CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 65, 17 March 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

In replying to the toast of the Melbourne C. C. at Sydney on February 22, Mayor Wardill said that, although the Melbourne Club had lost heavily by Vernon's team, they had determined to carry out everything they had promised. He expressed his opinion that the Australian eleven would be badly beaten when they went home, and he was sorry to say so, but he thought the team that was going home was not strong enough. "Wanderer" writes, in the London "Sportsman":—" If not possessed of sufficieritauthority to rule a somewhat dissatisfied body such as the 1886 Austra'ian team, Mr H. J. H. Scott has undoubtedly proved his ability as a cricketer, and I am pleased to find that he is also rapidly making headway in his profession—the medical. He gained his M.R.C.S. some time since, and on January 21 received his degree of L.R.C.P., and was complimented by the examiners upon so doing." Lillywhite's team leaves Sydney, direct for Wellington, on March 17, arriving on March 22, playing at Wellington March 22, 23, 24, opening in ChriatchurCh on March 26, and leaving for England per a.s Coptic on March 31. The fight for supremacy in the cricket field among tho wbolesole drapery warehousemen was decided last Saturday on the Domain Cricket Ground, when Owen and Graham defeated Macky, Logan, Steen, and Co. with the greatest of ease. This makes the second consecutive season the first-named team have won the cup presented by the commercial travellers two years ago", and I understood that it would now become their own property. This, however, I find is not the case, and the cup has to be won yet another season before the

present; ÜbldefS ban claim it as their own. Next season a more fell-rOund Contest is anticipated, as two of the houses that dropped out this year intend putting strong elevens in the field next season. Owen and Graham will, therefore, have a harder battle to fight, but judging from the form they displayed on Saturday, with two of their best men absent, their third victory ought to be reckoned as pretty sure.

It will be interesting, no doubt, to cricketers and other athletes to read the following batting performances of Mr W. E. Barton during his residence in Auckland. To score over 4,000 runs in less than six seasons, or an average of over 40, is a grand result, and we expect it will be a very long time before his performances are equalled by any other cricketer, either resident or new arrival. Besides doing so well with the bat, Mr Barton has also performed remarkably well with the ball at times, and his fielding on good wickets was brilliant, but in these departments he has rather fallen away during the last two seasons, hig health not being quite so good as usual. As a lawn tennis player, he is in the very first flight of players in New Zealand, besides which he is a good high jumper, and has performed well as an amateur runner. *,; BATTING PERFORMANCES. Inn- Not Total Aver ings. out. runs. age. Representative matches. including interprovin- . cial matches and match v. Australians .. ..23 4 631 33 M 9 Matches played for the Auckland C.C 68 10 2,545 4351-58 Other Matches „ .., 25 6 838.44 2-19 Grand total .. ..116 20 4,014 4113-16 Mr Barton has topped the century nearly a dozen times in Auckland, his best scores being i 95, 190 and 171 not out.