CRICKET CONTRASTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15447, 16 February 1921, Page 4

CRICKET CONTRASTS.

SOME STUNNING RECORDS. MANY WAYS TO GET OUT. Everything is possible, and nolhin: . certain in the great game. Any coma try, any team might achieve unparal leled distinction. Take, tor example Wese Australia. This State, obscure ii * point of international morn, preens i self over one cricket, record. A matd was plaved at, Bunbury m the earlj nineties ' between teams styled Gum suckers" and '-Timber Fellers lh< former went in to bat, and the very first? ball of the match was skied in . the three-pronged fork of a. stately jarrah pine. "Lost ball! ' was shouted but the ummre stroked his long whiskers thoughtfully and ruled that the ball was'in sight, and, therefore, could ! not be lost. Jhe batsmen immediately started running for all they were worth while the fieldsmen sent for an axe to fell the tree. No axe being procurable, a rifle was brought, and the ball eventually shot, down after a heavy expenditure* of ammunition. The weary bat*- ' men had reeled off 271 runs. The innings was then "declared,"' and the opposing side dismissed for insignificant totals". Tho "'Gumsu.ckers/' with a single hit, gained a stunning victory by a 4 innings and over 200 runs. 3 BALLS, SB6 RUNS, 0 WICKET. . -' A bowling average such as this is unusual. In 1874 George Balcomb (or Baloombe), an aspirant to County honors in the South-west, of England, drove a ball '•with such force that it sailed clean out of the ground and entered the carriage of-a West Country express, the 'umpire, a most conscientious fellow, was unable to allow "lost ball. - ' because thev all'knew exactly where it was -So fewer than. 886 runs were scored ol that* particular hit before the ball qbtild ( be despatched from Exeter, S0 t miles. awnv, theMirst stepping place of the train. And that beiti* the third ball ( of tho match, the bowling analysis pre- • rented a really remarkable sight. Years afterwards the're was much argument in the' neigliborhood over the identity of the gifted batsman. Living in the district" were two families—one calling themselves. Batcomh. the. other Hal- . combe. Included in each family was a George, and both were keen cricketers. The controversy only reached its height after tho deaths -while bofh were still voting—of the two Georges. ' ■' Another" noteworthy hit was recorded in .a 'mtjfch between the Oentlemen of - Dorset and the Oentlcmen of Devonshire,' When- Mr. J. X. Sehobell, tho Marlborough batsman, made 47 from a leg stroke. The ground sloped away t,n either side, and'the bull, reaching the limit of/tli© level area, commenced its journey downhill. It required nearly all the fieldsmen to station themselves at intervals along the slope to return the ball. At length it was landed a" few yards from, the "wicket-keeper, who hurled it at the stumps. He missed, no one •was backing .up; and the bail gaily set off down the opposite slope. Painfully the-field toiled after it, leaving a trail bi curious words in their wake. Even-, tuallv, with only three wanted for the half-hundred, the ball became dead. UPHILL THROWIXG. Simply because a fieldsman named Tyrell was a poor thrower, one William Boxall scored 31 from a leg hit iff a village match at Pctworth Park, Englond, vears ago. • The ball rolled down a hilT, and Tyrell could not get, it tip quite to the level. Time after time it rolled back again. Boxall might have made many more, but- he enjoyed the discomfiture of the fieldsman sd much that he threw himself down be-j tween the wickets consumed with laughter, and was run out. Old English chroniclers record a great! bit made from Mr. J. H. Roupell's bat on June 1, 1865. It was_ a clean stroke. on a level ground, no boundaries being fixed.' The batsmen ran 10, the ball having travelled 240* yards. Mr. Walter Fellows is credited -with tho record for long hitting. Playing at Oxford in 1856 he drove a ball from Rogers which travelled- 175 yards before it reached the ground. Against the Australians at Twickenham, near London, in July, 1878, Mr. C, I. Thornton, of the Orleans Club, drove a ball 152 yards from pitch to pitch. ' It used to be the aim of every hitter at Lord's ground to damage the face of the clock on the main pavilion. The M.C.C. encouraged the batsmen in their desire, adding £s—if a professional—in recognition of the feat. The prize has not yet been won. Only one man, the late'Albert Troti, .has ever lifted a bali 6Vcr what is known as the new pavilion, at Lord's. LONG TEAM, SHORT CAPTAIN. The'frrst English team to play in South Australia was W. G. Grace's 18734 eleven. The Englishmen met 22 men, all of whom baited and fielded, at Kadina. The pitch was covered with small stones, which so annoyed W. R ; that while England were batting he bid it swept at short intervals. Julius EV, who captained the twenty-two, won the,toss and batted, but against the fast bowling of M. Mctrityre and the slows of Southerton the first six wickets jell for 2 and 11 for 8, the innings closing for 42. England replied with 64. In their second attempt the local men were > routed by Alcln tyre and-Lilly white for j 13 runs, and of these 5 were extras. MyIntyre bagged 13 wickets for 7 (16 men failed to score) and 16 wickets f,or_s nma in the match.■•' Lillywhite's 13 victims made 7 between them. ' Mr. Clarence Moody tells how in this game the Englishmen tried to smarten up the, locals.,-. King, u*h Adelaide bowler, carried off Bush's bails, but tho batsman calmly remarked that tlie wicket.keepcr must* have' knocked them off—and the ■umpire gavo him another innings. Like the billiard enthusiast, every ambitious batsman is unhappy till he gets his ICO. ,Nin<? players out of ten slow down when in the 90's, and often pay the penalty of over-caution. Clern Hi'll, in test matches in 1892, scored in three consecutive- innings 99, 9S, and Or. Playing for Cambridge University against M.C.C. in 1895, N. F. 1 truce—he was in Australia with Studdarl/s t team—had made 199 when the eighth V,wicket fell, yet the innings was finished I off before he got another ball. This recalls a remarkable, incident that occurred in.'Sydney in 1836 during a. match between the second elevens of the Marriekville and St. Peter* Clubs. Reynolds, ... of Marriekville. went in third, and though he was in possession nf the wicket, for the remainder of the innings, he did not receive a single ball, despite the fact that over 60 runs were scored during his occupation. THE DEMON'S YEAH. In the severities Spotforth registered a bowling feat never likely to be equalled. Ho accompanied the team which left Australia early in 1878, and. loured in England, America, and Canada, eoneluding with a short final tour in Aus-| trolia. From beginning to end "the Demon" took 764' wickets, averaging 6.09 runs, each. During the English portion of the tour- he accounted for 326 wickets —a unique record. The 1880 Australian eleven met eighteen of Burnley, and at one period of the match Spofforth had bagged 12 wickets in 18 balls. With the first appearance of the Australians at 'Lord's in May, 1878, Against tho. M.C.C. and ground, he gathered in 6. wickets for 4, and Hnrry Boyle 6 wickets for 3. Tlie second innings of tho M.C.C. realised but 19 runs, and lasted only 55 .minutes. Fn flicwhole match, which was finished in one dav, Spofforth captured 10 wickotx for 20" Another one-day contest was played at Birmingham in May, 1884. when the Fourth Australian Eleven defeated an Eleven of England by 4 wickets. Tougher, an express bowler,, achieved a very noteworthy bowling fe.ll. in 1895, his'analysis for the M.C.C. against the Ninth Australian Eleven hi one innings reading: 3 oVerfe, 3 maidens, 0 runs, 5 winkets! i "."PUT ON GIFFEN." ' Take the reverse side of the picture. At Adelaide in 1895 George Gifferi allowed 309,; runs (o be knocked off himself bv Sf'oddarl's team in (he first innings bofore'he stood down. It was a great, weakness of > Gift's to ' overbowl, ' waiting foi ; 'something to turn ; up. Neglected bowlers used to, refer jocularly to tho South"AuetrftTmn's habit, whon

