NOTES BY SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 36

NOTES BY SLIP.

* . ' W. G. Grace, playing for the Gloucestershire Eleven against twenty-two colts on May 1 and 2, scored 108 out of the former's total of 241.

• . • The nature of Lord Sheffield's hospitality on the occasion of the Australians' first matoh in England may be gauged from the fact that the match cost him in all £4500. When W. L. Murdoch saw Jones bowling down the wickets at Sheffield Park he was all smiles, and declared that Jones's bowling would frequently mean the difference between defeat and victory.

The first battle of the Roses for the season was fought at Old Trafford on May 4 and following days, when Yorkshire defeated Lancashire by two wickets. Lancashire soored 150 (Sugg 74) and 139 (Paul 52) to Yorkshire's 123 (Moorhouse 43. F. S. Jackson 21) and 168 for

eight wiokets (Wainwright 47, F. S. Jackson 41, Denton 25). •.•At Lord's on May 5 the. M.0.0. and Ground defeated Notts by six wiokets, the scores being j Notts, 136 (Shrewsbury 46, C. W . Wright 28) and 111 (Shrewsbury 27) ; M.C.O •, 174 (Storer not out 50, C. E. do Trafford 44, J. T. Hearne 31, F. W. Maude 26) and 74 for four wiokets. Hearne, for the M.O.C, took ten wickets for 75, while A. O. Jones, for Notts, secured four for 20. • . • Surrey won their opening match of the season on May 6, when they defeated Warwickshire at the Oval by an innings and 26 runs, Warwickshire made 215 (Law 73, PaMefi' not out 55, Lillcy 3i) aud 121 (Law 35, Wm QmkUq 29), while Surrey scored 362, Abel contributing > 138, W. W. Read 112, Hayward 33, and K. J. Key 26. * * . • As some readers of these notos would like to know the details of Yorkshire's record total of 887 against Warwickshire, of which we heard by cable, I reproduce the score s— Yokkshiue. F. S. Jackson, c^Law, b Ward „ „. 117 Tunnicliffe, c Pallett, b Glover ... 28 Brown, o Bill, b Pallett 23 Denton, c Quaife IW. G.), b Santall... 6 Moorhouse, b Ward 72 Waiuwrighfc, run out ... 126 Peoi, not out „, ... 210 F. W. Millißan, b Pallett 34 Lovd Hawko, b Pallett 168 Hirst, c Glovor, b Santall ... „. 85 Hunter, b Pallett 5 • Extras... „. ... „, «. 15 Total 887 The match was, it is hardly necessary to say, drawn, Warwickshire ecoring 203 (Walter Quaife not out 92, Bantail 29, Diver 27, Pallett 25) and 48 for one wicket (H. W. Bainbridge ! 29). 'Ten bowlers were tried for Warwickshire* and the best average was Pallett's four for 184. • . • Albert Trott, playing for C.I. Thornton'* team agaimt Cambridge University, scored 15 and 58, and took one wicket for 76 and two for 88; and playing for theM.C.C. against Lancashire he made 9 and 10, but bowled unsuccessfully, takiog uo wickets for 39 in Lancashire's first innings and none for 11 in the second. Playing for A. J. Webbe's eleven against Cambridge University in a match that was in progress whou the mail left, he was dismissed without scoring, but in the Oantab's firsb inniugs he got four wiokets for 54. " Jook " Harry made his debut for M.O.C. playing against Leicetter~ shire, and scored 8 and 26.

* . ' Tbe Lancashire Eleven were on M&y 12 defeated by theM.C.C. by 160 runs, Mold being, however, an absentee from the county ranks. The M.C.O. scored 191 (C. E. de Trafford 60, A. E. Stoddart 46, F. Marchant 37) and 301 (H. B. Hayman 70, C. E. do Trafford 46, F. Marchant 46, Chatted on 35) to Lancashire's 173 (A. N. Hornby 66, Briggs 35, FAnson 34) and 159 (Briggss4, Baker 41). ' . ' Surrey, playing their full strength bar Lohmann (who had nob returned from South Africa), defeated Essex on May 13 by an innings and 20 runs. To Surrey's total of 430 Abel contributed no less than 231— the largest score he haß ever made— and K. J. Key subscribed 47, Holland 39, and Wood (not out) 31. Essex made 174 (Russell 35, O. M'Gohey 31, H. G. Own 30) aud 236 (H. G. Owen nob ou^7o, P. Perrin 52, C. J Kortrigbt44).

