Lives in Cricket No 38 - Lionel Robinson

78 The visit of the Australians In 1921 was unable to resume his innings on the third morning. Despite Percy Chapman failing to survive the first ball of the day, Robinson’s side advanced their score to 256 for eight before declaring on the final day; Douglas contributed significantly with a dogged but unbeaten 41 in nearly two hours and Archie struck five majestic boundaries batting at ‘jack’. There was just time for the tourists to crawl to 25 for one before play was brought to a close by rain (as usual) after lunch with stumps being finally drawn at 4.15pm. The Australians were severely harassed by the bowling of Gibson, who returned the impressive figures of 9-8-1-1, again on a pitch that was far from malicious. As Robinson always allowed the public free admission to games at Old Buckenham Hall, it is not possible to be very clear about how many spectators watched play on the second day. Estimates vary between a low of 5,000 to 6,000 from the local press to a high of 12,000 with, perhaps, 10,000 being a popular compromise. The frequently negative Ronald Mason took the rosiest view of all: ‘Twelve thousand people saw it; they are among the world’s most fortunate mortals.’ The press in general was allowed a rare moment of optimism before the Australian juggernaut gathered momentum and all but destroyed English cricket; a typical comment ran: ‘Yesterday proves that the Australians can be dismissed cheaply ... the plain fact is that they were fairly and squarely outplayed.’ (This comment appeared in the Daily Express , which was the paper Archie wrote for.) Although two out of the three days’ play ended in damp anticlimax, there was no doubt that the quality of the home team’s play on the second day meant that the match as a whole was a triumph for the dying Robinson. The ground earned its usual plaudits in both local and national press, being described as ‘picturesque’ by more than one journalist, with the Eastern Daily Press claiming that ‘there are few, if any ... better kept grounds in the kingdom’. Groundsman Porter received his usual honourable mention but here Archie, rather than Lionel, was cast in the role of groundsman’s assistant. (In passing, the ground was described as the second laid out by Lionel Robinson at Old Buckenham; the subject of the first ground will be returned to in chapter seven). The Times waxed most lyrical: ‘All lovers of cricket in England should be grateful to Mr Robinson in that he has given our visitors a chance of playing a match in a typical English country house. It must be remembered, too, that at Old Buckenham Hall there is the most perfect little cricket ground, with a magnificent wicket and a glorious outfield. Although it is country house cricket, yet it is cricket of a most serious nature, and, of course, ranks as a first class fixture. Mr Robinson therefore, has got together a side worthy of his opponents, and great credit is due to him for this genuinely helping the English Selection Committee.’ Even Mason, the severest critic of Robinson’s match in theory, forced himself to write a few kind words stating that the fixture was ‘a happy memorial to the founder of the feast, Mr Lionel Robinson’ and, further, that: ‘We owe him a lot.’ Lionel and Archie would have been pleased and