100 Years Ago: 11 August 1924
by John Ward
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Day 2
Portsmouth: Combined Services v South Africans
Brilliant Bryan Puts Tourist Backs to the Wall
SOUTH AFRICANS 182 and 148/4 (G A L Hearne 34, M J Susskind 29, A W Nourse 21, H W Taylor 33*, R H Catterall 22*; T O Jameson 3 wkts). COMBINED SERVICES 418 (C H B Blount 61, G J Bryan 229, F G Rogers 22; S J Pegler 3/109, J M Blanckenberg 4/92). Overnight score was: Combined Services (1) 145/2 (Blount 35*, G J Bryan 51*).
The day’s play was dominated by a brilliant double-century from Godfrey Bryan, which took over from Jack Hobbs’s Test-match 211 as the highest innings played against the tourists. He played his strokes in excellent style, and with his overnight partner Squadron-Leader Charles Blount put on 172 for the third wicket, taking the score well beyond the South African total before Blount was dismissed — in fact Bryan by himself outscored the whole South African team. Few of his later partners gave him much support, though, his best subsequent stand being 83 with Francis Rogers. He was eighth out at 395, and the eventual Services score was 236 ahead of the tourists. Bryan tends to be a moderate batsman in first-class cricket most of the time, mainly due to the risky strokes he often plays that contribute to his dismissal, but every now and then he breaks through to play a remarkable innings that shows his real talent. His 229 came in only about four hours, with 29 fours; he gave two difficult chances when past his century. This is actually the highest score ever made by any English batsman against any South African team in first-class cricket.
The South Africans began their second innings indifferently, three of the first four batsmen passing 20 but failing to carry through to the major innings they needed. Captain Jameson bowled out the top three and they were still 88 behind at the close. Unless somebody comes good for them tomorrow and works out how to master Jameson’s leg-spin, they may struggle to avoid the innings defeat. They might have been doomed already had the Services held their slip catches, although the rest of their fielding was brilliant, especially Bryan and Rogers.
Cheltenham Festival: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire
Captain’s Innings by Robinson Leads Gloucestershire to Victory
GLOUCESTERSHIRE 114 and 159 (D C Robinson 74, M G Salter 24, F J Seabrook 14; C F Root 3/40, G C Wilson 4/28, F A Pearson 2/30). WORCESTERSHIRE 114 and 68 (J C Smith 12, M K Foster 11, C F Root 15, G E B Abell 12; C W L Parker 5/38, P T Mills 5/29). Overnight score was: Gloucestershire (2) 16/2 (Smith 4*, Robinson 12*).
This match ended with fine bowling by Charlie Parker and Percy Mills who skittled out Worcestershire in their second innings, but this may never have been possible without a heroic innings of 74 by the Gloucestershire captain, Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Robinson, who scored almost half the Gloucestershire second innings total and enabled him to set Worcestershire the highest total of the match to win on a pitch well suited to those two bowlers. Robinson boldly sent himself in early when Alf Dipper and Wally Hammond had fallen for 2 runs, and took on the bowlers from the start. Malcolm Salter was the best of his partners, as they put on 53 for the fourth wicket in 40 minutes. Robinson batted 100 minutes for the highest and most decisive innings of the match and he neutralized the threat of Fred Root in particular, whose main helper this time was Cliff Wilson. His attacking attitude also inspired the tail-enders to hit out and make useful runs, so Worcestershire were left with 160 to make to win, a rather daunting task for a fragile batting side against the superb Gloucestershire bowlers on a helpful and deteriorating pitch.
It took only an hour and a quarter for Parker and Mills, bowling unchanged, to bowl out Worcestershire and win the match by the large margin, under the circumstances, of 91 runs. Maurice Foster was the main danger, and briefly looked threatening until he was bowled by Parker for 11. There was some excellent catching and for the third time in the match the last three wickets fell on the same score, this time 68. Mills on this occasion actually looked more deadly than Parker. Although the match was over in two days, the attendance was so good that it made a good financial bonus for Gloucestershire.
Southampton: Hampshire v Leicestershire
Claude Taylor Comes Good at Last
HAMPSHIRE 318. LEICESTERSHIRE 425/9 (G H S Fowke 32, E W Dawson 33, W E Astill 30, A T Sharp 25, C H Taylor 123, G Geary 76, G H Salmon 26*, T E Sidwell 25, F Bale 10*; A S Kennedy 2/90, J A Newman 3/117, G S Boyes 3/64). Overnight score was: Leicestershire (1) 6/0 (Fowke 4*, Shipman 1*).
