Cricket 1887

30 W* \0 tvv» \J _ I f r-)% CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. FEB. 24,1887. C R IC K E T IN A U S T R A L IA , THE INTERCOLONIAL MATCH—VIC­ TORIA v. NEW SOUTH WALES. The thirty-seventh inter-colonial match between Victoria and New South Wales was played on the ground of the Melbourne Club, on December 27, 28 and 29. The game was emarkable for a brilliant batting performance r Percy McDonnell. In the second innings °J New South Wales he got 239 out of 349 °*ade by his side from the bat. McDonnell’s in9 is the largest score in an Inter-Colonial 23atch with the one exception of W. L. murdoch’s 323, also for New South Wales, at Sydney in Feb., 1882. McDonnell has the Satisfaction of knowing that his is the best snnings in an Inter-colonial match in Victoria, i The following notes on an extraordinary performance are taken from tha Australasian. They are from the pen of “ Felix,” the nom cle plume of the w'ell-known Australian cricketer, T. Horan. If it can be said that one man by his indi­ vidual efforts ever won a cricket match, then assuredly it can be said that PercyMcDonnell won for New South Wales the thirty-seventh inter-colonial match, which terminated at five minutes to 5 on Thursday afternoon on the Melbourne ground. No match that I remember ever fluctuated as this match fluc­ tuated. On Tuesday night, when Victoria had only three wickets down for 213 in reply to the New South Wales set of 226 made on Monday, Victorian prospects w'ore a very roseate hue. A one-innings victory for Vic­ toria looked by no means improbable. But on Wednesday what a falling off was there. Seven wickets tumbled down one after another at an alarming rate. Only 54 runs were added, and the total of 350 or 400 that showed in such bright perspective on Tuesday night became a mere phantom. 267, or 41 ahead of New South Wales, was the record. Victorian supporters were, of course, dissatisfied with the poor outcome of the brilliant promise of the second day. But they said, “ If our men tumble down New South Wales will follow suit, for the wicket evidently is chipping, and you know what Palmer, Trumble, Midwinter, Morris, Trott, and M’Shane can do on a chipped wioket.” The bowling figures, and especially Percy McDonnell, will tell you what the Victorian bowlers did. From the start of the second innings Percy saw that the wicket was queer, and he accordingly made up his mind to punish. Right well he carried out his intention. The bowlers knew not where to pitch the ball to avoid his resolute and owerful strokes, and soon he had them at is mercy. Palmer, Trumble, Morris, M’Shane, Trott, and Midwinter were all alike to the brilliant old Melbournian. Like Alcibiades of old, he turned his trusty blade, his splendid skill and power, against his countrymen, and smote them hip and thigh. In three hours he scored 158 (not out) by play of the most attractive description This is startling enough out of a record of 217 for three wickets, but Percy had by no means come to the end of his tether. On Thursday he resumed, and by similar telling and spirited cricket put on 80 runs in 58 minutes. When he fell the board showed 4—239—310. The first 50 runs of this innings were made in 40 minutes, and Percy made 47 of the 50. At the refreshment hour, 4p.m., on Wednesday he had made 78 out of 97, and he continued scoring almost at this proportionate rate. Though he scored so fast, he showed not a shadow of recklessness. He seemed to have taken full measure of the bowling from the outset, and never once played in a faltering or hesi­ tating style. It was a real treat to watch his cricket from start to finish. All lovers of cricket were delighted with his performance, and round after round of applause rang out as he sent ball after ball flying to the fence, and sometimes over it. His score includes three 5’s (one a grand hit into the pavilion), sixteen 4’s, and nine 3’s, and altogether he was at the wickets for four hours. Just before his innings closed he seemed to tire, and letting out at Morris he was caught off about the only bad stroke he made during his mag­ nificent display, which will live long in the memory of those who had the pleasure of witnessing it. I remember only one achieve­ ment which parallels McDonnell’s, and that was when Massie played for the 1882 Aus­ tralian Eleven against Oxford University. When Massie fell the record was 6—206—265, and Massie made 100 of these in 59minutes while Sam Jones, who was in with him, was making 5. In a long innings such as McDonnell’s chances are almost bound to be given, and Percy gave three—one to Houston at 28, one to Palmer after passing the century, and one to McShane at 193. The chance to Houston was on the boundary at long-off, and was a splendid stroke. The chance to Palmer was tolerably easy off McShane, and McShane ought to have accepted his off Palmer. After McDonnell’s departure, the remaining six wickets fell for 53 runs in about half an hour, and the New South Wales innings closed for 363. Blackham was in rare form at the wicket for Victoria. In the first innings (226) of New South Wales there were three, and in the second (363) only two byes, altogether only five byes in 589 runs. N e w S outh W a le s . First Innings. Second]Innings. A. C. Bannerman, c Trum ­ ble, b M idwinter ...........1G b Trum ble............. 7 P. S. M’Donnell, c M id­ winter, b M ’Shane ...3 0 4,4,1,1,2,2,2,4,1,1,2,3, 1.2,1,3,2,2,5,2,2,1,2,2, 1.1.2.3.1.2.1.4.4.3.1.1, 2.1.4.2.2.2.1.2.2.1.3.2, 1.2.4,M ,l, 4,2,3,5,3,3, 4.