Daily Mirror – Friday 13 August 1926
A BOY SKITTLES OUT AUSTRALIANS
Takes five Wickets for 24 runs in an hour
LORD’S SENSATION
Crack Batsman Baffled by Young Giant’s Skill with Ball
An English school boy at Lord’s yesterday brought about the dramatic collapse of the Australians.
He was W.D.S. May, a young Army student who, playing for the Public Schools, took five of the Tourists’ best wickets in an hour for 24 runs.
Experts in the pavilion prophesied a great career for May, who is a right-hand bowler, with a disconcerting off break.
Yet he was chosen for his school, Wellington, because of his skill as a batsman!
5 OVERS, 5 WICKETS
Remarkable Bowling by a Boy Who Was Selected Because of His Batting.
W.D.S. May, the young bowler who caused such a dramatic collapse of the Australians, is an Army Student at Wellington.
A fast-drying wicket was certainly in his favour, but , nevertheless, it required great skill and knowledge of the game for him to put up such a performance.
Shortly after noon he was put on to bowl at the pavilion end, and in this first over beat Woodfull, with his score at 84.
In the next over he dismissed Ryder and Hendry.
His third over saw Richardson clean bowled, with his total at 4, and two overs late he got rid of Ellis, the Australians second wicket keeper.
Five Wickets in Five Overs
May’s official figures for yesterday were:_
Overs -7 Maidens – O Runs- 24 and Wickets -5
But, the five wickets fell in that number of overs. Altogether he was bowling only for an hour. The six wickets he obtained during the innings cost a total of 53 runs.
The full score of the Australians yesterday – 264 all out -although they did not field their strongest team, is regarded as one of the most satisfactory efforts of any English team.
May is a medium paced right hander, with an uncomfortable off break. He makes great use of his height.
May was very modest about his feat.
“You see,” he said “I was included in the school team for my batting. and managed to get to the top of the averages, but on the bowling I was nowhere, so my surprise at being put on to-day was almost as great as my surprise when I came off.”
“The whole story, is that I managed to find a patch in the wicket, and by dropping on that patch as often as I could, and swinging a bit as well as breaking, I got some wickets”
May is the son of Sir Reginald Seaburne May, D.S.O., who was a director of recruiting during the war.
Manchester Evening News – Thursday 12 August 1926
PLAYED FOR BATTING
Surprised at being asked to bowl
Mr W.D. S. May was very modest about his prowess as a bowler when approached during the luncheon interval.
“You see” he said :I was included in the school team for my batting, and managed to get to the top of the averages, but on the bowling I was nowhere, so my surprise at being put oil today was almost as great as my surprise when I came off. The whole story is that I managed to find the patch on the wickert and by dropping on it as often as I could and swinging a bit as well as breaking, I got some wickets,” and that was all this modest schoolboy would sat.
His father is Sir Reginald Seaburne May D.S.O., who was Director of Recruiting during the war.
He was mentioned in dispatches, and is an officer of the Legion of Honour, was awarded the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm, and was made a Commander of the Order of Leopold, and also received the American Order of Merit.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Friday 13 August 1926
Boy’s Great Feat Against Australians
TWO COLLAPSES
The feature of yesterday’s play in the match between the Public Schools, XV, and the Australians at Lords, was the splendid bowling of W.D.S.May, a Wellington boy, who caused a collapse of the Australians by taking in one spell five wickets for 24 runs. May, who bowls right-handed, slow to medium, made the ball turn quickly on the drying turf.
May stands well over 6 feet and is a typical flaxen-haired young Englishman. he makes great use of his height when bowling. His father is Sir Reginald Seaburne May, D.S.O., who was Director of Recruiting during the war.
Cricketing experts and prominent members of the M.C.C were jubilant in the pavillion after May’s efforts and they prophesy a great future for him as a bowler in county cricket. If he can spare the time from his military duties.
The most remarkable point of the performance is that May does not bowl very much as a rule and, as a matter of fact, was included in the team for his batting. Interviewed, he said his surprise at being put on was a great as his surprise when he came off.
At one stage the Australians looked likely to put up a big score, for Ponsford and Woodfull added 158 for the third wickets and took the score to 174 before the later was secured in the slips for 84. Then came May’s destructive spell…….
- To visit the full Genealogy Page please click on:-May
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