CRICKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15566, 25 March 1914, Page 6

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIANS' TOUR. THE LAST TEST MATCH. Given fine weather there should be a record attendance at Eden Park on Friday next when the second and final test match between Australia and New Zealand will be commenced, and cricket of a very high standard should be seen. The showing of Victor Trumper will be watched with much interest, for it is several years- since the famous batsman was last seen in Auckland. Judging by his performances this season he is evidently still the Trumper of old. Crawford, the South Australian, has also aroused much interest during the Australians' present tour, mainly because of his triple century in the first match against Canterbury. He. like Trumper, did not join the team until after the Auckland match had been played. Good displays are also expected from Armstrong, Noble, Waddy, and the other famous cricketers in the team. The New Zealand team is also a strong one, both in batting and bowling, and should render a good account of itself.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Eden A team is to be congratulated on gaining premier honours for the season in the first grade competition, though it must be admitted that Ponsonby made a great fight for the title. On the first day, Ponsonby scored 375 for eigfat wickets, and on Saturday immediately put Eden in. The Eden team's innings was merely a procession, as Snedden and Kavanagh made short work of the batsmen, and the whole side was out for the insignificant total of 71. Snedden took five of the best wickets for 39, and Kavanagh secured two for 25. Taylor (16) and Blair (14} wore the only Eden batsmen to secure double figures.

The situation looked very rosy for Ponsonby when Eden went in a second time with a big deficit to make up, but the batsmen were equal to the occasion. I. Mills and Hemus went in first, but the latter had only scored a dozen when a neat catch by Woods sent him back to the pavilion. Brooke-Smith made a stylish 14, but Burton and Mills saved the situation. Mills Mas certainly lucky, as Snedden beat him repeatedly, but the veteran had totalled 31 before he went out to th:> Ponsonby man and was stumped. Burton played a really good innings for his 57 not out, and only four wickets were down for 135 when time was called, leaving Eden the winners of the championship fcv a single point.

In reply to University's first innings' total! of 257, Parnell ran up the fine total of 378 for three wickets. The Darnell skipper (Anthony) has rarely been seen in such good form. All the bowling came alike to him, and, when the ex-Canterbury representative was caught by Player off his own bowling he had compiled the fine score of 212. Moore assisted his captain greatly, and ran up 132 in first-class style. Parnell secured an easy first innings' victory. Comparatively small scoring marked the Eden B-Waitemata match. In reply to Eden B's first innings' score of 194, Waitemata made 133, and going in again Eden lost four wickets for 113. thus securing a two-point victory by 61 runs. North Shore made a good recovery against Grafton, chiefly owing to Sale, Dacre, and Howden, who were all in their best form, and the result was that the Devonport men won comfortably on the first innings by 48 runs. The wooden spoon competition lay between Parnell and Eden B, but. as each scored a two-point win on Saturday, there was no change in their respective positions, find Parnell will figure at the bottom of the list for the season.

