CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20288, 22 December 1927, Page 11

CRICKET

MARYLEBONE TEAM’S TOUR. MATCH AT BENONI. (Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.) CAPETOWN, December 20. At Benoni a two-day match was commenced against a South African eleven, which in the first innings made 86. Hammond took six wickets for 32. Marylebone scored 255 for six wickets (Holmes not out 112, Hammond 61) A. and N.Z. Cable.

CHOOSING A TEST TEAM. INFLUENCE OF NEWSPAPERS. LONDON, December 20. “ Australia shares with England the difficulty of choosing a test team, but when their team is chosen the Australian newspapers immediately write up the selected players, describing all as superlatively good. When Englishmen read of their performances they wonder how it will be possible to find' a team likely to bo victorious. Consequently when the day comes the Australians have their tails up, and the team is on the high road to victory,” says the Earl of Dartmouth, trustee of the Marylebone Club. “On the contrary, the English newspapers begin damning the selectors, declaring that the majority of the team is comparatively bad. Cricket writers, many of whom are unknown, make up their minds that B ought to be selected, and therefore gibe at poor A, who is disheartened. We are thus on the highway of defeat, whereas we ought to hearten up the team, making then-j feel that the country has complete confidence in them.”—A. and N.Z. and Sydney Sun Cable.

THE NEXT ENGLISH TEAM. VERY STRONG IN BATTING. MELBOURNE, December 21. Mr Bean, formerly secretary of the Victorian Cricket Association, on his return from England, said that the English team that would visit Australia next year would probably be very strong in batting, but good bowlers were scarce. Nevertheless, there would be a sufficiently strong body of men to make the next test team a tough proposition for Australia. Chapman was most likely to be captain. Mr Bean expressed the opinion that daylight saving in England had given a great fillip to the game, cricket being played whenever there was a vacant piece of land.

SHEFFIELD SHIELD GAMES. SOUTH AUSTRALIA BEATS NEW SOUTH WALES. AN EXCITING FINISH. ADELAIDE, December 21, (Received Dec. 21, at 11 p.m.) South Australia, in its second innings, lost nine wickets for 189 runs (Lee not out 27). M'Namee took fh’e for 53, and Mailey two for 79. South Australia won by one wicket. It still required four runs to win when the final ball was bowled. The batsman and the wicketkeeper missed it, and four byes were registered, winning the match for South' Australia. The weather was fine, and though the wicket was wearing it was not dangerous ■when South Australia faced the visiting howlers and successfully adopted stonewalling tactics, sufficiently breaking the back of the bowling to gain a victory. New South Wales made 519 and 150, while South Australia made 481 in its first innings.

VICTORIA BEATS QUEENSLAND. MELBOURNE, December 21. (Received Dec. 21, at 11 p.m.) Queensland, in its second innings, made 407 (Lister 43, Amos not out 27). Morton took three wickets for 103 and Ironmonger five for 88. Victoria won by an innings and 197 runs. The weather 'was fine and the wicket good, but the bowlers early dominated file game, and after a hard but unsuccessful fight the visitors were dismissed, leaving the home team easy winners. Victoria made 793 in its first innings, and Queensland 189.