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.3.1, 1.2.2.1.4.2.1.2.2.4.2.2, 2.2.4.1.1.1.1.1.4.3.4.4, 2,1,2,2,4,1,5,3, 4,4,2,2, 4.2, c M’Shane, b M orris....................239 S. P. Jones, b T r o t t .......46 b Palmer ...........10 H. M oses, b M’Shane ... 10 b Palm er ........... 29 C. Turner, c Bruce, b Trum ble .......................... 57 b Morris ............. 9 C. Richardson, b M orris... 7 st Blackham, b Trum ble ... 20 T. W . Garrett, l b w , b T r o t t .................................... 0 c H ouston, b Trum ble........... 5 P. Marr, c Blackham , b Trum ble ............................ 9 c Horan, b M orris 7 E. Evans, 1 b w, b M orris 4 b Morris ............ 9 F. Burton, not out ........ 5 not out ............ 9 J. Ferris, b Palm er ..............33 c M’Shane, b Trum ble........... 5 B 3,1 b 2, w 1 . 6 Extras ... 14 Total ....................220 Total ...363 V ictoria . First Innings. Second Innings. W . Bruce, b Evans ...........39 c Burton, b Turner ..........44 G. E. Palmer, b Turner ... 77 b Turner ........... 15 T. Horan, b Ferris ..............22 b Turner ............ 0 J. W . Trum ble, c Marr, b Turner.....................................42 b Turner ........... 0 W . Midwinter, b Turner... 45 cE vans, bFerris 5 R. Houston, run o u t............ 0 not out ............29 F. W alters, run o u t .......... 5 c M ’Donnell, b Ferris .......... 10 P. G. M’Shane, b Garrett 7 b Ferris ........... 0 J. M. Blackham, c Evans, b Ferris ..............................12 1 b w, b Turner 2 S. M orris, b T u rn er............ 2 c Burton, b Turner ........... 5 H. Trott, not out ............ 4 b Ferris ...............12 B 5, lb 6 , n b 1 ...........12 Extras.............1G Total ....................267 Total ...138 BOW LIN G ANALYSIS. N e w S outh W a l e s . First Innings. B. M. Second Innings. R. W. B. M. R. W. Trott ... .,.. 140 17 65 2 ........... 84 7 39 0 Palm er... ... 64 8 25 1 ........... 148 15 81 2 M’Shane .. 104 10 42 2 ........... 48 3 31 0 M idwinter ... 148 24 36 1 ........... 44 2 26 0 Bruce ... ... 24 3 10 0 ........... 48 2 33 0 Trum ble .. C 8 7 2G 2 ...........104 9 58 4 M orris ... ... 48 6 1 G 2 ........... 75 3 56 4 H oran 24 3 10 0 V ictoria . First Innings. Second Innings. B. M. R. w . B. M. R W. Turner ... ... 320 37 93 4 .......... 144 18 42 6 Ferris ... ... 275 35 73 2 .......... 92 10 42 4 Jones ... ... 56 2 18 0 .......... 32 4 11 0 Garrett... ... 140 17 41 1 .......... 52 6 15 0 Evans ... ... 112 17 20 1 .......... 32 2 12 0 Marr ... 20 2 10 0 TW O EN G L ISH TE AM S FOR AU S T R A L IA . In last month’s C b ic k e t we called atten­ tion to a rumour that Shaw, Shrews­ bury, and Lillywhite contemplated taking another team to Australia at the close of the season of 1887. We had some hesita­ tion in giving credence to the report, remembering the abandonment by the Melbourne Club of its intention to take an English team out this winter in favour of the three professionals above-named. When the Melbourne Club gave up its scheme last autumn it was generally un­ derstood that the idea was only deferred for a year, and, as a matter of fact, several of our leading amateurs actually accepted the invitation given by Mr. Wardill to join a team to visit the Colonies next winter under the auspices of ’ the Mel­ bourne Club. The names of those who were expected to go appeared in C r i c k e t of Oct. 28, and were duly reproduced in most of the Australian papers. The Adelaide Observer had even published the same information prior to this, and an ex­ tract from one of the October numbers of the Adelaide Observer appeared in “ Pavi­ lion Gossip ” of Nov. 25, wherein was given the probable composition of the team to be organised by the Melbourne Club. In the face of this understanding, the intimation that Shaw, Shrewsbury, and Lillywhite had also engaged to take a team out next winter, under the auspices of the New South Wales Association, has therefore caused surprise among English Cricketers. It is said that the New South Wales Association intended in any case to bring out an English team to cele­ brate the centennial year of the Colony, and that Shaw and his partners had no option but to accept. According to the Austra­ lian papers they were not only to be guaranteed against loss, but the whole profits were to be theirs, and in addition, the management was to be in their hands as before. The cablegram an­ nouncing the conclusion of the arrange­ ments also added that a contract had already been made with Lohmann, Mau­ rice Read and Briggs, and that Shrews­ bury, who was of course to be one of the playing members, had also promises from Bates, Flowers and Gunn, if they visited Australia at all. Subsequent correspondence shows that the Sydney Association has no intention of with­ drawing from the position it has taken up. An enquiry from the Melbourne Club whether the authorities in New South Wales meant to persevere in their project in the face of the priority of claim of M.C.C. was met indeed with a distinct affirmative. At the present moment there seems to be little doubt that the scheme will be carried out. The trustees of the Association ground Next Issue March 31