LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

40 Test Match Debut his actions had been noticed by another early arrival, Jack Hobbs, who saw an opportunity to play a joke on his younger team-mate. Hobbs emptied the remaining stock into Robbie’s bag, then arranged for Leveson Gower to be asked if he could come to the dressing-room and throw any light on the complete disappearance of a boxful of fresh England caps. Robbie was summoned back from the nets and an increasingly irritated Leveson Gower asked all those present if anyone knew what had happened to the thirty caps. As Robbie had taken only three he kept silent, suspecting that someone else must have taken the majority. Then Leveson Gower demanded that the players must open their bags for inspection and, to Robbie’s horror, the entire stock of caps fell out of his bag! Leveson Gower was furious that Robbie had not confessed when first asked, but Jack Hobbs quickly calmed the situation by explaining that it was all a practical joke and admitting that he was responsible. Everyone had a good laugh, except perhaps Robbie and Leveson Gower. England batted first and made a good start, ending the day at 405 for nine, Robbie’s contribution a restrained five in thirty minutes while adding 26 with Duleepsinhji who had made a brilliant 173. Within half an hour after play started on Saturday morning England were all out for 425 and by lunch Australia were 96 without loss. Soon after lunch ‘Woodfull, with his score at 52 playing forward to Robins, dragged his foot over the crease. Duckworth gathered the ball and swept it back to the stumps, but omitted to remove the bails.’ According to Wisden , ‘that little error cost England dear.’ Dear indeed, because Woodfull went on to make 155! After Ponsford mis-hit White to Hammond at slip, Bradman came in and Chapman persevered with White and Hammond for another eleven overs. He replaced them with six overs from Allen and Tate, and then brought back Hammond. The tea interval arrived; by now twenty-two overs had passed since Bradman had come in but Robbie, who had bamboozled him at Trent Bridge, still had not been used. Warner was not impressed by Chapman’s handling of his bowlers and was also surprised that Robbie ‘who looked more like getting a wicket than anyone else did not bowl a ball to Bradman until that batsman had made over 50 runs.’ Immediately after tea Chapman at last brought on Robbie but it was too late. In six overs Robbie went for 34 runs, 20 of them to Bradman. Chapman replaced him with White to no avail as he went for 21 runs from four overs, 19 of them to Bradman at a run a ball, and in sheer desperation he turned to the slow left-arm spin of 43-year-old Frank Woolley. His six overs cost 35 runs and 23 of those 36 balls were received by Bradman who scored 22 runs from them. What Chapman had never seemed to realise was that Robbie was the type of bowler who could be expensive at times, but he was always likely to bowl the unplayable ball that would capture a wicket. And so it proved. Yet another 21 overs came and went before he was asked to try again and in his third over, less than ten minutes before close of play, Woodfull went forward misjudging a leg-break and this time Duckworth made no mistake. Only twelve overs were bowled on Monday morning before Chapman called