Drawing
Breath
There was all but a month between the fourth and fifth Tests, and there were but three match commitments for Stoddart’s team in that time while the nation chattered tensely in anticipation of the deciding Test match to come in Melbourne.
The Englishmen travelled back up to New England to play again at Armidale, where they had given less than due attention to their job in December, having been bowled out for 67 before recovering in the second innings. Now, Brockwell, Brown, Peel and Ward were all out to left-arm medium-pacer Cooper with only 20 on the board. Stoddart’s 88 brought some masterly batting and respectability to the event, though he was dropped twice. The aim now was to restore confidence after the two Test losses. He also left behind him in Sydney rumours linking him with a North Shore girl and suggesting he was about to settle in the metropolis.
MacLaren came in near the tail and made 41, and on the second day the New England XXII fell short of England’s 187 by 76 runs, Peel taking 11 for 45 (nine of them bowled). The English XI went in again and had a hit, though it remained difficult to penetrate a field populated by 18 fielders. They finished with 112 for 7, made some complimentary remarks about the New England bowling, and left the townsfolk well pleased with their visit.
The team then moved on to Brisbane, to the Exhibition Ground again, where they played a Combined XI, Queensland players boosted by some of their recent New South Wales opposition, a strong side which included Coningham, Iredale, Gregory, Turner and Callaway from the recent Tests and Percy McDonnell, the former Australian captain and big hitter. Also playing was Tom McKibbin, who had taken 5 for 19 and 9 for 68 for NSW a few days earlier as they beat Queensland. He bowled offcutters and was clearly a threat to Turner for a place in the final Test.
The weather remained mixed, but the Englishmen batted and were overcoming an awkward start of 43 for 3, Stoddart and MacLaren in control, when Charlie Bannerman no-balled Coningham, who blew his top. He ran in again and, before reaching the umpire, let fly a throw at Stoddart, who was shocked by it and demanded an apology to himself and Bannerman. It was some time before Coningham muttered an apology, and his next delivery bowled the England captain, who was visibly upset. He would not have expected behaviour such as this even on the rugby field.
Stoddart’s 40 was top score, but Peel was delighted with his 30 after all those Test ducks, and the total of 192 seemed reasonable when rain gingered up the pitch on the second day. Richardson (5 for 42) was fast and dangerous, and Briggs diddled out four in the second half for 15: 107 all out, the rain/hot sun combination proving a huge influence yet again.
Richardson had put two batsmen, Sammy Jones and the wicketkeeper Bradley, out of the match with blows respectively to knee and hand, and Iredale was the second substitute wicketkeeper, gratifyingly for MacLaren, whom he dropped on 99. MacLaren, the only batsman to pass 50 in the match, scored an impressive twohour century, and Ward 47, in a second innings of 279 which left Combined NSW & Queensland—two men short—needing 365 for victory. Richardson and Briggs dispatched them for 86. Iredale extended his successful run against English bowling with an unbeaten 33 to go with his 37 not out, but Syd Gregory could manage no more than 15 and 16, and Callaway bagged a ‘pair’. McKibbin, though, increased his chances of selection for the final Test match by taking 5 for 98, moving the ball either way. Turner will have been an anxious man.
The tourists now moved down to Newcastle for a match against an Eighteen drawn from clubs in Newcastle, Maitland, Singleton and Muswellbrook. It was a great relief to escape the sapping heat and humidity of Brisbane.
The locals made 189 (Lockwood 6 for 51) and Ward and Brockwell had 67 up by the close. Rain then flooded the ground, and when they were able to get going again on the second day, the first-wicket stand was extended to 146, the highest by England on their tour. As the sun did its work, batting became more difficult, though Stoddart did belt one ball right out of the neat little ground, to go with the wicket he had taken with his first ball.
He would not let Lockwood bat, fearing a blow would set his injured hand back, so nine out was all out, for 241, 52 ahead. The Northern District XVIII were 87 for 5 by the end, and everyone was happy.
Stoddart and his band broke their journey to Melbourne with a stop in Sydney, watching some of the NSW v South Australia match, and yet more runs by Iredale (91) and Gregory (66) and more bowling by the inexhaustible Giffen.
During the tea interval, in the presence of the Sheffield Shield teams, the Englishmen were toasted by the NSW Premier GH Reid, who was also president of the NSWCA. The game had been greatly forwarded by the visit of Mr Stoddart and his team, he said, and the good feeling between the old country and the colonies had never been more in evidence. They did not think less of the Englishmen because the Australians had got level with them. He called for three cheers for the tourists, and Stoddart made a quiet, sincere response.
Then off they went to Melbourne for the climax of the campaign. Steamers and trains were converging on the city for the ‘great Test match’, Kangaroo v Lion, the greatest show on earth, with Australia favourites now they had won twice by colossal margins and had the brilliant youngsters Harry Graham and Albert Trott to fight alongside George Giffen and the older brigade. Even at the net practices, over 1000 eager fans gathered to watch. Major Wardill was supervising all kinds of extra seating and covering arrangements at the MCG, and it was remarked that the city was not only suffering more traffic congestion than usual but its streets were full of strangers. They came from interstate and from bush towns. Men planned absences from their offices and boys worked on schemes to make the money for admission to the cricket.
The universal prayer was that this time there should be no sticky wicket to disadvantage one of the teams—unless perhaps it was to the favour of one’s own!
But rain or shine, for all who were partial to cricket, there was only one place to be, the Melbourne Cricket Ground—while over in England, the Thames was frozen over and people were skating on the pond near Stoddart’s Hampstead home.
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.
