CRICKET NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 8903, 20 September 1889, Page 2

CRICKET NOTES.

It is said that W. L. Murdoch, will bo seen in the field again during the coming season. Provided he can regain his old form he will play for New South Wales against Victoria. During Filling’s reign at the wickets on behalf of Lancashire he has captured no less than 400 wickets. Playing for the Gentlemen of Surrey against the Philadelphians, W. W. Bead scored 105 and 130. The Surrey totals were 294 and 855, while the Philadelphians made 458 and 43 for three wickets. Scott scored 142 and Morgan 98. The match ended in a draw.

The following is from Truth:— As an example of the amount of intelligent interest displayed in cricket by the ladies, I may cite (writes a correspondent) the following fragment which I overheard on Lord's ground: Pair enthusiast, who has been listening (P) for hal£-an-hour to a laborious description of the game—" And Mr Brown, do tell me, which count most, runs or wickets ?”

During the past few years the English amateur bowlers have been exceedingly weak—a fact that is emphasised more every season. A writer in the London. Sporting Life laments the deterioration of the amateur bowlers since the days when W. G. Grace, A. G. Steel and C. T. Studd were able to compare favourably with the best of the professional bowlers. The nurseries of English amatenr cricket are the public schools and universities, and the writer referred to complains that batsmen get too much and bowlers too little encouragement. The result is that plenty of sloggers, more or less successful, are developed, but no really good bowlers come to the front to help the gentlemen against the professionals. The best amateur bowler in England at the present time is S. M. J. Woods, and he is an Australian. This latter fact is satisfactory from an Australian point of view. Until another great amateur bowler is brought out it is difficult to understand how the gentlemen are to defeat the professionals, who always have plenty of trundlers. Surrey wore taxed to their utmost to defeat Derbyshire on July 23. The weather was very bad, which accounts for the small scores. Surrey made 123 and 148, Lohmann with with 12 and not out 30, and Lockwood with 0 and 43, being the highest scorers. Derbyshire made 90 in their first innings, which left them 182 to win. Of this number they made 133, the bowling of Bowley, who was put on after Lohmann and Beaumont had failed, proving altogether too good for the batsmen. He secured six wickets for 13 runs. Notts and Yorkshire played a close and interesting game at Sheffield, the former winning by 36 runs. Notts scored 225 and 134, the best figures being Gunn’s 87 and 26, Scotton’s 61 and 50, and Flowers’ 25 and 13. Shrewsbury was not playing for his County. Yorkshire’s totals were 201 and 123, Peel being highest scorer with 60 and 1; Wainwright contributed 2 and 60, Lee 41 and 0, and Ulyett 28 and 6. Peel took ten Notts’ wickets for 73 runs. Though no less than 79 runs behind on the first innings in their match against Yorkshire, the Lancashire eleven played up so pluckily that when the game ended they were able to claim a victory with only 3 runs to spare. Lord Hawks not out, 52 and 3 ; Lee, 42 and 0; and Wainwright, 0 and 27, were the highest contributors to the Yorkshire totals, 160 and 71; while Briggs, 25 and 41; Baker, 6 and 29; and Watson not out, 16, and not out, 16, were the best of the Lancashire batsmen, who»e scores were 81 and 153. The two fast bowlers, Ulyett and Mold, met with extraordinary success. Their averages, too, were very equal, Ulyett’s twelve wickets for Yorkshire costing 102, Mold's thirteen for Lancashire 111 runs.

Notts secured a very easy victory over Kent, who were defeated by an innings and forty-three runs. This made Notts* sixth successive win in first-class matches by more than an innings, an extraordinary and unprecedented record. The scores were—Notts, 302 (Gunn, 80; Barnes, 60 j Flowers, 49 j Shaddock, 86); Kent, 140 and 119 (L. Wilson, 43 and 50; W. Bashleigh, 22 and 27; F. Marchant, 31 and 4). Shaddock, who has been bowling with great success this year, again contributed in a great measure to the victory of his side. He was credited with nine Kent wickets, at an average of exactly eleven runs.

A three days’ match. North of England v. South of England, was concluded on July 13. This match was for the benefit of B. Pilling, and it is expected that a profit of jSIOOO will result. W. G. Grace captained the South team, which included T. C. O’Brien, Abel, Lohmann, and K. J. Key. In their first innings South made 204, Key being top scoter with 58 runs. In their second innings they made 133, Grace contributing 48 and Abel 65. The North team was captained by A. N. Hornby, and included Ulyett, Barnes, Peel, Briggs, A. G. Steel and Attewell. The North in their first innings made 271, F. H. Sugg getting 89. In their second innings, when they had lost four wickets for 47 runs play ceased, the game resulting in a draw.