The Hampshire bowling was not very good today, with Alec Kennedy and Jack Newman obviously suffering from overwork, but Leicestershire took a long time to realize this and cash in. During the day all their batsmen scored double figures, the one exception being night-watchman Alan Shipman who blocked it out for 70 minutes to score 6. But six wickets went down for 168, with Eddie Dawson the top scorer among them with 33, while Ewart Astill’s 30 was the brightest. But then Claude Taylor, dropped in the order to No 7 in a bid to regain his form, began to do so, and was joined in a partnership of 159 for the seventh wicket by George Geary. They wore down the bowling at first, but gradually became more aggressive. Taylor went on to pass his century and compile the highest score of his career. Relieved of the burden of opening, he played a faultless innings for three hours and 20 minutes, unfortunately an innings missed by long-suffering Leicestershire spectators who had only seen him stonewalling at the top of the order. At the close Leicestershire had the advantage of 107 runs with one wicket left.
Blackpool: Lancashire v Essex
Parkin Swings the Balance
LANCASHIRE 209 and 180 (C Hallows 50, F B Watson 26, A W Pewtress 32, J Sharp 26; J W H T Douglas 3/40, A B Hipkin 4/29, including hat-trick). ESSEX 180 (C T Ashton 21, P A Perrin 23, F W Gilligan 33, L C Eastman 29; C H Parkin 4/80, R K Tyldesley 4/43) and 7/3 (A B Hipkin 5*; C H Parkin 3 wkts). Overnight score was: Essex (1) 57/3 (Ashton 14*, Hipkin 5*).
Play was slow on the awkward pitch at Blackpool, but enthralling today, as Essex put up a gallant fight against the unbeaten Lancashire team. Six of the top eight Essex batsmen reached double figures as they continued their first innings, but Percy Perrin’s 23 was the highest and nine wickets were down for 125 against the fine bowling of Cecil Parkin and Dick Tyldesley. Then Essex fought themselves back into contention, thanks to their last pair of Frank Gilligan and Laurie Eastman, who tackled the tiring bowlers superbly to put on 55 together, the highest stand of the innings, and reduced the Lancashire lead to 29.
In the Lancashire second innings Johnny Douglas won his duel with Harry Makepeace this time, trapping him lbw for 4. The whole Essex team responded with a superb bowling and fielding performance, making the home county struggle all the way. Charlie Hallows was in good form, though, to score 50, and there were useful scores from the middle order, so that the score at one stage was 147 for four. But then came a collapse, mainly through the left-arm spin of Joe Hipkin, who began the match with the news that his father had died suddenly, but felt unable to withdraw from the team as there was no reserve. Now he shook Lancashire with a hat-trick, his victims being Len Hopwood, Tyldesley and George Duckworth. Only a few blows from Parkin took to 180.
Essex were set 210 to win and were in with a fair chance, but then had to bat for the last 25 minutes against a rejuvenated Parkin swerving the ball. Parkin took three wickets in that time to have Essex reeling at 7 for three, removing Jack Russell (0), night-watchman Gilligan (0) and John Freeman (2) for only 7 runs on the board. Essex are not out of the match yet, but will need at least one batsman tomorrow to play an outstanding innings to reach that target now.
Nottingham: Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire
Amateur Revives Derbyshire
DERBYSHIRE 216 and 195/6 (G R Jackson 19, J L Crommelin-Brown 74, J M Hutchinson 37*, A Morton 5*; W A Flint 3 wkts, T L Richmond 2 wkts). NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 268 (J R Gunn 76, W Walker 56; J Horsley 2/55, T L Worthington 3/66, L F Townsend 3/37). Overnight score was: Nottinghamshire (1) 105/3 (J R Gunn 20*, Payton 2*).
Derbyshire continued to drag along a little behind their powerful neighbours throughout the day but without collapsing to defeat yet. Nottinghamshire for their part never managed to pull well in front. Although Wilf Payton was out immediately this morning, John Gunn and Willis Walker shared a good fifth-wicket partnership of 94, and then a few runs from the later batsmen gave Nottinghamshire a lead of 52 on the first innings.
In their second innings the Derbyshire batsmen again showed a remarkable ability to reach double figures and then get out, as their top four all did, and the outlook did not look good when five wickets were down for 96. But their occasional amateur and Repton schoolmaster, John Crommelin-Brown, now stepped in with a fine innings, and at last found a reliable partner in Jim Hutchinson. Derbyshire have now a lead of 143 runs with four wickets in hand, but with their greater resources Nottinghamshire will be favoured to win tomorrow.
The Oval: Surrey v Middlesex (Bert Strudwick’s Benefit Match)
Sandham and Jardine Rescue Surrey
MIDDLESEX 445 (E H Hendren 83, G O B Allen 42, N E Haig 25; H A Peach 2/72, S Fenley 5/115, P G H Fender 2/106). SURREY 239/5 (A Sandham 11, D R Jardine 86*, P G H Fender 8*). Overnight score was: Middlesex 345/4 (Hendren 75*, Allen 0*).
The pitch gave the bowlers just a little more help today, and although Middlesex wanted to score quickly when they resumed this morning, the accurate bowling and astute field placings kept them from breaking free. Even Patsy Hendren could not dominate the bowling this morning, and in just under half an hour he could score only 8 more runs before he missed a pull and was lbw to Stanley Fenley. Fenley and Percy Fender in particular bowled very well and Middlesex were bowled outright before lunch.
