1938-08-01 — Page 18

THE CHINA MAIL, UGUST.

Hammond Played Wise And

Elegant Cricket

BUT WE LOST ADVANTAGE OF WINNING THE TOSS C. B. FRY SAYS--

(By AIR MAIL)

at

Safe And Careful

the

Leeds, July 22. berry red ball. There are two yellow Ominous sign! You remember that among the pyramids of sawdust. prospects for this Test Match Headingley I mentioned Cimmerian darkness as an occasional character of the neighbourhood. Well, this morning, all over

the hills round The Australians briskly take Harrogate, where the Australians are turf. They spread to their familiar staying and along the green valleys positions in the field. Long Me-

mist down into Leeds, a November Cormick bowls his first-fast over from envelops countryside, hamlet and the

end our end means

∙up the great city itself..

behind the slope; and no screen. bowler's arm. Our William Edrich. plays a safe and careful over; one appeal only for lbw.

Never in my life have I seen such atmospheric conditions for any cricket match whatsoever.

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An hour before play the mist seems to be clearing. There is a diffusion of light behind the drop curtain.

A strange morning it is for a great cricket match. A sense of mystery, derived perhaps from the mist, broods

over the scene.

Newa! Walter has won the toss, Norman Yardley is twelfth man; Goddard is a spectator.

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The rumour about S. Barnes ав wicket-keeper turns out incorrect; but I hear he is a maybe for the Oval match. The only change from the Australian team at Lord's is Waite for Chipperfield. That means a well- tried man left out.

The outfield is damp with a heavy nap; the ball will not travel fast to the boundary. For the state of the wicket itself we must wait and see; it is a faintly brown smear, and at a distance looks sound and true; but there may, be a damp sub-soil.

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our

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Farnes, the England bowler hits out at the Australian attack. (Fox Copyright by Air Mail).

Confound these changes in a regular order of going in.

The second over is from Waite, œm...............10]]!.....................$111..................., lieve both would have won home. Charles Barnett times a neat late cut for two; and steals a single in front of cover.

The great match has begun in the cool grey weather, A hum round the ring; keen, quiet energy in the

arena.

Ten minutes of the game. A quiet opening. No bumpers yet from long) McCormick. The tension of the start relaxes.

To date the batting is watchful Charles Barnett refuses to dip his big shoulders at the short fast ball; young Edrich is a compact parcel of attention and nimble limbs.

Waite is bowling well; quick off the pitch and always a length. As yet McCormick has not looked dangerous; there is not enough pace for him in the wicket.

The fielding is tight and strenuous; the infield have saved half a dozen Mc-likely boundaries.

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We shall Boon know when Cormick starts with the new ball.

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• Nearly half an hour we have Now.Chester and "Tiger" Smith in watched. The runs up are 19. The their long white coats their-sedate and confidential way to scoring: A pale sun has filtered slowly make slow outfield hold up the pace of the the wicket. Tiger produces a rasp-through upon the ground as though

A REVELATION IN WHITE WINES

CHATEAU CARBONNIEUX

VINTAGE 1927

CHATEAU BOTTLED GRAVE,

THE IMMEDIATE CHOICE OF A CONNOISSEUR

A TEST PRECEDENT

and

וי

When drinks were brought on to the field a waiter solemnly 'walked at the head of a bevy of four black dressed and white-capped aproned young waitresses,

Never before has the middle been so invaded in a Test match, The Australians seemed to appre- ciate the innovation, and the crowd applauded.

Batsmen do not know 'one another's habits of running and calling.

Two of our six strong batsmen out for a hard-earned 84 runs. Another bad break and we shall be up against

it

As yet I am not too fond of Charles Barnett; he is playing all right in a way, but for him he is too tentative of his swung: stroke,

What I notice is that though the wicket is easy, no batsman yet has found his scoring strokes easy, The deadness of the turf seems translated into deadness of wood; the bat does not drive. Even Walter Hammond through a funnel in the sky. The finds he has to mind what he is up light now is quite good. We are to. He cannot lean freely into his nearly at the end of the new ball forcing strokes. period of bowling.

The Australian bowlers have kept Another half hour without mishap up pressure. I think they have bowled and we shall have made a fine start. better to-day as a set than in the After thirty-five minutes O'Reilly previous Test matches. The O'Reilly bowls instead of Waite New ball is quite at his best; closely accurate, phase now over.

cleverly various.

The wicket gives no aid to the ball; too quiet in pace and apparently de-

ends; he is on instead of McCormick, void of bite.

Hullo! Waite has merely changed Waite, indeed, has looked likeliest for

Left-Hand Googlies

The board now showed 44 runs.

Hard pounding all the time to gather a wicket Charles Barnett might the 44 runs. Somehow the batsmen fancy, have been nobbled at forward find few openings between fieldsmen, short-leg off him; and Charles also gave second slip one in the eye (bar take the ball. The field might be and when they do the fieldsmen over- a fending hand) off him. Yes, Waite is bowling well. He is swinging the

covered with a green pile carpet. ball in its flight and is making it nip from the pitch.

We have been working away all this time for just 20 runs. Without out right hitting more could not have been done against accurate bowling and keen fielding.

Edrich is not to be bustled, He is beginning to secure his sound defen sive grip of the bowling. All there he is, with his neat stance and short strokes; ready enough to drive quick when he gets the right ball.

Fleetwood-Smith in place of O'Reilly

The next event is the advent of

He is going to toss up his left-hand googlies over the wicket from the screen end. And he at once exhibits a big twist from the off.

At long last, a fine square cut by Walter sends up the first 50. What a wait for the landmark

the.

For a final morning attack O'Reilly resumes, but at the no-screen

end,

Fleetwood with the bullet effect by Aha! a proper straight drive off Walter. That is better.

There on the word, a straight drive Charles Barnett may be our premier for four; another half hour of him, escapologist, but in fact, he has much and we shall begin to expect a score.improved his defence, and can now

Charles Barnett is all set for his drive but cannot quite find it.

Edrich Goes.

keep his hold on the bowling without pure punching. No trace of laboured back-play this morning, and a nico broad bat to the ball,

Walter Hammond has 61 clear pur- pose been holding in his strokes as making doubly sure of all he thought fit to do. He remains to bat again

Alas! there is not another half hour for our Edrich. After several appeals for 1.b.w. (quite normal) the O'Reilly beats him with a fine off-break. I am sorry; Edrich was well set. His this afternoon; and never to this great little dozen, none the less, stands for toric triumph over an untoward sat

batsman fell a finer chance of an his- nearly an hour of resolute defensive of the tide in a big match batting.

Enter young Joe Hardstaff, curly atid capable and higher up the list

CALDBECK, MACGREGOR & CO., LTD than usual

CHATER ROAD

TELEPHONES: 20075 and 30644

Have you studied: our list of bat

The Australians in the field have efforts: Bowlers and fielders given one of the best of Australian

man?. It is not as long as when Leslie Sunshine And A Six

Ames was there. It is shorter, byza

cool, head and 5. very fine blade, Andy Midd

Joo Hardstaff is run out. A halfThe sun has decided to call, a muddle, a send ca dive full hope, he will shine on

Fänd Chester's

ngor. pair of batsmen. Wes #ard contributlion from each

| (Continued on Papa:10)