CRICKET

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 450, 9 March 1899, Page 8

CRICKET

[By

Stonewaller.)

THE CUP MATCHES. The eighth round in the senior competition was finished on Saturday, and resulted in wins for Parnell, United, and the Auckland Eleven. The weather was fine, but there was a keen breeze blowing, which sometimes interfered with the intentions of the bowlers. Auckland, with their score at 157 for five wickets, continued batting against Gordon, Neill and Arneil going to the wickets. Neill carried his score to 41 before he played Edwards to Kissling. Neill made his runs in his usual correct style. Thompson (16), Arneil (10), and Laws (not out 10), helped the total on to 232, at which figure the last wicket fell. Gordon, in a minority of 154, made a poor reply in their second innings. With three men short the score only reached 49 for seven wickets. Cullerne (11) was the only batsman to get into double figures. Bowling for Gordon, Edwards took six wickets for 48 runs, and Kelly captured three for 58. Arceil was the agent of destruction in the second innings of the Gordon men. He completely stuck up the batsmen, and took five wickets for 36. United increased their score of 106 for seven wickets to 139 against the Auckland Fifteen. The latter team in the second venture put on 101. As in the first innings, the last half of the wickets went down very rapidly. T. Neill (37), Hicks (25), and T M. Quinn (10) were batsmen to make a stand against the United trundlers. When P. and D. Hay went on they quickly finished off the innings, their figures reading — P. Hay, seven wickets for 11, and D. Hay, two wickets for 7. United thus won easily by 87 runs on the first innings. Against Parnell the North Shore men could only make 66 runs in the first innings, but in the second the Shore men played up better, and managed to put on 73 for the loss of four wickets. W. T. Wynyard, who made 24 in his first essay, topped this total by 2 at his second batting. Smith (14) and Ball (not out 17) were the other batsmen to make double figures. In the bowling department the Parnell figures were: —Lawson, three for 15 ; Young, three for 17 and one for 31; Lusk, three for 8 and one for 14; Resteaux 1 for 12 Bowling for the Shore, Denby took the eight wickets for 93. No other bowler got a wicket, the other two batsmen being run out. Playing for Giles’ College on Saturday last against St. Albans B. Mason made 183 (not out). Although he was let off half a dozen times in the field, his performance is a good one.

The test match between the Australian Team, and the Rest of Australia commenced on Friday in beautifully fine weather. Joe Darling skippered the Australian Eleven, and, having won the toss, took Iredale to the wickets. McKibbin and- Pye commenced the attack, and as the trundlers were in good form, runs came very slowly first three-quarters of an hour. Afterwards, Darling bit out a bit before being well caught by Graham off Coningham. . The South Australian scored 36. On Hill joining Iredale some splendid cricket was seen, the latter especially playing with brilliance. With his score at 85 Iredale called Hill, who would not venture, consequently the Sydney man lost his wicket. Gregory (22) and Worrall (32) did not shape any too well at first, and the Victorian was missed off his first ball. Hill made 76 in his usual attractive style. After Hill’s dismissal Noble bad a long stay at the wickets, and at the call of time he had made 60 not out, and the total stood at 354 for six men out. Continuing on Saturday, Noble and Kelly made matters Very lively, and the former increased his score to 111 before he was caught by McKibbin off Coningham. Noble hit in brilliant style throughout his stay at the wickets. Trumble helped Kelly to put on some runs, but McKibbin, who bowled well, took the last three wickets rather cheaply. Kelly was not out 102. His cricket was of the best, and he played the bowling with rare confidence. The total of the Australian Eleven amounted to 527. Giller and Reedman opened for the “ Rest, and they played the bowling of Jones and Noble very freely, taking the score to 82 before Reedman was snapped at the wicket by Kelly. Trumper was only a short time at the crease before Kelly also captured his wicket. Giller soon soon after retired to a good catch by Gregory at and then Laver and Donnen played out time, with the score standing at 138 for three wickets. It is rather a pity that young Trumper was dismissed so speedily, for a big display of batting on his part would have considerably enhanced his claims for inclusion in the team for England. However, he has a chance in the second innings to put in something good. Laver and Donnan did not continue any time together after play was resumed on Monday. The bowling was very sound and scoring slow. Joe Darling missed an easy one from Layer, who, however, did not profit much from the mistake, for, after he had put on another single, Trumble caught him in the slips off McLeod. Graham was not at the wickets- long before Jones completely beat and bowled him. George Giffen came next and at once showed he was in scoring mood.. Donnan played a defensive game, while Giffen did the scoring, and after Donnan and Pye were retired, Coningham gave the South Aus tralian material assiatance. The pair showed the liveliest cricket of the innings, and Giffen emphasised the fact that in no way has his batting ability diminished. He had the hard luck to be last man out, Howell bowling him before McKibbin had a chance to score. Giffen’s total was 67, and he made his runs by free and attractive cricket.

