100 Years Ago: 19-27 December 1924
An historic seven-day Test
Sydney: Australia v England (First Test Match)
Day 1
Two Centuries for Australia
AUSTRALIA 282/3 (H L Collins 114, W Bardsley 21, W H Ponsford 110, A J Richardson 21*, J M Taylor 1*). ENGLAND to bat.
The first day’s play went perhaps exactly as one would expect on a sunny day on a fine Sydney batting pitch in a Timeless Test: the side winning the toss dropped anchor at the crease and ground out the beginnings of a big score, scoring fewer than 300 runs in the day’s play but losing only three wickets. In this case the toss went to Australia, and Maurice Tate and Arthur Gilligan opened the England bowling to the broad bats of the New South Wales pair, the captain Herbie Collins and the experienced Warren Bardsley. They showed very sound defence against some brilliant bowling by Tate (an opening spell of 19 eight-ball overs), who managed to move the ball either way off the pitch, and Bardsley when he had 13 was dropped by Patsy Hendren in the slips off Tate. This miss was not greatly expensive, as Frank Woolley at slip caught Bardsley for 21 off the bowling of Tich Freeman, who was making his Test début for England at the age of 36. Bill Ponsford and the unrelated Richardsons, Arthur and Vic, were debutants for Australia.
Collins and Ponsford then settled into a long partnership for Australia, with Ponsford, short, sturdy and orthodox, scoring with more fluency than Collins, who set himself out to wear down the attack and had made only 28 out of 72 for one by lunch. Hendren, famed as a brilliant all-round fielder, dropped another catch, this one at mid-on, to let off Collins at 42, although he finally took the slip catch to remove Collins, who uncharacteristically flashed at Tate outside his off stump, for 114. He and Ponsford had put on 190 for the second wicket, a new Test record for that wicket. Ponsford was dropped by Herbert Sutcliffe at square leg at 85 and went on to reach a century on his Test début. He was the eleventh man and sixth Australian to do so, the last one being Collins four years ago. He was out just before the close, bowled by Gilligan, and left Australia in a strong overnight position. England’s ground fielding was generally very good, with Percy Chapman and Gilligan outstanding. The bowlers stuck to their task very well, although only Tate caused the batsmen any trouble, beating the bat on a number for occasions but with only the wicket of Collins, with whom he fought a long intriguing battle. Freeman however always commanded great respect.
Day 2
Magnificent Tate Restricts Australia
AUSTRALIA 450 (A J Richardson 22, J M Taylor 43, V Y Richardson 42, W A S Oldfield 39*, A A Mailey 21; M W Tate 6/130, A P Freeman 2/124). ENGLAND 72/0 (J B Hobbs 42*, H Sutcliffe 28*). Overnight score was: Australia (1) 282/3 (A J Richardson 21*, Taylor 1*).
All right, so Australia compiled 450, but how many would they have got without the magnificent bowling of Maurice Tate for England? His wonderful efforts, followed by a fine opening partnership by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, means that England are not without hope in this match, given the excellence of the pitch for batting. Australia’s overnight score was good enough for an eventual total of over 500 to look quite possible. Jack Hearne produced a beautiful delivery in his first over to bowl out Arthur Richardson, but soon afterwards injured the forefinger of his bowling hand fielding a hard drive and had to leave the field for medical treatment. Johnny Taylor and Vic Richardson put on 78 for the fifth wicket in dogged fashion, but after lunch came the magnificent spell by Tate that turned the innings around, just as the Australian batsmen were looking to be more aggressive. The score went from 364 for four to 388 for nine, four of the wicket to Tate (including Jack Gregory caught at the wicket without scoring) and one to Tich Freeman, who bowled Richardson with a beautiful ball. The last-wicket pair of Bert Oldfield and Arthur Mailey held them up then for 87 minutes with a last-wicket partnership of 62, notable more for dogged batting rather than the free scoring one would expect from later batsmen in such a situation. But this is a timeless Test . . . Tate magnificently bowled 55.1 overs in the innings, more than a third of the team’s total, and took six wickets for 130 runs, a most remarkable performance of endurance, stamina, accuracy and hostility with no help from pitch or weather. Freeman supported him very well, but the other bowlers were mostly innocuous.
