TEST CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1924, Page 8

TEST CRICKET.

AUSTRALIA MAKES 450. ENGLAND NO WICKETS FOR 72. BRIGHT DISPLAY OF BATTING. VISITORS' BRILLIANT FIELDING. By Telegraph.—Press Abu. —Copyright, Received. Dee. 21, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, Dec. 20. The firet teat match between Australia and England was continued today. When stumps were drawn at the end of the first day’s play yesterday the Australians had lost three wickets for 282, and to-day the innings was completed with a total of 450. England has 72 on without the loss of wicket.

The weather was fine, with passing clouds, when Australia resumed their first innings with A. Richardson (21 not out) and Taylor (1 not out) at the crease. A stiff wind blowing fiown the pitch from the north-east made conditions a little unpleasant, but did not deter the large crowd (which numbered 25,000 when Gilligan led his men into the field and increased during the afternoon to 47.000), from witnessing an interesting game. Tate opened the bowling on a hard wicket with the wind behind him and the ball came in very quickly. After eight minutes’ play Richardson fell a victim to the last ball of Hearne’s first over. SLOW SCORING. Hie brother, V. Richardson, succeeded sim, and with Taylor carried the score along nicely, three hundred being hoisted for 317 minutes’ play. Both batsmen gave a fine display, cutting and glancing. The Englishmen’s fielding was quite up to the high standard of the previous day, so that although both batsmen were hitting hard the fieldsmen let little past them.

After an hour’s play the score had only increased by 3d. Richardson was stepping out to Hearne and driving him, and Hearne, in stopping one of these, hurt his hand and had to retire. Kilner took the field and Hearne’s over was abandoned. He had been dropping the ball just in front of the crease aixi had to be played carefully. Tate, who was bowling up to his usual form, was snitched several times to the boundary.

Both Taylor and Richardson were cautious in running between the wickets and might have obtained many more singles. Taylor had a narrow escape, but before lunch he went to run off Richardson’s cut, but the latter sent him -back. He was well out from the crease when the ball was sent in, but Fiveman missed it and one was gained froM the overthrow. Taylor went out to the fourth ball after lunch. He had batted for ninety-six minutes and had helped to carry the score from 275 to 364. V. Richardson played a useful innings and batted for ninety-three ni mutes, his partnership with Taylor yielding 58. EXCITING PLAY. The loss of Taylor and Richardson changed the complexion of the Australian innings till Mailey joined Oldfield. With the board showing nine wickets for 388 runs, JStrudwick missed stumping Kelleway off a ball_ which the latter stepped out to but played over. The Mailey-Oldfield partnership proved most exciting and aroused great enthusiasm. It yielded 62 runs. The batting was attractive and neither man gave a chance. The field was placed close in, but the batsmen managed to find outlets. They remained associated for eighty-seven minutes. The brunt of the bowling fell on Tate and Freeman. The Englishmen proved them-

selves adepts at picking up the ball in their stride and returning it accurately. The innings, which lasted 504 minutes, produced 450 runs. England opened their first innings with a little over an hour to go, Hobbs and Sutcliffe taking strike to Gregory and Mailey. Gregory was the first bowler and had the advantage of the wind, but lie bowled rather erratically. Many balls off the wicket had just to be touched to go to the boundary. The batsmen played cautiously. The field was placed well out and a number of short singles were obtained. Hobbs ■was stepping out to Mailey. hittinghim bard. The Australian fielding was capable of improvement. Fifty runs appeared in forty-five minutes, the result of bright, attractive batting, both men a nice style. When stumps *“were drawn the Englishmen had scored 72 with their wickets intact. Details:

Tate was the hero of the day. In the rout of the Australians after lunch he captured five wickets, four of them for nine runs, and showed splendid consistency throughout. He bowled altogether forty-five overs, five of which were maidens. Considering the amount of energy he puts into his work the task was a herculean one, yet he stood the strain well.

Freeman was called on almost as much as Tate. He bowled forty-eight overa, but as with all googly artists, tie had not to expend so much energy. Of the 152 overs of the innings Tate and Freeman bowled 103, and they deserved great credit for the way they •tuck to their job. AUSTRALIA. First Innings. Collins, e Hendren, b Tate 114 Bardsley, c Woolley, b Freeman .. 21 Ponsford, b Gilligan 110 A. Richardson, b Hearne .. 02 Taylor, b Ta(.e 43 V. Richardson, b Freeman 42 Kelleway, c Woolley, b Tate 17 Hendry, c Strudwick, b Tate 3 Gregory, c Strudwick, b Tate •> Oldfield, not out 39 Mailey, b Tate 21 Extras IB Total 450 Bowling analysis.—Tate took six wickets for 130 runs; Gilligan, one for 92; Freeman, two for 124; Hearne, one for 28; Woolley, none for 35; Hobbs, none for 13; Chapman, none for 19. Fall of wickets. —One for 46, two for '"a. three for 275, four for 286, five 364, six for 374, seven for 387, -ght for 387, nine for 388, ten for 450.

ENGLAND. First Innings. Hobbs, not out 42 Sutcliffe, not out 28 Extras . 2 Total (for no wickets) ......2 72 GREAT CROWD PRESENT. WORLD’S RECORD CLAIMED. Received Dec. 21, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, Dec. 21. Tlie test match is already responsible for three records. The Collins-Ponsford 190 for the second wicket made on Friday is a test match record for a second wicket. Yesterday’s attendance of 47,1'52 .and the gate money ( £4806) are both claimed to be world’s records.