CRICKET

Otago Witness, Issue 2578, 12 August 1903, Page 49

CRICKET

XOTEfe BY LONW SLIP.

Feature of the match London CountyLancashire, concluded on June 19, was the debut of four century-makers. W. L. Murdoch amassed 145 cot out -and L. 0. S. Poidcvin 172 not out for London County, and A. Eccles 126 and Hallows 103 for Lancashire. Murdoch's batting is. said to have been absolutely perfect. The match was drawn. London County, 139 and 597 ; Lancashire, 515 amd 58 lor five wickets. The young Australian orioketer !<• 0. S. Poidevin, who is at present in England, and batting ie igreat form, is expected to -return to Australia at the end of the English cricket saason.

At Nottingham on June 20 the Gentlemen of Philadelphia beat Notts in a decisive manner. They declared their eccond innings at 400 for nine wiek&ts, and 'left the county to got 406 to win. J. Guun ylayed a fina innings of S6, 'but the side was all out for 220.

The Phikdelphians suffered their second dofept of their present tour at Lord's on June 23 at the hands of the Marylebone Club and Ground. The home eleven, who had oiilv 55 Tuns to j-et to win, proved victorious by five wickets. Yorkshire (315) easily beat Kent (66 and 119) at Heading-ley on June 23, last year's champions winning by an innings and 130 runs. Huish, tho Kont -wicket-keeper, made the top score for the locers, contributing 33 in the second innings.

At Liverpool on June 23 the Worcestershire first innings of 245 exceeded Lancashire's total by 7 runs. Gaukrodger and H. K. Foster both mißsed the century, scoring 91 and 84. Lancashire did even better at their second Rttempt, Tyldealey playing a great game. lie is fit present 202 (not out), and A. H. Hornby hns made 62 towards 346 for three wickets.

On June 2£, Tv'.desley, the Lancashire professional made 248. one run short of the highr-st inninga of his career. The homo county declared at ¥.9 for seven wickets, but rain camp, on later and caused tho game to be abandoned wh?n Worcestershire had made 80 for two wic-kpts.

At the Oval on June 24 Surrey beat Oxford University by nine wickets, occupying two hours in scoring tho 104 runs ncee?3ary to win. Except for some bright batting to wards the closp by Ha3-es, the play lacked outstanding features. There wivs an oxeiting finish to the* Suf-ss match at Brighton on June 24, Cambridge University, who were pet to get 322 1^ win. obtaining a vietorv. within five minutes of time, by two wickets. E. 3J. Don-on, tlvp Liffht Bkif captfrin, scored 135, and T. B. Wilson oou^ributod 76.

At O'ouccster e»n Juno 24 Lcm'on County l"at fTlcuePrftPrs-hi'P by five W'cke-ts. The visitors had 194 to get to win. of which number C .T t R. Wood contribute': 1 71 -and L. O. R. "PoifWin 64.

Oamhnd^e University sustained a cru=l>irg cWp-p.t at Lord's on June 25 fiorn a team renrc->sr:tiing thp Mnrylebone Club nd ("•round as, failing for tt u <* serond time, in the match with the b.it, tb-pv were fina'ly Iwatpn by an irnin^ and 161 run? For the winning side. H H. Marriott lilaypd a si-pat ipininz<3 of 144. but. thoush «pll enouch to bat. K. S. TtanjiipiMiji only addtd 5 'lo 'hi.= ovprnipht jcorp. of P3.

At Eosthiurn-e on .Tulv 1 E<-=ex '.ad 50 lo p;pf to v. in and they dp-f rated Ku=ss»\ by six -wickpts. Thp hnniP- tram od'v rra'Jo 136 in their Bor-ord innings. Mead. P>uckp.'iham, rad Your sr 'harinar thp- bonlinjj honours.

At Sheffield on July 1 Surrey bent Tork'liii'p. by 145 rune. T'>is is the Southerners' fii<;t victory ovrr Ym-k^hirp. cjnea. ]898. Rio'.wckon obtained the pplend'd analysis of spvp.ii wickets for 57 Tim s .

At TCdebHSton on Julr 1 Warwickshire fai'-ed to pqunl t-.heir fir=t-Tnninec total of 192 by 8 run*, mid th°v Ip.*> Tn J T>f lc 'V>irp to ppt 81 to win. Tlip T,pnoi <! - | ria"-= 1 -'! thf>«". for the loss of two wickets, those of A. C.