Hobbs and Sutcliffe opened for England in the final 66 minutes against the bowling of Gregory and Charles Kelleway, a much easier proposition than in had been in 1921, with no Ted McDonald now and Gregory having clearly lost much of his fearsome pace, although he bowled quite well at fast-medium. They both batted positively and the score rose steadily, leaving England at the close with hope of possibly challenging the big Australian score. There was a record crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground today, numbering 47,152.
Day 3
Hobbs Century, but England Collapse
AUSTRALIA 450 and 61/1 (W Bardsley 22, A J Richardson 30*, C Kelleway 9*). ENGLAND 298 (J B Hobbs 115, H Sutcliffe 59, E H Hendren 74*, A P F Chapman 13; J M Gregory 5/111, A A Mailey 4/129). Overnight score was: England (1) 72/0 (Hobbs 42*, Sutcliffe 28*).
This is the day England probably lost the match, thanks to a disastrous batting collapse after Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe had given them a wonderful start by making 157 in their opening partnership. The other nine wickets could add only another 141 runs among them. With their strong batting line-up — on paper — the opening partnership should have given England a good chance of leading on the first innings. Hobbs showed all his usual grace and skill during his innings, and a measure of the respect in which Australians hold him was shown by the great ovations he received when he reached his century, and again when he was out at 202 for four. Sutcliffe played a sound, patient innings and allowed Hobbs to do his thing at the other end — and as usual they stole quick singles brilliantly. But after he was out England began to slide, with Jack Hearne out for 7 and Frank Woolley playing a ball from Jack Gregory on to his wicket without scoring.
Hobbs was caught in the slips off Jack Gregory with the second new ball, a chanceless innings until then. It is his seventh century in Ashes cricket, overtaking Victor Trumper’s record of six. Gregory bowled with much more pace and his usual vibrant energy today, and also tried (but failed) to unsettle the pair with bouncers. The second-highest partnership in the England innings was only 33, between Patsy Hendren and a dour Andy Sandham (7) for the fifth wicket. Hendren showed the doubters that he has now adjusted to Test cricket with an outstanding innings of 74 not out, which included a rarely-achieved leg-side hit for six off Gregory. He took no risks, but hit the ball hard and played positively throughout. The only other batsman to reach double figures was Percy Chapman, who ran himself out attempting a risky single to the substitute fielder Tommy Andrews at mid-off. The last man Bert Strudwick hung on as best he could in a partnership of 24 while Hendren attacked, before he became Gregory’s fifth wicket. Despite Australia’s success, though, their fielding overall was not as good as England’s had been.
Australia began their second innings with a lead of 152, and clearly intended to make the best possible use of it. Earlier in the day Herbie Collins had received news of the death of his sister and left the field, so Arthur Richardson opened the innings with the acting captain Warren Bardsley. Bardsley however was bowled by Maurice Tate, the only wicket to fall, as Australia at the close of 213 with nine wickets still in hand. It will take a remarkable turn of events for England to claw their way back to the game now.
Day 4
Australia Pile It On
AUSTRALIA 450 and 258/5 (A J Richardson 98, C Kelleway 23, H L Collins 58*, W H Ponsford 27, H S T L Hendry 6*; M W Tate 2 wkts, A P Freeman 2 wkts). ENGLAND 298. Overnight score was: Australia (2) 61/1 (A J Richardson 30*, Kelleway 9*).
