STILL PONSFORD SCORES

Evening Star, Issue 19764, 14 January 1928, Page 4

STILL PONSFORD SCORES

CENTURIES IH TWELVE MATCHES There is nothing in cricket to compare with the phenomenal run of high scores in first-class company by William H. Ponsford (says “Not Out” in tho Sydney ‘Referee’). It started on his return from England, and has been going on ever since, without a break. Jf two matches played prior to leaving for England with tho Australians bo included, he has made three figures in an innings in successive matches. There hnv* been more brilliant and fascinating batsmen than Ponsford, tut there never has been one who made big scores so regularly on Aintmlian wickets. Victor Trumpet- was a wonder whenever he set his mind on run-get-ting. And J. R. M. Mackay, in his one big season prior to going lo South Africa, made history. But no batsman has ever approached the extraordinary sequence of Ponsford, which, as given below, looks more like a fairy record or one by some knight of the cue in billiards.

Alan Kippax has a very remarkable list of scores in the last lour or live seasons, but while these have been played in Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane, he Las never run- into three figures in Melbourne. Possibly bad luck has dogged his efforts there, and those i.b.w. dismissals (four of them) may havo had something to do with keeping him from taking root, ns he has done on some of the other grounds. There has been nothing wanting in the pace with which Ponsford has been making bis runs this season. He may possess the certainty of a machine, as some who have tided to get him out say, but he has scored at a tolerably fast rate right through the series. In all his Sheffield Shield matches, starting in 1923, W. H. Ponsford has scored an extraordinary number ol runs —viz., 8.557 in thirty-two completed innings, the average being 112 per innings. He has made a century in twelve successive first-class matches in Australia, ten since he returned from England in 1926. In four successive matches against South Australia he has made a century. Ho has done so in the last three against New South Wales, and in the only three against Queensland. In fifty-nine first-class matches since his first appearance, the Victorian has made twenty-two centuries in Australia. Ho is the only batsman in the world who has made four scores over 300 runs iu first-class cricket, two of them being over 400. He has made over 300 runs in an innings against every State save Western Australia, and against that State his only two innings were centuries. His two against Tasmania and four of the five against Queensland were centuries. Below is given tho details of his scoring in the last twelve first-class matches in Australia:— -1925-26. Vic. v. N.S.W., Sydney—79-138. A v. Rest, Sydney—lo2. -1926-27. S.A., Melbourne —108-84. Q., Melbourne —151. N.S.W., Melbourne—3s2. S.A., Melbourne —108-84. Q., Brisbane —12-116. A. v. Rest, Sydney—l3l-7. —1927-28. S.A., Adelaide—l 33. Q., Melbourne—437. N.S.W.. Melbourne—2o2,33. S.A., Melbourne—336.