The remarkable collapse of the West Indian eleven in the first Test match against England has not been accounted for in the telegraphic reports of the game, but it may have some connection with the weather. Undoubtedly pitches in other parts of the country were very difficult, as witness the extraordinary scores at Sheffield, where Yorkshire made only 83 and skittled out Derbyshire for 20 runs. From the fragmentary broadcast reports of the Test match received in Shanghai on Saturday night, the pitch at Lords was, up to the tea interval, in favour of the batsmen, the ball seldom rising as much as stump high. This gave England's fast attack no assistance, and it is therefore not surprising that the West Indies were able to go to tea in the strong position of 226 runs for four wickets. By the time this appears in print it will be known what Gimblett has done with the bat in his first Test, but from the broadcast accounts he has already covered himself with glory in the field. Some of his work was brilliant, while the catch with which he dismissed Weeks when that batsman seemed to be set, was quite out of the ordinary—a hard hit, rising ball, taken close in. The performance of Headley, the "black Bradman," was extremely fine, though he seems to have been fortunate on two occasions, once cocking up a ball to leg just out of reach of the fielders, and a second time behind the wicket. Neither of the two occasions could be termed a "chance," and thus there is no blemish on his century.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.