The fourth day simply saw Australia, 152 ahead on the first innings, seek steadily to bat England out of the game. England were severely handicapped by injury, with Maurice Tate suffering from a painful toenail which he has been advised to have removed, and unable to bowl at his best, though he laboured manfully, while Frank Woolley was prevented from bowling at all with an injured knee. Arthur Richardson, a big man who wears glasses, worked his way steadily towards emulating Bill Ponsford by scoring a century on his Test début. Unfortunately he became overcautious, and was eventually caught and bowled by Tich Freeman on 98, after a very fine innings of almost three hours. Woolley was able to catch Bill Ponsford brilliantly at slip with a dive, while Herbie Collins plodded his way along in slow but steady accumulation. By the end of the day he had set a new Test record, the first batsman to score a century and a fifty in the same Test match more than once — and he could turn it into two centuries.
After tea a violent windstorm blew up, driving the players from the field and scattering the spectators. They tried to continue play after about 50 minutes, but there was still a strong cold wind that kept blowing the bails off and papers all over the ground, and after a few minutes they had to abandon play for the day. England again fielded very well all day, with Patsy Hendren in particular the star of the show today, saving numerous runs.
Day 5
Taylor and Mailey Last Nails in England’s Coffin
AUSTRALIA 450 and 452 (H L Collins 60, H S T L Hendry 22, J M Taylor 108, A A Mailey 46*; A E R Gilligan 2/114, M W Tate 5/98, A P Freeman 3/134). ENGLAND 298 and 42/0 (J B Hobbs 13*, H Sutcliffe 27*). Overnight score was: Australia (2) 258/5 (Collins 58*, Hendry 6*).
England began the day quite well, despite unpleasant weather with a strong cold wind, and especially when Maurice Tate removed Herbie Collins with only two runs added, to a good catch by Percy Chapman in the slips. Johnny Taylor came in next and played well, but wickets fell steadily at the other end until nine were down for 325. Then came the crushing blow that surely hammered the last nails into England’s coffin, as the last man Arthur Mailey again played far too well for a No 11 and with Taylor added a near Test match record of 127 runs for the last wicket in 79 minutes. They both played brilliantly and, with Tate limping though putting in a wonderful effort, the England bowlers could not stem the flood. Mailey was no sleeping partner, but played some fine attacking strokes from the start. Finally Tate returned and bowled out Taylor for 108 (in 2¾ hours) to end the English agony. Their partnership just failed to beat the Test tenth-wicket record of 130 set by Rip Foster and Wilfred Rhodes in 1903/04. Only Taylor in the whole innings could attack Tate successfully, despite his injured toe, and even Taylor had a number of lucky play-and-miss escapes.
This meant England had been set 605 to win, which would surely take a near-miracle, even with their strong batting and a still-good batting pitch. All they can do is fight hard and play for pride, which is what Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe began to do as they successfully played out the day, with Sutcliffe receiving most of the bowling. There will be no play tomorrow, Christmas Day, and the match will resume on Friday, Boxing Day, as is also the case with the second of the South African matches below.
Day 6
Sutcliffe and Woolley Fight for England
AUSTRALIA 450 and 452. ENGLAND 298 and 362/8 (J B Hobbs 57, H Sutcliffe 115, A P F Chapman 44, F E Woolley 94*, A P Freeman 33*; C Kelleway 2 wkts, A A Mailey 3 wkts, H S T L Hendry 2 wkts). England target: 605 to win. Overnight score was: England (2) 42/0 (Hobbs 13*, Sutcliffe 27*).
After six days, this match has still not come to its inevitable conclusion, but if the weather holds it must end tomorrow. Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe continued from where they left off on Christmas Eve and put on their second century opening partnership of the match. This time Hobbs was the first to go, caught at silly point off Arthur Mailey. Jack Hearne faced 22 balls without scoring before he was bowled by Jack Gregory, and Percy Chapman then came in and struggled for survival at first against Mailey, before hitting him for two sixes. Sutcliffe survived until after tea, and was finally out to a brilliant catch by Gregory, who raced from slip behind the keeper to hold a ball that lobbed off his glove in that direction. Hobbs scored 172 runs in the match and Sutcliffe 174, thus equalling Herbie Collins as the highest scorer of the match. This began a slump in the batting, as the score went from 263 for four to 276 for eight, the wickets falling to Mailey and Charles Kelleway.
