CRICKET.

Evening Star, Issue 15074, 4 January 1913, Page 7

CRICKET.

i SOUTH MELBOURNE v. OTAGO. There may have been 500 onlookers at Carifibrook this afternoon when the game commenced. Siedeberg was elected captain of the Otago side, and as he called wrong Trott had the option, and elected to bat. Messrs D. Smyth and H. Wilson were the umpires, and Messrs H. Titehener and C. W. Foreman did the scoring. The pitch was in the centre; the out-field closely cropped. Trott and Sykes went first to the wickets, and Ramsden bowled to Trott, who sent the fifth ball along the grass to long-on boundary. In Rutherford's first over a leg-bye caused Trott to get the strike, and then Ramsden let him set a lucky four through the slips, where there should have been a chance. A bit of bungling in the field allowed Svkes to convert a single into a2. Four for byes, a couple of byes, and a neat square "leg hit by Sykes off Rutherford brought 20 up. The attendance had by now swelled considerably. Trott drove Ramsden along the grass to the off boundary. A bad pick-up by Tuckwell, a smart stop bv Barron in the slips, and Trott's on-boundary drive caused 30 to bo registered in a quarter of an hour. Sykes hooked Ramsden for 4, and cut him for a couple, and Trott raised the score to 40, after 20min play, by cutting Rutherford hard to the boundary between point and outer slip. All his strokes were along the carpet. Sykes got another lovelv boundary to leg, and smaller contributions from either end brought 49 up, whereupon Huntly relieved Rutherford and sent down a maiden over to Trott. Sykes got a pretty glance to leg boundary off Ramsden, and in the same over sent the ball to the off for 4. A miss-bit by Trott yielded 3. and then M'Farlane, at'point, smartlv caught Sykes off Huntly. 60—1—24. Scott was the incomer. Scott went m th« next over. Hi<*eins taking a soft catch at mid-on. 61-2-0? _ Ota-o were now fielding well, and scoring was slow. (5-iUor. after ' making a couple, put his leg in front to Huntlv, 'and was unmistakably out. 73-3-2 Kenny joined Trott, and the score at 3.5 was 74 for three wickets. South Melbourne.— First Innings Trott not out »•, Sykes c M'Farlane b Huntly 24 •*?" <5 Higgms b Ramsden ... '" n Oilier lbw b Huntly "' 2 SOUTH MELBOURNE v CINTEP BURY. CHRISTCHURCH, January 4. iU ' o" ? kys a TCtnrn ma tch" with is Sd ao e team on Januar i' 17 > AUSTRALIAN XI.: BARDSLEY'S VIEW. Warren Bardsley, who was a passenger by the Orsova, was asked if he had heard of „he allegations made by the manager (Mr Crouch) since the Australian team's"return from England. " Yes," he said ; " but I am not going to commit myself in any wav. I did not see any insubordination or * disgraceful conduct. The men, "to my idea, were a wellbehaved lot, although I personally was not with them much socially. I went over with a friend; we were together nearly all the time, and he is on board returning with me, so I cannot speak with any particular knowledge." "Would you say from observation that they were as happy a family as previous Australian teams?" he was asked. "They were all right, in my opinion," he answered. "What do you think of that allegation about the division into cliques, and dropping of catches to spoil a bowler's average ?" —"'Oh, I read all about that, and had to laugh. The person who alleged that was a lunatic. Surely no one seriously believes it ?" _" Still, it is said some easy catches were missed."—"Of course, they "were missed; easy catches are often missed, even in most prominent matches. But that does not say that they were deliberately done. I am perfectly satisfied that no member of the team carried a disagreement to that extent. We were all out to recover the ashes; you can take ray word for that, and I honestiy believe that on the field every player did his best for the team and for Australia."