CRICKET.

Evening Star, Issue 12763, 16 March 1906, Page 4

CRICKET.

M.C.C. y. OTAGO. The match between Otago and the eleven the Melbourne Cricket, Club n pvr touring New 2/eukmd was begun at Ctoisbrooic this afternoon before a moderate attendance. The ground was in very good order, considering the recent wet weather, and Mills had rolled out a couple of wickets which it was expected would play slow and easy. Vaughan stood out of tho visiting eleven, who were captained by Armstrong. Wilson captained the home team, and won the toss.. After some hesitation, he decided to bat, and Siedeberg and Adams opened to the bowling of M'Leod and Armstrong. In tho first ewer Siedeberg scored a single, and Adams, facing M'Leod., wag caught at point. Graham came in, and hit Armstrong to the on boundary, fallowing it up with a pretty 4 to deep leg a couple of overs later. The first 10 was hoisted after a quarter of an hour’s play. M'Leod was keeping an excellent length, and tho batsmen, especially Siedeberg, found it difficult to get Armstrong’s leg-theory bowling away, though Graham, who was doing most uf tne scoring, got occasional singles hy nice, crisp hits to the outfield. After nearly half an hour's play, Siedeberg, who liad never been very comfortable to Amistrong, played forward to a. leg break and missed it. The second wicket fell at 15. Austin-joined Graham, and broke bio duck by turning Armstrong to leg for a single. Gr-alxann showed some cleverness in turning Armstrong to leg, but at length lost his wicicet in this Way, as he hit one softly into Henty’s hands at short mid-on. This was his first bad stroke, except for a rather soft return dangerously close to Armstrong earlier in his innings. The score was 18 as Graham left, and Austin, when joined by Wilson, brought 20 up after thirty-five minutes’ play. Wilson opened his account by back-cutting Armstrong for a couple, but next ball be hit to square leg, and Hansford, running in, took a nice ’catch not far from the boundary. The fourth wicket fell at 22. So far Otago’s hatting had been most disappointing. The home team) found Armstrong bowling very awkward, and when they did get hold of his leg balls there was always the danger of being caught. The Melbourne men show<s good, clean fielding, and Wilkinson, who kept wickets for them, was in splendid form. Baker, who was next in, seemed to appreciate M'Leod, and runs came a little faster, due iff sumo measure to a little bit of misfielding and overthrowing while Austin, for the first time, got fairly on to Armstrong with a boundary hit to square leg. M'Leod stopped a hot drive by Baker, who played that bowler’s next ball rather nppishly towards third mam Baker brought 42 on the board with a square leg hfiTfor 5 over the boundary off Armstrong, whom the Grange man was playing with more coufi deuce than any other- batsman so far. After a while Baker’s vigor seemed to infect Austin, ui o ran into double figures •with hits for_ singles mainly. Baker kept getting occasional singles by straight drives off M'Leod, and 60 runs wore hoisted as inc result of an hour’s play, Baker having contributed 20 of that number. Balter, niter making a number of ineffectual tries tri hit Armstrong to leg, got 4 for a clean, Straight drive, and Austin brought 60 up by hitting M'Leod for 2. Baker, at length, got Armstrong to leg with a crisp boundary bit. With the score at 67, Austin, after a. steady innings, bit M'Leod into 1 the safe hands of Ransford at cover-point. The partnership had added 45 runs. Baker brought. 70 up with another fiver to square leg off Armstrong. Messrs West and Smythe acted as umpires. Scores: Otago.—First Innings. H. G. Siedeberg. b Arm-strong ... 1 T. Adams, c Aitken, b M'Leod ... 0 H. Graham, c Henty, b Armstrong 16 G. Austin, c Ransford, b M’Leod ... 16 0. G. Wilson, e Ransford, b Armstrong 2 •I. Baker, nob out ... 39 0. E. Howden, Ibw, b Armstrong „ 0 Total for six wickets _ 74 4.15 p.m. Latest score; 76 for six wickets.