The match looked like ending today, but now Tich Freeman joined Frank Woolley, the short and the tall, and the two put up a fight through positive batting. Woolley was in brilliant form, although running stiffly due to his swollen knee. They were still there at the close, despite bad light, having added 86 for the ninth wicket. The match was illegally continued for an extra quarter of an hour to make up for time lost to rain and in the hope of finishing it today, but the batsmen would not be shifted. They need another 243 for victory tomorrow, which is hardly likely despite their gallantry.
Day 7
Woolley Century, Freeman Fifty, but Australia Victory
AUSTRALIA 450 and 452. ENGLAND 298 and 411 (F E Woolley 123, A P Freeman 50*; J M Gregory 2/115, C Kelleway 2/60, A A Mailey 3/179, H S T L Hendry 3/36). Australia won by 193 runs. Overnight score was: England (2) 362/8 (Woolley 94*, Freeman 33*).
The first Test match to last seven days, with play on each day, finally ended at Sydney today after another 38 minutes’ play in a victory for Australia, despite England’s 411 being the highest fourth-innings score ever made in a Test match. Frank Woolley and Tich Freeman continued their gallant partnership, with Woolley soon completing his century, the sixth of the match, which equals the record for a Test match. The pair put on 128 together for the ninth wicket before Woolley was finally caught in the slips off Jack Gregory for a superb innings. The last man Bert Strudwick stayed long enough for Freeman to reach his remarkably good fifty before he was caught by Bert Oldfield at the wicket off Hunter Hendry and the match finally reached its close. Perhaps a seven-day timeless Test is not unexpected between two teams with powerful batting and not much depth in class bowling, so there could be more of the same to come.
Benoni: East Rand v S B Joel’s XI (two-day, not first-class)
Day 1
S B JOEL’S XI 457 (E H Bowley 152, A H H Gilligan 32, G Geary 41, L H Tennyson 49, T O Jameson 35, C A G Russell 54, P Holmes 30, G E Tyldesley 29*; W D Duff 5/121). EAST RAND to bat.
Solly Joel’s team had a good batting performance against the East Rand team today, with Ted Bowley especially taking advantage, scoring 152. Most of the English batsmen enjoyed themselves against a weak attack, but Fred Nicholas and Jack MacBryan missed out, scoring 1 and 3 respectively.
Day 2
S B JOEL’S XI 457 and 85/5 (F W H Nicholas 26, G E Tyldesley 24). EAST RAND 260 (S C Snooke 69, W D Duff 40; C S Marriott 2/51, C A G Russell 3/39, T O Jameson 3/49). Match drawn.
Johannesburg: South Africa v S B Joel’s XI (First Unofficial Test)
The tourists move back to the Wanderers at Johannesburg now, and on Tuesday 23rd they start the first of five unofficial four-day ‘Test’ matches against a full South African team. The home side will be as follows:
Herby Taylor, Fred Susskind, William Ling, Dave Nourse, Bob Catterall, Nummy Deane, *+Vivian Neser, Buster Nupen, Dalton Conyngham, MacGregor Billing, Alfred Hall.
The former Oxford University wicket-keeper, Neser, making his début for South Africa, has been appointed captain in place of Herby Taylor. The reason appears to be that the selectors feel that the captaincy has been affecting Taylor’s batting and they want him to be free of that responsibility.
Several of the English team that toured England last season are missing: Jimmy Blanckenberg and Sid Pegler are still out of the country, while the usual wicket-keeper, Tommy Ward, has not played any cricket yet this season. This means that the South African bowling attack has been virtually reconstituted, with Nupen and Hall returning to the side, as they are proven successes on matting pitches, while the Natal pace pair of Conyngham and Billing are given their chance after their impressive bowling against the tourists.
