CRICKET.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9941, 21 January 1898, Page 5

CRICKET.

THE THIRD TEST MATCH.

United Pre* Aieocifttiou— By Electric Telegraph— Copyright. Received January 20Ur, 9.35 a.m. ADELAIDE, January 20. It would be absurd to argue that the run margin justly represents the difference between the strength of the teams, but it represents pretty accurately the difference between the merits of their respective play. During the match from beginning to end the Australians had the upper hand and maintained their advantage until a series of fine catches bmught the second innings of the Englishmen to rather sudden close. These catches, two of them by Jones, one by Noble and one by Kelly, were worthy of the occasion. After the match MacLaren took the best bat he had in his bag and sent it to Kelly, to show' his appreciation of the catch which dismissed him. It was a graceful act of recognition. MacLaren's batting was the feature of the day, and the Australians fear him more than they do Ranjitsinhji. The latter, they say, risks his wicket sometimes and gives one a show, but MacLaren does not. MacLaren held up his side, and after he departed the remaining three wickets fell for an additional 20 runs, all of them from the bat of Stoddart, who, at times, exhibited patches of his old brilliancy. The bowling maintained iv excellence right up to the end, and it wa3 the bowling as much as the batting that won the match. "We can put it in two jiffa," observed Phillips, when the game was over. The Australian bowling was better in the second innings, and was divided between Noble and McLeod. The analysis to the contrary notwithstanding, Noble's performance was superior. Howell bowled admirably, but without luck. Ranjitsinhji reckons that he found him more difficult than anybody. Jones, owing to his injured shoulder, was unable to send down more than one over. The fielding throughout was first-class, though it was scarcely up to the level of the bowling and batting. The wicket lasted splendidly, and the spots which at one time threatened failed to develop. Ranjitsinhji, interviewed, said, " The catching of the Englishmen was* abominable, and I am ashamed to say that I was the chief culprit. The ground fielding was not in reality so bad as was supposed, for the field was on the rough side and the ball dodged away, but the Australian fielding was superior to ours. In every department of the game we were outplayed, and beaten—in the bowling, batting, and fielding, but more especially, and that is the long and the short of it, and I say it ungrudgingly, in the bowling." Sir Edwin Smith, in proposing the health of the two team*, apologised to Ranjitsinhji if anything in the conduct of some of the spectators hurt his feelings. He hoped that it was not true that be had expressed his determination not taf play in Adelaide again. Ranjitsinhji accepted the apology. It was quite true Ih»t he said that if Stoddart had no objection he would not play again in South Australia. He thought that his presence was unwelcome, and so had no wish to play. Bad feeling had been aroused against him by the Press of the colony, which had gone out of its way in commenting on a certain article which he wrote in the .Review of Reviews. Stoddart says that the Australians played vastly superior cricket to his team. c