A CRICKET CLIMAX.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 7

A CRICKET CLIMAX.

' ♦ - RECORD PARTNERSHIP. HILL AND HARTIGAN TRANSFORM : THE OUTJLOOK. SOMF CHANCE? MISSED, ' Br TELEQRArn—I'KESS ASSOCIATION—COPIBIQB7. . (Reo. Jan. 14, 9.15 p.m.) . 'Adelaide,' January 14; i Tho feature to to-day's play in tho third 'lest was tho breaking of the eighth, wicket rooord in Test matches by Hartigan and Hill, tho latter of whom Jiad.beeiY..holdiin: i.eservo owing to his indisposition. ' The partnership completely transformed the aspepfc of the match. Sevcp wickets were down for ISOrr-giving Australia p. lead of 102 on first innings' total;' ! w>th' "'only thrcp; wi.pkots 111 hand-rand the- ■" Queens- 1 • landep and the South Australian oarncd the score to 397 without loss of wicket, making 217 runs (including sundries) for the partner ship, and placing aboveEngland's. The match wait resumed in j broiling weather, wth a: shade .temperature of over 107. The attendance, was. 8200, tho gate takings amounting to £173- • \ NOBLE LEAVES,, EARLY, Noble (G3) and O'Connor (4), tho not-out {latsmou, faocd tho bowling of Fielder and Barnos, tho total being,-i133/v Only two' run? were added when'Noblo cut a ball-from l<ipldcr into the hands'of .Gunn at' third map.. Noble batted i j2.,hour3 SO minutes, and his innings wasi'hiarlcod by dogged determination. ■ v■' ItansFord opened ,' ' Presently O Connor got eight of opo. pver of Ra,rncs, and Ransford did the same to Fielder, 150 going up in 3 hours 13 minutes. At 156 Crawford. and Braund bowled. ■ -•/••• The scoro roso steadily, but at 179 Ransford mis-hit and was easily caught at mid-on. Ho was in for 45 minutes,'and shaped nicely. : : Ono run more and O'Connor was beaten by Crawford. His useful innings lasted an hour and a quarter. 21,": 1 .V' "■ A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. . No more wickets fell—befwe-^uaehp-when-the total was 199—Hartigan—12, - Hill - 6. Fielder and Barnes had charge of the pfter luncheon. Hill drovo Fielder to" the bpnndary, making the total; 200, ljit .ups jn 248 minutes. *■ ' The samo batsman drove Barnes -to the boundary. Hartigan gotjtß-;i^Qnp :^vor. -fromFielder, and 25 runs '■ wero'' added in '?a\ quarter of an .hour. At 224 Rhodes Replaced. Fielder, and the change stoadied"tbe*scpring'.' Crawford relieved-Barnes Ist 233. . . In' his second over Hartigaiij- ri whq'f;had;Hhen y sppr6d 32, cocked' up a ball, _buty;FieldPr[ . running ifrom third man, over-ran it;:.and' allowcdi it: to pass through his ahn:"* fJiiVneift' Ml;^as' driven for four.. w'' *_.-'j:j, When Hill was 22 ihfr drove--a ball from Rhodes straight to pnly to see jt. dropped. . He" also ! gavo covorrpoint a diiEcnlt:..chanee.;:.'!^i, At 259 Braund replaccxl^'llliVdcs..!'ltijns cam 6 freely from linn,- 1 Hilb : driving .' two balls to tho' boundary r> Barnes were ordered;.®) .at., .off,tho former'gaye .the AustValiaUs'a'.'lead of 200. • : ',■ TOO. HpTHTp^i^bLDi>!>-'= .-V. Hill, \vhen ,his 39, siiickedi a ball from Htitchinga' td' BraUnd's kft hand, but it' was too .hot, Vpl i liold,!;3nd'.iped: I fpr four. Tlio over, yielded; 10' runs; ; . ■ ■:'"■ Hartigan reached |j0 'iii >75 uiinutes.. Hil] followed Inhi to tho half-cehtury shortly afterwards, the task'/vhayingi 102 minutes. The total ;pf'^p ; "was/hoistcd : ; in 33.6 miuutes. . . . ...Ji, ,1. At tho tea a.djpurpniei)t; : ;: thV - total was 309—Hartigan 64, Hill ;60. ''Crawford'':arid lthodes bowled tea. Hill, \niih a fine drive for four and a , hook.' for/three .off, Rhodes, passed: Hartigan's' score', and a leg glanco for a quartette off. Crawford :rnade* him top scorer of tho match:j S '.\J'T. ■}' Runs now capio rapidly. Hartigan again passed Hill, and kept in front ofTiTnT." Thetotal of 350 wont lip after Gi liours' batting. ' • i) 3 HARTICAN'S CENTURY. Tho batsmen ran numerous smart runs, and these induced. oVerthrows. ~' Fielder and Braund were brought on. agairij 'aiid runs came rapidly off the lattor; - •■-. ->•'• ■■ Witli a three and ■a. one off Braund, Hartigan reached the' century in 'his- first' Test, aiid the crowd gavo'him. an.'.immense oVation. Presently the "Englishmen wore set 300 'to win, and thpr partiiprship - had produced 200. - -. ; ■ Directly afterwards Rhodes ■ relieved Fielder. Hill cut tho 1 "first ""ball' for. jfouiy making his hundred,, which Jia^'takoii'him 183 niin'utcs. Ho, top,'rccpivcd -an ovation Tho. record for the'..eiglith- wickot 'in a match (154) had lorife ' sinco boon ' passed. Crawford relieycd Braund just beforo the finish, but tho batsmon. took 110 risks land played out tiino. , Hartigan was in for 3 hours-.29 minutes, and played a great nnijiigs, dofensivo, yet forceful! Ho hit elpvpn fours. 1 • ;: HILL'S P».UPI<Y EFFORT. Hjl], who began ' Stcfi'dily,' finished irreproachably, although) -.twice during tho afftornoon 110 was so overcome by his cxcrtjpts that lie had fits of retelling pn tho -.field. He got 13 fours. ,y . . . ' Faulty fielding gave ' the" Australians a chance which they seised.., Tho. fielding, considering the heat, '.and fair,! apart from a couple of bad bungles.. Tho following aro tho details. of ' the/scpriiig;" AUSTRALIA: \ second Innings.""."' ; Noble, c. Gunn, b.-Fielder—vz. -65 Trumper, b. Barnes -'.-0 Alacartney, b. Barnes ... ... ... "'.O MacAlistcr, 1.b.w., b. Crawford 17 Armstrong, c. Hutchings, b. Braund ...- 34 O'Connor, b. Crawford. ' ' ...' . :... I :2Q Rausford, c. Rhodes, b'.'Brauiid ... ' ' ...'"'2d Hartigan, - not out " ' ... 100 Hill, not'out ... lOij Extras • ... ... 10 Total for r ,.7.,.wickots,-, ... 397 First innings ...... ..... • ..; ~.285 ENCLAND. First innings 363 '