With one exception, the personnel of the New Zealand team to meet Australia this week is very satisfactory. The inclusion of the country players, MacMahon and Holland, Was an excellent move on the part of the selector, but just why Saunders was included in the team it is hard to understand. Saunders was a firstclass man a few years ago, but his career in the Dominion has been far from a meteoric one. In provincial matches he lias met with a certain amount of success, but nothing he has accomplished this year warrants his. inclusion in a test team. Probably the selector wanted to incline a left-handed bowler in his team, but if such was the case he should have made his selection from amoyg the vounger generation of playefs. From* a New Zeclander's point of view, the tour of the Australians has a very considerable educational value, and it is regrettable that the selector did not give a younger player a chance. Saunders may take wickets in the match in question, but few will deny that the interest of New Zealand cricket would be better served by the inclusion of a promising young player. Is is an epoch-marking e ent in the history of Auckland cricket that a test match should at last be played here, and there is little doubt that the meting of the. New Zealand representatives and the Australian eleven at Eden Park on Friday, batnrdav, and Monday next will be followed with * much in teres' by the Auckland public. In January, 1878, New Zealand was first honoured by the visit of an Australian team. That team included A. and C. Bannermau, j T. Horan, Spofforth (the " demor" bowler), i W. T.. Murdoch, D. Gregory (captain), J. Blackham, T. Garrett, H. F. Boyle, G. Bailey, and T. Kendall. In the first match, against Southland, which the visitors won very easily by an innings and 159 runs, C. Bannerman totalled 125 not out. The next match, against a twenty-two from Otago, was noticeable for the collapse of the visitors, who were dismissed for 92 in response to Otago's 124. In 1878 the Australian team met Oamaru, Canterbury, Wellington, Napier, and Auckland, and were defeated by a Canterbury eleven by six wickets. In 1880-1 another Australian eleven, captained by W. L. Murdoch, came to New Zealand on its return from England, and had an unbeaten record. Five years passed before another visit, was paid by the Australians, who this time sent over such well-known cricketers as Trumble, Blackham, Spofforth, Garrett, 'Palmer, Bruce, Phillips, and Evans. After sensational cricket, the Australians defeated an Otago twenty-two by six wickets. Against a Wellington twentytwo the visitors established a record by compiling 475, Jones scoring 159, Palmer 76, Jarvis 60, and Trumper 57. Another 10 years elapsed before New Zealand was again favoured by a visit from the island continent, and on this occasion the Australian team was a famous combination, including such first-class cricketers as Trott, Darling, Iredale, Harry Graham, Clem Hill. Sid. Gregory, Kelly, Trumble, Eady, Jones', and McKibbin. In the match against the Otago fifteen, the well-known Southern bowler, Fisher, secured six wickets for 39, and laid the foundation of his great reputation, but the match went to the Australians, Otago, with only 82 runs needed to secure a victory, being dismissed for 64. The first test match between Australia and New Zealand was played in that year (1896) at Christchurch, the visitors winning by six wickets, Jones, the visitors' express bowler, securing fourteen wickets for 118 runs in the match. The gross takings of this match amounted to £550.

It was not until 1905 that another team I came over to New Zealand, and this team had amongst its members Trumper, Duff, Hill, Noble, Gregory, Hopkins, Armstrong, Kelly, Gelirs, Cotter, Howell. The team was one of the strongest batting and fielding sides that ever left Australia. Otago was defeated by an innings and 173 runs, while the New Zealand team was twice defeated. At Christchurch the visitors scored 533, Hill making 118 and Armstrong 126 not out, while Trumper scored d 4, and Gregory 61. This score constituted a record for first-class cricket in New Zealand. In Wellington the visitors scored 593 (Trumper 172, Hill 129), and another New; Zealand record waa estab-

