CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 40, 16 February 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

There was a bic of a look up in cricket last Saturday, far more spectators turning out than I have seen for a long time. Parnell met Gordon, and as was expected

received a severe gruelling, though at one time the Gordon boys did think they were not going to get the runs. A very exciting finish is promised in the Auckland-United match. The latter made 103, both the veterans, Yates and Testro, goiDg cheap, and C. Harvey and Hawkins totting up most runs. At the call of time Auckland had lost live wickets for 50 runs —a very poor beginning. ISleill had very hard lines in getting out, being run out. This players luck seems to have fallen on stony places lately. Cheeseman was 6 not out, and he continued his innings with \V. W. Robinson on Monday evening. The first two wickets fell quickly and then the Rev. I. Richards and C. *F. Reid got together and no efforts of Clayton, Stemson, Hawkins or McPherson could separate them. The wicket played slow after the recent rain, and the ball was anything but quick when struck. Both players played carefully, but failed not to lay the wood on when the chance occurred, and several fine strokes received loud applause from the spectators, not a very large number. The " parson " especially came in for a cheering when he rose Stemson to the on, a grand free hit that under ordinary circumstancs would have meant six, but the batsmen only ran four. This was on account of Reid, who was suffering from a severely injured leg. A short time back he received a knock on it, and ueglecting to give it any care the wound became badly inflamed, and on Monday was in a very bad state indeed. Naturally under these circumstance? the Auckland bat asked for someone to run for him, never dreaming,of a refusal, but he got one all the same. The United captain may have had very good reasons for refusing the customary privilege, but his decision has been severely animadverted upon by most sports in the place. To see Reid trying to rim was painful, and could nothave been conducive to pleasant feelings in the breasts of the "all blue 3." Anyway, the captain's action was certainly useful, for if Reid had been all rightanother dozen runs would have been sure to have been added to the score, as he could only get between the wickets very slowly. With reference to this matter, the United captain was not backward to apply for a man to run for him in the United-Gordon match when he had no more occasion for one than Mr Reid had. The Auckland's score at present stands at 77 for seyen wickets, they having three wickets to fall and 27 runs t© get to win. The match will be finished on Monday afternoon.

Mr W. W. Robinson, who has for such a number of years been intimately connected with Auckland cricket, football, and sport of all description, left for England via Sydney last Tuesday. I understand that " Billy " is not coming back. The following account of the great finish between Victoria and New South Wales, and the splendid victory achieved by Victoria* of which we had a cable notice, will bo read with interest by all. It is from the Sydney "Sporting Life," and is from the pen of " Bill Stumps":—

" Once more Victoriahas squared accounts with New South Wales in the cricket field, for to-day the matches, which have for thirty-two years been a source of legitimate enthusiasm between cricketers of the two colonies, stand equally divided, each colony having twenty-one wins apiecs to its credit. Perhaps I may not be going out of depths to recall the first contest—that of ISs6—when Victoria threw out a challenge to play New South Wales for £SCO a side, and so the nursery to the present matchea was founded. There are yet a few of the old school remaining with us, notably Gilbert, Hilliard, and O'Lewis. Harry Hilliard still looks hale and hearty, and says that he has witnessed every one of the forty - two matches that have been played. However, coming down a generation or two, brings us to the present day, and it is unnecessary to again go into detail over the triangular dispute between the V.C.A., the M.C.C., and the KS.W. C.A., bub whatever plea can be put forward it must be dispelled, because the M.C.O. should not wear the cloak of the V.C.A., although ifc cannot be urged that the representation of the team was in any way impaired. Coming to the actual play, I do not think- there can be found an enthusiast in the game who will begrudge the Victorians their glorious victory. For after New South Wales had knotched 240 runs in the first innings the visitors had to meet Turner, Ferris, and Charlton on wickets bhat were in every sense suitable to the bowlers, and therefore under these circumstances it must be admitted their score ©f 137 was a good one, but even that achievement was completely ' housted' by the remarkable manner in which they played up in the second innings, being as they were 103 runa behind, and then the ground was by long chalks not at its best, Ferris in particular • biting' and coming up at times almost perpendicularly, therefore I say their score of 178 on a spongy wicket against such a trio of bowlers more than outweighs their previous great performance. But the true pith of the loudation comes in when they set New South Wales 76 runa ta win on perhaps the most treacherous "wiokeb of the lot;, and so well

did ' Billy' Trumble and the sturdy lini Worrall bowl that although Victoria's lif hung by a thread at one time—that when four wickets were down for 48 and only 2& runs wanted to win—the dark blues worked like Trojans in the field, supporting the bowL iDg admirably,and theirsupreme efibrtgwere rewarded, for they won one of the grandest matches ever played between tho tanj colonies by only twelve runs.

" To describe the home team's second fo. nings would probably form a good outw for the pen of a humorist of the Frank Lincoln type, but not being of that tern. perament" myself I must give the facts plain and simple though they be, unclothed and. not 'loaded to the etc., you know,' p. £;, Percy McDonnell and Bannerman opon^ the innings to Trumbie and Worrall's bowling. Percy could not restrain himself, and letting fly at Trumble skied it, and Baby Walters made a pretty catch near the chains, and one for nil was notarienchanting frontispiece for the scoring boards. Mosea and the little stonewaller found ouc that the bowlers were cutting capers which were of a very trying nature, and it was wonderful how the prince of wicket-keepers—Black, ham—stopped the ball at all, but his eao-er eye and nimble lingers were always there. In fac o his taking of the ball was sanely marvellous. By dribs and drabs 23 slowlymade its appearance, and then the great* left-handed batsman was caught by Bruce off Trumble, and the spectators began to get uneasy. Jones's confident walk to the wicket uplifted the depression, but when Edwards made that magnificently-judged running catch, disposing of the University crack for two runs, and the score, three for 25, it began to strike us that the little game had not been settled yeb. Then Turner joined Bannerman, and things went on merrily for a time until 48 was on the board, when it looked a ' dead bird' for the light blues, but then the silver lining to our cloud had disappeared and down came our feelings like lucifere. Bannerman and Turner had been dismissed at 41 and 49, and Dunnan fell at 54, W. Pvichardson afc 57, Ferris at 63, and then down again came the Assyrian. Bruce knowing C. Richardson's stonewalling propensities fairly crouched himself under the JtJelvidere piayer's bat, and ' pop goes the weasel,' for the daring Bruce accomplished his end. Before ie could be realised Trumblo had c and b o'Hanlon, and the Victorians cheered and frisked about in ecstasies, congratulations were freely and deservedly showered on the shoulders of Trumble, Woirall, and the evergreen Blackham, all of whom played such an importanij part, and triumphantly carrying honour to the Victorian camp by dismissing New! South Wales for 63 runs." Clark and Company have won the Warehousemen's Cup for 18S9. Their victory last Saturday would have been all the more satisfactory if it had not been accompanied by a little unpleasantness about the umpiring. The English cricket team thafc is now play, playing in the colony were defeated in their first match. The scores were : Twenty-two of Western District, Ist innings 137, second 158; English Eleven, Ist innings 135, second innings 123. The local men thus won fay 17 runs.