. First Innings. Hutton, not out 160 Edrich, lbw, b O’Reilly 12 Leyland, not out 156 Extras ~. 19 Total for one wicket 347 Bowling Analysis.

WEATHER PROSPECT. CHANCE OF SLIGHT SHOWERS. (Recd This Day, 9.50 a.m.) LONDON, August 21. The forecast for the Test cricket match is for mainly fair weather, apart from the chance of slight showers. FREAK WICKET REDUCING BEST BOWLERS TO IMPOTENCE. MAMMOTH SCORE LIKELY. (Reed This Day, 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, August 21. Oldfield, writing in the “Sunday Dispatch,” says that in fielding only three regular bowlers, England and Australia both seem determined on a war of attrition. In view of the perfect wicket,- England may eclipse Australia’s 701 at the Oval in 1934. Jardine, writing in the “Observer,” says both sides gambled in the selection of the bowling, but Australia was more courageous, apparently hoping to win the toss. Such a wicket, reducing the world’s-present best bowler to impotence, is a freak not conducive to the best interests of the game. “SIMPLY DROPPED.” McCORMICK’S OMISSION. LONDON, August 21. Commenting on the fifth Test at the Oval, C. B. Fry says that McCormick is not suffering from neuritis, but was simply dropped, a fact which the Australians may -regret before the match ends. The official attendance at the match was 16,499. The capacity of the Oval is 35,000.

HEARTBREAKING WICKET. BOWLING A FUTILE FORMALITY. (Recd This Day, 11.5 a.m.) LONDON, August 21. Howard Marshall, writing in the “Daily Telegraph,” says that although Hutton and Leyland did magnificently it was a ridiculous travesty of cricket, due to the heartbreaking wicket reducing bowling to a futile formality. The wicket is so grossly in favour of the batsmen that it entirely destroys the balance of the game. O’Reilly could barely spin the ball. It was pathetic to see such great bowlers robbed of their art. England should score a thousand runs. In view of /the batting strength, such a grotesque total does not appear impossible.

AUSTRALIA’S BIG SCORE. IN 1934 TEST. (Notes by The Bowler.) The fifth Test, played on the 1934 tour, was won by Australia by 562 runs, thereby winning the Ashes. Australia, in the first innings, made the large score of 701 runs, Ponsford (266) and Bradman (244) being the chief contributors. ■ In their second innings Australia made 327 runs, Bradman (77) and McCabe (70) being the highest scorers. England, in their- '.second innings, were all out for 14 runs. In the present match, will England reach the large score of 701 runs, made by Australia as above?

0. M. R. W. Waite .... 33 5 62 0 McCabe 17 4 45 0 O’Reilly 35 10 79 . 1 Fleetwood-Smith 35 3 121 0 Barnes 11 2 21 0