Maelarcn and R. H. 5;>00.. .. -„ .v . i.ii!t A. H. Hornby then hiltirrg off the fur.?. • The sixly-nintli annual criek>e.t match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities was commenced on July 2 at Lord's iindc™ most favourable weather conditions. ,tt produced eoroo uneven batting, itho result being greatly in favour of the Oxonians, who. after subscribing 259, secured eight of their o}H ponents' v.-iekets for 126. For the former, J. E. Raphael, an eleventh-houi choice, scored 130, going in -first and! being the ninth out at Ihe same total as that for whioh the venture closed - r ■while but for the 54 cenfrfbute-d oy their captain, E. M. Dowson, the. Light Blues* ■failure would have beetn -even more complete. W. H. B. Evans fowled extremely well, and was responsible for six of th» eight wickets oapcured. The attendance was about 16,000, ol whom 7803 paid lor admission, as against 7890 on the corresponding day -of 1902. The 150 scored on July 2 by J. E. Raphael at Lord's is the twenty-seventh "century" hit dn the 69 University -matches. Tiis highest -was Mr ft. E. Poster's 171, in 1900. At the Age of 53' years there died, a few weeks ago, in England, Mr S. 3D. Butler, whoso name is remembered as the only bowl&r who has taken all ten wickets in one innings in th& 'Varsity match. This sensational performance was achieved against Cambridge in 1871, and at a cost of only 38 runs. In the second innings Mr Butler took five -wickets for 57 runs, and "his total of fifteen wickets for 95 runs must stand out as one of the best things -ever done in the 'Varsity matoh. He played four years for Oxford, and also appenred for the Gentlomen against tho Plnyers at Lord's. He stood jrell over 6ft in height, so that his high action and great vac& made him a very difficult bowler upon euch wickets as were found at Lord's in those days.

On the tea interval Mr Warner comments thus in his book, "Orioket Across the. Seas" : — "The 4 o'clock interval for ten

... a necessity in such a 'hot country (us Australia ... is, in m)' opinion, occasionally carried to an absurd and rather annoy.o>g conclusion. "When wo were playing at Melbourne the. ninth Victorian wicket fell at -four minute* to 4, and pieeisely the same thing happened on 'the- first two days at Sydney. On the Friday the ninth New Scii'tii Wales wicket went down at much tho same time— that h to say, between five minut-cs to and 4 o'clock. In each ca3e the last man . . . was not a strong batsman. Ypx on each day the quarter of an "hour's adjournment took plae?; then a ball or two. and the. innings was over ; and then anofchei interval of 15 minutes. Of course, last wicket* have boen known to add a great many runs, but only rarely, -f.md I would pugrgest Hint if the last man is in at 4o'clock the tea interval should wait -until 4.15."

Mr Warner, of coins**, maker, comparisons between Auatralitin cricketers — ae. for instance. hi= remarkn on (he play of Duff and Trumper m the matcii aforementioned : — "Sine^ his visit to England Duff ha= imprnvocl immerse'}-, anc 1 thp-rc ui<? not wanting critics in -Australia who t^iii'i him the superior of Trumrer. thoiisli with this, preat batsman as Duff is on all wickets, I do not ajrrre. On a hard, true, typical Australian wicket Duff is probably a more certain plover tl«an Trumper, for ho takes less ri-k pi.d is more- «o'id: but on eoft and ■sticky wickets Tiumper i?, to my mind, his superior. Indeed, I have never seen a bettrr batsman than Trumper. But companion? arc proverbially odious, and both Tinmper and Duff are magnificent; one mwd say no more."

Thp Australian mc:lical gentleman, L. 0. S. Poidcu'n. who at present boasfa an a^oraen foi the reason of 43.16, and lias scored 518 runs i" the. interests of London Coiintv, will, we f^hletie News) underfifp.md, be qualified for Lancashire if ho remains in England until next season. The Lancashire executive were not pware until lie made 172 (not out) at Old Trafford that Poidevin ha- made Ecolcs his home r'ffioe his stay in Enqr'and. alt'ioucrh fcr (he convenience of ).•■; p'lKlipp h" has r<-nt-P r l apartments in London KM' I w ye r=<=in-f>rl that his Jiome- and his fri<-n^s arp nt 1-VcW — where tho cakes com. from. If Poidcun slays

tn England there ere more unlikely events ihan his donning a cap with a red rose embroidered on it. But 6ad to stale, he will probably return, to Sydney in August next.

THE NEXT ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM.

LONDON, August 6.

Lilley has declined to accompany Warner's learn. Fry's is now the only invitation remaining unanswered.

.WARNER'S ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM.

LONDON, August 3. TyldJes-ley and Braund have accepted the Maiylebone Club's terms, and join Warner's J'eam of cricketers for Australia, the laitter on condition that the Somerset County Club agree.