CRICKET COMING TEST SERIES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 62, 23 February 1934, Page 13

CRICKET

COMING TEST SERIES

Honours Now Even

RECORD OF MATCHES

(By

“Mid-off.”

The first Test match between Australia and England was played in Melbourne in 1867-8, and won by Australia. The first Test in England was at the Oval in 1880, and England won. Since then the honours have fluctuated, but the coming series will find both countries on even terms so far as victories are concerned, each having won 51 games.

The complete record of matches be tween the two countries is now as fol lows:—

In the early days of the Tests Australia was the more successful, but between about 1884 and 1891 England had a run of successes, and gave her a long lead. z This lead was retained until the outbreak of the war, but after the war Australia went ahead with a run of successes. England again had her turn, however, and when Jardine’s team arrived last year the record was: Australia 50 wins, England 47. As everybody knows, England won four and Australia one of last season’s games, and the record became 51 each. England, however, leads in rubbers.

The keenness in the coming games, doubtless, will be increased because of the desire of each country to take the lead in wins again. The chances appear to be pretty evenly divided. Including the A.I.F. combination, 18 Australian teams have toured England, and these teams have played altogether 611 eleven-aside matches, as well as many against odds in the early days.

The table includes only 11-aside games, and no attempt has been made to separate first-class from other games, owing to the difficulty of deciding whether some of the teams met, particularly in the early days, were regarded as first class or not. The list is as follows:—

Australian Test Personalities. Many interesting personalities are included in the Australian Test team chosen to tour England.. Below will he found short sketches of B. A. Barnett and Don Bradman. In the succeeding weeks others will be given. B. A. (Ben) Barnett: The second wicket-keeper of the team. He was in the Scotch College eleven as a slow bowler, and even after linking up with Hawthorn-East Melbourne was a bowler for some time before he became the wicket-keeper of the team. He succeeded Jack Ellis as Victorian ’keeper and in the last two or three seasons has done excellently. He is also a good left-hand batsman, with attractive strokes on the off side, and this probably helped him to gain a place in the team. Barnett is a fine type of lad, and is very popular with his fellowplayers. Members of the last English team thought a lot of him as a 'keener. He is a clerk. Born March 23, 1908. D. G. (Don) Bradman; One of the most extraordinary cricketers of all time and the most prolific scorer the game has had, Bradman showed such remarkable promise that he gained a place in the New South Wales eleven when 18, made a century in his first Shield game, and has been scoring runs in an amazing way ever since. He is beyond question the greatest batsman of the day, and already has made more than 10,000 runs in'first-class cricket at .an average not far below three figures. He holds all sorts of records, including that for the highest score (452 not out) ever made in first-class cricket. His performances in England in 1930 were phenomenal, for in the first-class games he scored 2690 runs at an average of 98, and in the Tests made such scores as 334, 254, and 232. His Test match record against England is 1838 runs at an average of 87. Bradman is also one of the most brilliant fieldsmen in the world, and occasionally gets wickets with his slow bowling. Ho is a journalist. Bern August 27, 1908. Plunket Shield Points. As a result of Otago’s outright win over Wellington at Dunedin this week, the southern province becomes runnerup to Auckland for cricket supremacy in the Dominion lor the 1933-34 season. The final Plunket Shield points stand as follow:—

In Australia Pl ’yd A. won E. won Dr. 72 38 32 1 In England . 57 13 19 25 129 51 51 27

Won. Lost. Drawn 1878 9 4 4 1880 „ 11 5 2 4 1882 ■« ... ... 38 23 4 11 1884 „ 32 18 7 7 1886 38 9 7 22 1888 40 19 14 7 1890 38 13 16 9 1893 35 17 10 8 1896 34 19 6 9 1899 35 16 3 16 1902 39 23 2 14 1905 37 16 3 18 1909 39 13 4 22 1912 37 9 8 20 1919’(A.I.F.) . 31 13 4 14 1921 38 22 2 14 1926 39 12 1 26 1930 „ 33 12 1 19 — — — — Total* ... 611 268 98 244 One match in 1930 resulted in a tie.

Outright, 1st Tn wiin. win. L. Pts. Auckland ........ 2 1 20 Otago .... 1 10 Wellington 1 — - $ Canterbury 3 -