CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 58, 9 March 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

As I anticipated in my remarks of last week, the finish of the match between Gordon and United was a very close and exciting one. United were favoured with a beautiful lig-ht and a wicket, which did not help the Gordon in any way. The two not-outs, McPherson and Testro, played acainst Williams and Lusk. Runs came very slowly at first, the fielding being good and the batsmen very careful. In the third over McPherson made a nice harrow drive for 3, and Testro scored a couple to leg off the samo over, and 60 appeared on the telegraph. Kelly replaced Williams at the pavilion end, and both batsmen scored fast oft' the change, Testro making a line cut for 4, and McPherson making a nice drive for 3. Keily was removed for D. Meldrum, and the change turned out to be a lucky one, as the stonewaller was well caught by C. L. Clayton at mid-ou. He had played well for 16, and beyond a rather sharp chance to Kissling when he had made 10, his innings was a good one. The score was 6 wickets for 71, when Hawkins joined McPherson. The new comer soon made matters lively, but wassplendidly caught by Moresby, when he appeared to be getting well set, off IT. Williams, who was bowling instead ot 11. J3. Lusk, taking 7 wickets for 83. W. Harvie joined McPherson, who had all this tinio been makingl runs steadily, arsd playing really sound cricket; however, his end was near now, as he put his leg where his bat ought to have been, and 8 wickets showed S3. McPherson played a really good innings for 25, his off hitting being particularly effective and gave only one hard chance to R. B. Lusk at point. I should mention, however, that he was outl.b.w. to H. B. Lusk before he had scored, but the bowler neglected to appeal. McCormick was the next comer, but in the first over he was finely caught off D. Meldrum by H. B. Lusk, and the Gordon boys were very jubilant. Johnson, the last man, joined Harvie, and with only ten to get Williams bowled a terribly long hop, which the United wicket keeper hit hard for four. Six runs to get to win, Johnson made a single and then Harvie was caught by H. B. Lusk off Meldrum, and the closest and most exciting game ever played on the ground was won by the Gordon by 5 runs, and I think the result of this match gives them the cup. United took their defeat as food cricketers ought to, with one exception. I trust he will not let his tongue slip again as he did last Saturday. His comrades did all they could, and he should have known it. They had the worst of a bad wicket the first day, but the second Saturday ii: played much easier, and the • bowlers could get very little work on theball. With an hour and a half to play, Gordon batted splendidly, getting 110 for four wickets, but my space will not allow me to go into details. Williams again played a fine free innings for 39. This player made 76inhia bwoinnings, andgofc4 wickets for 17, while he fielded well all through. Moresby and Lask both played good cricket for 24 (not out) and 27.

The match between Parnell and Auckland was continued last Saturday, Parnell having four wickets to fall and 49 runs to {jet to win. Auckland, fielding two short, soon extinguished this hope, as only 17 runs were added when the last wicket fell. Holle and Ripley were the not outs. The former was soon run out through a good piece of fielding by Nash, who returned quickly to Beale, by whom the stumps were smartly put down. A short stand was then made by Carter and Ripley, but eventually Chceseman caught Carter off Beale and McDonald bowled the latter, both men going immediately after one another. Moore and Donald were the next men, but an end soon came, as the latter was out to a fine catch in the slips by Beale off McDonald's bowling. It will thus be seen that Beale had a hand in three out oi the four outstanding wickets. The total reached 89, thus leaving the old club winner by 31 runs. As there were not enough Parnell men to go on with the match, the sides combiued and had a very pleasant nraofcice for the rest of the afternoon.

Six hundred and thirty-five is the total the University Club made against the Alberts in Sydney, the match of which I gave the start last week. T. Garretb completed his innings for 274. He has the honour of having made the highest score in a senior club match in Sydney, and the large total made by his team is also reported to be the highest made in such a contest. H. Lee 123, and G. Barbour 102, also did a lot of run getting. The Alberts must really have enjoyed themselves, as the match was only a two days' one and they were in the field the whole time.

Says the "Melbourne Sportsman": " Some of the English sporting papers have been discussing1 the long throw made recently on the Melbourne Cricket Ground by Crano, one of the American baseball pitchers. They point out that Crane's throw only beats the record by one ]'ard and four inches, since Mr E. B. Fawcett, on one occasion, at Brighton College, threw the ball 124 yards 4 inches; but it is naively admitted that it was down hill and the thrower had the wind behind him. Under the same circumstances, but without any help from the wind, I, ' A Bohemian ' writes in bhe 'Herald,' have myself thrown a stone 250 yards, but it was considerably down hill, in fact, down a precipice. However, the record for a long throw is held b}' neither an American nor an Englishman, but by a Queensland black, who threw the cricket hall 140 yards on even ground, and Mr Donald Wallace, the winner of the last Melbourne Cup, was the man who measured it. There is no denying; it, the black brother is a factor in Australian athletics, and with Jackson in the ring and Samuels on the cinders, only a coloured oarsman is required to effectually put the modern white man in his little bed." The "Sydney Referee" prints an account of the feat taken from the files of a paper of December, 1872, when it was performed. It is undoubtedly genuine, so much so that with the tape the distance thrown was 142£ yards, and 2h yards was allowed for deviation. The exact distance thrown by the American baseballsr (Crane) was 128 yards 10^- inches.