Day's cricket at Temuka yielded 1102 runs

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 9

Day's cricket at Temuka yielded 1102 runs

WITH the new points scor- ’ tag systems introduced into club cricket this season, there is an interesting exercise for the cricketing statistician in trying to work out how many batting performance points the Australian touring team of 1914 would have earned for its display against South Canterbury at Temuka on March 3. There is a brief account of this remarkable display in T. W. Reese’s "New Zealand Cricket.” Some excerpts from a much fuller one which appeared in the. Christchurch "Evening News” have been provided by a former Christchurch player, who has the clipping. The setting was the Temuka Domain. Arthur Sims’s Australian XI included “Horseshoe” Collins, Victor Trumper, J. N. Crawford, M. A. Noble, W. W. Armstrong, C. E. Dolling, A. A. Mailey, and F. Laver. The facts: South Canterbury made 180, the Australians 922 for nine wickets. In the South Canterbury team were C. T. Rix, a fine left arm bowler who played for Canterbury and T. W. Lynch 11, one of the famous footballing family. When Collins was out for 29, Dolling for 11 and Laver for 4, South Canterbury was prospering. Then the onslaught, and the story is taken up by die "Evening News”: “Temuka will go down in the history of Dominion cricket as the place where 922 runs were scored in double quick time and where the previous highest individual score in New Zealand of more than 300 by Warwick Armstrong was passed by Crawford. "It was a masterpiece of aggressive batting. Even after he had passed the second century, and was approaching the third, he continued to smite the ball either for four or six. When Trumper was associated with him, runs came at such a rate that the scorers were kept going like niggers. Even the mighty Trumper had to play second fiddle for once. “An examination of the

scores, figures and times is truly astounding in its revelations. Here are some facts: Crawford’s first 50 took 46 minutes; his century 77 minutes; his 150, 100 minutes; his 200, 120 minutes; his 250, 148 minutes; his 300, 173 minutes; and his 354, 193 minutes. He hit 14 sixes and 44 fours. "With Trumper, he took the score from 600 to 700 in 19 minutes! They added 50 runs in nine minutes, another 50 in 10 minutes; and other 50s took from 13 to 15 minutes. “The scoring was undoubtedly a world’s record as far as time was concerned. Trumper batted in his usual brilliant style and really threw his wicket away. His first 50 took 32 minutes, the century 54 minutes, and his whole innings of 135 lasted only 69 minutes. He hit 21 fours and one six. “The bowling was good until the finish when fatigue broke it down. Crawford - has been accredited a hitter of great power, but on this occasion he excelled himself. With Trumper and Crawford going all out, it is hard to describe fittingly the sensational scoring.” The late Arthur Mailey was no doubt amused by the fact that he was not required to bat and probably concluded that with any other number 11 available,

the Australians would probably have reached 1000. Apart from Crawford’s 354 and Trumpet's 135, there were scores of 74 from W. McGregor, 106 from L. A. Cody, 57 from V. S. Ransford, and 77 not out from Noble. Rix was the most successful bowler —five for 229, from the equivalent of 25 eight ball overs, and one ball. This astonishing display was given only four days after Trumper and Sims had given a memorable performance at Lancaster Park in scoring 433 for the eighth wicket. Sims scored 184 not out and Trumper, in just three hours, made 293. It is something for today’s cricketers to aim at.