CRICKET

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5474, 31 December 1904, Page 14

CRICKET

THE AHR.TRAT.TANS IN NEW ZEALAND. Followin'” are the fixtures for the Australian eleven in New Zealand: Against Auckland—Feb. 10, 11, 13. . Against Wellington—Feb. 17, 18, 20. Against Canterbury—Feb. 24, 25, 27. Against Otago—March 3,4, 5. Against N.Z. (at Christchurch) —March 10, 11, 13. ' Against N.Z. (at Wellington)—March 15, 16, 17. NOTES. (By “Twister.”) The game between Wellington’s second representative eleven and Wairarapa’s first eleven was poor cricket. There wore patches of good play, for instance Hickey’s bowling in the first innings for Wellington, Cobcroft’s bat-

ting for Wellington and Maunsell’s batting in the second innings for Wairarapa, but taken all round the play was bad oven for junior representative teams. Wairarapa batted first and made 43, more than half of them off Redmond’s bat. Without his score the team scraped up 14 runs. Hickey was the destroyer with a ball that was breaking back. Two men were absent, and including them six of the countrymen made -ducks." The Phoenix bowler got six wickets for 1C runs in that innings. He did no good in the second innings though. When Wellington commenced to bat things moved. Cobcroft and Mahony opened. The latter was got rid of m a very short time with only five runs against his name. Cobcroft was let off before he had scored ten runs and from there ho went on until he had made 108 runs—another of tho thousand examples of the value of holding on to a catch when it arrives. He batted very nioely after he was dropped and there are a lot of people now who want to know why ho isn’t in the No. 1 rep. team. More than probably he will be against the Australians. Charlie Gore was next highest scorer with 56, and ho batted with all his old time prettiness of stroke. Maunsell, who is an ex-Wei ling ton Club player, got tho best bowling average in tlie big score and finished with three for 64. With 270 runs to the bad Wairarapa commenced its second innings, and batting with more confidence and against bowling that schoolboys should have made a show of they managed to get 262. Thus they lost the game by an innings and 8 runs. Tho top score was made by Maunsel, and he knocked up 112. He was par tioularly strong on tho leg side, rarely failing to score four off a ball on that side, and that probably was the reason why the city bowlers plugged away at the leg side of tho sticks. Perhaps they thought that he would lose Mie ball in time that way and they would he able to go home. Mahony could Have run Maunsell out when the batsman was. about 98, but he seemed to slay his action in order to let tho batsman get his 100 runs. It was a good thought. It is more than probable that Wellington wall play 15 men against the Australian eleven. The selectors, no doubt, looked at the game from an educational point of view and several “colts” will be included in the team. According to Australian papers the appointment of Mr Laver as manager of the Australian eleven is not viewed with entire satisfaction by the New South Wales people. The “Referee” says that at a. meeting on the N.S.W. Cricket Association, the appointment of Mr Laver created a lot of discussion. Mr Whatmore said he thought the Association, having entered into negotiations with the Marylebone 0.C., should have been consulted. Another speaker threatened law action on tho matter. He would object to the team going under the circumstances. Another said he regarded the venture as a financial institution, and they had no right to go behind the back of the Association in appointing a manager. Finally it was resolved unanimously: ‘That Mr M. A. Noble be reminded that the team was going to England under the auspices of the three Associations.” It was stated that as the team was going at the invitation, of the Marylebone C. 0., consequently the appointment of manager had to he confirmed by tho three Associations.

B. P. Waddy, the young University batsman and wicket-keeper, who scored 129 not out against South Australia, is in the running for second wicketkeeper in the Australian XI., and is worthy of a nlace for his hatting alone. The “Referee” says that in 1894 just ten years ago—“Bill” Howell was chosen as a batsman to represent New South Wales against Stoddart’s first team in November, 1894, but, strange to say, it was as a howler that ho made a name for himself in big cricket. In that match he took five wickets for 44, and has since been picked as a bowler, his early promise as a batsman having lain dormant, although on February 17, 1898, against Stoddart’s second team, he played one of the most remarkable innings on record, for, going in last, he hit, up 95 out of IC® in 63min. A. L. Newell being his partner. On Saturday. and Monday W.P.H. again broke loose, but this time he went one better. Going in tenth, with the score 242 for eight wickets, ho and E. F. Waddy added 221 runs before they were separated. Howell’s contribution being 128. This is Howell’s first oentnry in first-class cricket. The pair added 221. which is a record for firstclass cricket for the ninth wicket. T. W. Garrett (131) and T. R. MRibbin added 170 for the ninth wicket against South Australia on the Sydney Cricket Ground in January, 1897. With the exception of J. Darling, who captained the 1899 and 1902 teams, no one has been skipper of an Australian Eleven in England more than once. Matches played by Australian Elevens ip England, including those against odds, number 405. Of these 196 have been won, 82 lost, and 127 drawn. In eleven aside matches only, 171. matches have been won, 75 lost, and 111 drawn out of 357 matches played; Forty-eight match os - have been played against odds, 25 resulting in victory, and 7 in defeat, the remaining 16 having been drawn. Speaking of the match between Canterbury and Wellington the Christchurch “Press” says:—Canterbury beat their opponents at all points of the game, and finished up with a meritorious win by 201 runs, and this after declaring their second innings closed with only six wickets down. It was in the batting department that the local men chiefly demonstrated theic superiority. They have more men capable of making runs, and the Northerners appear to have a pretty long tail, though there are two or throe men who are undoubtedly good batsmen. It would be difficult to compare the bowling. The local men were never stuck up by the Wellington attack, and on the other hand only once during the match did ui® Wellington batsmen have the Canterbury bowling really collared. It can thus be fairly claimed that the better side won. In dealing with the individual batsmen, the paper says Sims was again an easy first. He played the same sound game that had marked his play in the first innings, and the fact that he forced the pace and scored faster made his play even more attractive. He made no weak strokes, and he was batting exactly two hours, his hits all through being clean and well timed. Lawrence, who was second highest scorer, surprised even his most ardent admirers by the freedom and foroefulrlesa of his batting. It was not as sound an exhibition as some of the others gave, hut a batsman who makes 46 in less than an hour, as he did, must necessarily take a good many risks. All the same, _ h© made some slashing cuts and off drives,

