CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 1004, 3 June 1909, Page 11

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS. THE FIRST TEST MATCH. COLONIALS DEFEATED. The first test match between the Australians and English cricketers has been decided and ended in favour of the Englishmen by the substantial margin of 10 wickets. However, the test was hardly a fair one owing to the weather conditions which prevailed. The match began on Thursday last, but owing to heavy rain falling till four o’clock it was not until an hour later that the visitors took up their stand at the wickets, the Australian captain having won the toss and elected to bat. The sodden state of the wicket placed the batsmen almost at the mercy of the bowling, the highest score made by an Australian in the innings being Armstrong’s 24. The innings realised only 74. The Englishmen did a little better, and compiled 121 before the tenth wicket fell. A. O. Jones was most successful with the bat, his score being 28. The Australians then went to the wickets again, and this time the innings totalled 171, or 77 more than the first attempt, the chief scorers being Ransford and Gregory, who each knocked up 43. Hobbs and Fry commenced the Englishmen’s second innings, and this pair put together 105 without a separation being made, the home team thus winning by 10 wickets. The following are the details of the match: — Australia. —First innings: A. Cotter, c Hirst, b Blythe, 2; W. Bardsley, c MacLaren, b Hirst, 2; W. W. Armstrong, b Hirst, 24; V. Trumper, c Hirst, by Blythe, 10; M. A. Noble, c Jessop, by Blythe, 15; S. E. Gregory, c Rhodes, b Blythe, 0; V. Ransford, b Hirst, 1; C- G. Macartney, c MacLaren, b Blythe, 10; H. Carter, lbw, b Hirst, 0- J. A. O’Connor, lbw, b Blythe, 8; — Whitty, not out, 0; sundries, 2: total, 74. Bowling analysis: Hirst took four wickets for 28; Blythe six for 44. England.—First innings: A. C. MacLaren, b Macartney, 5; J. B. Hobbs, b

Macartney, 0; J. T. Tyldesley, b O’Connor, 24; C. B. Fry, b Macartney, 0; A. O- Jones, c Carter, b Armstrong, 28; G. J. Jessop, b Armstrong, 22; G. H. Hirst, lbw, b Armstrong, 15; W. Rhodes, not out, 15; A. A. Lilley, c Ransford, b Armstrong, 0; G. J. Thompson, run out, 6; C. Blythe, c Macartney, b Armstrong, 1; sundries, 5: total, 121. Bowling analysis: Armstrong took five wickets for 27; Macartney three for 21; O’Connor, one for 23; Noble none for 2; Whitty none for 43. Australia. —Second innings: M. A. Noble, c Jones, b Blythe, 11; C- G. Macartney, lbw, b Blythe, 1; V. Ransford, b Blythe, 43; S. E. Gregory, c Thompson, b Blythe, 43; V. Trumper, c Rhodes, b Hirst, 1; W. Bardsley, c Thompson, b Blythe, 0; H. Carter, c Hobbs, b Hirst, 1; A- Cotter, c Tyldesley, b Hirst, 15; J. A. O’Connor, c Lilley, b Hirst, 13; — Whitty, not out, 9; sundries, 8: total, 151. Bowling analysis: Hirst, four wickets for 58; Blythe, six for 58; Thompson, none for 19; Rhodes, none for 8. England.—Second innings: Hobbs, not out, 62; Fry, not out, 35; sundries, 8: no wickets for 105.