Cricket game summaries from the Times,
1920
CRICKET.
GENTLEMEN OUTPLAYED AT THE OVAL.
(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)
The Players beat the Gentlemen at the Oval
yesterday by an innings and 89 runs.
The Gentlemen were unlucky, in that Mr. F. T.
Mann was unable to play yesterday owing to an
attack of influenza ; and Mr. P. R. Johnston,
perhaps the most dangerous bat on the side,
was forced to "retire hurt" at the beginning
of the second innings. A rising ball from
Howell--who was bowling really fast--hit him
on the wrist, and it is feared that a small bone is
fractured. It is more than likely that this
accident will keep him out of the cricket field
for the rest of the season, which will be very
hard lines on Somerset.
Rain prevented play until 12.30. when the
wicket was inclined to play tricks to the fast
bowlers. Hearne went quietly to start with,
but Hendren was always looking for the loose
ball and made some beautiful strokes. Mr.
Falcon came in for punishment, but Mr. White
kept both batsmen very quiet. He bowled
a wonderful length and he was obviously
deceptive in the flight. The ball must
have been swinging in occasionally, too,
from the way the batsmen played him.
Mr. J. N. Crawford bowled far better yesterday
than on the first day, when he was terribly
short. He was the one man who could make
the ball kick off the wicket, with the medium-
paced and good length ball. Unfortunately, his
fast ball always ripped a piece out of the
wicket, which told later on. Hendren reached
his 50 with a brilliant hook off Mr. Crawford,
but, trying to repeat the shot to a ball which
came much more quickly off the pitch, he was
caught at the wicket ; it was a really magnificent
catch, as Hendren obscured the wicket keeper's
view. His 54 took him just over an hour and
a quarter to make, and, as he had to play
himself in twice, it was of added merit.
J. W. Hearne was so keen to get his hundred
that he played balls for singles, which he could
have hit for fours. He was caught at short
slip, when he had made 95, from a ball which
came off the pitch very quickly, and at which
he played a little carelessly. His innings all
through was that of a Test Match Player.
He scored faster than Hobbs when the two
were in together, and barring a careless stroke
when 15 to extra cover--he might have been
caught by a fast fielder--he played perfectly.
He batted just over two hours and a half
for his runs, and he hit 10 fours. Like Hobbs,
he ran his singles magnificently. Woolley made
60, but he was never on top of the bowling.
He made some beautiful strokes on the leg
side, but they were off balls which demanded
to be hit. He was out to a very soft stroke,
not a stroke one could have expected from him.
THE USE OF THE ROLLER.
The Gentlemen started their second innings exactly
200 to the bad. Although the wicket was not pleasant,
it was quite possible that they would save the innings
defeat. One hesitates to brand a captain with
ignorance, but that was the general opinion of
the use of the rollers between the innings. The
medium roller was put on first, and then the heavy
roller was trundled up and down the wicket over and
over again. Four times over for the heavy roller to
take the pock-marks from the wicket was reasonable,
but to make a surface for the ball to do things on
was surely wrong. Considering the state of the wicket,
the Gentlemen did not bat too badly. Mr. P. R.
Johnson was badly hurt early on, but Mr. Wilson and
Mr. Carr batted really well against most unpleasant
bowling, and took the score to 40. Then Mr. Carr
was caught at the wicket off his glove. The ball
jumped at him like a mad dog, and he could not drop
his bat and hands in time to get out of the way. Off
the last ball before tea Mr. Wilson, who had been
batting really well, was caught in the country by
Holmes. Holmes made it rather a difficult catch by
not going to it in time, but he looked to have it all the
way, low though it was in the last 20 yards.
After tea there was just a hope that Mr. J. N.
Crawford and the Hon. L. H. Tennyson would do
a big thing. Mr. Crawford, however, was bowled by a
good yorker, and that, to all intents and purpose,
spelt finis. Mr. Fender was caught at the wicket
slashing at a wide one, and that put paid on the bill.