• . • Mr, Harry Muegrove, interviewed in England, indulges, I fear, in a little romance at the expense of Dunedin when, speaking of the Royal Opera Company crioket team, he says :—: — "We had rather an amusing exparience when we went to Dunedin, where wo had arranged to piny the town olub, which was pretty strong. We won the toss* and put them iv, muoh to their surprine. They had heard very little of us, and could not understand our move at all ; in faot, I am afraid that they thought we must have more impudence than senpe, or else that we did not understand the game, being merely theatrioal people. But as we were only to play for a sbort time, it seemed to be the only possible way of winning the match, and we did not want a draw. As it happened we got them all out for about 38, and made 180 ourselves in our one innings." s '.•ln an article on •' Wicketkeeperi Past and Present" the Pall Mall Gazette has the following reference to Blackbam .- — " Perhaps Blackham may claim the distinction of being, next to W. G. Grace, the cricketer as to whose supremacy there is least dispute among living players of past and present generations. There arc veterans who still pin their faith to Lockyer, and no doubt it would be easy to find Lancastrians who are disposed to give the first place to poor Pilling ; but a canvass of the cricketing public would produce an overwhelming majority in favour of the famous Australian. Not lens remarkable than Blackham's ability and pluck— the latter being the very first essential to successful wicketkeeping— has been tho ease with which he has undergone 21 years' hard work in first-olass crioket. Though he naturally failed to retain to the full the extraordinary skill he displayed in, this country duritfg his first three or four visits,' dating from 1878, his preeminence remained undisputed when <he was last seen on English grounds in 1893. He has probably seen more service then any other wickelkeeper, but despite 1 the innumerable blows he must have received his courage never deserted him, even in his maturer years. It was a revelation to English cricketeri to see Blackham standing up to Spofforth's bowling without the aid of a long-atop, and there is no doubt that his example has helped to raise the general standard of wicketkeeping. Blackham, it may be added, possessed all tbo qualities which go to make a cricketer respected' and admired, and no more popular wicketkeeper has ever appeared on the field either in this country or in Australia."

• . • In the first three inter-county matches of the English eeason Abel soored in suczeasiye inning* 138, 152, and 231.

' . ' H, A. Boddingron, the Otago representative, has been transferred to the Greymouth branch of the Bank of New South Wales, and left last week for the West Coast.

* . ' A drawn match was played on May 7 and following days between Cambridge University and a strong team captained by C. I. Thornton, The latter made. 219 (G. J. V. Weigall 75, F. W. Maude 60) and 440 (E. G. Wynyard 121, Shrewsbury 62, Trott 58, Alec Hearne 37, F. W. Maude 37, A. J. Webbe 31), and the Light Blues scores 289 (C. J. Burnup 92, H. H. Mancott 76) and 231 for nine wickets (N. F. Druce 63, H. H. Marriott 39, C. J. Burnup 35).

• . • At Lord's on May 7 the M.0.0. and Ground defeated Sussex by nine wickets, the county scoring 139 (K. S. Ranjitsiubji 30) and 204 (K. S. Ranjitflinbji 74, W. L. Murdoch 42) to the club's 260 (Gunn 138, Chattertou 66) and 64 for one wicket (H B. Hayman not out 32).

, ■ . ' Surrey defeated Leicestershire very easily by an innings and 259 runs at the Oval on May 8. The home team made 443, of which Abel contributed 152, Holland 110, and K. J. Key (cot out) 62, to their opponents' 55 and 129 (O. E. de Traff ord 72) . Richardson secured in the match fifteen wickets at a cost of 63 runs only.

• .'. ' Somersetshire secured a f ictory by 123 runs over Gloucestershire at Bristol on May 9. The winners made 258 (S. M. J. Woods 108, H. T. Stanter 79) and 173 18. 11. J. Woods 52.

Robson 41), and Gloucestershire Boored 153 (Wrathall not out 59, B. L. Thomas 47) and 155 (Wrathill 70, Board 30). ' . * The Yorkshire team, with the honours of their great score at Edgbaston fresh upon them, commenced a match againsb Somersetshire at Taunton on May 11, and, despite good scores by the home team, gained a victory by five wickets. Somersetshire scored 323 (L. C. H. Palairet 113, S. M. J. Woods 76, G. Fowler 47, Robson 43) and 208 (S. M J. Woods 71, Robson 39, Smith 34), while the Tykes made 400 (Moorhouse 113, Lord Hawke 62, Wainwright 62, Peel 48, Mounsey 41) and 132 for five wickets (Brown 38, Peel uob out 31).

• . • The next matoh played by Yorkshire was against Gloucestershire, and this the northern oounty won by nine wickets. Gloucestershire scored 131 (W. G. Grace 30) and 158 (W. G. Grace 70), while Yorkshire made 234 (Moorhouse 51, Peel 40, T. W. Milligan nob out 33) and 57 for one wioket. For the winning county Milligan took, in all, "seven wickets for 33 rune. • . ' At Lord's on May 15 a weak team representing the M.0.0. and Ground defeated Leicesterihire by three wickets. The scoring wao small, the county making 116 (Holland 30) and 74, and the M.C.O. aooring 73 and 119 for Reveu wickets (W. J. Ford 33). For the club J. T. Hearno secured altogether eleven wickets for 88 runs. 4 , • By cable we are informed of a great performance by Cambridge University in a match against the Marylebone Olab. They had 607 to get in their second innings, and secured them for tho loss of seven wickets.- •. • A cable message says that Surrey underwent a second defeat on Saturday at the hands ot Middlesex, and the same day Dr Grace completed 1000 runs in first-class matches.