INTER-PROVINCIAL CRICKET MATCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1356, 7 February 1865, Page 4

INTER-PROVINCIAL CRICKET MATCH.

OTAGO AGAINST CANTERBURY. This year, it has been the turn of the Canterbury Eleven to become the hosts of the Eleven of Otago, and to do their best to emulate the success with which their present guests, when performing the part of hosts last year, gave them a handsome beating with the utmost hospitality. The travelling Eleven must always have the smaller chance. It is scarcely possible, in such communities as these, to pick an Eleven who shall have no inferior players among their number, and who shall, at the same time, all be able to spend a week and something to boot upon a journey. The Otago Eleven of this year contains but three names which are to be found also in the records of last year's match, namely, Messrs. Fulton, Hope, and Maddock. The remaining eight gentlemen certainly comprise several who are by no means inferior to their companions or to their predecessors; but it has always to be said, and the position must be admitted, that they have been obliged to leave behind several who would otherwise have been numbered among the Eleven. The Otago team, indeed, showed some weakness. As will be seen by the score subjoined, no less than five of their number left the wicket in the first innings without making a score; while the same accident happened to only one of their opponents. The Canterbury Eleven had also changed, in some degree, its composition. Messrs. Powys, Bennett, Mytton, and Taylor had given way to Messrs. Bloxam, Cowlishaw, M'Donnell, and Harley. The last named gentleman, indeed, was substituted only on Saturday for Mr. Young, who found himself unable to play, but consented to stand umpire. As will be seen below, the substituted gentleman, though the most unfortunate of the team with the bat, made himself exceedingly useful as a bowler.

The day was beautiful. The forenoon was the perfection of cricketing weather; and the afternoon was only inferior to it in that the wind rose a little, and blew somewhat fresher from N.E. than was quite desirable. The ground was in better condition than we expected to see it. In Bpite of the long drought, and especially the recent parching Nor'westers, the turf was comparatively light and fresh; but this result was only obtained by the assiduous attention to watering and rolling which the ground has received at the hands of the club since the turf was laid down specially for the occasion. The natural soil of the cricket field is rather difficult to deal with. It has been a very old cultivation, dating several years before the settlement of Canterbury, and some imported grasses and clover had long ago obtained a hold there. The natural grass of the place, also, had been remarkably fine and close, forming as good a sward as a cricketer would care to look at. But lately the turf has been destroyed, apparently by an insect; and though great pains has been taken with it, the sward is patchy, and the soil is bare in spots. Th wicket selected for the match was, nevertheless, as good a one as could be hoped for, and remained firm throught the day, in spite of the tendency to turn to dust at the creases. The wickets were pitched as nearly as possible in the line of the wind, the influence of which was to some extent counteracted by * very slight depression, scarcely indeed perceptible, towards the wicket which lay to windward. The remainder of the ground was.tolerably level, but not ▼ery even towards its outer margin ; and as the grass had become very slippery from the late hot

weather, the deep fielding was a work of some difflCU The wickets were pitched at ft little after eleven yesterday morning, for the first inning*} and as Canterbury had won the toss, and elected to eend their opponents in first, two of the Otago men took the batting at the commencement. The first ball was delivered at about ten minutes to twelve ; and the Otago men completed their innings about 2 p.m. The Canterbury Eleven went in at 3 o'clock, and their last wicket went down at 5.30, when the stumps were drawn, and the first innings was cleverly got through in one short day. The following is the score, with a short outline of the game OTAGO. —18T INNINGS. Mr. Cairns, b J. W. Stevens 8 Mr. Chapman, b Lance 0 Mr. Hope, e Tennant b Dickenson 17 Mr. Borton, b J. W. Stevens 5 Mr. Worthington b Harley 13 Mr. Fulton, c Tennant, b Cowlishaw ... ... 22 Mr. Murison, run out 0 Mr. Maddoek, b Harley ... 0 Mr. Crump, not out 2 Mr. Hendley, c Dickenson, b Cowlishaw ... 0 Mr. Parker, c Tennant, b Cowlishaw 0 Byes, 4 ; Leg byes, 1; Wide, 1 ... ... 6 73 CANTERBURY.—IST INNINGS. Mr. Bloxam, c Hope, b Hendley 10 Mr. Sale, c Hope, b Hendley 16 Mr. J. W. Stevens, c Hope, b Hendley 3 Mr. Tennant, b Borton 1 Mr. Lance, b Hendley 13 Mr. Wilson, st and b Hendley 2 Mr. Harley, c Cairns, b Hendley ... 0 Mr. E. C. Steveus, run out ... 1 Mr. Cowlishaw, not out 12 Ifr. Dickenson, c Cairns, b Worthington ... 8 Mr. McDonnell, c Fulton, b Borton 6 Bye, 1; Leg byes, 8; Wides, 4 8

