TO-DAY'S PLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 2, 3 January 1929, Page 5

TO-DAY'S PLAY.

Australia Three Wickets Down

For 143.

WOODFULL STILL IN,

'At/Ktralian and X.Z. Pres- Association;

(Received 3 p.m.)

MELBOURNE, this day. With 118 runs on for two wickets in their second innings in the third Test match against England, the Australians resumed batting shortly after noon today. The not out men were Woodfull )C4) and Kippax )34). A separation was soon effected, Kippax only adding seven to his overnight score. Woodfull was then 77. The following are the details of the scores:— AUSTRALIA. First Innings 397 Second Innings. Woodful, not out 77 Richardson, h Larwood \ .'.".'. 5 Hendry, st Duckworth, b White".'. 12 Kippax out 4i Extras 8 Total forthree wickets 143 ENGLAND.—First Innings. Hobbs, c Oldfield, b A'Beckett 20 Sutcliffe, b Blaekie 58 Hammond, c A'Beckett, b Blackie . 200 Chapman, b Blackie 24 Hendren, c A'Beckett, b Hendry .. 19 Jardine, c and b Blackie 62 Larwood, c and b Blackie 0 Geary, lbw, b Grimmett 1 Duckworth, c and b Blackie 3 Tate, c Kippax, b Grimmett 21 White, not out .. 8 Extra ~, 1 Total 417 The bowling analysis was as follows:— Overs. M. K. Wkts. Blackie 44 13 94 0 A'Beckett 37 7 92 1 Grimmett 55 14 114 2 Oxenham 35 11 67 0 Ryder 4 0 14 0 Hendry 28 3 35 I THE ENGLISH BATTING. "Disappointing For First Time Of The Tour." PRAISE FOB BLACKIE.

(Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, January 2. "The Australians have a chance of victory. They're fighting and "will continue to fight desperately," says "Plum" Warner in the "Morning Post." Warner admits the English batting was disappointing for the first time of the tour, and definitely disclosed a tail. The Australian bowling was the best yet shown. Blackie, who is old to begin playing Tests, proved Australia's best bowler. Always extraordinarily fit, he was able to keep on, however trying the temperature. Like Trumble, he deceives the batsmen, even when thoroughly set, by the flight of the ball.

Large crowds should continue to see extremely interesting cricket, wherein every ball is fraught with possibilities.

Clem Hill regards the odds as being in Australia's favour. Hammond, he says, is the nearest approach to the greatest batsman who ever lived, Victor Trumper. "I take off my hat to him, for he belongs to the ranks of the greatest batsmen of all time."

When Hammond improves his onside play he will be the greatest batsman at present playing. He may eclipse Sutcliffe's Test record of 734 runs in one season in Australia.

Blackie is the only dangerous bowler. Australia's fielding was not up to the standard expected. After Richardson's first grievous failure Ryder, he thinks, should have gone in himself. Hill still thinks that Tate is the one bowler Australia has to fear, as Larwood has nothing like his previous pace. Lord Tennyson describes England's innings as a "one man show," even remembering Sutcliffe and Jardine.

Surely W. Rhodes, he says, is the only other veteran in the world comparable to the evergreen Blackie. He comments on the excellence of the wicket-keepers. "Surely five byes between them is another world's record."