1938-05-24 — Page 18

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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 24, 1988.

England's Good Supply Of

Cricket Material

PROBLEM

OF

FINDING RELIABLE OPENING BATSMEN

Outlook Brightest Since The War

(By HOWARD MARSHALL)

London, April 27.

RAIN SAVES RECREIO

K.C.C. were leading Recreio 3-0 when rain caused their Mixed Doubles Lawn Tennis League match to be abandoned yesterday. K.C.C. were leading 2—1, 2-1 and 1-2 in the second round games. The match will be replayed.

LANCASHIRE

ON Saturday the first mild cannonades of the DEFEAT

cricket season will be heard in the land. The NORTHANTS

Australians at Worcester-think of that! It seems only yesterday that we were watching Bradman making his customary 100 on that enchanting ground.

POLLARD BOWLS

VERY WELL

ALREADY THE GAME HAS SHAKEN OFF ITS WINTER SURREY 259 RUNS

FETTERS, AND NEWS FROM THE NETS COMES IN BY EVERY CONFID- POST. THE YORKSHIREMEN ARE HARD AT IT. ENCE EXUDES FROM ESSEX. YOUTHFUL PRODIGIES ARE VETERANS ARE DREAMING OF PLAYING FOR ENGLAND. HOPING THAT THE STIFFNESS WILL WEAR OFF IN DUE COURSE.

BEHIND THE AUSTRALIANS

London, To-day. Lancashire secured their third

“REVIEWER'S" SPORTS COMMENTARY

Soccer Referees Have A Grouse Or Two!

THERE appears to have been some

TH

grousing among the football re- ferees over the methods employed by the Hong Kong, Football Association in the appointment of referees, especially in the First Division and in represen- tative games. At a recent meeting of the Referees' Association, the Hon. Secretary was directed to inquire from the Football Association regarding their methods of appointment.

I do not know what the reply was, but whatever the method used there is no doubt that it proved very satisfac- tory during the past season and was in- directly responsible for the few mis- conduct cases reported.

It is safe to state, however, that ap- pointments were not made by rotation. as in previous seasons, and that var- into ious circumstances were taken

consideration.

While most First Division referees the have an excellent knowledge of laws of the game, temperament and the ubility to give quick decisions more marked in some individuals than

sideration in the appointments.

are

The infant season, indeed, has been swaddled in amiable pro-successive County Cricket Cham-in others, and this was taken into con- Never was pionship win yesterday when they Speaking to a First Division referes phecies. It is to be the best season since the war.

beat Northamptonshire by an the other day, I was told that the fees public interest so intense. And, so the pundits tell us on every innings and 57 runs, at Old Traf- paid to several officials was consider- possible and impossible occasion, we shall beat Australia.

ford, brilliant bowling by Pollard, ably less this season, owing to the arge number of First Division officials season, who captured 6 for 31 and 4 for 43, during the early part of the being responsible.

when, owing to the scarcity of games in the First Division each week, sever- al referees were left idle.

At the risk of seeming inhos- teams. And we shall refuse to be dis- pitable, I hope they may be right,|pirited. SAVE HAMMOND There is no reason, apart from Our selectors, strengthened by Lancashire scored 322 and then the little matter of Bradman, the presence of such knowledgeable dismissed Northants for 98 and why we should not beat Austra-county captains as M. J. Turnbul forcing a follow-on, dismissed them lia, no reason at all, unless we and A. B. Sellers, cannot reason-a second time for a meagre 167.- delve into the more obscure ably complain of a shortage of ma- phases of psychology.

terial. They will have their pro- OUT TO ENJOY THEMSELVES blems, no doubt, not least among reliable Our Australian friends are mor-them the discovery of a tal and prone to error. They must pair of opening batsmen who wil prove their worth before we submit save Hammond the anxiety of in- to the subtle encroachments of pes-variably playing the part of à No. 1. simism. To do them justice, they We may presume, until further evid- ence is available, that Hutton, of York- have not tried to create in our shire, will be one of them, but who is minds an inferiority complex. to be his partner? Bradman, who speaks in public al- most as well as he plays cricket, has lulled us with fair words.

He and his men, he says, are determined to enjoy their matches. Their approach is not grim and purposeful, but friendly and co- operative. This is all to the good. Bradman's admirable speeches have struck a happy note, and no

· Australian side has ever won its way more swiftly and surely into our esteem.

He was of the opinion that all First Division referees should have been giv- en a game every week, and when not occupied with a First Division game be given a Second Division match! At the Oval, Surrey found them- This also applied to Second Division referees, who would officiate at Third selves 259 runs behind the Austra-Division games and the Third Division lians' total, with three wickets in referees would be utilised as linesmen. I personally do not think this is hand, at the close of play. A. L.

his fourth three workable, as our young referees would not be getting the experience they de- Hassett missed

serve and would not be able to handle a figure mark by two runs.

more important game if called on. The Gregory (60) and Barling (67) Association would do well to continue defied the Tourists' attack dntil its present-policy, to confine-the-dif-- ferent classes of referees to their res- pective divisions. Barnett, most exhilarating of stroke the close of play. to thrive upon players, who seems Australian bowling? There are those who say he is too impulsive, though caution, will not do us any good. Edrich,

YESTERDAY'S RESULT

At Manchester, Lancashire beat

with his nose over the ball and the Northamptonshire by an innings and soundest technique of all the young-57 runs.

