LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

58 became a hazardous business. Low scores meant that many matches were finished in two days and no side succeeded in scoring over 200 runs in the fourth innings. Middlesex started their season by winning the first two matches, thanks to some inspired bowling at times from Robbie himself and a couple of captain’s innings that turned potential defeat into victory. Needing 57 runs to beat Lancashire, the first five wickets went down for only 30 when Robbie came in to take control and with an unbeaten 19 see them through to win without further loss. He faced the same situation four days later against Worcestershire when, needing 100 runs to win, Middlesex had reached only 70 with the loss of six wickets before Robbie entered and steered them through to their target with an unbeaten 16. Inspired by their captain’s fighting spirit — Pelham Warner thought his ‘activity and evident enjoyment of every moment of a cricket match had a stimulating effect on his comrades, and on the spectators’ — Middlesex players now began to believe that they could maintain a genuine challenge for the Championship and they went on to win eleven of their 24 matches. International duties had meant that Robbie had to miss five county matches. Warner had returned to the England selection committee with Perrin and Higson to act for the next two years to allow continuity of ideas and establish the body of the team which was to visit Australia in 1936/37. This meant that Robbie, who had been ignored during the Ashes series the summer before, was back in the frame, and his county form in the run-up to the First Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge ensured that he was once more in England colours. His batting wasn’t required before England declared at 384 for seven with Wyatt, the England captain, scoring 149. There was rain at the weekend and the pace of Nichols saw the visitors having to follow-on 164 behind and end the day at 17 for one. On the final day rain prevented a ball being bowled and Robbie could only look forward to making a bigger contribution at Lord’s, four weeks later. No doubt Warner and the other selectors were expecting the same when they sat down with Wyatt to discuss their options but it was not so straightforward. Warner later wrote: The choice of this team involved the longest [selectors’] meeting of my experience. It began at 11 o’clock in the morning and did not end until nearly seven. The point at issue was whether Robins or Mitchell should play. The selectors were unanimous in urging the claims of Robins, and Wyatt, for his part, was emphatic in urging Mitchell. Following Lord Harris’s method we adjourned for luncheon, but after luncheon Wyatt was as insistent as ever. Then came tea, but Wyatt still favoured Mitchell. We pointed out that Mitchell, good bowler as he was, had been a complete failure against the Australians in the previous summer, and that in no sense could he be compared with Robins either as batsman or fieldsman; and that Robins, indeed, was one of the best all-round cricketers in England. The argument continued but Wyatt remained obstinate and ‘no comparison of previous performances, however, could convince him, and in the end we gave way.’ England went on to lose the match by 157 runs and Mitchell was a disappointment with only three wickets for 54 runs apiece. Captain of Middlesex