Cricket 1884

156 CRICKET ; A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. m a y s # is m . T H E F O U R T H A U S T R A L IA N TE AM IN E N G L A N D . AUSTRALIANS v. MARYLEBONE CLUB AND GROUND. The Australian eleveu suffered the most decisive defeat ever experienced by a Colonial team in this country at the hands of the Marylebone Club and Ground at Lord’s on Friday last. In all probability the Mary­ lebone eleven would have been able to claim an easy win on the occasion of their last meeting in July, 1882, had the weather allowed a completion of the game. The match then was drawn with an advantage of 164 runs to M.C.C. on the one innings played, but until Friday last Marylebone had not been able to avenge the defeat inflicted on them by the First Australian team in 1878, when, as many will remember, Spof­ forth and Boyle got rid of a strong batting side for two small scores of thirty-three and nineteen. The match of Thursday and Friday last was most sensational. The MaTylebone eleven was decidedly a strong one, although the absence of Mr. A . P. Lucas deprived it of one source of strength, and Woof might havo been replaced -with advantage. As the ground was hard, the Australian Match Committee, Murdoch, Bmnenmn, and Blackham, deemed it ad­ visable to try the bowling o f W. H. Cooper, who has proved very successful on fast wickets. To make room for him, Boyle was shunted, but otherwise the team was the same as had played in the three previous matches in England. Murdoch’s luck in the toss forsook him on this occasion, and Mr. I. D. Walker, who was captain of the Marylebone eleven, of course decided to take the innings, going in first with Mr. W. G. Grace. Palmer and Cooper commenced the Australian bowling, the latter, who gets an extraordinary break from leg, having only three men on the.off-side. Both batsmen at first appeared to be puzzled by Cooper’s bowl­ ing, and when he had only got eighteen, Mr. Grace was given in, in reply to an appeal for stumpiDgby Blackham, a decision which did not seem to be palatable to the Australian wicket-keeper. A neat catch low down at point from Cooper dismissed Mr. I. D. Walker at 48, and his place was filled by his namesake, the Old Oxonian. Cooper was shunted for Giffen at 71, and two wickets quickly fell— Mr. J. G, Walker, caught at the wicket, and Mr. C. T. Studd, his successor, at mid-off, the speedy downfall of the latter causing great disappointment. Mr. Steel joined Mr. Grace at 75, and some splendid cricket was witnessed. Mr. Grace, who had at first been a little uneasy with Cooper’s bowling, had now quite settled down, and both Mr. Steel and he were quite at home with the Austra­ lian bowling. Spofforth was bowling his best, but still runs came fast, chiefly from the other end, until at 19S Mr. Grace was given out leg before. He had been three hours at the wickets, and his 101 was a grand exhibition of first-class batting, in­ valuable to his side. His score was made up of four fours, four thr^a?, eleven twos aud li‘ty-one singles. Barnes faced Mr. Steel,and the run-getting was faster than before. An hour aud five minutes realised 100 runs,and ifr.Steel continued to score rapidly till at 313 he was neatly stumped from Midwinter. He had made 134 out of 238 while he was in, and his cricket was altogether without a fault. In­ deed it need only be said that it was the very best innings he has ever played in England. In his score were fourteen fours, and fire threes. Mr. O’Brien, who came next, played the Austra'ian bowling with the greatest con­ fidence, and his hitting was even more vigor­ ous than it had been at Oxford. He scored seventy-two out of 122 and was then caught in the long-field, having made eight fours and five threes. Flowers, Mr. Rotherham, and Woof were dismissed in quick succes­ sion for a single between them, aud the first day ended with a total of 46j for nine wickets, Barnes not out 95. Particular interest was felt in the resumption of play as to whether Barnes would get the five required to reach three figures. This he succeeded in doing, and sixteen were added before Sherwin was bowled, the innings closing for a grand total of 481. Barnes carried out his bat for 105, and no higher praise can be accorded to him than it was a perfectly faultless display of cricket. Eight bowlers were tried by the Australian captain, and of these Spoiforth and Giffen were decidedly the most success­ ful, the former getting four wickets for 98, the latter three for 78. Palmer’s one wicket cost 79, and Cooper only got one batsman at a cost of 97 runs. The innings was remark­ able for three scores of over a hundred, and this has only once before been accomplished iu a first-class match, in the Intercolonial in February, 1882, at Sydney, when Murdoch contributed 321, Garrett 163, and S. P. Jones 109, to the New South Wales total of 775. Bannerman and McDonnell as usual began the Australian batting. Mr. Rotherham and Woof were the first bowlers of M.C.C., and the score was rapidly raised to 87 before McDonnell was stumped for 