"Wobbling" At Over 140 m.p.h.

looked less like the holder of

strost beautiful stylist who rarely Northants: 98 (Pollard 6 for 31) and Nooned speed records than Mr. Eric

except Hutton? D. R. Wilcox, Lancs. 322.

fails for Essex? Or will Gimblett at followed on 167 (Pollard 4 for 43).

last come into his own?

summer.

out.

sec

CLOSE OF PLAY

At the Oval:

Test Australians: 528 (D. G. Bradman 148, W. A. Brown 90, A. L. Hassett 98). It Surrey: 289 for 8 (Gregory 60 not out

Barling 67 not out).

WILL LOOM LARGE These are early days, perhaps, for such probings into the future, but the DIFFERENT PROPOSITIONS There is such a thing, however, as question-mark will loom large this

from Quite apart the smile on the face of the tiger. Bradman at the luncheon table and matches, we shall be anxious to Bradman at the wicket are rather dif- how the new system of scoring in the ferent propositions. And while he was should stimulate enterprising cricket,

county championship works talking I thought also of McCabe, the

rather perfect technician, and young Badcock, though the championship is

dwarfed by the Australian tour. with his menacing power, and imper-

I hope we shall not lose sight of turbable Fingleton, and the shambling domestic affairs in the general excite- run of O'Reilly.

ment. They are bound to be disturb- Especially O'Reilly, pegging away ed, and it is a minor tragedy, for exam- at the leg-stump, with machiavellian gradations of spin and flight and ple, that the Gentlemen meet the Play- ers at Lord's on the day following the length. If Grimmett were here to keep him company, we might well be third Test match at Leeds. This, for of us, is still the greatest game uneasy. But Grimmett is not here, of the year, and we are sad to find it and O'Reilly is not unplayable.

reduced to anti-climax.

FLEETWOOD-SMITH'S TRICKS McCormick, may be the fastest bow- ler Australia “have, sent `us for many years, but speed for a few overs is not everything. And what of Fleetwood- Smith, who reverses the usual googly mumbo-jumbo by spinning his left- handed wrong 'un from the leg?'

A curiosity certainly, and at his best a fine bowler, but like all conjuring tricks, not so difficult when we know how it is done; ·.....

many

OVER-PREPARED WICKETS

There is another matter which worries us considerably, and that is the problem of over- prepared wickets. It is a ma- · jor problem, for the slab of doped turf from which all life has been taken will make the four-day matches with Austra- lia just farcical

Fernihough, who was killed in Hungary while trying to break the motor-cycle record. Tall, thin and short-sighted, he considerably resembled Prof. Pic- card, the stratosphere balloonist.

Last year, racing in Sweden, Ferni- When he next hough broke his arm. rode, a few months ago, he set up the fastest motor-cycle speed ever recorded at Brooklands, 140 m.p.h..

Afterwards he said that he had de- veloped a bad wobble at maximuni speed and had been uncertain whether his recently fractured arm would allow him to control it. It seems possible that this may have had some bearing- on the accident in which he was killed. His achievement in capturing so many records from Italy and Germany was the greater in that his foreign op- ponents were State-supported. Ferni- the zeal of their groundsmen and give hough, who was not a rich man, had us wickets which will make bowling to finance his own attempts.

It was only because he could not af- something more than an optimistic ford the fees charged in Germany that formality.

he made his last venture in Hungary, In the meanwhile we can abandon where conditions are much less favour- ourselves to the pleasures of anticipa-able. tion. The weather, we must assume, will be propitious, and here 'selfishness

THE WEATHER

Sussex cricketer creeps in, for whatever the farmers George Cox, the and the Water Board authorities may and Luton Town (formerly Fulham) say, we shall not grumble at continuous footballer, has decided to retire from football and devote his attention solely sunshine.

The simple truth is that we must not

The Cricket Board of Control decid- Genial days we shall expect, there-to cricket. Sussex. will now offer him. Jump to conclusions. We shall have to see how the eight newcomers to this ed last March to leave the preparation fore, and grand cricket from the first regular engagement instead of a country settle down. We shall watch of wickets. for Test matches to the ball at Worcester to the drawing of seasonal one. Last year Cox scored for the signs of that machine-like counties concerned. It is possible that stumps at Scarborough..And that 1,891 runs for the county, including officiency which develops in Australian the county authorities may overcome should be enough for any man's desiro, four centuries.