Lives in Cricket No 38 - Lionel Robinson

85 The visit of the Australians In 1921 Test caps before the Great War as a genuine ‘quickie’, but who was now 47. According to Jeremy Malies, Arthur Mailey thought the sight of the old- timers practising was hilarious and chortled: ‘Archie, old boy, you haven’t got the Bolter’s chance.’ The weather on the first day was warm and sunny and the Saffrons wicket perfect so it was no surprise that, when Archie won the toss, he decided to bat. An eager crowd of about 9,000 looked on aghast as MacLaren’s team were dismissed for a totally shambolic 43, Ted McDonald and Warwick Armstrong each bagging five wickets. To seal Archie’s fate (or so it seemed at the time) Walter Brearley pulled a leg muscle while batting so that Archie was left with just three bowlers. 60 Apparently though, he rose to the occasion magnificently and led his team in the field as if confident of eventual victory. When the Australians reached 80 for one, this did not look at all likely but Falcon and Faulkner suddenly upped their game and each produced a superb spell of bowling which caused the tourists to collapse to 174, a lead of 131. Falcon recorded figures of six for 67, performing as well against the tourists as any bowler had all season, while Faulkner supported him with four for 50. With only a few minutes left in which to bat, Archie decided to employ two nightwatchmen and unselfishly chose to open with himself and George Wood. The keeper failed to last until the close and, when Archie fell to the first ball of the second day, things were continuing to look grim. The score was taken on to 60 for four when the match was turned on its head by a partnership of 154 in three and a half hours between Hubert Ashton, who was finally dismissed for 75, and Aubrey Faulkner who went on to reach a magnificent 153. By the end the tourists were run ragged; they conceded 326 runs with Mailey and Gregory in particular failing to take any wickets between them despite having 127 runs taken off their bowling. This left the tourists a target of 196 for victory and there was just time for the Australians to reach 25 for the loss of Herbie Collins before stumps were drawn. For the first time since the start of the match, Archie was not the only person on the ground who thought that his team had a chance of victory. The third and final day’s play appeared to have been as keenly fought as any Test match with the grimly determined Australian batting line- up forced to fight for every run against accurate, hostile pace bowling and superb fielding, expertly orchestrated by Archie from slip. Gibson in particular bowled finely but, when Falcon finally tired after having kept up an accurate barrage for an innings and a half, the tourists sensed victory. Archie, still exuding confidence, made the only change open to him, bringing on Faulkner, and the South African leg-spinner rewarded him by aiding Gibson to hurry through the Australian’s middle and lower order, dismissing them for just 167 and giving the England XI victory by 28 runs. Fittingly, Armstrong was one of the last to resist but he was not particularly adept at facing high-quality leg-breaks and Faulkner duly 60 Brearley did try to bat in the second innings but had to employ a runner. Inevitably, he was run out.