Cricket 1889

FEB. 21, 1889. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAMF. 19 CRICKET IN AUSTRALIA. (From our Sydney Coirespondent). D ec . 20 th . Again cricket is under a shade, for last week arrived Mr. Spalding’s baseball teams, by whose example he is going to introduce the American game here, and make us all play base-ball instead of cricket. But base-ball is net cricket, and it must suffice to say that there were three matches played. The first of our Inter-Colonial matches has taken place—that between Sydney Grammar School and the Melbourne Grammar School. The home team won the toss, and sent Street and D. Jones to the wickets. Buns came slowly, till Street was caught in the slips for 17.(1—17—26.) The wickets then fell with rapidity, and five were out for 60. The uncer­ tainty of cricket was then well exemplified, for, on H. Jones joining his brother, the scor­ ing became very rapid, and the bowling went all to pieces. Eventually the new-comer played late to one from R. Smith, and lost his wicket for 37, the total then being 160. Reid followed, and scored somewhat luckily, one or two high hits just falling out of reach. Jones still played well, but at 113 was caught in the out-field (7—113—206). The innings was then soon brought to a termination for 233. When the Melbourne boys went in the light was bad, and a drizzling rain falling did not improve matters. Two wickets fell for one run, and after Smith had been let off by Moses, a third wicket fell with the score at 23. Smith then made abundant use of his escape, and no more wickets fell, leaving the score at 79 for three wickets, Smith and Thompson being not out with 43 and 17 respectively. Next day, the latter added 5 before he was bowled, and Smith and his brother, who joined him, played well, till R. Smith was caught fcr 76. The remaining wickets soon fell, and the innings was concluded for 144. The Melbourne boys followed on, but to no purpose. R. Smith made 25, Willis 37, W, Smith 29, and T. Smith 25, the total being 150, leaving Sydney 62 to win. This they did with the loss of two wickets, D. Jones making 23 (not out). We thus won the match by eight wickets. The only match of any real importance played last Saturday was between the Albert and the Ivanhoe Clubs, at the University Oval. The best stand was made by Davis, who com­ piled 32 before being caught at extra mid-off. There was no other score worthy of record, except that of Rowley, who played a careful innings for 17 not out. The Ivanhoes, who played thirteen men, made 42 for two wickets, and the match, which will be conoluded on the first vacant dale, is a very open one. The wickets last Saturday were anything but good. The vainfall had been heavy, and the turf wickets were all in favour of the bowlers. On the 17th an important meeting of the N.S.W. Cricket Association was held, to receive Mr. Wardill, the representative of the M C.C. I report his statement in full, since it is of the first importance to Australian Cricket. He said that his club w'ould not have come forward if the V.C.A. had not refused to continue the matches as formerly. The principal condition which the M.C.C. now desired was that a compact should be entered into to continue the matches for five years, because his club was in bad odour with the senior clubs in Melbourne owing to the action it had taken in regard to the matches. The M.C.C. guaranteed to carry them on as before, and he believed it could get as strong, if not a stronger team, than had ever been selected by Mr, Cooper on behalf of the Y.C.A. The only other stipulation his club desired to make was that it should have the right in the future to transfer the matches to any other body or association it thought fit. such transfer to be subject to the approval of the N.S. W.C.A. As to what might be done by future committees he believed it would be a matter of honour on both sides to adhere to the agreement now being made. For the match in Melbourne he proposed the 11th, 12th and 14th of January; and for that in Sydney the 26th of January and following days. He could not positively bind his club for the dates mentioned in the latter match. It is reported from Melbourne that it is the inten­ tion of the Melbourne clubs to boycott the M.C.C. if that club undertakes the manage­ ment of the Intercolonial matches. But, as most of the prominent Melbourne cricketers, outside the M.C C., have promised to play, this plan does not seem likely