THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 23, 1938.
OLDFIELD'S EXCLUSION CAUSED
BOMBSHELL
GATHERED IN 130 TEST SCALPS.
YOUNGER THAN CARTER AND BLACKHAM
(By "NOT OUT")
Sydney.
MEET Bert Oldfield. Shake his hand. Feel the warm grip. Look into his eye. Note the sparkle. Watch his brisk step as he walks along the street exchanging greetings with his friends. Too old! Not a bit of it-as 'keeper and batsman. He's just turned forty. Had he been a fast bowler? Yes. A slow bowler? Yes. Perhaps too old. As batsman? Did you ever see him play a more thor- oughly highclass innings than his 62 against Vic- toria? At the pinch, too.
Nevertheless, the official verdict stands. He moves aside with grace to let the younger men in on the job of snapping up uncón- sidered trifles behind the sticks and ficking the bails off in a snappy stumping or greased lightning finish to a run out. The last of the Diggers of the A.L.F. team to play for Australia against England in a Test.
CRICKET TEST PRIVILEGES ARE REDUCED
Adelaide.
Mr. W. H. Jeanes, secretary of the Australian Board of Control for international cricket, said to- day that the English test ground authorities had advised that the issue of complimentary tickets to Australian visitors would be greatly reduced for the forthcom- ing test tour in England.
Mr. Jeanes said that the action of English authorities had been
brought about by the ever-increas
ing numbers of applications made. by Australian visitors for admis-
of the
the chief difficulties of managers of recent tours had been to cope with the great number of such applications. He was sure the desire of Australian visitors was not to obtain free tickets, but to ensure that they would obtažn admission, and would not have to wait in queues at ground en- trances.
sion to English test grounds. One
SOME PLAYERS SURPASSED MY WILDEST DREAMS"
BRADMAN WAS SURPRISED
(By "NOT OUT"").
Sydney.
Lucky is an Australian team that has the captain's absolute confidence and faith in its strength. Some handled by Wil liam Murdoch, Harry Trott, Joe Darling, M. A. Noble, Warwick Armstrong, and W. M. Woodfull held that confidence. Moreover, it was reciprocated by the team..
When the 1893 team was led by J. M. Blackman, he did not lack confidence in his men. But, great a player as he was, he lack ed unswerving grip in tense posi- tions.
W. L Murdoch was the ・・ first
Australian captain to show he ***
Test leadership in the Old Coun try. Authoritative English players and writers said that if the 1898 team had had Murdoch in command they would have been ranked with the Australian best in history.
Study the face of Don Bradman as depicted to-day and you may BATTING AGAINST ENGLAND
endorse the view that at 29 years M. I. N.O. H.S. Ras. Av.
35 4 72 776 25.03 of age, he is more likely to follow Carter 21
in the Murdoch wake as· leader Oldfield 37 62 14 65 1116 23.25 than in that of Blackham, who
He goes out with friends everywhere acclaiming his class, the art in his wicket-keeping, the matchless rhythm of his movements... They have a feeling that Don Bradman has at last revealed one little J. J. Kelly 33 52 17 46 613 17.51 was less temperamentally suited weak point in his cricketing make-up. They aver that Don may J. Blackham 35 62 11 74 800 15.68 to the job. know a good batsman, a good bowler, a good fieldsman when he sees him either as the finished article or in the bud. They likewise aver and stumped 53. Apart from run- that Don may not be the same shrewd judge of a wicket-keeper.
Don ought to be. He put on the Charlie Walker gloves the other day and went into the wic- ket-keeping act with fresh speed and achievements. A sort of new wizard of the gloves.
YOUNGER THAN OTHERS
In all Tests Oldfield caught 77
out victims he gathered in 130 against England, South Africa and the West Indies.
OLDFIELD'S TEST WICKET- KEEPING
DON REVEALS A SECRET The following story of the Adelaide send-off comes from our Adelaide correspondent:
"The team has had a wonderful trip so far, and the form of some Cght. Stpd. Total of the players has surpassed my wildest dreams.”
England
59 31 90
South Africa
13
•14
27
West Indies ̈
5
.8.
13
OLDFIELD'S TEST BATTING
Aggregates.... 77 53
130
England
Av. 23.25 20.00
Thus remarked Don Bradman at the farewell dinner given by the South Australian Association in Adelaide.
