100 Years Ago: 10 November 1924

MCC on verge of victory

Day 3

Adelaide: South Australia v M.C.C.

South Australia Collapse to Hearne

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 346/4 dec and 103 (V Y Richardson 28, D E Pritchard 31, A M Ambler 19*; A E R Gilligan 2/15, J W H T Douglas 2/29, J W Hearne 5/17). M.C.C. 406 (J W Hearne 78, F E Woolley 90, E H Hendren 42, J W H T Douglas 19*; W J Whitty 4/113, C V Grimmett 4/87). Overnight score was: M.C.C. (1) 230/2 (Hearne 58*, Woolley 25*).

M.C.C. continued their innings with a 100-run partnership between Jack Hearne and Frank Woolley, who took the score to 299 before Hearne was out for a dogged and struggling 78  with only 2 fours in just over 3½ hours.  Woolley was much more fluent with 90 in about 2¼ hours, and he was out on the stroke of lunch, bowled by a beautiful spinner from Clarrie Grimmett at 344 for four.  Then during lunch rain fell and freshened up the pitch a little, but not enough to account for all the wickets that went down during the afternoon.  Patsy Hendren played very well for 42, but the last six M.C.C. wickets went down for 38 runs, while Johnny Douglas stuck it out grimly for half that number.  Bill Whitty, bowling much better than yesterday, whipped out the last four wickets very quickly, and the M.C.C. lead was restricted to 60.  Over the whole innings, though, Grimmett was the best bowler.

South Australia in their second innings were in trouble immediately, with Arthur Gilligan having the opening batsman Gordon Harris caught at slip by Hearne off his fourth delivery, without a run on the board.  The bowlers were helped by a strong dusty crosswind and the light worsened.  The only partnership of note was put up by Vic Richardson and David Pritchard, who added 40 for the fourth wicket by careful play.  Then Hearne broke through with some fine bowling that had Richardson out lbw when he apparently hit the ball, and then cut through the middle order.  Arthur Richardson was out lbw to Hearne first ball this time.  The ninth wicket fell at 81 before the last man and wicket-keeper Albert Ambler threw caution to the winds, hitting Douglas for six and taking the score past 100 before losing Pritchard just before the close.  This leaves M.C.C. to make only 44 to win tomorrow, a rather sorry prospect for the Armistice Day holiday.

SOLLY JOEL’S TEAM

Solly Joel’s team, captained by Lionel Tennyson, arrived in Cape Town today on the Edinburgh Castle.  The Mayor of Cape Town gave a luncheon in their honour at which he welcomed them to the country.  Their first match is on Thursday, a one-day match against a team of colts from schools and colleges.

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