80 Messrs. Cairns and Chapman took the bat first for •Otago, to the bowling of Messrs. J. W. Stevens and Lance. The former gentleman, who had the ball at the start, and faced the wind, delivered a maiden over to Mr. Cairns. By the last ball of the next over Mr. Lance took the stumps of Mr. Chapman, ■without a run having been got. Mr. Hope joined Mr. Cairns, who made a neat single hit to square leg in each of the next overs. A doubtfully scored bye r followed, and tluen two maiden overs; after which > Mr. Hope made a pretty cut to point for a single off I Mr. Lance, and Mr. Cairns immediately followed with a fine leg-hit for 4. After a brief pause the I same gentleman made a single to square leg, and | then was put out by a shooter from Mr. Stevens, I after scoring 8 in all. Two wickets for 10 runs. I Mr. Borton next took the bat, and after some hesitaI tion scored one from Mr. Stevens, which stimulated I Mr. Hope to begin scoring again, and that gentleman | made a couple of clever hits to leg in the same and I following over, which were only saved from scoring I largely by some admirable fielding. Mr. Hope followed his score with a drive to the off for 3 from Mr. Stevens, who also gave Mr. Borton the chance of making a very neat drive forward for a single. L In the following over Mr. Borton snatched a single ?; -with a/draw; and Sir. Hope got a couple of runs -by the same sort of stroke, executed in a style by no means so elegaut as effective, with the left leg raised high in air. Mr. Borton got a single in each of the two following overs, and in the succeeding one was bowled by another of Mr. Stevens' shooters, with 5 to his name. Three wickets down for 24 runs. Mr. | Hope, who was- joined by Mr. Worthington, made a \ slashing hit to leg for 4, and another, well I I picked up, for a single, from Mr. Lance ; | who then resigned the ball at his end to Mr. Dicken- \ sou. The change brought a bit of good fortune, for [ in the first over of the new bowler, Mr. Hope was P caught at the wicket by Mr. Tennant, whose very 1 sharp handling of the ball was quite in accordance his usual style of wicket keeping. Mr. Hope's score was 17, and he reached the pavilion atiiia ToutT ||L applause, Mr. Fulton, the captain of the Eleven, Retaking his place. Four wickets down for 30. Mr. HllFulton got a drive to the off for a couple after'two Bpmaiden overs. Mr. Worthington imitated Mr. Hope's Hp&ore to long leg by just such another for 4; very Bjljoon Mr. Fulton added 4 more in the selfsame way; KFin the next over Mr. Worthington did it again; K and after a pause Mr. Fulton repeated the hit and P. the score of 4 for the fifth time this innings. Of W. this late cluster of four fours, three were from Mr. ijfc Dickenson's bowling, and one from Mr. Stevens'. i| From the latter Mr. Fulton also got a leg hit for 2 H and a drive to the off for the same number; after || which Mr. Lance resumed the bowling at Mr. Dick- || en son's end. Mr. Worthington, nevertheless, got a p" leg hit for 2, one to cover point for a single, and one it to the off field, where a tempting catch was missed, p The scoring became rarer when the bowling was W again changed by putting on Mr. Harley at the wind- | ward end, who,in his second over, took Mr.Worthing- | ton's stumps, and brought the fifth wicket down for g 61 runs. The state of• the game at this time looked I Tery well for Otago; the average had been kept up |. to 9. good figure, and their numbers were only reI duced to one-half. The general feeling appeared to | be in their favour; and such betting as came under 8 our notice generally took this direction. Mr. Fulton I was then joined by Mr. Murison, and went on | v scoring quietly two singles and a 2, when by a little I mismanagement Mr. Murison was run out, having I scored nothing for himself. Seven wickets for 65, I Mr. Maddock took the vacant wicket, and fell 'at I once to Mr. Harley's bowling, the second wicket in I the over, and the Bth in the innings for 65. Mr. I Cowlishaw now relieved Mr. Stevens in bowling up wind, and gave Mr. Fulton an opening for his y favourite leg hit, by which he made two, followed I presently by a couple of singles. Mr. Crump, who t took Mr. Maddock's place, then scored a brace of L" singles. A maiden over followed, and then Mr. [ Cowlishaw took the ball for the 53rd over. The 'f first ball Mr. Fulton placed in the wicket-keeper's I hands, giving Mr. Tennant an opportunity of rei peating the smart catch made by him in an earlier £ period of the game. Mr. Fulton had made 22, and was | loudly cheered on retiring. Mr. Handley folI lowed, only to be caught in slip (Mr. Dickenson) from Mr. Cowlishaw's second ball. ■ And before the over closed, the tenth man had I been put out by a third catch from Mr. Cowlishaw, given with much apparent ease by Mr. Parker into ■ the grasping fingers of the wicket-keeping Tennant. * I The score showed 73 ; including 1 wide, 3 byes, and : 2 leg byes, which however were, by some error, I reported as 4 byes and 1 leg bye, the total being ; correct. I' After Luncheon, Canterbury sent in Messrs. i Bloxam and Sale. The bowling up-wind was taken I , by Mr. Hendley, and that at the other end by Mr-! Borton. The bowling of Otago was a little swifter I than that of Canterbury had been ; and, besides, f the long-stop of the team, Mr. Hope, played his part I with somewhat extraordinary ability. The overs I were, accordingly, very rapid, and the innings, though somewhat fuller of events than the former, was, in fact, shorter in point of time. Mr. Sale and Mr. Bloxam kept together a long time. The former made a leg hit for 3, another for 2, and some very pretty cuts to point and cover-point for singles. Mr. Bloxam made a couple of drives to the off for 3 each, a draw between square and long leg for 2, 1 and some neat drives forward for singles. In the j twenty-third over his end came by a catch given to long-stop (Mr. Hope) off Mr. Hendley's bowling. The joint score was now- 26, including a -couple of wides, and as many leg byes. The ground had become more lively, and it seemed impossible to keep the balls from rising over the wicket at the windward end. In consequence the Canterbury sheet shows many more catches than ]

