LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

50 that he had been left out. He conceded more than four runs an over in the West Indies’ first innings during which Barrow and Headley added 200 for the second wicket and he suffered from a strained stomach muscle in the last two hours of play on the first day. It was in England’s only innings that Robbie may also have preferred to have been somewhere else. The West Indian all-rounder, Learie Constantine, had not been released for the First Test by Nelson, the Lancashire League club where he was employed as the resident professional. But after further negotiations, agreement had been reached for his appearance at Old Trafford and it was an opportunity for him to join Martindale, the other fast bowler, and for them to give England a taste of Bodyline. The Wisden report tells part of the story: No account of this Test match would be complete without reference to the method of attack adopted by Martindale and Constantine for the West Indies and Clark for England [in the West Indies second innings]. The game at Lord’s had passed by without any of the fast leg-theory bowling with a packed leg field which had caused such trouble in Australia the previous winter. At Manchester, however, we saw a lot of it and, judging by the opinions afterwards expressed, it met with little commendation. Martindale and Constantine directed much of their version of Bodyline at Douglas Jardine ‘with unflagging zeal’ and Wisden thought it to his great credit ‘that he played it probably better than any other man in the world was capable of doing, while putting together’ his first-ever Test century. The almanack added that although Jardine showed that ‘it was possible to meet it without suffering physical injury or losing his wicket through any impatient or wild strike,’ it did not, however, ‘make the sight of it any more welcome, and many of those who were watching it for the first time must have come to the conclusion that, while strictly within the law, it was not nice.’ It certainly was not ‘nice’ to be on the receiving end of the Bodyline bowling from Martindale and Constantine, but Wisden makes no mention of the part Robbie played while in the firing line when he joined Jardine at 234 for six near the end of the second day, with England still 141 runs behind. Jardine attempted to re-assure his new partner with the statement: ‘This is absolutely no problem, Robins.’ After ducking and dodging for an over or two, Robbie told his captain: ‘It may be no problem for you up there at 6 foot 3 inches, but you want to come down to 5 foot 7 inches!’ The pair survived until stumps with Jardine on 68 and Robins on six. The next morning the onslaught continued but both batsmen refused to be intimidated and took England past the West Indies total while adding 140 runs for the seventh wicket with Jardine reaching three figures and Robbie his half-century, England’s next top scorer with 55, but without a single boundary. Ironically, it wasn’t a bouncer that finally ended Robbie’s innings but an attempt on his part to take advantage of a brief respite while Martindale and Constantine were rested, and go down the wicket to attack the spin bowling of ‘Puss’ Achong and being stumped by Barrow. An event celebrated by a disappointed Robbie on his return to the pavilion with the statement: ‘Fancy being stumped off a bloody chinaman!’ which Part-Time Cricket