AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 24

AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS.

MIDDLESEX MATCH. LONDON, June 6.

The weather was bright, but windy, and the wicket plumb after rolling for the continuation of the match between the Australians and Middlesex. The attendance was 80C0. Armstrong accompanied Ryder, who was not out 20, to the wicket. Haig and Lee led the attack. The batsmen began carefully. The 100, which had taken 105 minutes, was reached chiefly by singles. Armstrong then became busy, and reached 23, when he got his leg in front to Lee. Seven for 122. Oldfield soon went, succumbing to a yorker from Lee. Mailev came next. Ryder at 34 was clean bowled by Lee. lie played for 90 minutes, and was confident, this being his best performance of the tour. Nine for 143. M'Donald was last man. At 156 Hearne relieved Haig. Mailey punished the bowling by powerful strokes. At 171 Tanner came on vice Lee, and the change was effective, the new bowler scattering M‘Donald’s stumps. Being 60 in arrears, Middlesex commenced their second innings after lunch with Lee and Orutchley. The bowlers were Gregory and Hendry. The first wicket fell when the score was 8, Lee playing over one of Gregory’s. Hearne filled the vacancy, and should have gone out first ball, Armstrong, in the slips, dropping a hot chance. Twenty appeared after 20 minutes’ play, including four boundaries off Hendry. Then Gregory found Crutchley’s timbers. Hendren succeeded. Gregory, bowling his fastest, had the batsmen on the qui vive. _ Up to this stage his seven overs had cost s ix runs for two wickets. At 35 M'Donald relieved Gregory. Hendren, when 7, was dismissed by a clinker from M'Donald. Bruce followed, and the same bowler immediately bagged him with a yorker. Four for 47. Haig joined Hearne. Armstrong relieved Hendry, and with his first ball removed Haig’s bails, neither of the two last batsmen having scored. Mann was the newcomer. He had a narrow escape, Armstrong barely missing his stumps. The scoring was slow. The halfcentury was reached after 70 minutes. Mann drove Armstrong to the rails, and then succumbed next ball. Six for 56. Dales got his leg in front of the second ball from Armstrong without any alteration in the score. Armstrong, against the wind, had bowled three overs, one being a maiden, for five runs, and three wickets. Kidd hit Armstrong to leg for four, thereby saving an innings defeat, and was loudly cheered. He went on to 11, when another of M'Donald’s yorkers proved his undoing. Murrell succeeded him, and had his bails removed by M'Donald’s next ball. Nine for 73. Hearne and Tanner carried the total to 90, when Hearne played M'Donald into Armstrong’s hands. He had batted 90 minutes, and was never in any difficulties over the bowling. He hit eight- 4’s. Requiring 31 to win. Andrews and Bardsley opened Australia’s second innings to the howling of Haig and Lee. "With the total at 16 Haig beat Andrews, and Macartney succeeded him, only to get his leg in front of Haig's first ball with the score unaltered. Bardslev and Pellew secured the necessary runs. Scores:—Middlesex. First innings 11l Second Innings. Lee, b Gregory 5 Urutchley, b Gregory 8 Hearne. c Armstrong, b M'Donald ... 45 Hendren, b M'Donuid .„ 7 Bruce, b M'Donald _ 0 Haig, b Armstrong 0 Mann, b Armstrong .. 4 Dales, lbw, b Armstrong 0 Kidd, b M'Donald 11 Murrell, b M'Donald 0 Tanner, not out b Sundries 4 Total 90 Bowling Analysis.—Gregory, two wickets for 6 runs; Hendry, none for 37; M'Donald, five for 25; Armstrong, three for 18. Australia. —First Innings. Bardsley, c Tanner, b Haig 0 Andrews, c Murrell, b Lee 30 Macartney, c Murrell, b Haig 20 Pellew, b Lee 6 Ryder, b Lee 34 Gregory, c and b Lee 0 Hendry, lbw, b Ilaig 6 Armstrong, lbw, b Lee 23 Oldfield, b Leo 6 Mailey, not out 20 M'Donald, b Tanner 7 .Sundries 19 Total 171 Bowling Analysis.—Haig, three wickets for 60 runs; Tanner, one for 21; Lee, six for 53; Ilcarnc, none for 18. Second Innings. Andrews, b Haig 10 Bardsley, not out 2 Macartney, lbw, b Haig 0 Pellew, not out 14 Extras 6 Two wickets for 32 To-day’s sensational cricket at Lord’s w ill bo discussed for many years to come. The manner in which the Australians skittled Middlesex as though they were schoolboys changed Saturday’s promise of an exciting finish in a most dramatic way. Armstrong bowled at the top of his form from the pavilion end. M'Donald, from the opposite end, was aided by tile wind, nipping in from the off in a disconcerting fashion. The balls with which he dismissed Hendren and Bruce, were unplayable. The large crowd, anticipating a lively finish, were amazed at tiio ease with which the champion county's wickots wero fulling They cheered every

stroke, whether scoring or not, applause following maiden overs. The applause was not for the bowlers but the brJsmen who managed to survive the ordeal. It was remarkable cricket, with the Australian bowling and fielding triumphant throughout. Mailey’s 20 is noteworthy. His cover-driv-ing was delightful pirn] full of power. One stroke to the off boundary was regarded as one of the best of the match.