THE FIRST TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 308, 29 December 1924, Page 5

THE FIRST TEST.

AUSTRALIA'S VICTORY. WON BY 193 RUNS. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) SYDNEY, December 27. The final phase of the first Test cricket match, England v. Australia, was entered upon at the cricket ground today in fine, bright weather. In the seven days' play varied conditions, from sweltering heat to cold rain, and from calm to a gale writh a dust storm thrown in, have been experienced. Collins undoubtedly was fortunate to win the toss, thus allowing Australia to have first strike. Taken all round the cricket has been of a high standard in all respects, batting, bowling and fielding, with the Englishmen perhaps giving the more polished exhibition. A feature of the game has been the determined stand made by the tails of both teams and the number of new records established, both on the field and regard to attendances. The crowd all through has taken a keen interest in every stroke. Plenty of advice and comment came from the hill but nothing objectionable. Woolley and Freeman to-day continued their overnight partnership, which had produced 86, the latter showing that he possessed a variety oi scoring strokes not altogether expected from him. Woolley showed more certainty in dealing with Mailey than any of the others and showed confidence and skill in dealing with the other bowlers. He reached his century in 120 minutes with a cut to the boundary. Both he and Freeman carried on forcefully, sending both Mailey and Gregory to the boundary frequently. The hundred for the partnership took 60 minutes. On passing the previous highest sco.-b for the match Woolley was warmly applauded. Four hundred appeared tor 353 minutes' batting.

Four runs later Woolley snicked a ball from Gregory to Mailey at third slip. He had batted 146 minutes and hit one six and fifteen fours. The ninth wicket yielded 128. Strudwick did not last long, leaving Australia victorious by 193 runs. Free- , man batted 88 minutes and hit nine fours. The innings lasted 374 minutes. Following are the scores: — AUSTRALIA. IFirst innings .-... 450 Second innings -. 452 ENGLAND. t v First innings =....---..... 298 f Second Innings. J Hobbs, c Hendry, b Mailey -.-... 57 Sutcliffe, c Gregory, b Mailey ...... 115 { Hearne, b Gregory 0 Chapman, c Oldfield, b Hendry ...-.- 44 t Hendren, c Gregory, b Hendry .... 9 Woolley, c Mailev, b Gregory .... 123 Sandham, c Oldfield, b Mailey 2 t Tate, c Ponsford, b Kelleway 0 , Gilligan, b Kelleway 1 t Freeman, not out 50 ( Strudwick, b Hendry ■ 2 Extras 8 Total 411 Bowling: Gregory took two wickets for 115 runs, Kelleway two for tlO, Mailey three for 179, A. Richardson none for 13, Hendry three for 36. The fall of the wickets was as follows :• One for 110, two for 127, three for 195, four for 212, five for 263, six for 269, seven for 270, eight for 276, nine , for 404, ten for 411. — (A. and N.Z. Cable.) AFTER THE BATTLE WHY THEY FAIEED. (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, December 28. Having taken for granted that Australia would win the first Test, the newspapers have been discussing remedies. The "Daily Express" says editorially: "The lesson is we cannot win by batting alone. Gilligan will hardly venture again to take the field minus Douglas, Kilner, or Tyldesley. The doubt held ■before sailing concerning the adequacy of the team's bowling is unshaken after this thrilling, if disappointing contest." The "Daily Herald" emphasises the need for including Douglas and Kilner, who are also good batsmen. —A. and N.Z. The big scoring in the match finished on Saturday, recalls that played at Sydney in December, 1894. It began and ended with sensations that aroused feelings of the utmost chagrin—for Australians. Richardson, bowling with surprising speed, put out Trott, Lyons, and Darling in the first few overs of the match for 21 runs, but Iredale (81), George Giffen (161), Syd. Gregory (201), and Blaekham (74), effected a marvellous recovery, and Australia finished the first innings with 586 runs (the second highest total on record in Test cricket). That seemed a -winning total, and when England responded bravely with 325 in the first innings, or 261 runs behind, victory seemed almost assured for Australia. Following on England eventually saved the innings defeat, and batting gamely to the last man, scored 437 in the second innings. To get 177 runs seemed a mere "figleaf," as a task for Australia. So it should have been, but men secure in the assurance of victory dawdled on the fifth afternoon in making 113, for two wickets; overnight, heavy rain intervened, and the remaining eight wickets on a saturated pitch could only muster 53 runs on the morrow, and the match was lost—and won, by ten runs. All Australia was astounded —even as she was when the M.C.C. routed the strong '96 Australian team at Lord's for IS miserable runs. It was an amazing result. Briggs and Peel, the left-hand bowlers worked all the havoc. Stoddart the captain of England in that match, said in after years in London, that he had never seen such deadly bowling as that of "Bobby" Peel on this occasion. As a matter of" fact the pitch at one end was ever so much more difficult than at the other end, being made up, owino- to its peculiar lay out, of two different kinds of soil (Merri Creek at one end and Bulli at the other). "Bobby" Peel bowled to the difficult end, and was pactically unplayable; he got six wickets for a very few runs. Thus was the good work of days spoilt by a thunderstorm—from the Australian viewpoint.

A shark followed a liner in the North Atlantic for three days. Nothing would induce it to leave until a resourceful passenger dropped a note overboard informing the shark that there was a.