AFTER THE ASHES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 147, 18 December 1907, Page 3

AFTER THE ASHES.

«t» AUSTRALIA'S SECOND SWNSKGS. A BAD START. ARMSTRONG AND NOBLE TOGETHER. By Telcgrai>!).— l'ipja Avneialion.— CopyrigM. SYDNEY, 17th December. With Iho weather dull and cool, Trumpcr and Macartney commenced tho task of scoring the necessary 274 runs to make the first test the property of Australia. Barnes and Fielder wero entrusted with the bowling. Trumpcr disappointed his supporters, although the ball that got him was ono of Barnes's best. Nevertheless, the I'adumgton player is not the great batsman he was. Uno for 7. Hill joined Mocartncy, but, he was equally unfortunate, and "Fielder dug his ofi'-stump out after he had made a single. Two for 12. Barnes had taken one wicket for 2. and Fielder om for 4. Despite- assertions to the contrary, the wicket was doing a. bit for tho bowlf-rs. Noble was the next man in. "Macartney played a good defensive game for forty-eight minutes, and then Crawford snapped him up at point. Three for 27. IMPROVING THE POSITION. Armstrong followed, and some- livelier play was witnessed. Light rain sot in just before lunch, and en resuming the drizzle continued at intervals. The partnership improved tho' position, the men getting runs freely. Blythe and Crawford were both tried with the ball, but gave way again to Barnes and Fielder. Armstrong, at 17, gave ;i chanco to Hutphings in the slips, but it was not accepted. The Englishmen were fielding magnificently, although tho ball was greasy. THE GAME STOPPED. A heavy rain squall stopped play, and : after waiting ;i couple of hours, tho i rain continuing all the time, Noble and Fane- and tho umpires examined tho { wicket, and decided to censo play for tho day. Scores :—: — . ENGLAND. | First innings i.73 ! Second Innings. ' j Fane, c Noble, b Saundcrs 33 Rhodes, c M'Alistcr, b Macartney 29 | Gunn, c Aoble, b Cotter 74 Hutchings, c Armstrong, b Saunders 17 Harastaff, b Nobls 63 i Braund, not out „ 32 Young, b Noblo 3] Crawford, c Hazlitt, b Cotter ... 5 j j Barnes, b Saunders 1] Blythe, c Noble, b Saundcvs 15 Fielder, lbw, b Armstrong 6 j Extras •. 12 Total 300 I Bowling Analysis.— Cotter look two I \vicket3 for 101 runs, .Saunders four xor G3, Aimstrong one for 33, iiacarinoy ono for 39, llazlitt none for 24, Noble two for 23. [ AUSTRALIA. I First innings ' 303 Second Tnnings. ■ Trumper, b Barnes 5 Macartney, c Crawford, b Fielder 9 Hill, b Fielder 1 Noble, not out 27 ; Armstrong, not out 17 Extras ... ... ... ... 6 Total for three wickets ... „. 63 NOTES ON' THE PLAY. It was a pity that rain interfered with the fourth day's play, as the colonial : task was hard enough without the elements taking ;i hand. However, it is ono of iho risks of the game to have to bat on a damaged pitch after the other side has made runs on a plumb wicket, and the Australians must console themselves with the reflection that the tables will some day bo reversed. The wicket may roll out true to-day, but the continuation of play in the drizzle, and tho second dos? of rain, does not augur well for this happening. 1 Tho last English wicket carried the score to 200, and n perusal of the bowlj ing figures show that Saunders and Noble were the most successful trund- ! lors for Australia. Cotter was expensive, his two wickets costing the samp immbDi'' of runs as he obtained six for in tho first knock. TTazlitt, the colt, did Jiot secure a victim, although Gunn was missed off him. lie is a promising oowlor, however, and if ho slicks to the game his day will come without a doubt. As they have often done before in , tho first Test on the Sydney ground, the Australian batsmen made a very poor j start. When they put up tho record scorn of 556 in test games, Richardson ] bowled Lyons, Trott, and Darling with but 21 on the board, and against Warner's team, Trumper, Duff, and Hill wore out with a total a dozen. It war, a fmc pie<"2 of work on the part of Fielder and Barnes to dispose of three such good men for thirteen runs butween them. Noble and Armstrong, two fins men at such a crisis, made the score look a little more presentable. ' They were the two who stopped tho lot by adding 106 in the match wo have referred to against Warner's team. Noblo and Armstrong woro associated in Feveral plucky stands with Australian teams in England, and they held tho first-class ! record for the sixth wicket, viz., 428 against Sussex at Brighton in 1902. They have a big contract in hand now to save the game for Australia, and to give them a chance to do so ihn wicket must be a good one.