LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

45 Two weeks later Robbie was at Lord’s playing for MCC in the opening game against Surrey. (He had been elected to MCC membership during the close season.) This would be one of only seven first-class matches he would play in the summer of 1931. It seems that Sir Julien Cahn was once again happy to encourage Robbie to play in all of the Middlesex early matches to see if he could earn his place in the England line-up for the Test at Lord’s at the end of June. But when July and August arrived Robbie was expected to give priority as usual to the fixtures at West Bridgford and elsewhere for the Cahn XI. That didn’t stop him dashing down to East Molesey whenever he could and in 1931 he was able to make ten appearances for the club. Plum Warner had taken over from Leveson Gower as chairman of the Test selectors and his faith in Robbie’s allround ability never wavered. New Zealand were the visitors to England but were allocated only one Test, their first in England, starting on 27 June at Lord’s, and Robbie was selected. England were 188 for six at 6.20 pm on the first day in reply to New Zealand’s 224 when Ian Peebles was surprisingly sent in as nightwatchman. Two runs later he was stumped for nought and stumps were drawn with England 190 for seven. Peebles’ nought stayed up on the pre-electronic scoreboard all Sunday and most of the second day as Gubby Allen and Les Ames both made hundreds in a stand of 246 and he ruefully remembered how his embarrassment had been intensified: This afforded the two Walters, Hammond and Robins, the most exquisite boyish pleasure. All through Monday they kept enquiring of each other what the last chap had made — who was he? — Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tyldesley? No, Peebles. Jardine had been unimpressed by the jesting and Peebles recalled that on arriving on Tuesday Douglas drew me aside and said it might all be very funny but it was what one would describe as rather ‘fourth form’. When Walter Robins arrived, Douglas spoke to him on the matter but unfortunately did so with his back to the glass door leading to the balcony. The effect of his rebuke was rather lessened by an admiring group standing behind him waving encouragement to the accused interspersed with some less courteous gestures! However, Jardine had need of his two bowlers to take matters more seriously when New Zealand made a fighting comeback in their second innings and the England captain asked Robbie to bowl 37 overs in a spin partnership with Peebles who bowled 43 overs before the match ended in a draw. It was obvious that New Zealand were a better side than had been expected and two more Tests were quickly arranged, although the selectors could no longer call upon Robbie to take his place in the England eleven. Apart from the Gentlemen and Players match at Lord’s in the middle of July, the rest of the summer it was mainly one-day cricket for the Cahn XI for which he scored 1,256 runs, including four centuries, and took 125 wickets. Robbie and Kathleen had, as we have seen, now moved to Nottingham and she recorded her impressions: This, of course, was our first year at Nottingham and Sir Julien, Lady Part-Time Cricket