Meanwhile, in a first-class friendly match in East London, Border made Orange Free State follow on, but were unable to force a victory, the match ending in a draw.
Day 1
Nupen Triumphs on Matting
S B JOEL’S XI 198 (E H Bowley 57, C A G Russell 34, L H Tennyson 57; A E Hall 2/39, E P Nupen 5/54). SOUTH AFRICA 54/2 (M J Susskind 35*, W V S Ling 14).
South Africa had the better of the first day’s play in this first unofficial Test match, due mainly to their superb fielding and the fine bowling of Buster Nupen, always at his most dangerous on matting pitches. Percy Holmes is unable to play for Solly Joel’s team as he has influenza, and Jack MacBryan and Ted Bowley opened their innings. Bowley was the only one of the early batsmen who really prospered, and when he was out Lionel Tennyson took over with one of his usual attacking innings. He hit a fine fifty, but the last five batsmen in the innings scored just three runs among them as the tail collapsed. Charlie Parker at No 9 did a fine job for his 1 not out, though, hanging in with Tennyson in a partnership of 29 before Nupen bowled out Tennyson and the last two batsmen, Edward Bartley and Father Marriott, all at 198.
Herby Taylor opened the South African innings with Fred Susskind, but scored only 3 before he was brilliantly caught by Bowley in the slips off Alec Kennedy. Susskind batted well, but William Ling was out to Parker in the final over before rain ended play for the day.
Day 2
Nourse and Neser Take South Africa Ahead
S B JOEL’S XI 198 and 121/6 (E H Bowley 54, G E Tyldesley 51, C A G Russell 26*; E P Nupen 4 wkts). SOUTH AFRICA 295 (M J Susskind 41, A W Nourse 71, V H Neser 80, M E Billing 32; A S Kennedy 3/88, G Geary 2/63, C W L Parker 2/57, C S Marriott 2/76. Overnight score was: South Africa (1) 54/2 (Susskind 35*).
Fred Susskind was soon out this morning, but Dave Nourse played a fine aggressive innings for South Africa, scoring 71 in about 70 minutes. Then the former Oxford University wicket-keeper and new South African captain Vivian Neser took over with a brilliant début innings for his country, scoring a very fine 80 which helped to give his team a first-innings lead of 97 runs. The English team played very well, though, with good fielding and consistent bowling; Father Marriott was the most dangerous of the bowlers, although only taking two wickets.
The Jolly Souls lost the wicket of Jack MacBryan, bowled fourth ball by MacGregor Billing, but then Ted Bowley and Ernest Tyldesley brought them back into the game with an excellent second-wicket partnership of 105, which wiped off the deficit. Tyldesley again showed excellent form with 51 in just over an hour and a half, while Bowley scored his second fifty of the match. But then Buster Nupen returned for a final spell that shattered the back of the tourists’ innings. In five overs he took four wickets, starting with Bowley, and then removing Lionel Tennyson, Alec Kennedy and George Geary, all without scoring. Jack Russell is still there, but the Jolly Souls are just 24 runs ahead now with only four wickets in hand.
Day 3
Nupen Bowls South Africa to Victory
S B JOEL’S XI 198 and 149 (E H Bowley 54, G E Tyldesley 51, C A G Russell 26*; E P Nupen 5/33). SOUTH AFRICA 295 and 53/1 (R H Catterall 17, M J Susskind 24*, W V S Ling 9*). South Africa won by nine wickets. Overnight score was: S B Joel’s XI (2) 121/6 (Russell 11*).
There was no recovery for the Jolly Souls after their collapse to Buster Nupen yesterday evening. Jack Russell played a sound defensive innings, but was quite unable to find a partner capable of staying with him for long against Nupen, who had good support from Alfred Hall. This left South Africa only 53 to win, and although Bob Catterall was out at 42, Fred Susskind completed the job with help from William Ling. South Africa have thus made a good winning start in the five-match series.
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