Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

better than at any time previously on the tour. He wrote that ‘his innings acquired style, confidence, quickness of vision and mind’. Hammond and Joe took the score to 120 at which point Joe was bowled by O’Reilly for 43. Cardus felt that he was well and truly beaten: ‘the ball turned not at all according to Hardstaff’s expectations’. By the close England were 148 for three and all depended upon Hammond. Sadly he left to the sixth ball of the next day, being bowled by Fleetwood-Smith. Wyatt reached 50, but thanks in the main to Fleetwood-Smith, no one else did much and Australia won by 148 runs to level the series. This was Fleetwood-Smith’s greatest triumph: he took four for 129 and six for 110, giving him match figures of 10 for 239. Four matches remained and it comes as no surprise to find that Joe played in all four of them. He made nine and 64 against New South Wales and 14 and 60 not out against Victoria. In minor games he made 94 and 2 against Geelong and 67 against a New South Wales Country XI. It was while MCC were in Melbourne that Joe and Jim Sims went out for a day’s fishing in the course of which they landed a shark after a struggle of three quarters of an hour during which the dinghy was in danger of capsizing. The fate of the Ashes now depended upon the result of the Fifth Test, at Melbourne, which began on 26 February. Once again Bradman won the toss and thus gained first use of an excellent pitch. Aided by several dropped chances, the Australian innings, which reached 604, did not end until the third morning, thus making it virtually certain that Australia would retain the Ashes. This time Barnett opened with Worthington. When Barnett left at 33, Joe joined Worthington and together they took the score to 96. At this point Cardus saw no reason why England should not reach 450. It was not to be. Worthington trod on his wicket and it was 96 for two. Joe, however, continued onwards and by the close was undefeated on 73. Cardus was full of praise for his efforts as were Ross Slater of The Cricketer , Denzil Batchelor and the Wisden correspondent. All felt that he had shown his proper English form. Little, however, went right for England in this match. With the wicket affected by rain, Joe did his best to move the score along before it worsened, but on 83 he was caught off the bowling of O’Reilly. Cardus felt that he deserved a century and described his innings as ‘cultured and handsome’. Dismissed for 239, England Australian Test Tour, 1936/37 60