CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VI, Issue 289, 6 February 1896, Page 4

CRICKET.

The senior matches of last Saturday resulted as had been generally expected, in victories for Auckland and Parnell over Gordon and United respectively. The win of the first mentioned club was a decisive one by an innings and 67 runs, the Gordonites going under in a most unaccountable fashion. This places the three teams, Parnell, Gordon, and Auckland, on an equal footing, and the remaining three matches which each club has to play should be full of interest and closely contested. Gordon will have Kallendar, Williamson, and Kelly playing for them during the remainder of the season, and I understand the Christchurch cradc, Labatt, so that they should present a bold front to both Auckland and Parnell when they meet again, and must certainly give a better account of themselves than was the case in the fixture against Auckland. On Saturday next Auckland meets United and Parnell meets Gordon. The first mentioned match should prove rather a good thing for the Auckland team, but a close struggle may be looked forward to between Parnell and Gordon. The following 17 players have been chosen to go into practice with a view to the inter-provinciai fixture, Auckland v. Wellington, to be played on the Domain on Saturday and Monday, February 22nd and 24th : —Arneil, Ball, Clayton, Gould, Cotterill, D. Hay. Hawkins, Kelly, Lawson I. Mills, G. Mills, Neill, Ohlson, Dr. Pabst, Stemson, Wright, and Wynyard. Practice will be indulged in every Tuesday and Thursday. The selection is subject to alteration. Auckland cricket circles, and the Gordon Club in particular, have been fortunate enough to obtain the services of the well-known Christchurch cricketer, A. M. Labbatt, who is undoubtedly one of the best all-round men of Christchurch, and is in great form with the willow this season. Congratulations to Gordon. The selection committee (says Sydney Ufail') ior the ninth Australian Eleven— Messrs. Garrett, Bruce, and Giffen — met last week at Mr Garrett’s house at Strathfield and selected the the team as follows, thirteen in number : —New South Wales (4) : Donnan, Gregory, Iredale, M’Kibbin. Victoria (5): Graham, Harry, Johns, Trumble, H. Trott. South Australia (3): Darling, Giffen, Jones. Tasmania ( 1) : Eady. It will be noted that Turner, Howell, and Kelly are left out of the New South Wales list, although it was thought that Howell would get a place for a certainty as a bowler, especially after his performances in Adelaide. It will give general satisfaction to note that there are two fast bowlers in the team — Eady and Jones — and Eady’s recent bowling against Victoria shows that he is not only fast but accurate. Trumble has done sufficiently well to show that he is bound to get wickets in England, while McGibbin’s 20 wickets in the recent intercolonial tour cost him under 18 runs a piece—a very good average. Harry, Trott, and Giffen will be the other bowlers ; but taking it at its best the bowling does not look too strong. Of the four New South Wales representatives, Donnan, Iredale, and M’Kibbin will be allowed to go unchallenged, but Gregory has not shown his true form so far this season. Of the Victorians, Harry Trott is undoubtedly the leading batsman, and he never showed better form than at present. Graham’s batting the other day was certainly a disappointment, but before that his four intercolonial innings represented 237 runs, or an average of 59 1. Harry bats and bowls fairly well, and is a capital field. Johns goes in as wicket-keeper, and undoubtedly the selection is a good one, but it is a matter of regret that Kelly was chosen to assist him. Of Trumble we have already spoken as a bowler. The three South Australians, Darling, Giffen, and Jones are all good men. Giffen is too well known to require special reference, while Darling is an able batsman, and Jones is the fastest bowler in Australia. Giffen’s average so far is 29, and Darling’s 24, while Jones, with a couple of not-out innings to help him, has an average of 39, and his bowling average is 18.4 for twelve wickets. Eady, the Tasmanian, will prove very serviceable, both as a batsman and fast bowler, and as he has

a better control of the ball he should be quite as effective as Jones. Of the 13 chosen, Donnan, Iredale, M Kibbin, Harry, Johns, Darling, Eady, and Jones have not yet made the English tour, Gregory, Graham, Trumble, Giffen, .and H. Trott having been with previous teams.