64. He was missed twice by Mr. Grace when he had made 26 and 48, but his.hitting was very brilliant. His figures included a splendid hit from Mr. Grace out of the ground by the grand stand for six, nine fours, and a three. Bannerman, who had shown excellent cricket, played on almost immediately afterwards, and Murdoch was caught after a very mode­ rate display. No great stand was made by the later batsmen against the bowling of Messrs. Studd and Grace, and as Mid­ winter was not able to bat owing to his injured haud, the innings closed for 184. Iu a minority of 297, the Australians had to follow on, and Bannerman and McDonnell again opened the defence to the bowling of Messrs. Studd and Grace. Murdoch played far better cricket than in the first innings, and Spofforth hit with great vigour. Other­ wise there was little worthy of special note in the batting, and the total of the innings fell short of the first by two runs. Murdoch’s second score cf 58 not out was worthy of his name, and everyone will be g'ad to see that he is getting, into his true form. The Marylebone Club won by an innings and 115 runs. Midwinter’s inability to bat placed the Australians at a great disadvantage, and in losing the toss they also had the worst of the luck, as the wicket did not play quite so well on the second day. Still they were beaten on their merits, and the victory of the Mary- lebone Club was thoroughly we 1 deserved. Their fieldiDg was indeed tho only depart­ ment in which they did not show to advan­ tage. Not only were catches missed, but the fieldin'? generally was anything but clean and reliable. M.C.C. and Q koo . id . Mr. W. G. Grace, 1b w, b Palm er................. 101" Mr. I. D. Walker, c Spoffcrtll, b Cooper.. 22 Mr. J. G. Walker, c Blackham, b Gillen 9 Mr. C. T. Studd, c Murdoch, b Spofforth 2 Mr. A. G. Steel, st Blickham, b Mid­ winter ..................134 Barnes, not oat .. 105 Mr. T. C. O’Brien, c Midwinter, b Spof- iorth .. .. ... ,. 73 Flowers, b Spofforth .. 0 Mr. H. Rotherham, c Palmer, b Spofforth 1 Woof, b Giffen Sherwin, b Giffen B 18, Ik 6 .. 0 11 24 T otal.. ..481 A u str a lia n s . First Innings. A. C. Bannerman, b Studd.. 82 P. S. M'Donnell, st Sherwin, b Studd ...................... 64 W. L. Murdoch, c Sherwin, b Studd .......................25 G. Giffen, c O’Brien,b Studd 3 J. McC. Blackham, c Studd, b Grace ...................... 21 G. J. Bonnor, c Barnes, b S tu dd..................................9 H. J. H. Scott, c and b Graco 7 G. E. Palmer, b Grace.. .. 5 F. R. Spofforth, c Sherwin, b Studd ................ ." . . “13 W. H. Cooper, not ou t.. .. 2 W. Midwinter, absent.. .. 0 B L .......................1 Total .. .. 184 Second Inuings, b Grace .. .. 22 c Studd, b Grace 6 not out..................58 cO’Brien,b Flowers 26 c and b Graco .. 10 st Sherwin, b Grace 1 st Sherwin, b Steel .7 b Steel..................0 b Barnes .. ,, 37 1 b w, b Studd .. 3 absent .. ,. 0 B 2 .. .. 2 Total.. ..182 BOWLING ANALYSIS. M 0.0. & G. Palmer.. Cooper.. Spofforth Giffen .. 0. M. R. W. 39 8 79 1 89 5 97 1 57 20 98 4 32.2 9 78 8 O .M .R . W. Scott .. 8 1 20 0 Midwinter 19 6 S’* 1 Bonnor .. 13 2 36 0 Bannerman 5 1 7 0 A u stralian s . First Inning**. Second Innings. O. M.R. AV. O. M.R. W. Rotherham .. 6 2 23 0 . . . . 9 5 18 0 W o o f..................13 2 29 0 S teel.................. 11 5 17 0 . . . . 9 2 28 2 Studd.................. 32 8 96 6 . . . . 22 9 S3 1 G race.................. 14 7 18 3 ,. .. 82 15 61 4 Flowers 18 8 80 1 Barnes 7 3 10 1 THE AUSTRALIANS v. AN ELEVEN OF ENGLAND. Since the first Australian team defeated tho Marylebone Club at Lord’s in 1878 we believe there has been no instance of a match of importance completed on tbe first day until Monday last. On this day the Australians were to commence a fixture against an eleven of England, but as the result proved the game was completed before the time fixed for drawing stumps. The condition of the wicket was altogether accountable for an ex­ traordinary match. During the day thirty- six wickets fell for 197 runs from the bat, an average of less than 5J runs. Mr. H. Rother­ ham, considering the number of county matches on the same day, had collected a fairly strong eleven, and it is therefore the more to be regretted that anything like good cricket was impossible. The Australians were in a minority of six runs at the end of the first hands, and the game continued to bo very even and excit ing until the last. When the England eleven went in a sacondtime the wicket had become so bad that Spofforth was unplayable, and he did an extraordinary performance—taking seven wickets in thirty- five balls at a cost of only three runs. The Australians opened their second innings with thirty-three to win, and but for McDonnell'S good play the result would have been very doubtful. As it was six wickets were down for 28, and the Colonial team were fortunate in being able to pull through with four wickets to spare. The match only lasted six hours, inclusive of the luncheon interval and the usual allowance between the innings, so