FOURTH TEST MATCH. ENGLAND V. AUSTRALIA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 33, 8 February 1908, Page 9

FOURTH TEST MATCH. ENGLAND V. AUSTRALIA.

COLONIALS' START. not a veryTooi: score. iiy TelCßiaph.— Press A&soc!ation.--Co»yrisl>t. MELBOURNE, 7th February. In the fourth test match. A. O. Jones captained the English team. Fane, Btylhe, Young, and Hayes stood out. The attendance was nearly 10,000. AUSTRALIANS WIN THE TOSS. Noble won the toss, and, with Trumper, opened Australia's innings on a good wicket. The bal&mcn began very ginger Jy, and treated with respect the bo-.\ ling of Fielder and Barnes.. Noble had a life very early in the proceedings, but the partnership did not last long, as Trumper was taken at third slip by Orawfoid, to tlio gieat disappointment of the ennyd. Trumper has shown indifferent form in test cricket -this s>ason. The disappointment was accentuated shortly altcnrards, when rlill wjs clean bowled. Noble and Macalistcr made afair stand, though Macalister gave a chance when be had scored 13 to Jones at squaie-leg, off Biaund. It was a hot, stinging ball, which the- Englishman met left baud. DULL PLAT. At the lunch hour both were- not out — Noble 37, Macali&ler 2C. After lunfch the dulness of tho morning's play continned. Noble was first to go, Crawford skittling him. Nob]c had batted stolidly for 113 minutes, but his runs included only four boundary hits. Gregory was coxdiallV greeted on liis reappearance m test cricket, and, ..vith Macalister, brought up tha century in 155 minutes. Three runs later Macali.ster was weil caught at third man, after batting fdr 107 minutes, during which he hit three fours. Gregory, to the disappointment of .the crowd, war, caught at point. Armstrong and Ransford played beautiful cricket, and ths partnership added 91 ruus before Ransford was caught 'in tho slips by Brauud. Ransford was in for ICO minutes, hitting six fourers. Armstrong was immediately afterwards bowled by Crawford. *"'lne remaining batsmen did little, and the innings, which lasted 274 minutes, closed for 214. ENGLAND'S VENTURE. ' G. Gunn and Hobbs were associated tor tho few minutes left lor play, remaining not out when, stumns weio drawn. The dulnoss ->f the' day's play was relieved only by tho brightness of Ransford and Armstrong. 'Jhc former was in excellent forai from tho time of entering until his dismissal, but towards, thj close appeared to tire. His cutting was superb, and his timing was perfect. ATmstrong was more useful than brilliant. One slipping sixer off Braund evoked enthusiasm. BOWLING MAGNIFICENT. The bowling was magnificent, especially that of Crav.-forcl. Ho mixed liis pace, disguising it well. The fielding was capital, and .the wicket was good. Tho details of the scores are as under: — AUSTRALIA. . First Innings. Trumper, c Crawford, b Fielder ... 0 Noble, b Crawford 48 Hill, b Barnes 7 Macalist&r, c Jones, b Crawford ... Gregory, c Fielder, b Crawford ... 10 Ransford, c Braund, b Fielder ... 51 Armstrong, b Crawford 32 Macartnsy, c Hardstaff, b Fielder. . 12 Carter, c and b Crawford .'.: ... 2 O'Connor, c Fielder,' b Crawford ... 2 Saiwders, not out ... 1 ... 12 Total ... ' ... , ... .... 214 Bowling Analysis. Fielder, four wickets for 54. Barnes, one wicket for i'l, Braund, no wickets for 42. Crawford, five wickets for 48. Rhodes, no wickets for 21. The ordsr in which the Australians' wickets foil as^as follows : — One for 1, two lor 14, three for 89, four for 103, five for 105, six for 196, seven for 196, eight for 198, nine for 212. ENGLAND. First Innings. Gunn, n ( ot out 0 Hobbs, not out ... 9 Total for no wickets ... ... 9 NOTES ON THE PLAY. Noble again had the good fortune to win the toss, and he has thus had the choice of innings for three consecutive games. Winning the toss is a great advantage anywhere, although not of the same value in Australia as in England, j for two reasons — firstly because ths cli- ' mate is more variable lin tha Mother J Country, and secondly, because the ! wickets wear better in the colonies. When Warner's team was out in* Aus- I tralia, up to the fourth mateh — which decided the series — each side won the toss alternately. Since the inauguration of five test games for a tour, it will bs interesting to note the position cadi side has held when the fourth match, was entered into. The following table' will show this :—: —

The colonials again made a \ery bad beginning, losing Trumpcr and Hill with but 14 on the board. Tho Sydney man has only made four runs in his j last three strikes. Each batsman has /faced the English bowlers .nine times ■this tour, and Fielder has accounted for eai-h of them on four occasions. The batting of the local men as a wholo was very disappoiuting, and the rate of scoring exceedingly slow. Noble and M'Alisler, both of whom wore missed, added 75 runs, and flansiovd and Armstrong 91. Thus the. Victorian trio, with Noble, contributed the bulk of tho runs. , All Iho rest went cheaply, and ay the wicket was in good older the English trundling must have been what the cable message says — magnificent. It is the best thing they have doiie since the New South Wales game.. This series the skipper has supplied tho following tallies : 37, 27, 61, 64, 15, 65, and 48, and Ransford 24; 13, 27, 18, 44, 25, and 51. Armstrong, too, is most j consistent, this being the third time this j series he' has made between 30 and 40. He has probably contributed as many scores of this value ap any man taking part in the games. With six out for 196, Australia has performed fairly well, hut when Crawford made his effort the side were all out for an addition of 18 runs, so that this time the tail did not jump. Altogether the display was a poor one, and the rate of scoring is reminiscent of Warner's team in tho first test match at Melbourne, when the Englishmen put up '22l for tho fiist day's play for the loss of only two men, Hayward and Warner. On ths present occasion, hoy. ever, more wickets fell, and there was tho interval between the innings, £>o that the rate was fa&taiv

Won by Won by Aus Eng-- " tralia. lasid. Drawn. Winners. 1894 5 ....... 1 ■<; O England 1897-8 2 1 0 Australia 18S9 .. 1 0 2 Australia 1801-2 2 1' 0 Australia 1202 1 o <• Australia, 1903-4 1 £ 0 f:ngljml 19°^ 0 1 a Eugldnd ISO7B 2 1 Totals- 10 8 6