DRAWN GAME. AUSTRALIA v. ESSEX.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 115, 17 May 1909, Page 3

DRAWN GAME. AUSTRALIA v. ESSEX.

SECOND EFFORT OF THE COUNTY. A GOOD RALLY. By Telegraph.— -Press Association.— Copyright. LONDON, 15th May. The Australian match against Essex was finished to-day, and resulted in a draw, the county team pitying out time, and ctill having a- wicket to fall. The weather on the concluding day was bitterly cold, but brighter, and the wicket was harder. The attendance was only meagre. Tha third wicket in the county's second innings fell for .60. A fine partnership Wcia then established between Fane and Perrin, and both played carefully till lunch. Oa resuming play became brighter, Fane driving and cutting finely. Perrin, who gave a chanceIcas display lasting 110 minutes, was taken smartly by Cotter at mid-off. Fane notched his century in 170 minutes, by forceful work on the off side. M'Gahey, who had joined Fane, scored quickly, hitting 10 off Noble in one over. The fourth wicket fell for 172, Fane being token at deep-field by Ransford, at the third attempt. He had played a chanceless innings lasting 185 minutes, his score including fifteen Vs. Five wickets for 273. M'Gahey, whose play was characterised by powerful driving, was caught high up at long-off, after being seventyfive minutes at the wicket*. Gillingham played a vigorous innings. With nine wickefcs down for 344 in Essex's second essay, th© match was drawn. Following are the cemplete scores : — AUSTRALIANS. First innings, six wickets for ... 609 (Innings declared closed.) ESSEX. First Innings 143 Second Innings. Buckenham, b Cotter 13 Young, b Cotter ".' 22 Douglas, c Carter, b Cotter 18 Fane, c Ransford, b Hopkins ... J. 15 Perrin, c Cotter, b Armstrong ... 53 M'Gahey, c Ransford, b Hopkins ... 55 Gillingham, b Hopkins 33 Freeman, not out 4 Reeves, c Hartigan, b Cotter .'.'.' 15 Read, c Trumper, b Whitty ... 6 Mead, not out [ 2 Extras ... 10 Total for nine wickets ... 344 Bowling Analysis.—Cotter took four wickets lor 80, Hopkins three for 76, Whitty one for 46, Armstrong one for 49, Macartney none for 34, Zsoble none for 49. FANE SAVES ESSEX. Mainly through the efforts of Fane, M'Gahey, and L'err'm, Essex staved off an innings defeat by successfully defj-ing the Australian bowlers all Saturday A score of 344 for nine wickets is more in keeping with the county's acknowledged strength. 1 In such a score one would expect the bowlers to come out with an unenviable average, but none was seriously hurt hi this respect, Hopkins, three for 76, is easily the best performer, as he got the scalps of the three strong men of the Essex team — namely, Fane, M'Gahey, and Gillingham. Rtmsford materially assisted him in the outfield, where the boy i s fast and suie. Express Cotter has the best figures, four for 80, his victims Including Douglas. It is a wonder that Skipper .Noble does not give Ransford a try with the ball, as the lef t-imnder is by no means . a b«d chmna». Fane, whose battine areraga ia »1I matches in the last English team's tour through the colonies was 33.65 for iJ4 innings, evidently played a fine and vigorous innings, reminiscent, of his big innings of 133 in the opening match of the tour, when the Englishmen met a »<est Australian team for tho first time. The county is to bo congratulated on us plucky uphill battle. MATCH AGAINST SURREY. (By "Half- Volley.") Kennington Oval is the scene of the next contest, when Surrey takes tho field to-day against the colonials. Once "the famous Surrey," this county has declined somewhat from grace, not having won tho championship since 1899. Last season Surrey won 13 out of 29 county matches, 12 being drawn (mainly owing to wet weather), and lost only four. Until beaten by Kent at the end of July, Surrey was Yorkshire's most dangerous rival. A strong batting side, like Essex, this county has found ne> one of the calibre of h«r past giant barriers such as G. Lohmann and T. Richardson, and of last season's bowlers, none of the regular trundlcrs met with more than ordinary «uccess. J. N. Crawford, the amateur, a very fine all round mau in form, took 88 wickets for 20.72 apiece, last year, but went stale On the Australian tour with Jones's team, in the fourth Test Match, Crawford, bowling with remarkable skill, bagged five ior 48 off 25.5 overs on a perfect wicket — his best performance. He is easily the best bowler in the eleven. Walter Lees, Hitch, a new-ly-discovered fast left-handed bowler, Kirk, medium pace, and W. C. Smith, who headed the averages with 56 wickets, costing 14.39 runs each, will probably do most of the bowling for Surrey, if amateur N. A. Knox, brilliant though patchy, does not come back into the team as the fast bowler. SURREY'S BATTING STRENGTH. Associated with the county's past triumph is the veteran T»m Hay ward, probably the moat papular and steadiest of cricketers »n either side of th© world. A»»ng many other triumphs, he holds the unique record ef having scored the highest aggregate in a season, in firstclfcss cricket, viz., 3518 in 1906. Craw, ford and Hofcbs, beth practical certainties for the next English eleven, had a, good season, the latter being especially dashing, scoring six centuries, one of them a splendid 106 against Kent and C Blythe, on a crumbling wicket. Then there are E. G. Hayes and Alan Alarshall. THE EX-QUEENSLANDER'S SUCCESS. Marshall is a clean exemplification of ths prophet who hath no honour in his own country. Considered just promising in Brisbane, the big Bananalander — there is 6ft 3in of him — worked his way Horn« and played club cricket, and with the Crystal Palace eleven, under W. G. Grac*.' In IGO6 he scored 4000 runs, and Surrey decided to try him. In 1907, though he got over the JOOO runs, he. was considered disappointing. But last year, secure in his place in the eleven, he hit in unequalled fashion, and English critics deckle him the acjual of Bonnor and C. I. Thornton in this respect. His driving is simply w#»«ierful. Aided t* this, he is credited with being the safest catch in England at th« present; and as he capturrd 47 wickets at an average cost of 19.12, he must be counted one ef the very best all-round men in the county. Frank Tarrant, the ex-Fitzroy (Melbourne) man, is another good specimen of the Australian in England, but though both these men could win a place in an All-England team, being Australian, they are not considered eligible. And yet they are not allowed to play for Australia cither ! Which is a quaint con-lei-vatlsra.