1937-07-08 — Page 21

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THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 8, 1987.

RWV ROBINS WAS POPULAR CHOICE As Captain Against New Zealand

D'ARTAGNAN OF THE

CRICKET FIELD BATSMEN, BOWLER AND

BEST FIELDER

(By Howard Marshall)

London, June 14. So

NO R. W. V. ROBINS will captain England against New Zealand in the first Test match, which begins at Lord's on June 26. An interest- ing announcement, and beyond question a most po- pular choice. Whether it has any bearing on the problem of the England captaincy against the Aus- tralians next summer remains to be seen, though the three Test matches which will be played with New Zealand this season must all be part of our preparation for the sterner campaign to come.

܂

R. W. V. Robins, above, is given a rare compliment by Howard Marshall in the accompanying article.

FIRST 100

ROBINS IS AS COURAGEOUS A CAPTAIN AS HE IS A INNINGS BY PLAYER. HE BELIEVES IN HARRYING HIS OPPONENTS, AND GIVING THEM NO REST. HE HAS HAD PLENTY OF EX- NEW ZEALANDER

PERIENCE OF REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET, HE FIRST PLAYED FOR ENGLAND, AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA, IN 1929, AND SINCE THEN HE HAS PLAYED AGAINST AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, THE WEST INDIES AND ALL INDIA.

I remember very vividly his innings of 108 against South Africa at Manchester in 1935. There his big match temperament was clearly shown, for he has the supreme ability of adapting himself to the occasion.

We think of him chiefly as an,

unorthodox and brilliant all-OXFORD'S

rounder, a D'Artagnan

of

cricket field. Up to a point this FINE

is a reasonable estimate of his

qualities. Robins is small, as-

tonishingly quick on

quick on his feet, VICTORY.

and full of a daring which be mused bowlers must sometimes regard as intolerable impudence. HIS EXPERIMENTS He has played chiefly remarkable for fantastically

many an innings

FIRST SINCE 1931 IN LORD'S CLASSIC

Weir's Great Effort In Vain

London, June 12. It was left to G. L. Weir, number nine in the batting, order, to make the first century of the tour for the New Zealanders. He scored. 134 not out against Worcestershire at Worcester, but even that magnifi cent effort could not save the Tourists from defeat by 136 rūns,

BRITISH CARS WIN ONCE AGAIN

NUFFIELD TROPHY RACE RESULTS

GIRL RACING NOVICE'S PLUCK

Donnington Park, June 14.

British cars again triumphed over the Italian challenge to- day, when valuable Nuffield

for cars up to 11⁄2 litres on handicap was won by P. G. Fairfield on an E.R.A. A. C. Dobson, an independent owner of a similar car, was second, and Raymond Mays, Fair feld's team mate, third.

Trophy the su

Percy MacLure, Riley, was fourth. The most successful

of the challengers was E. de Graf- fenried, the Swiss, who was fifth on his Italian Maserati. Fairfield led non-stop from start to finish, a fine performance.

Miss D. Stanley Turner, a girl whose first road race this was, made a brave. effort. A flying stone broke her goggles and cut her eyelid bad- and hasty attention to the cut, and lly.

She stopped to get new goggles

then insisted on going on with the race until the stewards flagged her

The New Zealanders faced the in-off the course to have her eye pro- evitable when set to get 429 runs. perly bandaged. They resumed with their overnight

MRS. PETRE'S: MISHAP

We of

Kerr's score of 19 for the loss wicket, and another bad collapse

The other London, To-day. was threatened with the fall of six experimental strokes. He will pro-match against Cambridge, for the

Oxford won the annual 'varsity more wiskets for another 49 runs.

first time since 1931, by seven wickets.

Perks and Martin appeared to have the situation so thoroughly in yesterday hand that by the time Weir was making his way to the wicket the spectators were drifting lazily to- wards the exit gates.

duce, after a series of long hops and full pitches, the ball capable of beating any batsman in the world,

Cambridge resumed the ball of dangerous length which fizzes off the turf like

morning with their second innings score at 167 for 9. After four runs wasp.

And his fielding in Australia dur had been added, the last wicket fell ing the recent M.C.C. tour was gen-and Oxford went in to bat requir- erally acclaimed as the finest field-ing 160 runs to win.

an angry

360 RUNS BEHIND

ing seen over there for many a year. Thanks to an invaluable innings Robins,

The tourists were still 360 behind in short, is the electric by Barton, who scored very strong when Weir joined Lowrey to give type of player who brings the game ly on the leg side, the required runs the game a most exciting turn. The to life, and that is not the least of were knocked off for the loss of last three wickets, which normally three wickets. Barton, at the close could not be depended on for more was 74 not out.

his services to cricket.

I do not suggest, however, that his batting is always experimental, or his spin bowling invariably a mix- ture of good and evil. He can bat, if need be, with orthodox stéadi- ness, though inevitably there will be the swiftness of footwork and that high flourish of the bat before he plays the ball which suggest latent aggressiveness and wristy strokes. He finds a length regu larly enough, moreover, to make his bowling a constant menace to the best opponents.

UNFLAGGING VITALITY

It is the character of the "man which matters; the almost explosive enthusiasm and energy with which he plays, the unflagging vitality of his challenge. He should make an excellent captain of England, though in that capacity he has still to prove himself.

well-

is:

he

In the meanwhile, deserved tribute to him that should have been chosen, and be may be certain of a great welcome when he leads his country on to the field at Lord's on Saturday week.

Scores:

(Gibb 87).

Cambridge: 253 (Yardley 101) and 173 Oxford: 267 (Grover 121) and 160 for

-3 (Barton 74 not out).

--Reuter.

SUMMER

than a dozen or two runs, pushed the score along in the most extraor dinary style,

The eighth wicket added 146 an hour and 50 minutes, the ninth

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woman driver, Mrs. Kay Petre, one of the Austin' team, was the victim of a burst oil tank. which sent a lapful of scalding oil over her legs and ruined a complete set of blue overalls:

Fairfield and year's

a screarles Martin, last.

got away best among mob of cars_fighting for the lead. The pair had a dog- fight for a few laps, until Martin was slowed down by engine trouble.

SUPERCHARGER FAILED

Villoresi, the Italian, who flung bis car round the corners in spec- tacular style, kept close behind Fair- field and Dobson for nearly half the distance. Then his super-charger failed.

Goodacre, with his nine minutes start, led the field and threatened to be hard to catch, but a jammed gear lever cost him a long stop, and then, in an effort to make up time, an off the road and crashed his F. W. Dixon's mystery “Special" again falled to appear at the

having overturned in day before.

23, and the last 55-an aggregate of 224, and enough to make the re- cognised batting stars of the aide blink their eyes in astonishment.

Weir took out his bat when the innings closed at 2927 Not once did he lose his complete mastery over the attack, driving and pulling with great power. His innings, Insting two hours and 40 minutes, included four 6's and six 4'8.