Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

persuade the selectors to retain him so the pressure was clearly on. Maurice saw every match against Australia, or more particularly against Bill O’Reilly, as a personal matter; Len Hutton and Denis Compton, the youngsters in the squad, were keen to prove earlier successes in the series were no fluke, Joe Hardstaff had made only four and 11 on his recall at Headingley and he too had a point to prove. Bill Bowes’ first involvement in the series had also been in the disappointing defeat at Headingley and though Ken Farnes and Hedley Verity had played every game they had only picked up 24 wickets between them. Hammond, of course, desperately wanted to avoid the ignominy of leading his side to a home series defeat and Arthur Wood, well, just being there was a bonus! With fourteen players originally selected there was also the usual business of every one of the final eleven wanting to justify his presence in the side ahead of the three men left out. Kent’s Arthur Fagg, just 23, was still one for the future but he was no doubt still smarting from being left out in the cold ever since helping England to victory in their first two Tests on the 1936-37 Australian tour, His county team-mate Doug Wright, like Ames, had to withdraw through injury on the Friday and though Peter Smith and Stan Nichols of Essex were late additions to the squad they were not used. The other player to miss out was 37-year-old Gloucestershire off spinner Tom Goddard who had only played three Tests in eight years and was probably an outside bet for a place anyway. The Australian issues were similar although Bradman’s chief concern must have been his inability to win the toss. This concern was heightened by the decision to leave out their main strike bowler Ernie McCormick who, though taking only ten wickets for 345 in the series, was the only man with genuine pace and his absence, reputedly as a result of a touch of rheumatism in his shoulder, drastically reduced their options. Sidney Barnes was brought in to strengthen the batting and provide an additional stock bowler but with this line-up Bradman desperately needed the luck of the call to give him the chance to bat England out of the game. A very happy return 15