INTER-STATE CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 7

INTER-STATE CRICKET.

SHEFFIELD SHIELD. AUSTRALIAN MATCHES. QUEENSLAND'S BIG TASK. (By Cable.— Press Association.— Copyright. , ]\rELBOURNE, December 21. Queensland faced a big task when they opened their second innings. 3Sl> runs behind Victoria, whose first strike yielded 533 runs (King 50). Bowling for Queensland Bensted took two wickets for 70 runs and Oxenham four for 125. The weather was fine and the wicket good. King, a University colt, handled the bat with freedom. R. Oxenham's 'performance with the ball was most meritorious, as he is suffering fron\ a lame leg following an injury sustained in an earlier match. Queensland, in their second innings, have lost five wickets for 123 (O'Connor .38, Rowe 19 not out, Hayes 16 not out). The visitors, with a large deficit to make up and facing accurate bowling, batted carefully, runs coming very slowly. O'Connor played a resolute innings in an attempt to hold his aide together. S.A. V. N.S.W. INTERESTING POSITION. ; ■ • -ADELAIDE, December 21. The score at the close of to-day's play in the match South Australia v. N.S.W. reveals an interesting position. NewSouth Wales-with eight wickets in hand require 272 runs to pass the home team's total. South Australia have made 500 and 28G in their two completed strikes and their opponents 341 and 174 for two wickets. Resuming to-day, South Australia carried their score to 286 (Alexander 104, Pritchard 27, Grimmett 30). McNamee took four wickets for 69 runs, Mailey two for 00, and McQuirk three for 20\ New South Wales, in their second innings, have lost two wickets for 174 runs (Phillips 34, Andrews 69 not out, Kippax 37 not out). The weather was fine and the wicket was wearing well. Pritchard failed to add to his overnight score, giving an easy catch off the first ball he received. Alexander, the other overnight not out man. with the assistance of Grimmett, slowly (mostly by singles) reached the century just before lunch. On resuming he added four when Ratcliffe dismissed him by a smart catch. He batted for four hours. McQuirk and McXamee. backed up bykeen fielding, made short work of the "taik" New South Wales made the pace merry from the start in their second innings, and Andrews and Kippax were batting freely when time was called.