Mr. Calthorpe was easily caught at cover and seven --
or, as it happened, nine -- wickets were down for 67
runs. At this point Howell had taken six wickets for
19 runs -- a remarkable performance. Mr. Tennyson
and Mr. J. C. White put on 46 runs for the last wicket,
the biggest stand of the innings. Mr. Tennyson made
top score for his side in both innings and played really
well. It must be remembered that in the first
innings he went in at an awkward time
before lunch and played with consummate
confidence. Looking seriously at the two
teams, one could not imagine the Players
failing to win, unless it rained for two solid days
at least. In every department of the game they were
superior. Rhodes did not have to use his bowlers to
any extent -- a fact which will be easily recognized
in that he did not go on himself on a wet wicket.
At Lord's, however, things should be different. The
University players will be available and one presumes
that Mr. J. W. H. T. Douglas will play, and Mr. P.
F. Warner may also be fit enough to play. Howell
bowled extremely well all through the match.
Although he only got one wicket in the first innings,
he was always dangerous, and in the second innings
he was frankly beastly. He bowled Mr. Jewell by
sheer pace, which is something to remember. Rhodes
-- probably with an eye on Australia -- gave him a
long, long bowl. He kept his pace for 12 overs at
least, although the foothold for a fast bowler was not
perfect. Bowling from the Pavilion end at Lord's
one can imagine him being most unpleasant : for he
looks the type of bowler who is inspired by a big
match and not afraid of being hit. Score :
[[STATS]]
DISAPPOINTING PLAY.
CAMBRIDGE AT LORD'S.
Cambridge University followed the example of
Oxford, and, with a few exceptions, gave a wretchedly
poor display of batting against an M.C.C. team at
Lord's yesterday. They were all out for 206, out of
which Mr. Chapman scored 87 during a partnership
of 124 for the sixth wicket. During this period, and
later, Mr. McBryan played an excellent defensive
game, relieved by an occasional fine hit to leg. Lee
was the most successful of the M.C.C. bowlers, and
finished with the analysis of seven wickets for 44
runs. The M.C.C. batsmen made an equally poor
start, but Major Brooke helped Mr. Faulkner to
improve the position, so that at five minutes past 6,
when rain stopped play, the club were 107 runs
behind with seven wickets in hand.
This much could be said for Cambridge--they were
resting four of their team in view of the match
against Oxford next week, and the wicket, after the
drizzling rain that fell in the morning, gave the
bowlers a certain amount of assistance. Still, as
Mr. Chapman showed when his turn came to go
in, there was no real excuse for failing to play the
bowling at the disposal of the M.C.C. Owing to the
rain, the start of the match was delayed for 40
minutes. Mr. Johnstone then opened the innings
with Mr. Lyon, who has been doing so well of late
for Somerset. These two scored 36 runs without loss
in the 40 minutes before luncheon. Afterwards Lee
caused such a collapse that in half an hour five wickets
fell for the addition of only 30 runs. Durston dismissed
Mr. Lyon after the first wicket had put on 44, and
then Lee took four wickets in quick succession, two
of them given out leg-before-wicket. Half the side
thus were out for 66, Mr. H. and Mr. G. Ashton and
Mr. Brooke-Taylor each failing.
The excellent stand made by Mr. Chapman and
Mr. McBryan followed and, at the time, the former
left Cambridge were in a fairly comportable [sic] position
with the 200 passed for the loss of six wickets. The
rest of the side, however, put up the feeblest resistance.
During the one big stand, Mr. McBryan mostly
kept up a stolid defence while Mr. Chapman hit out
in all directions from the very start of his innings.
The state of the game did not appear to worry Mr.
Chapman in the slightest and his driving and hitting
to leg could hardly have been improved upon. Mr.
McBryan continued to play a great game for his
side after the dismissal of Mr. Chapman, but received
very little assistance from the later batsmen. He was
ninth out at 204. Score : --
[[STATS]]
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