Wales v Scotland 23, 25 & 26 August 1924 by Cricket Scotland

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Ground:	St Helen's, Swansea
Scorecard:	Wales v Scotland
Event:	Scotland in England 1947

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DateLine: 30th January 2013

 

 

Day 1:
Play in the first day of the match between Wales and Scotland at Swansea was limited to two and a half hours, but during that period Wales did well, scoring 157 for the loss of one wicket.

 

Rain had fallen during the greater part of the morning and early afternoon, leaving the wicket dead easy. Bates and Bell made good use of the opportunity, and runs always came freely off the handicapped bowlers. Bates was especially enterprising, and scored twice as fast as his partner. At the close Bates had 100.

 

Neither Batsman seemed troubled by the bowling, which was often erratic. Six bowlers were tried in an effort to separate the pair, but except when he was missed by Paterson at 92 Bates appeared perfectly at ease. He played bright cricket from the start, and actually reached his first 50 out of a total of 66 in 40 minutes.

 

He went on to score his first century this season in a little over two hours. He has already hit one six and thirteen fours.

 

Bell seemed set for at least a half century, but when 47, he put up an easy catch to Scobie off Anderson's bowling. His batting had not been so attractive as that of Bates, but his strokes were stylishly executed.

 

He had two "lives," one at five and the other at 44. A.E. Mallalieu, a young North Wales cricketer, during a short partnership with Bates, showed a sound defence, but the bowling generally was hardly good enough to impose a serious test. Scotland's team, by the way, are composed entirely of amateurs, but Wales included five professionals, and of the eleven nine are Glamorgan players.

 

Day 2:
Some hurricane hitting during the closing stages of a limited day's cricket provided some consolation for the rain at Swansea yesterday, when the match between Wales and Scotland was resumed.

 

After play had been in progress an hour before lunch, drizzling rain came on and continued till 4 o'clock; as a result it was not possible to resume play before 4.35. Wales, realising the need of forcing the pace if a victory was to be secured in the restricted time, provided some venturesome batting, and in an hour 123 was added before the innings was declared, with the total standing at 307 for six.

 

Norman Riches, the best amateur bat in Wales, played an especially fine innings yesterday, whilst J.C. Clay also hit with vigour. There was nothing so exhilarating as the five minutes batting of Spencer, a Glamorgan professional. He only faced Thorburn for one over, but scored 18, composed of three 6's.

 

Thorburn proved most expensive, and in two overs 32 runs were knocked up. The Scottish bowling was erratic, but Anderson bowled consistently. He bowled even better than his figures suggest.

 

A feature of Scotland's fielding was the work of G.W. Lawson on the leg boundary. He was brought in to field as substitute to C.S. Paterson, who developed a chill over the week-end, and is not likely to take any further part in the game. Scotland opened their innings shortly after 6 with Kerr and Groves. Both batsmen opened confidently., Kerr especially treating Arnott with scant respect.

 

With less than 20 scored, the Welsh amateur was replaced by Ryan, but Kerr played a strictly straight bat to the newcomer. Groves was much more daring and once lifted Clay clean over the sight screen for a glorious six.

 

Day 3:
Scotland were easily defeated in the international cricket match at Swansea yesterday, Wales winning by an innings and seventy nine runs.

 

Scotland's batting, after Kerr and Groves had been dismissed, was not solid enough to cope with the Welsh attack, handled as it was by Ryan and Spencer, the Glamorganshire professionals, who recently skittled out Lancashire.

 

Still faced with Wales's first innings total of 307, Scotland made a valiant fight to avert the follow-on. Overnight they had score 34 without loss, but when play was resumed yesterday morning the bowlers secure immediate mastery.

 

The first wicket fell at 41; and then Spencer, bowling at good pace, was primarily responsible for the collapse which resulted in four wickets falling for the addition of 29 runs. Kerr alone showed sound defence. Whilst he made some pretty scoring strokes on leg-side, after he had been batting little over an hour, he was rather cheaply bowled in trying to turn Ryan, but was beaten by the break.

 

Weir, to some extent, stopped the rot which was settling in, whilst Simpson and Scobie in the last wicket partnership made a big effort to avoid the follow-on, but failed by 7 runs. It was in attempting the second run that Scobie was run out. Unfortunately, Paterson developed a chill over the week-end and was unable to bat.

 

Following on 157 runs behind, Scotland fared even more disastrously than on their first venture. At the start Ryan and Spencer bowled so well that six wickets had fallen for forty.

 

Wales then rested their regular bowlers, but it made little difference to the attack, and the whole side were out for 78. The bowling honours in the match went to Ryan, for in Scotland's both innings he took six wickets for 72. In the second innings Clay and Arnott bowled extremely well.

(Article: Copyright © 2013 Cricket Scotland http://cricketscotland.com)