Clem Hill's Reminiscences

In the first, played in Sydney, the Australians still required 89 runs to win when the seventh wicket fell. Carter had then been in for some time. Next day, which was on Wednesday, there was no play on account of heavy rain. It was expected that the visitors would dispose of the remaining players in quick time when play resumed on the Thursday. But their bowlers did not get the most out of the wicket in the early stages and as the day wore on it improved. Carter carried his overnight score to 61 and was then dismissed. Cotter joined Hazlitt. As there was only Saunders to follow, and he made no pretence at being a batsman, Hazlitt and Cotter had to make the 56 runs required. They did it. Hazlitt got 34 and Cotter 33, both not out. Should have been tie The second Test at Melbourne went to the credit of England by one wicket and if ever a game should have ended in a tie it was that one. Noble won the toss and Australia compiled 266. England replied with 382, and in our next innings we made 397. That left England 282 to make – a good game to win, an easy game to lose. When stumps were drawn on the night of the fifth day’s play England had lost four for 159, and as the wicket was still good, it looked to be anybody’s game. How we chuckled next morning when four wickets were secured for next to nothing, and the visitors were faced with a deficit of something like 73 runs, and they had only Barnes, Humphreys and Fielder to get them! The former pair put on 34 and thus left 39 for the last wicket. It looked impossible for batsmen of their calibre to obtain the runs, but our bowlers were very tired. Cotter had been bowled to a standstill in the extreme heat and could hardly raise his arm. Noble had been hurt and it was only under difficulties that he could take his place at the crease. Armstrong was leg weary. We crouched in close and did our best to save runs, but a two here, a three there, and an occasional mishit, then a few singles, and the score gradually crept up to 281 – a tie. At the end of an over Barnes had to face Armstrong, who had an arrangement with Fielder that the first time he hit the ball or even tapped it for that matter, they should run and risk everything. It was a case of hit and run for your life. Barnes played a ball slowly to Hazlitt, who was fielding at forward point within half a dozen yards of the wicket. Barnes, remembering the arrangement, was almost running before he had ended the stroke, but Fielder had failed to back up, and was taking things apparently with ease. What a moment of tense excitement! Barnes bolted down the pitch before Fielder started, and by the time Hazlitt had the ball Fielder was only about half-way. He could easily have raced Fielder to the crease and knocked off the bails, or he could have returned the ball underhand to Carter, the wicket-keeper, and still run out Fielder by two or three yards. But, oh, to think of it now. He threw the ball with all his might to Carter’s end. It went so wide that Carter had no chance of gathering it in, and flew on toward the leg boundary. What a chance was missed! Jones’ Tour of Australia 84