whilst he and Sims considerably added to the interest of, the play by their smart running between wickets. Orchard’s play was characterised by more than usual caution, and he mixed his defence with some very clean hitting, several of his drives going to the boundary in double quick time. He was eventually bowled by a fast ball that kept very low. Callaway also displayed more caution than ho had done in the first innings, and only once did he find the boundary. At the same time be kept busy, and only took 35 minutes to make his 24, Boxshall was in a particularly defensive mood, and it took him 50 minutes to make a two and seven singles. Of the Wellington bowlers, S. Hickson. who was not given a trial in the first innings, secured tho host figures, and he trundled very well, two of his victims being clean bowled. L 7 pham for once was treated rather disrespectfully, his last seven overs producing 32 runs. Stephenson was also expensive, as his figures—l for 78—will show. Hales, who is generally recognised as one of Wellington’s best trundlors, had 28 runs hit off his first four overs, and he was not tried again. Tho visitors’ fielding was again far from first-class, and several easy catches were missed. Hutchings, the top scorer, played a very sound and painstaking innings. His play right through was marked by sound defence, and though his runs came very slowly, he made some firstclass strokes in all directions. He was batting for nearly two and a half hours for his 35, and was still unbeaten when the innings closed. Blacklock gave another taste of his quality as a batsman, though it was hardly so correct an innings as his first. All the same, it was sufficient to show that his first innings score was not a mere flash in the pan, and his display on the whole undoubtedly entitles him to rank among the best of New Zealand’s batsmen. Hickson again sustained bis reputation of being one of the most difficult batsmen to get rid of. During his stay at the wickets he did not make a bad stroke, and he batted for over an hour for his 21. Barton, who hails from Melbourne, made his runs in really crioket-liko style, and he will probably be heard of again as a batsman.

Tho Canterbury howlers once more showed to advantage, and were never in trouble from the start. Bennett secured tho best figures, but Fisher also trundled excellently, whilst Callaway was as steady as ever. The CanteT bury fielding, though still not without fault, was a great improvement on that of their first innings. The field work right through the match has been far from first-class, but this may bo accounted for—to some extent—by the fact that the ground was very hard, and in many places bumpy. Of tho nineteen matches played Canterbury has won eleven, and Wellington four, while four have been drawn. The Canterbury team to play against Otago, 'at Dunedin is the same as played against Wellington, except that G. T. Weston replaces Garrard, who is unable to make the journey. Tho death of J, T. Drown, the great Yorkshire cricketer, took place on November 5. Hi's health broke down last May, and in July he formally resigned his place in the Yorkshire eleven. Brown was bom on August 20, 1869, and was thus in his 36th year. Brown was a very large if rather an intermittent scorer, and was on© of the few players who twice mad© 300 in on© innings—once against Sussex at Sheffield in 1897 and once against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1898. The two great feats, which will always be reckoned, his greatest, were mad© in the two leading matches of the world—a Test match in Australia and a Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord’s. Brown went to Australia with Mr Stoddart’s first team in the winter of 1894-95. On March 6, 1895, the last day of the deciding Test match at Melbourne, England had to get 269 runs to win, with eight wickets in hand. Mr Stoddart was out first ball of the day. Brown joined Ward, and the two added 210 runs and practically won the match for their side. Brown’s score was 140, mad© without a chance, and England won the match by six wickets. In 1900, at Lord’s, the Flayers had to make 501 runs to win, and got them with two wickets to spare. Brown scoring 163, which is still the highest professional score in these matches. These were two splendid feats, and ho was selected to play in England in a Test match both at Manchester and Lord’s in 1896, while in the years of Yorkshire’s greatest successes his batting was always a leading fear ture. He had a fine cut, and pulled the ball as successfully as his colleague Hirst; while he was a good field at point and a useful change slow bowler. Brown first came out for Yorkshire in 1889. He and Tunnicliffe were a splendid pair to go in first, and together they did several wonderful performances, the most remarkable being their score of 554 for the first wicket at Chesterfield against Derbyshire in 3898.