Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

Against the best 80 twice earlier in his innings but, with the extra incentive of around 50,000 all wanting him out, he dug in after lunch and scarcely made a mistake. After Hendren’s dismissal both Harold Larwood and George Geary quickly followed and the question then was whether or not Maurice would have the chance to reach his hundred. But, Maurice Tate, later dubbed ‘Morris Oxford’ to Leyland’s ‘Morris Cowley’ - popular cars in the 1930s - by the Australian crowd, was ninth out for 15 and just one run was needed for a Leyland century. By this time the Australian fans had warmed to his battling ways and every run was cheered as his century approached. However, it was not a foregone conclusion for last man Jack White still had five balls of Hornibrook’s over to negotiate when he came to the crease and Maurice then played out a maiden from Oxenham to leave White on strike once again. This time, though, the Somerset man quickly snatched a single and Maurice, with a superb square cut raised the three figures in spectacular style. Just how outstanding an achievement it was, to score a hundred in his first game against Australia, could be measured by the fact that only WG Grace, KS Ranjitsinhji, RE Foster, George Gunn and Herbert Sutcliffe had managed the feat before him. At close of play on the second day he was still there and 110 runs stood alongside the name of Leyland on the scoreboard at the MCG. He had a rest day Sunday to reflect and, when play resumed on Monday, he managed to take his total to 137 before finally being caught by Fairfax off Ron Oxenham with the score on 519. In ordinary circumstances this would have put the game beyond the opposition but Bradman, even then, was not ordinary. The great Australian hit 123, with Bill Woodfull hitting 102, to take their total to 491 and with England making only 257 in their second innings, Maurice finishing not out on 53, the home side snatched a surprise five wicket win and denied England an ‘To Cowley from Oxford’ - Tate’s play on words to his fellow Maurice (or car-maker Morris) Leyland