FIRST AFRICAN TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 307, 28 December 1922, Page 5

FIRST AFRICAN TEST.

HOME TEAM'S GOOD SCORE. TOTAL OF 420 BUNS. M-C.C FOUR FOR 123 (By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright) ■(Received 2.30 p.m.) CAPETOWN, December 2". In the firet test match to-day the South Africans in their second innings scored 420. The M.C.C. team thug requires to score 387 runs in their second innings to win, and when stumps were drawn for the day they had lost four wickets for 123. The weather was fine and breezy when Taylor and Braun resumed South Africa's unfinished innings. Batting steadily, 300 appeared in 267 minutes. Frequent bowling changes were tried, but Taylor saw Braun, Ward, and Francois dismissed before making a fatal miss-hit to cover point, his wicket being the eighth. He batted a chancelees innings lasting 310 minutes, and played all round the wicket except the square cut, hitting , 25 fours. Blanckenberg and Nupen made the pace-merry. The Englishmen started making runs quickly, but soon eased down. Sandham and Itead each gave a hard chance before the first wicket fell. Sandham fell at 56, knocked up in 76 minutes. The bowling ■was good and the fielding keen. Head, wUp was playing like a rock, went at 99. The third wicket fell at 114, and Kennedy was dismissed soon after by an easy catch. The attendance '.otalled 7,000. CAREFUL BATTING. The weather was bright and cool and the wicket good for the second day of the match. The attendance numbered lfi.ooo. The Englishmen's innings terminated half an hour before luncheon. Blankenbwg'e leg theory proved most effective, and the fielding of the home team was brilliant. The South Africans showed more confidence in their second innings than in their first, but their batting on the whole was on the careful side. Taylor particularly played warily, preferring safe straight drives and declining to be enticed by Woolley's "donkey drops." The Englishmen's bowling was consistently good in length and judgment. Frequent changes were made. The first century took 9;> minutes to compile and the second century appeared at the end of three hours' play. Taylor's 100 took 177 minutes. The partnership of Taylor and Ling added 100. Nourse and Braun played excellent cricket. Leg before wicket appeals throughout the day were numerous and caused considerable barracking among a section of the crowd.'— Following arc the scores: — SOUTH AFRICA. First innings 148 Second Innings. Catterall, c Woolley, b Gilligan ... 17 Hearnc, c Kennedy, b Gilligan .... 27 bourse, c Fender, b Jupp 20 Ling, b Kennedy 38 Taylor, c Gilligan. b Kennedy .... 17ti Braun, c Fender, l> Gilligan —.... 50 Ward, b Jupp 10 Francois, c iUann, b Jupp l .. > '•*! Blanckenberg, b Kennedy 30 Nupen, st Urown, b Kennedy 23 Buys, not out 4 "Extras 16 Total 420 Bowling: Gilligan took three wickets for 69 runs, Kennedy four for 132, Fender none for 64, Jupp three for 87, Woolley none for 33, Stevens none for 19. ENGLAND. ~ First innings 182 Second Innings. Sandham, lbw, b Blanckenberg 25 Mead, b Nupen 49 Carr, c Taylor, b Nupen 27 Woolley, not out 15 Kennedy, c Blanckenberg, b Nupen 0 Mann, not out , ** Extras 7 Total for four wickets 123 — (A. and X.Z. Cable.) While several of the South Africans have had experience of test cricket, others are having their first trial. Tay-; lor, the captain, is regarded as the beet batsman in Africa. He was very successful against the last English team, and did well against the Australians. He is a fine bold batsman. Dave Norse, the veteran of African cricket, is a stolid etonewaller whose wicket is always hard to get. Catterall has jumped to the front quickly, ac he did not play against the last Australian eleven. He notched a century for Transvaal against the M.C.C. team. Ling. of Griqualand, is a batsman with a good style, who goes for the ball and plays attractively. Hearne is the young English professional at Capetown, whose solid batting yields many goo"d scores. Ward is the wicketkeeper. The two star bowlers of the side are Blanckenbers, a veteran, and Nupin, a youngster of great premise. Both are of medium pace, and Blanckenberg has proved himself quite high-class.