THE FIRST TEST

Evening Star, Issue 14535, 10 December 1910, Page 5

THE FIRST TEST

TWO THREE-FIGURE STANDS.

BARDSLEY AND HTLL MAKE CENTURIES.

THE "GOOGLIE" BOWLER

PUNISHED,

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright

SYDNEY, December 9.

Tile Sydney Cricket Ground wicket was like a billiard table. There were alwt 9.000 people present. Hill (the Australian skipper) won the toss, and, of couree, elected to b:it.

Tnimper and Bardsley were the first ieprcsentatives of Australia. It was soon apparent that the bowling on the perfect wicket was not going to bo troublesome. After a few feelers T rum per started to hit out to Llewellyn and Sinclair, who bad been entrusted with the bowling. Bardslry started more slowly, but soon got into his stride. When the score was 52 Trumper, in running for a short hit. was cleverly thrown out by Llewellyn, who •was fielding at point.

Hill followed, and the two left-landers made the bowling look exceedingly cheap. The bowlers were changed in rapid succession, Llewellyn, Sinclair, Schwarz, VogJer, Faulkner, and Nourse being tried. Changes were, made every few overs. The chief troniiie lay in the lack of variety, all the bowlers being slow to medium pace, and the wicket prevented the work on the ball fiom taking effect. Both batsnen hit out, and after sixty-five minutes' play the century appeared. Thence no incident occurred till the second oentury was hoisted, after 108 minutes' play. Each ball was hit hard, and only the good placing of the field prevented almost all the strokes from being 4's. When ho had made 111 Bardsley gave his first chauce, pulling Faulkner to sqriare-leg straight to Zulch, who missed a fairly easy catch. Bardsley scored his centuiy in 119 minutes, and Hill his in 9S minutes. When Bardsley's score was 126 Sherwell, apparently in desperation, gave the ball to Pearsc. Bardslcy sent his first ball (a short-pitched one) to the boundary, and the second produced 2 runs. Off the third he tried another

".slog."' and was clean bowled. He had been in for 150 minutes, ami bit 6ixteon 4V. The partnership yielded 224 rune. Genre joined Hill, and treated the howling in the same easy manner. At 67 lie was bolded by I'earse with an ordinal y straight ball, which apparently he tried to lift.

A few balls later the same bowler, who was never before considered any class- — not even good enough to bowL in South Africa—clean bowled' Hill for 191. Hill's was a chanceless innings. It had lasted 202 minutes, and lie hit eighteen 4's. With these champions out of the way, the South Africans took heart. Schwarz relieved Pearse. and soon had Ransford uncomforU able. When the Victorian left-hander had scored 11 he was clean, bowled by a elo\< straight ball with a leg break—a "googly."

Macartney, the next man, never appeared comfortable. He fell an easy victim to another of Schwarz's " googlios." Armstrong showed brilliant form. While KeJleway held up his wicket the burly Victorian hit out in all directions. Schwarz and Nourso were the bowlers, for Pearse, though not being punished, was taken off soon after bowling Hill. Scores.:— ArsTRAUA. —First Innings. Trumper, run out. _ 27 Barclsley, b Pean-e Ij2 Gehrs, b Pearse. 67 Hill, b Pearse 191 Ransford, b .Schwarz 11 Macartney, b Schwaiz 1 Armstrong, nut out 4:i Kclleway, not out 6 Extras li Total for sk vickete 49' 1 Sow ling Analysis. —Pearse 5 wickets foi 56: Schwarz, 2'wickets for 84; Nourse, nc wickets for 61; Faulkner, no wickets foi 71; Vogler, no wickets for 87; Sinclair, na wickets for 80; Llewellvn, no wickets fi'r 59. NOTES BY "ONLOOKER." The game will have historic significance in the future, for it is the first test match ever played between , South Africa and Australia. The home team were fortunate to wit the toss on a batsman's wicket, and tin earlier representatives seem to have mad the most of their opportunities. The fir.-, wicket put on 52, at which stage Trump:-; was thrown oiit. in attempting a sli.r run —a lucky dismissal of a dangeio:u batsman ; then came a prolific partnership, yielding 224 runs, after which Hill a;;-l his fellow-townsman, Gehrs, made another fme stand.

After HiU's departure the fifth and sixtl wickets fell—as is often the i-aso after £ big stand—in quick succession, Macartney being dismissed for a single, and llansforc as soon as he had reached double, figures. Roth succumbed to Schwarz's " googlies." Unless Macartney in the remaining stages of the game makes amends for his opening day's failure it will not surprise me to find him replaced by Kortlang in the second test, to bo played in Melbourne. The rate of run-getting was anything but slow. The second century was con> piled in 103 minutes, and praJctically 50C is a fine record for the first day's play. UardKley, the only holder of the "double. century" in a test match, made. 132, and then lost his wicket, in trying to find tho boundary—as he had just done—off Pesrse.

The law of the day ra undoubtedly (loin Hill, who appears to have a weakness for big cricket. Jim 191 (jimciswly th-» finre made liy Bards Joy against Hill and company in the interstate: match on tin fi;nno jrroujvl in the early part of tho present, week) towns to have been compii-d without a blemish. Tlio South Au3:rjitan i week previously eompilod lo'j agairat Xew South Wales, that this was his yeiond consecutive century. He dii not ■jo Home Jast year with the Australian Eleven, owing to a difference, over th« methods of t>e Cricket Boa id of Control it r.rrajil to certain players, but his 160 im'l'. 1 ;- plmsical difficulties in 1907-08 in the. Third Test at Adelaide against Mr A. O. Janc&'s team (he and Hartigan put on 24-3 for the eigth wicket) reproduced the form of his earliest dav6.

lVarse met with nioet success among the l>owlers, bagging Bardsley, (Jehrs, and Hill. Ho fiecins to have been trie/1 as a last resouree, after attempts by the -recognised bowlers to dissolve the eecoud-wi Jiet partnership had failed. Commaille, I'egler. Hathorn. and Campbell are standing out of the NpringljolJf team.

The " googlie " Ixiwlers do net seem %B possess the terror of the days of Bosanquet, and their success yesterday wa< not of tv.i encouraging ehaxarter. Schwarz certainly got a couple of wickets, but all the others weie pus-ted witliont anj compensating result. England's 577 at Sydney in December, 1903, k the record i:i Australia, in a tesi match, and it promises to !«> knocked out on the present occasion. It was in that game that R. E. Foster made 237 for England—the highest individual score ever obtained in a test match in either England or Australia.