CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 35

CRICKET.

NOTES BY SLIP.

The orioket seacon in Dunedln, which was fairly atatted on Saturday lait, promises to be in every way as tuccesstnl as that of 1893-94-. The fine weather, of which we have had «n unprecedcntly long ttretoh for this period of the year, has enabled batsmen to get into capital form, and given good wickets some high scoring «-«& d therefore intaresttof orioket — may be expected. Alex Downes was an absentee from the Grange Eleven last Saturday, beiDg back at work. It is said that he does not intend to ploy this trason. Not only for the sake of his club, but also for the sake of the province, it i* to b« hoped that this is not his definite decision. Upm a certain ol&sa of wickets he is not approached as A bottler in Otago, aiid it ia questionable if he is approachable in the colony. We cannot afford to lose his services yet awhile, more especially as we have Lawton bo more with us. Owing to W. Qulnn, Fox, and A. Carver being unable from various causes to take their pl»ces in the Southland Interprovincial team, Chosen to play Canterbury and Otttgo, the Selection Committee have filled up the vacancies with A. Brown, Jonei, and M 'Master. The Cup competitions in Canterbury were started for the season last Saturday, whtn some more than respectable scoring was witnessed. The United, playing against Lancaster Park, pat up 281 for nine wickete, Palmer subscribing a faultless 114, while Wigley made S3, Kitto 45, W. J. CotteriU 22, and A. Barman 11. The Wawhousemeu were dis»o»ed of by the Midland for 85 (T. North 83, Halley 23, Labatb 10), and the Midlanders have two wickets down for 100, Lawrence (not out) hating 54 to his credit, and Reese and J?e*rce (not out) scoring 18 and 16 respecThree players new to Cap crioket ia Duaedin were iutroduoed to notice in the match on the Gari»brook ground on Saturday. Ra'Q», the South Melbourne p'ayr, bas so far failed to justify his repu ation, but it may be that, the wickets here are too slow for his- fancy. It is probably as a wicketkeeper that he will best prove bis worth. Spr»ggon, a fcearaway bowler aja.A, in practice, a d«J<hir.^V>afc, is highly thought of, but Bennett may tura out to be the greatest acquisition the Carisbrook have secured. He is a paiieut bat, but severely punishes anything to the off. It has already peen prophesied concerning him that he will bead me club's averages for the season. "We taUjnfo take Bains, hs hailt tana Kel-