At
M. I. N.O. H.S. Rus. 3T 62 14 65 1116
Right or wrong in their final "As the tour goes along there The Test career of the successor S. Africa 11 12 1 56 227
edict, the selectors, one and all, will be occasions when things will 5 2 .38 90 22.50 of Jack Blackham, Jim Kelly and West Indies 5
have had the greatest admiration not go as well as at the start,” Hanson Carter ends. He set the
Totals
"We are 53 80 17 65 1427
for the famous Test wicket-keeper. Bradman continned. standard in effective wicket-keep-
BATTING RECORD If they wanted a younger man, that going to have our off-days and we ing in all manner of Tests against
In Test batting Oldfield alone is the trend of the world in sportare going to be criticised. England, South Africa and the West Indies, Blackham played in
made one thousand runs against And who can say that youth has times we will deserve the criti- In his cigm. And when we deserve it, his last Tests at 42 years of age, this department the more
England His average is 23 25. In ever let Australia down.
mer days of youth Bert Oldfield certain-we will take it in good spirit.” Kelly at 38, and Carter at 43.
"It has been said," continued curial batsman, HL Carter, takes ly did not.
lacks HE GOES OUT OF TEST HAR-Bradman," "that the team the honours with 25.03, with Black-
NESS IN THE FULL BLAZE OF HIS experienced players." He would Oldfield passes out a more youth-ham and Kelly in the rear.
INTERNATIONAL GLORY.
like to remind everybody that of ful Aunt Sally than two of his il-
the 16 players there were eight lustrious predecessors.
who had toured England previous- ly, and two who had toured South Africa So, in spite of their youth, the members were a fairly experienced team,
WICKET-KEEPING AGAINST
ENGLAND
Ptg.
age M CL St. Ttl.
J. M. Blackham 42 35 36 24 60
J. J. Kelly
HL. Carter.
W. A. Oldfield
A E Jarvis -.
33 33 39 16 55
43 21 35 17 52
40 37 59· 31 · 90 35 11 9.8.17
LEADS IN TESTS.
Oldfield took part in the greatest number of. Tests against England, his number being 37 to Blackham's 35, Kelly's 33 and Carter's 21
G
YORK CITY GO DOWN WITH FLYING COLOURS
GREAT DEFENCE HOLDS
OUT FOR HOUR
Huddersfield Ta.
York City
Bradman reminded his audience that the 1930 team, which had moulded into one of the best that had gone from Australia, had only four men who had previously toured England (Woodfull, Pons- ford, Grimmett and Oldfield).
ALLANT little York City, of the Third Division Northern Section, are at He hoped that the tour would go last out of the Cup. They were gallant in defeat in this sixth round on and finish as pleasantly as it replay, as in their previous conquests of two other First Division opponents, had begun.
and they thrilled the crowd by hitting back in two minutes after their own Don stopped on a poetical note. grand defence had fallen at the end of an hour of gruelling, gripping football. "When at last the Great Scorer
When York, facing a strong wind, came safely through a goalless first- half, visions of a repetition of their victory over Middlesbrough in similar cir- comes to write against your name. He asks not whether you won
cumstances: arose
The splendid spirit of these men used to meeting Third Division attacks or lost, but how you played the Oldfield stumped the greatest was not quelled by a sustained pressure which might easily have confounded game."
less sturdy defenders.. number and caught the greatest
Two Huddersfeld free-kicks, both taken by Wienend, were brilliantly sav- There was a big gathering at number. His aggregate of victimsed by the imperturbable Wharton, who on each occasion deflected the bail for the dinner to wish the team suc- against England is 90, that of corners which were cleared
cess, including old internationals, Blackham 60, Kelly 55, and Carter Thrill, followed thrill in the second half, and for 12 minutes the crowd walter Giffen, Ernest Jones, the were in a whirl of excitement. First Huddersfield and then York pressed for 32.
the advantage, and at last Wienand, the South African winger, made a bril-fast bowler, C. E. Pellew, C. V Hant opening for Watson (E) to head the ball out of Wharton's reach, pra Grimmett, V. Y. Kichardson, A. 3. This reverse inspired York to greater efforts, and two minutes later Baines Bichardson, T. W Wall, and C. B an brought the Yoric section of the crowd to their feet by equalising. Endders Jennings. Another big crowd feld's persistence was rewarded when och 25 minutes to go Chivers seized on farewelled the team as the ship the ball after Wharton failed to hold a corner from Beasley and tapped it into the net;
steamed from the Outer Harbour
These figures give him a
ze success” per
Sam and Kelly, rketion Jess