Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

Ashes to Ashes 108 and Fleetwood-Smith turning it square. Maurice, fell again to Fleetwood-Smith on 32, making it 110 for six and England only managed 243. Australia squared the series and it was back to Melbourne on February 26 with the rubber standing two-two and one to play. Cardus noted: “It was a broiling day,” and suggested that ‘the brown wicket lay in the heat like a block of execution on which reputations soon would receive the axe’ .... and so it was. If England were waiting for that axe to fall on Bradman they were facing immense disappointment for he, in fact, was the chief executioner. Fingleton and Keith Rigg were both out by the time Australia had reached 54 but Bradman and McCabe (112) added 249 before Verity finally managed a breakthrough and their score had reached 342 for three at the close. Farnes did get Bradman early next day, for 169, but Badcock (118) and Ross Gregory (80) just piled on the agony and by the time the home side were finally dismissed for 604 on the third day the England team were a ragged looking bunch. Even Maurice, none for 26 off three, was punished unmercifully as only Farnes (six for 96) kept his reputation intact. It was little better with the bat as England scrambled to 239, losing their last five wickets for only three runs, and 165 on the way to a humiliating innings defeat. Hardstaff, with 83 in the first innings, and Hammond, 56 in the second, were the only English batsmen to pass 50 and Maurice, so often England’s saviour, managed only seven and 28 as Australia retained the Ashes.