When Surrey batted, the Middlesex bowlers for two hours excelled themselves, producing bowling worthy of champions. In more than an hour Surrey struggled to 40 for three wickets, with even Jack Hobbs battling for runs before he was bowled as the ball fortuitously rebounded from his legs on to his stumps. Andy Sandham and Douglas Jardine came together and a superb battle ensued as these two, despite some edgy strokes, survived some magnificent bowling until tea. After the interval the Middlesex bowling seemed to be exhausted and scoring became easier. They eventually put on 176 together, with Sandham recording another century before being out to the second new ball. Jardine survived the day. The vital factor tomorrow is likely to be whether Middlesex can enforce the follow-on, and Surrey appear now to be on course to score those 57 more runs with five wickets left.
Hastings: Sussex v Kent
Woolley Again, Sussex Lose Again
SUSSEX 165 and 148 (H L Wilson 17, T E R Cook 35, A E R Gilligan 44, M W Tate 15; C S Marriott 4/58, A P Freeman 3/36, A C Wright 2/17). KENT 435 (F E Woolley 108, C H Knott 23, G C Collins 21, A P Freeman 18*; M W Tate 4/97, A F Wensley 3/65). Kent won by an innings and 122 runs. Overnight score was: Kent (1) 262/3 (Woolley 14*, Ashdown 1*).
It was another very one-sided day at Hastings today, bringing an otherwise very successful Hastings Week to a close a day early. The highlight was a morning of one of Frank Woolley’s most brilliant centuries, which altogether occupied only an hour and a half. He was batting so well that he often leapt down the pitch before the bowler delivered the ball, and if the bowler adjusted he was still able to leap back again and hit it where he wanted. He was virtually impossible to bowl to. Even Maurice Tate came under his hammer at times, while Arthur Gilligan, still not fully fit for bowling, was able to do little more than give himself a gentle workout with the ball. There was not much support from the later batsmen, but that was not needed, as Kent finished with a lead of 270.
Sussex were batting again straight after lunch, and again chose to attack rather than defend doggedly as most other county teams would do. However, it was obvious that their batsmen had lost their self-belief. Four wickets were down for 40, three to the leg-spin of Father Marriott, before Tommy Cook and Arthur Gilligan made a stand, playing their shots with all guns blazing to add 53 runs before Cook leapt recklessly down the pitch and was stumped. The later batsmen put up little fight and Sussex went down by a large margin soon after the tea interval. The aftermath of Arthur Gilligan’s injury has shown how much they relied on his inspiration and bowling, and their confidence has not yet returned with their skipper. The Hastings Week had been blessed with good weather and large crowds, 6000 today, who were disappointed at the poor performance of their team.
Sheffield: Yorkshire v Warwickshire
Macaulay Leads Again in Yorkshire Victory
WARWICKSHIRE 170 and 107 (W G Quaife 17, F S G Calthorpe 15, G W Stephens 21; G G Macaulay 7/66, W Rhodes 3/27). YORKSHIRE 275 (H Sutcliffe 99, M Leyland 28, W Rhodes 51, E Robinson 44; H Howell 5/94, E P Hewetson 3/78, W G Quaife 2/28) and 4/0 (A Waddington 4*, A Dolphin 0*). Yorkshire won by ten wickets. Overnight score was: Yorkshire (1) 114/2 (Sutcliffe 62*, Leyland 22*).
There were two significant partnerships in the Yorkshire innings. The overnight pair of Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice Leyland put on 107 for the third wicket, with Sutcliffe going on but adjudged lbw to Harry Howell on 99, scored in about 2½ hours, as he tried to turn a straight ball for a leg-side single. Howell as usual was the backbone of the Warwickshire bowling, fast and accurate, always a threat, while Hewetson took wickets but was erratic. Yorkshire were 176 for five when Emmott Robinson joined Wilfred Rhodes and the pair put on 79 valuable runs together, Rhodes playing quietly while Robinson attacked the bowling. Howell finished the innings off quickly once they were separated.
When Warwickshire batted again George Macaulay was in prime form and none of the batsmen could handle his fine bowling for long. He bowled throughout the innings to take seven wickets for 66 runs. Both openers were out to him in his first over for only 4 runs on the board, and the third-wicket partnership of 27 between Charles Fiddian-Green (10) and Willie Quaife (17) was the highest of the innings. Only a defiant innings of 8 by the last man Howell made it necessary for Yorkshire to bat again. Abe Waddington did not bowl in the innings, but took four slip catches.
The match finished rather farcically, as the innings ended at 6.20 and the umpires pulled up stumps, but an uproar from the crowd persuaded them to change their minds and let Yorkshire come in again to score the three runs needed for victory. They sent in their last two batsmen, and Waddington hit George Stevens’ fourth ball to the boundary to end the match. The Sheffield crowd has offended visiting teams at times in the past, notably Lancashire and Middlesex, but after the match Freddie Calthorpe praised it as one of the most sporting crowds he had ever played before.
John Ward is an ACS member and a long-serving Zimbabwean cricket statistician. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.