THE ENGLISH CRICKETERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13397, 28 January 1907, Page 7

THE ENGLISH CRICKETERS.

* THE RETURN MATCH WITH

AUCKLAND.

LOCAL TEAM MAKE 127.

VISITORS LOSE ONE WICKET

FOR ONE RUN

Thk English cricketers commenced the return match with Auckland on Saturday afternoon on the Domain Cricket Ground. 'Juo weather was perfect, but the attendance did not conic up to expectations. About £60 was taken at the gates. The batting (i? the local team, if anything, was better (hau tin- score would indicate, although throughout it was marked by the extreme caution which the good fielding of the Englishmen made necessary. The seoro board ■ erected on the ground was an improvement on tin' one used in the previous match. The arrangements, under the direct supervision of Messrs. .1. Watts and C. Hay, were good. The match will be continued to-day, play commencing at eleven o'clock, as it will also do tomorrow. The umpires in the mutch "were Messrs. .1. Moss (England) and 11. ('. Sharpies (Auckland). Madden wen the to-- from tie Tratford, and had no reason to ask what lie should do, and at once .-nil 1., 11. Hcmus and .1. Hu.-soy in to bat. It «a- ten minutes past (ho o'clock when play commented, Homus taking strike to I'. 11. May, who bowled from the hospital end. . The outfield was 111 good order, hut the nickel was no! as good as in the previous match. The bail at. times kept low. Douglas howled from the pavilion cud. Both ol thc-e truudlers are utoio liiiiu hi*"-" v" .fast. Vex, the wicketkeeper, stood ban ,m"l yards to -May. but stood tip to Douglas, which fait dispelled all doubts as to who is the faster bowler. It "as reasonably expected that this first wicket would put on a score, for Hemus' form in "rep." matches was good, while the North Shore representative had been boating all others m club cricket this season, and ouly the {Saturday before made 95 ..(not out). Howe the loc».l supporters ; were.destined to disappointment. When the batsmen hud been at the wickets 20 minutes Hussey pulled one from Douglas on to his wicket. Both batsmen had been playing cautiously, and the figures were: 1—5—12. lienius hail only scored three singles in 20 odd minutes' play, but the City crack relieved the monotony a couple of overs later by welcoming E. V. Sale to the wicket with the first boundary of the dav. a late cut off Douglas. After half an hour's play 20 r.uns were on the board. After he had broken his thick Sale did not play too well to one of May's overs. Hemus' was 30 odd minutes getting into double figures. His partner stored a couple off Douglas to the on, but was clean bowled in the same over by a ball that swerved from the leg side: 2-3—26. Douglas had now taken two wickets for nine runs. May was sending them down at a good pace, but a little on the short side. The ball was keeping a little low on the pitch. Hcmus' late nit Douglas for three, find Haddon scored a~ single off a similar stroke. The field was nicely placed, which made it difficult to score. lietnus was batting carefully, and had taken 50 minutes to make 17. Haddon drove Douglas crisply for a single, and Hemus placed the same bowler to leg for two. When May had taken no wickets for 15 Simpson-Hayward replaced him at the hospital end. and each batsman scored a single off his first over. A tick or so before the hour 40 was hoisted. The lob bowler was yetting plenty of work on, and both batsmen were mostly staying at borne to him. and consequently the scoring was slow. In Douglas' next over Hemus got to 25._ and Haddon reached double figures at the same time, taking the total into the 50's. Douglas was giving the batsmen very few opportunities to score, and in one of his overs Hemus might have been stumped had Fox taken the ball. Haddon had been at the wickets 35 minutes for 12 runs. He was kept particularly quiet by Hayward, off whom only singles were being scored. When he had been bowling over an hour Douglas was keeping even a better length than at the outset. When play had been it) progress an hour and a-quartcr he secured Ins third wicket, by clean bowling Hemus with a leg break: 3—29 — Hemus played a highly commendable innings, and although his display was not as attractive as he is capable of, it was the essence of ■soundness and good judgment. He played many excellent strokes, which against poor fielding sides would have produced fours; but the visitors fielded admirably, and made it difficult to score. Mason, who joined Haddon, beat his aggregate score in the previous match with his first stroke, a nice cut to the boundary. A momentary change in Haddon's tactics towards the lob bowler realised two. which brought 60 on the board. Mason hit Doug'ltts neatly to the on for three, in which Haddon had to move a little quicker to gain his crease in time than he did on several other occasions during his stay at the wicket*. A single off Hayward and a cut for two off Douglas brought the Graftonite into double figures. Haddon continued to bat quietly, despite tempting inducements from Hayward to hit. 'When Douglas' figures read three for 59, and the total stood at 63, Branston was given the ball at the pavilion end. Mason drove his first ball hard to niid-off, but May fielded brilliantly, saving an almost, certain four. Mason, however, found an opening for a couple of runs high over third man's head. When Haddon had been at. the wickets an hour his score was 18, a particularly slow rate of scoring for the Shoreite. However, it was not so much due to lack of force on Haddon's part as to good work by the fieldsmen on the off, and by May in particular. The third man and raid-oft' were fairly deep, and Haddon drove balls hard to them for which he more often than not got no runs, whereas had he had just patted them, a single would have been certain. The skipper reached 20 and Mason 15 in Branstou's second over. Owing to the placing of the field for Simp-Bon-Hayward, it was most, difficult to score more than a single, arid time after time only a single would come for a hit that. reached within a couple of yards of the boundary. Just before tea adjournment 'May was again tried in place of the lob bowler. His second ball Haddon skied to leg. and Douglas running back mi— a onehand chance. Haddon's score was then 23. This was really the only mistake the Englishmen had made ill the field. The captain showed his appreciation of the let. off Inputting May to the on for three, and placing Braustoi neatly to the leg for a similar number, thus bringing 90 on the board. After May had bumped down an over of extra fast, stuff, the adjournment was taken. The score lx>ard then showed as follows; Haddon, 29; Mason, 20: total for three wickets, 91. After tin- adjournment Mason opened with a single off Branston, and Haddon repeating the stroke got into the thirties. The first two overs from Douglas were maidens, each batsman taking one. Both batsmen were missing firm-ton to leg, but Haddon broke the monotony by lifting the Englishman to tie- off-boundary, over .mid-off's head, for four. This brought the century up, after two hour- and ten minutes' play. The next, '.all look the local captain: 4—35—100. Haddon bad been at the wickets one hour and 40 minutes, and had played what was for him a slow game. He only hit one boundary, but he made wmio good offstroke-, which, however, were, as mentioned above, checked in their progress to the boundary. His placing was not as good as usual, but. it must he borne in mind that although there was not any particularly noticeable sting in the bowling, it. was deadly in its curacy. Brooke-Smith followed, and had a short but merry life. His opening strokes were suggestive of his true form, of which he has shown us .-<> little this season. Ho played May to leg for a single, and followed it with a similar stroke off Braiioton for two, and a. hook to (he ou-lxntndary. To the next hall lie lifted hi- foot, and mi-sin-, and being slow in recovering, was stumped; 5—9—110. I). Hay joined Ma-on, who since the tea adjournment hud had less than his. share of the bowling. Mason welcomed his clubmate with a pretty single to leg. off May. Hay opened his account by placing Douglas in the same direction. Her then took a , maiden from Branston. Ma-on only saved himself from playing May on by acting promptly. Mason got Douglas through the slips for three, but in Branston's next over was yorked: 6—28—115. The. outgoing batsman hud played good cricket. His offstrokes wero good; and, in fact, he made excellent strokes all round the wicket. He , started particularly well. He hit two fours, three threes, and two twos. - MacCorniick joined Hav at five o'clock, there being an hour left "for play. BranWon had up to this taken three wickets for **• Douglas bowled his fourth maiden ' >inc» the adjournment, this time to Hay. I '*»» to minutes only one run" had boon scored, "ie only thing worthy of note, excepting the -.i "atßUK'u'a defence, being a nice stroke to , Won by Hay, which waij smartly fielded by "; ■5S' , AftCl ' MacCormiek had been in. 12 I»inutes1 »inutes broke his duck. Another single ■,;•■ - : w. «*«.ormick brought 120 up. At this