In a minority of 275 the “ Rest” commenced the second innings with Reedman and Giller; both batted vigorously and the score rose rapidly. Giller made 43 before he was dismissed in the way he got out in the first innings, caught by Gregory at cover-point. Reedman and Trumper

played out time, when the total stood at Ijs tor one wicket, Reedman’s share being 74, and Trumper’s 22. The Australian bowling reads : Trumble, 2 for 41; McLeod, 1 for 52; Howell, 2 for 26 ; Noble, 2 for 48 ; Jones, 3 for 62. On Tuesday the “Rest” batted consistently right through the team, and when play ended for the day the score stood at 479 for eight wickets. Reedman made his total into 108, Laver played a fine innings of 136, Trumper made 46, and George Giffen put in another fine effort of 59. His batting in each innings gives him a big chance of selection in the Australian Team. The hospitality accorded to the New Zealand cricketers in Sydney seems to be making a bit of a bother, and the N.S.W. Association will take the matter up at its next meeting. Nothing has been mentioned lately about the New Zealanders playing a match here on their return. It will be a pity if such an encounter cannot be arranged, but as the team travels to Wellington I suppose the game will not be played. “ Felix,” in The Australasian, has a good word for our cricketers. He says : —“ When the New Zealanders had 120 runs, without the loss of a wicket, the expression in the reserve was, * They are a better team than I thought. We ought to have had better bowling against them.” I was introduced to Baker, who stated that he never played such a slow game in his life. Reese possesses confidence and power with a fairly well developed scoring bump fixed somewhere in his cranium. He is fairly well built, and looks a ‘ laster.’ Baker, though powerfully built, scored at a stonewalling rate, and, despite his slowness, made some very neat strokes. Though Lusk seemed a bit nervous at starting, I liked his style.” Frankish pleased the cognoscenti best in the bowling department. In a recent issue of the Yorkshire Post there is an interesting account of an interview with R. G. Barlow, from which we quote the following extracts : —“ Barlow was born at Bolton on May 28, 1850. ‘ First of all,’ says he, ‘ I kept wickets at a match at Tinsley, near Sheffield. One of the batsmen, named Burrows, in trying to hit a leg ball missed the object, and caught my head a terrific whack. I was knocked down and rendered insensible. When I recovered my with I came to the conclusion that wicketkeeping was nob my forte. A week or two afterwards a gentleman named Riley saw me bowl at Staveley. He was kind enough to say he liked my delivery, and he advised me to stick to bowling. That was really how I came to take? up bow ling eeriOusly. To perfect myself in practice, I used to mark out with pieces of paper the proper pitches for a fast and a slow bowler, and thus obtained accuracy in length.’ ‘ My first professional engagement was at Spinkhill College, nearjEckiugton. It was

there, too, mat i was lurtunate euougti to makea name for myself. The Sheffield Wednesday Club played at Spinkhill, and I scored 26 and 101 not out. besides taking six wickets for about 18 runs. This performance attracted the notice of Mr Gillett, a member of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and he asked mewhat county I was born in. He seemed a trifle sorry—though it may have been my imagination —that I was not born in Yorkshire, but be generously told me that if I wanted a regular engagement anywhere he would be glad to give me a testimonial. Both he and Richard Daft afterwards did so, the latter having seen me play against the AU England. Eleven.” In 1871, out of 40 applicants, Barlow was chosen professional to the Farsley Club, through the testimonials from Messrs Daft and Gillett, For Lancashire County he played 388 inning, scored 8092 runs, average 20.6. In bowling, he took 754 wickets for 9986 runs, average 13 2 per wicket. In 1882 he was top both in batting and bowling for his county. He averaged 30.16 for 36 innings (eight times not out), and took 73 wickets for 9.72 runs per wicket. This double first, Barlow says, has not been achieved by any other Lancashire cricketer. Barlow is a noted ‘ stonewaller,’ and he explains the origin of the term thus ‘ I think it may be traced to W. Barnes, of Nottingham. It was in the match with Notts in 1882, when I kept at the wickets two hours and a half for five runs. This innings was played on a very bad sticky wicket. After our innings was over Barnes came up, and remarked that bowling at me was like bowling at a stone wall, and from that time I was always named the st one waller.’ ‘ But you ask what was the reason of that extraordinary cricket? Simply this. The wicket was in the bowler’s favor, and Mr Hornby told me to ‘ stick.’ So I stuck. I tried to keep Alf. Shaw from mischief while our other fellows got the runs. This ability to etick has, I may venture to say, been repeatedly beneficial to our side. Louis Hall, Scotton, and I were often run down by press and public for ‘ stonewalling.’ But those who criticised did not seem to understand that we were playing for our side, and that the 1 stonewalling ’ they did not like helped to win our sides many matches. Further, they did not know that—in my case at least—l was acting strictly on the captain’s orders.’ ”