leading a team, of going on first, then of holding a special commutes meeting between himself and the captain, and by the casting vole of himself as chairman deciding' that. Geo. Qiffen should continue to howl until the skipper took ; him off! For all that, Adelaide '. man on his day was magnificent. At . "SydnfiV in 1884, playing for the Fourth Australian Eleven. he took nil 10 , rackets of the Combined Australia, team in the second innings for 66, runs. Three times for his own State against Victoria he has taken 9 wickets in an innings. Charlie Turner look 9 for 37 for Australia against an • England Eleven at Hastings in 188 S. j .5.15. W. I Rarely is a batsman out l.b.w. when ' the ball hits him on the point of the shoulder. Such a decision was rightly given against Gilbert Jessop, the Gloucestershire smiter, of Trumble's howling-. Jessop. nicknamed "The Crottcher," ■ had a trick of shooting out the left leg almost to the extent of doing "the splits" when reaching forward to pull a good length ball. Members of the .1809 team will recall the first match at "the Crystal Palace, when \V. (!. Grace was fairly out l.b.w. to Noble's bowling, the ball striking him on the top of the pad. The wily "Old Man' bluffed the limpirfe by immediately dropping the bat and rubbing the biceps | of his left arm. feigning to he in- pain from the blow. While it is agreed that a batsman can lose his wicket in-nine j different ways, .George Ulyett used to contend thrtt there was a tenth mode oil .dismissal—'"'oompired out. 7- Yet Fuller filch, the once celebrated Kent player, was officiating at Canterbury, when an appeal for- l.b.w. was mnde by Stephenson against Tom Hnvwnrd, who was just beginning to make n name lor himself. "How's that?" shouted the bowler. "Not out." replied Pilch, and,coolly added: ."I wnnt to _ see the youngster bat." Tom was "oofiTpired in." PAIL GOES. 9 MILES. While baiting against Midland Counties at Birmingham in June, 1696, Harry Trott received a ball from Hulme which hit the leg stump and knocked the bail out of'.its groove. Vet the bail stuck fast between the two stumps and the hatsmnn continued his innings. It is generally considered thai the longest distance ;i bail litis been knocked by a ball is 76 yards. The late Harry .Hedley. /.he Melbourne .sporting ' writer, used to give this information about a dozen times each season to annoying correspondents' who wished to "settle an argument" or "decide a bet." Having •mswered the question until he w.is sick if reading it. Hedley one morning ro■eived this polite query : "What's the ongest for a bail to travel after'getting mocked, and lei mc know in next k'oek's paper?—Constant Header.'' The ■e-ply ran: "The"longest distance for a jrigket bail to travel is approximately tine miles. It was knocked into a stream tinning' past the playing ground una vas found next morning, having floated (own with' the tide a .distance of Q niles 1 ioß\, yards." Hedley reckoned hat answer would settle the eorresponiftnt. if not the bet.—F.C.P.