bourne, where he belonged to $ junior ieam, and where some of the junior teams are exceedingly strong. Tbe best batting on the Carisbrook ground on Saturday was shown by Liggins, who displayed great care in the compilation of his tutss. Rat'ray had acme luck iv being twice mieeed, but his innings was marked by great dash and by the smaahiog of a bat. Clayton also showed good form, and MacNeil, who left for Melbourne at the beginning of this week, batted freely. The acquaintance with the Albion bowliDg, which he acquired during his connection with the north end club, stood Croxford in good stead last Saturday for, barring him and Skitch, there was no batsman on the Duaediu side who was at all at home at the wickets. It was somewhat odd that it should be through the play of an old member of theirithat the Albion should be defeated— for that was really the case. It was Crwxford, and Croxford alone, who gawd the Dunedfn. It was certainly a reflection on the batting of the latter team that the und< rhand grubbers of Hutchinsen were so successful. The result of the Grange-Opoho match would seem tp indicate that either the former club has retrograded lince the commencement! of kst season or that the latter has improved very much, for iv their first match hat year the older olub inflicted a very decisive defeat on the hill men, beating them by the large margin of 155 runs on the first innings, the scores being Grange 215, Opobo 60 and 89 for the lo?8 of mx vrickrtt. The feature of Saturday's p]»y was the fine exhibition of batting on the part of Clarke, who scored 71 out of 103 •oored'off the bat by hi« s'.d*, and he retained possession of the wickets at the termination of the day's pUy. His batting, though vigorous, was by no means reckless, and a finer ditplay has rarely been seen iv club matches in Duuedin. The ex-New South Welshman w»s particularly severe on anything to the off, hia cutting and driving being very crisp, and he also got in some good hits to I(=g, though his weakest point is und übtedly on tkafc side of the wicket. The absence of Downes was, of course, severely felt by the Grange, but it is doubtful if he would h&ve been very destructive with the ball on tuch a wicket as was provided, for it was altogether in favour of the batimen, but judging by the form he has shown with the bat at practice he would probably have added to the total scored by bis side. Of the Grange 'batsmen the brothers Best showed to most advantage. The batting of W. Best was of the vigorous order, and he made | some good hits, but with his total at 26 he was j nicely taken in the long field by White, who I effected a very well-judged catch. J. Best rather ! surprised everybody by making 34 by good crickef, though it cannot be said he is a punishing bat— on the contrary, he was content to merely play balls that might have been sent away for threes or fours. The same remarks apply to Dawes, who compiled 24. Res'ieaux also showed good form while at th« wicket", and his contribution was the outcome of good play. Frith bowled in his usu»l style, which means that few liberties could be taken with him, but Parker's deliveries were treated with but scant deference by both Clarke and M'Kenzie, the latter gettiog him away for a four and a five in successive balls. W«11k was the most successful trundler on the Opoho side, but C!a>ke had the satisfartion of dismissing J. Best when he was thoroughly set. On Tuesday evening the match was concluded in favour of the Opoho by five wickets on the first innings, about half an hour's play sufficing to bring the match to a close. The two not outs of Saturday (Clarke and Gooch) carried their bats at the finish of the game, the former adding 33 runs to his score, rnakit g it 104, while Gooch played a serviceable inrings for 10. The first century of the season in New Zealand w»s scored on Thursday lusb at Christchurch by B. Whistle, who scored 108 (retired) for Sargood, Son, and Bwen auainct the United Drapers. E. V. Palmer (in Christchuroh) and A. Clarke (in Donedin) have since then scored the coveted century. From 1880 up to 1893 W. G. Grace has ncored over 1000 runs a season on 10 occasions, W. W. Read nine, Shrewsbury eight, Ulyett seven. The highest asaregftte ef all is A. B. Stoddart S 2072 if 1893, mi close up is W.G.s 2062 in 1887, and Gunn's 2057 in 1893. Rain interfered with the flrnt match of the Hastings week, which was between teams representing the North and South of Eugla«d. The North scored 190 and 109 for four wickets to the Souths 152. The principal scorer for the North was 8u« (71), who, in this match, attained his 1000 runs, and the h'gheßt individual total on the South side was 39, scored by j T Hearne, the Middlesex professional. 'The second match of the week, which was also drawn, was between teams of Gentlemen and Players, and was remarkable for the fact that W. G. Grace, opposed by a flue array of bowling Went, played his best innings of the seßson. The amateurs were reckoned to be exceptionally weak in bowling— ss, lndeod, they were— but they disposed of the Players in the Br»t innings for 85, A. B. Stoddart (five for 34) «nd J. 3. Ferris (five for 40) howling unchanged. The Gentlemen wade 247, W. G. Grace playing a matterly innings for 131, and F Mitchell, of Cambridge University, scoring 40. Six wicked were scoured by J. T. Hewne at a cost of 57 runs. The second inning* of the professionals wae closed with eight wickets down for 268 (Brookwell 81, Abel not out 51, Albert W*rd 47, Gunn 42), and the Gentlemen, in the effort to hit off the 107 runs required in 65 minutes, lost aeven wickets for 76, Mold taking three wickots for 14, Mr T. D. Hurman, the hen. secretary of the Canterbury Cricket Association, has received a letter from Major Wardill, of the Melbourne Cricket Club, from the tone of which it is gathered that it is doubtful whether Mr A. B. Stoddaifi English team will visit this colony. A Wellington telegram states that about £100 has been subscribed by citizens towardt the cricket guarantee for the English team, and the association is to be. asked to agree to p»y the balance of £150 if the takings at the gates are insufficient. The Privateers played a match President r. Vice-president on the Asylum ground, the former winning by 14 rang. Coatelloe and Hessian batted well, and Miller (3 wickets for 0) and Deaker bowled well for their respective The m»tcfa Carlton A v. the rest of the Olnb was played on Saturday afternoon, and resulted in » win for the Club by 88 runs o» the first innings. The scores weret Carlton A, 41 (C. Reid 14) and 74 (Jackson 16 and M 'Arthur 12) 1 | the Club, 109 (W. Bolton b»ttinj freely for 40).