AUSTRALIA'S FIRST WIN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 109, 10 May 1909, Page 2

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST WIN.

(By "Half -Volley.") \ Notts County has provided the colonials with their initial victory on the 1909 tour, making but a feeble reply in the second innings. Jones, G. Gunn, Hardstaff, 'and Alletson contributed 108 of the total of 144. but the "Lambs" apparently possess a long and depressing caudal appendage. Their form in the game just concluded confirms their performances in last season's county matches. John Gunn, lucky in the first innings, was evidently unreliable without the aid of the fickle goddess, and made fast a single. Alletson's 31 was a brave effort to Save the innings defeat, and one can imagine the roars of the crowd/ as he lifted Whitty and Armstrong over the rink to long on and square leg respectively. The big man eventually coaxed him, and Trumper put up a safe pair of hands. Alletson's average last year was 14.94 for thirteen innings. G. T. Brans ten, who was such a conspicuous failure #ith Wynyard's team in New Zealand, played eight innings for Notts last season, averaging 16.27, with a largest score of 68. The Australians play Northamptonshire next. In their only meeting" last year Notts beat this county easily by ten wickets, the latter scoring 177 and 135. Hardstaff 113 and 26 not out, and W ass's seven wickets for 55 on a good wicket were the biggest factors in Nott's's victory. The 1905 colonial team ran up the huge total of 609 against the Northamptons' 140 and 151, and it will be surprising if this strong batting side does not do something equally crushing. Essex 573 (declared), Leicestershire 431, Surrey 377, scored heavily against the Northern County, which won but three matches out of 22, 14 being lost. G. J. Thompson, with a batting average of 23.05, and a bowling of 29.02 for 72 wickets', was easily the best all-round man in the eleven last season, when only one century was scored for this county, C. J. T. Pool getting 111 against Essex. Wells proved himself the most trustworthy bowler. He is a good length bowler, and bowls a fastish ball. He also made 558 runs by good cricket, and with Thompson getting on in years, Wells, .still on the right side of thirty, should prove the county's rod and stay. Kingston, who led the batting averages with 23.39 for 41 innings, is a capable bat, while Pool is a batsman of versatility, but is too impetuous- Northamptonshire, as a lately-promoted junior, is not yet to be labelled dangerous, but there is yet time. In the second innings of Notts, Armstrong again captures the honours, with three for 27, including Hardstaff. Noble, as first change evidently, got G. Gunn's wicket at a cost of only three runs, and then let his regulars have some practice. Cotter, with three for 51, was hardly so expensive as in thefirst> knock, while Whitty and O'Connor, the two New South Wales-South Australians, are keeping up an end.