lifihed. On {his occasion Australia won by an innings and 358 runs, and in one over from K. M. Ollivbr, Clem Hill scored 25. In 1910 another strong Australian team visited New Zealand, this time captained by Armstrong, who had with him Bardsley, Kelleway, Mayne, Smith, Wbitty, Dodds, Emery, Gorry, Facy, Simpson, Hopkins, and Warne. Wellington were beaten by six wickets. Auckland by over an innings, and Canterbury played a drawn game, with Australia needing 34 runs and two wickets to go to win. Otago were beaten by ten wickets, while the New Zealand team was twice defeated. POST OFFICES MATCH. AUCKLAND V. WELLINGTON. A DRAWN GAME. The cricket match at Victoria Park between the staffs of the Auckland and Wellington Post and Telegraph Offices yesterday was drawn, stumps being drawn at 5.15 p.m. owing to rain. Wellington made 208 in their first innings, and following on lost six wickets for 191. Phillips, who shaped well in the first innings, played a fine not out. innings of 108,' and good form was shown by Sclater. Scores : — AUCKLAND. First innings 316 WELLINGTON. First Innings. Jackson, b Warner 34 Marshall, by Menzies ... 4 E. Phillips, b Moffatt 65 Grace, c Schofield, b Moffatt ..._ ... 25 Greig, lbw, W arner ••• 35 Sclater, b Coates ~N 2 Wilson, lbw, b Osborne 13 Gates, not out 2 Meredith, c Harley, b Osborne ... 0 Redmond, c and b Osborne 0 Cochrane, b Osborne 0 Extras 28 I Total 208 J Bowling Analysis: Menzies, one wicket for 58 runs; Coates, one for 51; Moffatt, two for 33; Osborne, four for 7; Warner, two for 31. • Second Innings. I Jackson, lbw, b Coates 8 Phillips, not out 108 Marshall, run out ... 1 Grace, c Warner, b Menzies 15 Greig, b Warner 10 Sclater, b Moffatt 32 Wilson, ' b Menzies 2 Gates, not out .., ... ... 7 Extras 8 Total for six wickets ,191 AUSTRALIANS' TOUR. MATCH AGAINST MANAWATU. VISITORS MAO. 510. .[BT TELfcCJRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Palmerston North, Tuesday. The business people of Palmerston generally observed a half-holiday this afternoon, and in consequence there *was a large attendance to witness the conclusion of the match, Australia v. Manawatu. There was an excellent exhibition of batting by the visitors. Following are tho scores: — MANAWATU. First innings 177 AUSTRALIA.—First Innings. Cody, b Greer 3 Collins, c and b Elliott 84 Dolling, b Ongley 6 McKenzie, b Ongley '... 36 Waddy, c and b Greer 23 Trumper, c Luxford, b McVicar ... 76 Armstrong, c McLean, b Brennand ... 142 Crawford, b Greer 29 McGregor, c and b Greer ... ... 7 Mailley, b Luxford 67 Laver, not out 17 Extras 20 Total ... ... 510

Bowling Analysis: Greer, four wickets for 145 runs; Ongley, two for 107; Elliott, one for 52; Bartlett, none for 44; I'.rfnnand, one for 54; McVicar, one for 58; AUingham, aone for 13; Hodder, n<..ne,for 7; Luxford, one for 17. The wickets fell: 13, 28, 96, 145, 195, 269, 341, 350, 484, 510. CHURCHES ASSOCIATION. Akafana met and defeated Beresford Street for first grade championship honours on Saturday. Although Beresford had to make 271 runs in the first innings to catch their opponents v it was generally expected that they would get at least within striking distance, . but Paice, Martin and Minogue, the Akara-na bowlers, were too much for them, and the wickets very quickly fell. Beresford Street managed to reach 137 on the first innings, but in s the second innings they could only compile 42. Menzies io2) and Jones (26) were the only batsmen -tho were at all comfortable in the first innings, Lut both went very cheaply in the second. For Axarana, Arneil (85) batted splenic ilv. and Minogue (56), Dormer (30), and -Merritt (36) also showed some of their true form. Paice, Martin, and Minogue divided the wickets, all three bowling well. Beresford Street's fielding was good, but that of Akarana was even better. Akarana have played eight matches, gaining seven three-point wins, and losing one match to Beresford Street.

NORTHERN WAIROA ASSOCIATION. The Northern Wairoa Association has received advices from the metropolitan body that it has been found impossible to get a city team together to visit Darvaville, as was previously arrangedMatches with a Waiuku team have been arranged for Good Friday, Easter Monday, and the following day. In compliance with the wish of the Paparoa Club, representatives of whic'; desire to visit the Wairoa, matches are being arranged to be played at Aratapu, Dargaville, and Hoanga during the Easter holidays. In the cup fixtures lloanga defeated Aratapu oh Saturday by six wickets. Aratapu in the first inniri§s compiled 102 runs, and in the second 52. Hoanga's first innings closed for 87, and with fire wickets to fall the a umber necessary to win was obtained. The association has decided upon a 'third round of one-day matches for the closing cup fixtures.