Gubby Under Pressure

leg spinners, Frederick and Mudge, neither of whom can bowl at all, has been just laughable. Fishlock leaves a gap and gets bowled out by a huge leg break everytime. He lacks brains I fear. Hardstaff will not get to the pitch of the ball. Fagg is out of luck. Barnett has played very well and was given out today when well passed the wicket. I never saw a worse decision and what annoys me most is that the Umpire had his finger up long before the wicket was put down. It may easily cost us the match as he was playing O’Reilly splendidly. Must stop and go to sleep. Will try and write you a long letter next week. Seen Uncle William, Uncle Reg, lots of Denis, Dick and Paul. Spoken to B.Browning on telephone, called on Beavins, so I haven’t neglected the family. The Hillman car makes a big difference. Very best love to you and Mum Obbie Letter Ten Moombara Port Hacking Nov 22 1936 My dear Plummie, Thank you so much for your nice letter. I am sorry I haven’t written to you before but I have really been grossly over-worked. I hope Dad has shown you some of my letters, as I had asked him to do, and I have written Rait-Kerr a long letter by this same air-mail and asked him to show it to you. It was naturally a rather general letter but I will try and tell you more without repeating myself. Robbie’s and Bob’s injuries have given me a terrible time so far, as I have had to play in every match and do a lot of bowling as we have bowled so badly, as well as look after all the social side of the trip and be ‘nurse’. Howard is absolutely charming and is going to be a splendid manager but this is his first tour and he won’t lift his little finger without consulting me. The result is I have to decide on the amount of the tips, arrange the rooms, the sleeping compartments on the train and interview all the press and the doctors. I had a terrible time with Leslie in Perth as he cried his heart out and said he wanted to go home. Finally I had to snap him up and tell him he had no guts and I honestly believe that did the trick. The doctor in Melbourne told him just the same as the doctor told me about my tonsils and I should think that that has probably been the cause of all the trouble. Robbie’s finger is better but I am afraid it is going to be some time before he can bowl properly but he has restarted in this match as we MUST have him for the first Test. He plays leg breaks well which none of main chaps, except Barnett, seem able to do and Jim Sims has not been consistent enough. He (J.Sims) is a great tryer but very pig-headed and will not pitch the ball up. You know how good all present day Australian batsmen are on their back foot but he will not listen. I am afraid to say this team have not a great deal of cricket brain. Fishlock has himself to blame a lot for his recent failures. When he got 91, a really great innings in Perth v. Grimmett, I told him to go on batting for ever, as the game was different out here and he had never been abroad before, but he threw his wicket away at once and in his next 2 innings. He is now out of form and looks terrible when anyone throws the ball up in the air. I am sure Fagg is going to succeed but he has had no luck as I have explained in my letter to “R.K.” Copson bowls well at times but he is not prepared to bowl a whole over without trying some silly experiment which always costs 4 and he will try that ‘dapper’ of his which succeeds sometimes in England but in this country averages 4. Voce, as at the start of last trip, is pig fat and his form rather worries me. He must play in the Tests as Ken doesn’t seem able to bowl more than medium pace. He (K.Farnes) is a nice chap and I am sure he will give no trouble, but he always seems half asleep both on and off the field. Voce has been charm itself ever since we sailed and will do anything I ask him. In fact the whole team are absolutely charming and I am really fond of them all. I think it is because of that that I have been able to keep going as I have often felt like lying down and dying I have felt so tired and worried at times. I don’t think any captain has ever had quite what I have had to put up with as I really have had no one to help me at all off the field. Howard is charming and is going to be very good, as I have said before, but I wish you had been here this time as it is a cricket brain which is The letters 78