CRICKET.

ALBION V. AVONSIDE,

I Thursday, the 17th instant, was a day which I l-oughfc not to be forgotten in the annals of.cricket \ tin tins province, for then, for the first time, two I 1 regularly constituted clubs engaged .one another. II About two months ago, the idea that a cricket" club Jr might be established with advantage, struck the I citizens of Ohristchurch. A meeting was called, i and the Albion Cricket Club sprang into existence. II j Within a very few weeks, the parish of Avbnside ll^stablished their club, at first entirely consisting of H Avonside men. The club was however afterwards m thrown open tp the, world, and many valuable I additions have since been made to it Of course two ||iival clubs could not long be within; such a short j| distance of one another without each being anxious i*° tl 7 which was superior, -Accordingly the |i Avonside club, being the youngest, sent a challenge If to the Albion club to play a match on the Avon|jßide ground, which by the way, has been laid down Kby permission in a meadow belonging to the farm MoX the president, Mr. W. G;Bnttari, who, taking IJthe greatest interest in the game, has given the ||club this great advantage. The challenge'; was Iftwxsepted for Thursday, the 17th insf apt- arid on Hi i daytne first real match since the decease of |f the late Christchureh Club was played. II The captain of the Albion eleven won the toss |and sent the Avonside in. Play commenced about 111 o'clock The bowling of Dickeiisori on the side lof the Albion club was universally and: deservedly Ipraised—and the underhandof Marshall was good of fits sort. The battingof Da we and Stewart of the A voniside eleven was very effective, the former making |25, and the latter 18/ The Avonside went out |about 2 o'clock for 72 runs, when the Albion took Itheir turn. The batting of Auckland and BarSf grove, although the latter was unfortunate,'was admired-, and,-owing to the roughness Jof the.ground—and the Avonside bowling being, !* with the exception of Dickenson's, faster than that of i-the Albion—the latter were to runup a % good score of byes. ■. The bowling of Croft, whose is familiar to-all the' Cricketers in the Pro?;,fmce, was very good and true.; However, the tenth went down at about half-past 5, for 85 runs, v hKiving the Avonside 13 behind. . ; ; f|l came the tug of war. Avonside was not vJj>°"in£ *° De;^ ilten,-nor was Albion, and the went in again, determined to make a score to be surpassed. Again did Stewart and Dawe |pbiad the score, the former making 30 and the latMter 14.^ The whole eleven evidently did " all they ['*knew," and at 7 o'clock the stumps were drawn leaving tliem two wickets to go dowri,the score being 113. was arranged ,bj the Captains that the two l^lev^ns , should commence proceedings the next 11, and accordingly all the Avonside ,fand about, five or six of the Albion men were on j'the ground at'tliat hour. Three of the Albion men 'did not appear at all, arid one or two were very late. ,'As there seem' to be many Clnbs about to rise, Mplicenixlike, from the ashes of the Christchurch { j,Club, we think, if may not be out of place to re|mark that purictiiality in attendance, especially in ;|matches, and implicit obedience to the Captain, are golden rules in cricket. We feel especially impound to notice these points as the circumstance §not unfrequently happens that was remarkable £*JDn this occasion, that a few who were extremely dclaraorous for beginning at Eleven in.preference to

all other hours ' either came very late or never turned up at all.

13nfc ; . to return to tlio match, tho two Avonaido wickets soon .went down on Friday morning, leaving tho Albion men 110 Inns to get"in order to win ; and the eight who went in did their bostand ' tried their hardest. But tho bowling of Croft was too much to stand; against, and that of Dawe had evidently improved. R. Marshall made a 1 fine hit for five, but on the other hand Stewart uiado two vory fine catches at slip, thereby relieving Avonside of the presence of two good bats, Marshall and Slee. The seven wickets went down for fifty runs, leaving 59 in favor of Avonsido. ~ Wo cannot refrain from mentioning the particularly good longstopping of Voel for Avonside. Considering the remarkable difficulty of stopping fast bowling on rough ground, he certainly picked the balls up wonderfully ; but on the whole the fielding of the. Albion Eleven was decidedly superior to that of their antagonists. The score was as follows:— A V ONSIDE, FIRST INNINGS. J, C. Veel, 1 b vr, b Dickenson 5 G. Miles, b Marshall 2 A. C. Croft, b Marshall o E. F. B. Harston, c Turner, b Dickenson ... 3 W. H. Dawe, c E. Marshall, b J. Marshall 25 J. Longden, b R. Mar5ha11..!.......... 6 F. E. Stewart, c J. Marshall, b R. Marshall 18 • G. Palairet, c Green, b Dickenson o A. Blakiston, c Turner, b Dickenson • 1 ,T. Henley, not out : o S/S. Field, b R Marshall o Wides, 6 ; byes 6. : 12 T0ta1.......... ;...■ 72 SECOND INNINGS. J. C. Veel, b Merton 6 G. Miles, c Auckland, b Dickenson 1 o A. C. Croft, b Merton..... 2 E. F. B. Harston, Ib w,b Bargrove... 11 W. H. Dawe, c Auckland, b Dickenson 14 J. Longden. not out 0 F. E. Stewart, b Merton.... .....;.. 30 G. Palairet, 1 b w, b Merton 5 A. Blakiston, b Dickenson. 3 ..T. Henley, b Dickenson 13 S. S. Field, b Bargrove ', q Wides, 3; byes, 19; leg byes, 6 28 Total 122 Grand total 194 ALBION. - FIKST INNINGS. - ' '■ ' J.Auckland, b Croft 11 J. Marshall, 1 b w, b Blakiston..... 0 R. Marshall, b Croft 0 H. Green, b Croft .".!....! 9 G. Turner, run0ut....... ..............!.]]...:..' 2 W. Bargrove, b Croft ;..'.'. 1 C. Merton, run out •.."" 14 . G. Ford, b Croft .'...........' 0 F. Slee, not out „.!{.'!.'!.' 5 G. Dickenson, b. Croft ...!.........'.'.'.!.'.'. 5 J. Wood, run out „ 8 Wides, 4; byes,. 23; leg byes, 3 ............. 30 T0ta1........................... 85 SECOND INNINGS. J. Auckland, run out... .......' 3 J. Marshall, c Stewart, b Croft ............... 2 R: Marshall, b Dawe .^:. 17 H. Green, b Dawe '. 2 G. Turner, not 0ut........................:. [. 0 W. Bargrove, c and b Cr0ft..............'..'..... 0 C. Merton, no appearance......................./ 0 'G. Ford, no appearance 0 F. Slee, c Stewart, b Dawe 4 G. Dickenson, b Croft 3 J. Wood, no appearance..................... 0 Wides, 9; byes, 9; no balls, 1 19 Total. 50 : Grand t0ta1......;........135