wickets bowled; and no doubt the score suffered •omewhat on the same account. Mr. J. W. Stevens joined Mr. Sale, and presently got the ball away to leg for a 3$ but the evident endeavour of the Canterbury men to attain the rapid scoring of fours to leg iq the Otago manner was fruitless; and in his second attempt of the kind, the wide-reaching hands of Mr. Hope got hold of the ball within ten yards of tho bat. Mr. Sale, meanwhile, was hitting quietly and well, but not getting quite as many runs for his hits as ho ought. Mr. Tennant, who joined him, disappointed the whole of his side by scoring a single, and then letting a shooter of Mr. Borton's in to his stumps, after stepping out, more sho, to meet it at the pitch. Mr. Lance followed, and joined Mr. Sale with as sure a game as his own, but a little faster. He made two to slip and two by a drive to the on-fleld as a beginning, when he lost Mr. Sale as a partner, by a catch to Mr. Hope, again off Mr. Hendley's bowling. The three first on the Canterbury list were thus disposed of in precisely the same way. Four wickets had now fallen for 37 runs, and Mr. Wilson took the vacant crease, with a pretty two-stroke to square leg as a beginning. But while his partner had the ball at the other end, Mr. Wilson tried to force the running, and was stumped by the bowler stopping short in his delivery ,and catching him [ out of his ground. Mr. Lance got two singles and a two to leg, but in the interval between them very nearly nearly gave a catch to the bowler, between the wickets, which, however, was not taken advantage of. Mr. Harley, who joined him next, was caught well in the long field by Mr. Cairns, and was followed by Mr.E. C Stevens. Six wickets for 43. Mr. Lance then made a handsome addition to the score by a nearly straight drive for four, in his best manner. Mr. Stevens was unfortunate: he got a single to leg, and was just settling down to his work, when a ball t smartly thrown up, reached the wicket at the same moment as he gained his ground ; he was given out, and retired, followed by Mr. Cowlishaw. Seven wickets for 48 runs, and the disposition strong to back Otago at odds. At the same point of the game, Otago had made their whole score. But it was in their later periods that the two games differed. Mr. Lance obtained a two by a cut behind eoverpoint; and in two successive overs Mr. Cowlishaw added six to the score, by a three in the same direction, and a straight drive for another three. Mr. Worthington then took the bowling at Mr. Hendley's end, and the latter transferred himself to the other end, and took a few overs down the wind. The change was fatal to Mr. Lance, whose wicket fell at last to Mr. Hendley, and his place was taken by Mr. Dickenson. Mr. Lance's score was only 13, but it was well put together, and obtained a round of applause from the pavilion. Eight wickets for 57. Messrs. Cowlishaw and Dickenson worked well together and made singles steadily, until the latter gentleman got excited by a sharp tap from a ball about the face, and immediately retaliated by a drive to the off for 3. Mr. Cowlishaw imitated this effort with some success ; Mr. Dickenson repeated it for the same score, and Mr. Cowlishaw for a two. Mr. Cairns then got a second chance, and caught Mr. Dickenson far off in the long field. The ninth wicket had thus fallen for 70 runs, wanting 3 to tie Otago, to make which Messrs. Cowlishaw and McDonnell set themselves anxiously to work. The latter succeeded in making the number wanted at oncS by a leg hit for three, and added another by a forward drive. Mr. Cowlishaw cut a ball neatly away for two; Mr. McDonnell got a couple of sfngles to slip, and then fell, the last victim, by "a catch given in the off field to Mr. Fulton from Mr. Borton, who had resumed the bowling at the weather end. The total was 80, including 1 bye, 3 leg byes, and 4 wide balls.

The ground was moderately well attended in the afternoon, about 300 persons being present at one tjmp Thft rpfrpgfrm°n* iinriprt.nTrpn qnd very well managed by Messrs. Morton and Robertson ; and everything went off very well, and apparently to the satisfaction' of both visitors and hosts. The match will be resumed to-day, at 11 o'clock, when the Otago men will begin their second innings, weather permitting.