point May replaced Douglas at the hospital end. Hay drove the fast howler for a couple. Simpson-Hayward went on in place of Branston, who had taken three wickets for 32. MacCormiek drove the new howler for three, and Hay, going out and missing, was stumped: 7—3—126. Olliff joined MacCorniick, who. however, was clean bowled by one of May's fast ones: 8—6—126. This was the fast bowler's first wicket, it having cost him 23. When How den joined Olliff there was halfii hour left for play. The Shot-cite ran out to the first ball he got from Hayward, and was bowled : 9—0—127.

Robinson, the last man in, joined Olliff, who had not scored, but. who, however, was at once clean bowled by May. The innings, which had lasted a few minutes over ,ho three hours, closed for 127. With 10 minutes left for play the Englishmen commenced their innings. Fox and Tuffuel were the opening batsmen. The first-mentioned took a maiden from Hay, who bowled from the pavilion end. Howden took up the attack from the hospital end, and alter having Tuffuel in difficulties with his first three balls, bowled him with the next: I—o—o. Torrens came next, and Hay bowled another maiden to Fox, and Howden sent, one down to Torrens. Fox late-cut Hay for a. single, and time was called. AUCKLAND.—First, Innings. I, C. Hemus, h Douglas 29 ,1. Hussey, b Douglas 5, E. V. Sale, b Douglas 3 A. Haddon. b Branston 55 F. R. Mason, b Branston 28 W. Brooke-Smith, -t Fox, b Branston... 9 D Hay. st Fox. b Simpson-Hayward ... 3 I-;' MacCormiek, b May b C. Olliff, b May ». (» A. M. Howden, b Simpson-Hayward ... 0 W. Robinson, not out " Extras 9 Total 12/ BOWLING ANALYSIS. 0. M. R. W. Mav 12.6 5 23 2 Douglas 22 6 47 3 Simpson-Hayward ... 11 1 16 2 . Hranston 13 4 32 3 ENGL ND.—First Innings. R. W. Fox. not out ... .;• .. ••• 1 X. C. Tuffuel, 1) Howden u| A. A. Torrens, not out 0 Total for one wicket ... ... 1 BOWLING. Howden took one wicket for nil. HOW THE WICKETS FELL. Auckland : One for 12. 2 for 26. 3 for 55. 4 for 100, 5 for 110, 6 for 115, 7 for 126, 3 for 126, 9 for 127. 10 for 127. The first match between Auckland and the Englishmen resulted in a draw. On that occasion Auckland made 195 and 131 for tho loss of five wickets, while the Englishmen scored 172 and 241.