CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 779, 9 February 1905, Page 12

CRICKET.

The district Cup competitions were continued on Saturday, Grafton met City, and 'batting first put together 157, towards which D. Clayton contributed 39, E. Clayton 23, A. Laurie 23 (not out), Kallender 22, and Jones 21. City have 55 on the slate for no wickets, Hemus and MacCormick being 27 and 25 respectively. * * * * Ponsonby hit up 154 against Eden, J. Gavin playing freely for 65, his score including eleven fours. M. Walker 21, Gallagher 20, and R. W’oods 19, did best of the others. Eden? have four wickets down for <94, the scoring being very consistent. The match is thus left in a very even state. * * •.* * Parnell treated North Shore to an afternoon’s leather hunting, running up the fine score of 412 for eight wickets. F. R. Mason compiled 193, which iny cluded no less than thirty-four boundary hits, while W. Philson has a cen-. tury to his credit, and is still not out.

Mr Ohlson, the sole selector of the team to meet the Australians, has deleted the name of Hussey from the list of sixteen originally chosen. This seems rather hard luck, as the North Shore player has shown much more consistent form this season than some of those actually selected. The team to take the field on Friday will be Mason, Oliff, N. B. Lusk, Sale, Heinus, Schmoll, H. B. Lusk, Brook, McNeill, Haddon, D. Hay, Jones, Sloman, Stemson, and Stephens. ♦ * * • The Australian team of cricketers, with the exception of Messrs J. Darling and P. Newland, arrived on Sunday from Sydney by the Manuka. The visitors are :—Messrs F. Laver (manager), Syd. Gregory, A. Cotter, R. A. Duff, A. J. Hopkins, W. Howell, J. J. Kelly, M. A. Noble, V. Trumper, New South Wales ; G. Gehrs, C. Hill, South Australia ; W. Armstrong, C. McLeod, Victoria. A very large crowd was on the wharf ready to meet the team, but owing to her late departure from Sydney, the fine 'Union liner was a little behind her usual time, and it was not till just after noon that she entered the harbour. This meant that the steamer was to be berthed during the dinner hour, the result being that the larger half of the people had gone home when the Manuka hauled alongside. The welcome was none the less hearty on that account. Among those present to greet the visitors being Mr F. Earl, /President of the Auckland Cricket Association, Messrs H. B. Lusk (secretary), C. Hay (treasurer), F. Ohlson (selector), and several of the Auckland representatives. ♦■♦ • * The following programme of matches will be played by the Australian team on their tour through this Colony and England NEW ZEALAND. February If, 11, and 13—Play Auckland, at Auckland. February 17, 18, and 20 I —Wellington, at Wellington. February 24, 25, and 27 —Canterbury, at Christchurch. March 3,4, and 6 —Otago, at Dunedin. March 10, 11, and 13—New Zealand, at Christchurch. March IB 11. ?nd 18— New Zealand, at Wellington. ENGLAND. May 4.—Crystal Palace : v. Gentlemen of England. May B.—Nottingham : v. Notts. May 11.—Oval : v. Surrey. May 15 — Oxford : v, the University. May 18.—Lord’s : v. M.C.C. and Ground. May 22.—Sheffield : v. Yorkshire. May 25.—Manchester : v. Lancashire. May 29.—Nottingham : v. England (first test match).

June I.—Cambridge : v. the University. June 5. —Bradford : v. Yorkshire. June 8. —Lord’s : v. M.C.C. and Ground. June 12.—Leicester : v. Leicestershire. June I's. —Lord’s : v. England (second test match). June 22.—Leyton : v. Essex. June 26. —Birmingham : v. Warwickshire. June 29.—Bristol : v. Gloucestershire. July 3. —Leeds : v. En /land (third test match). July 6.—Southampton : v. Hampshire. July 10. —Derby : v. Derbyshire. July 13. —Bath : v. Somerset. July 17. —Edinburgh : v. Scotland. July 20. —Glasgow : v. Scotland. July 24. — Manchester : v. England (fourth test match). July 27.—0 val : v. Surrey. July 31.—Brighton : v. Sussex. August 3.—Worcester : v. Worcestershire. August 7. —Cardiff : v. South Wales. August 10. —Lord’s : v. Middlesex. August 14. —Oval : v. England (fifth .test match). August 17. —Northampton : v. Northamptonshire (provisionally). August 21. —Liverpool :v. Lancashire. August 24. —Canterbury : v. Kent. August 28.—Cheltenham : v. Gloucestershire. August 31. — Bournemouth : v. An England Eleven. September 4.—Leyton : v. Essex. September 7. —Scarborough : v. C. I. Thornton’s England Eleven. September 11.—Hastings : v. South of England. * * < • -A The present is the fifth occasion on which an Australian team has l visited New Zealand, though in the majority of instances the tour was made on the return of the players from England. The first team to go was the pioneer combination in 1878, which defeated Twentytwo of Invercargill, Oamaru, Wellington, Napier, and Auckland, played a drawn game with Twenty-tw r o of Otago, and were beaten by Fifteen of Canterbury. The 1880 colonial team carried cut a more extensive programme in New Zealand, when it beat Twenty-two of Invercargill, Dunedin, South Canterbury, Wellington, Napier, and Auckland, and Fifteen of Canterbury ; but it was beaten by Twenty-two of Wanganui by ten wickets, while Twenty-two of Nelson played a draw. Six years later the Australians again! visited the colony, and they beat Twenty-two of Otago and Hawke’s Bay, but the games with Eighteen of Canterbury and Twenty-twos of Wellington and Auckland resulted in draws. The next visit from the Australians wasi; paid.,in 1896, when the team was captained by G. H. S. Trott. Drawn matches were played with Eighteens in Auckland and Wellington, but Eighteen of Southland were beaten bv an innings, and Fifteen of Otago by 17 runs. The fifth match of the tour was against Fifteen of New Zealand, this being the first occasion that a combined New Zealand team met the Australians. The match was plaved at Christchurch, and the finish proved most exciting, the visitors winning bv five wickets just on the call of time. ’