to prove a success. The only important match last Saturday in Melbourne was the M.C.C. v. Fitzroy. M.C.C. had first innings, and were at the wickets all the afternoon for 216for nine wickets. Burton, who last year played for N.S.W., made a really fine score of 70 not out. On the 18th a match was played betwreen an eleven of Sydney and eighteen members of the base-ball teams. The visitors evinced great skill in fielding, their returns were sharp, and the wicket-keeping was quite a feature. Pfeffer, who made top score, had never pre­ viously handled a bat, or scarcely seen a cricket ground. A. Gregory, Dave’s brother, took ten wickets with slow, very slow, break- balls. The comment of the bowled was that they curled in the air and there broke, so that when you look for the ball, it isn’t there— Where is it ? The Eighteen scored 81 and the Sydney eleven 115 for six wickets. J an . 10 t h . U niversity M atch .— M elbouri ^ e v . S ydney . We have lately experienced quite a surfeit of intercolonial cricket, and, even now, are on the eve of the first intercolonial match under the new regime , by which this colony will meet a team of Victoria, chosen by the M.C.C. Of this, however, more anon. I will first devote myself to the matches already con­ cluded. At the outset, the Universities of the two colonies met in Melbourne. Last j’ear’s match, which was played in Sydney* resulted in a victory for the home eleven. We sent a good team to the south, including the ever­ green Tom Garrett, Rowley Pope, whom you have also seen in England, Reg Allen, Dr. Wilkinson, and Barbour, who not long since topped the century. The only absentee of importance was Wood, who has just married Australia’s great tragedienne , Essie Jenyns, and with her goes to England by this mail. So we had a strong team, whilst Melbourne was not at its best, Hora.i and one or two others of the first flight being absent. Mel­ bourne went in first, but Tom Garrett and Allen were too many for them, and they only scored 86 (McLean 19). Sydne\ followed with 148, Loveridge, a new innport ation, making 33 by good hitting, while five others got double figuies (Fcpe 26, Garrett 20). Being 42 to the bad, Melbourne rapidly rubbed off the runs, but \*hen it really seemed that Sydney would have a stiff battle, the tail collapsed, and the total was only 129, of which Sutherland made an excellent 47 (not out) and Roberts 31. Having only 67 to make to win, and with something under an hour in which to make them, Sidney forced the pace, to which Barbour fell a victim. Garrett made 22, but, at the call of time, 16runs were wanted to t in, and the Melbourne captain gallantly offered to finish the game on the following Monday, although he could legally have claimed a draw. The runs were soon made, and we won by five wickets. M elbourne U niversity . First Innings. Second Innings. Roberts, b Allen.............. 4 b Powell ..........31 Freeman, b Allen ......... 3 cPope, b Bar­ bour 19 Quirk, lbw, b Garrett ... 8 b Powell .......... 0 Goldsmith, c Hutton, b Loveridge..................... 6 b Powell .......... 0 H. M’Lean, b Garrett ... 19 c Pope, b Love­ ridge ............... 18 Sutherland, st Lee, b Gar­ rett ...............................16 not out ..... 47 D. M’Lean, c Powell, b Garrett .................... 3 b Barbour......... 0 Gordon, run out............... 5 c Barbour, b Powell ......... 0 Francis, c Allen, b Garrett 10 c Barbour, b Garrett......... 5 Browne, c Barbour, b Garrett ... ................ 3 run out .......... Sarvaas, not out................ 1 b Garrett....... 4 Extras ......... ......... 8 Extras.......... 4 Total ............... 86 Total ...129 S ydney U niversity . First Innings. Second Innings. Barbour, st Gordon, b Browne ....................... 6 c M’Lean, b Francis........ . 2 Pope, c D. M’Lean, b Browne ......................26 b Sutherland ... 11 Lee, b Sutherland ............16 Hutton, c Browne, b Suth­ erland ............................... 16 Allen, c Goldsmith, b Sutherland .................. 13 Loveridge, c Goldsmith, b Sutherland .................. 33 Garrett, c Francis, b Sutherland ............... 20 c Goldsmith, b Sutherland ... 22 Wright, b Sutherland ... 8 b Browne..... 10 Wilkinson, c Roberts, b Sutherland ................. 2 not out ....... 4 Powell, b Francis .......... 4 c Roberts, b Francis......... 0 M’Neill, not o u t................. 2 Extras...................... 2 Extras.......... 2 Total ...148 Total . 51 A ustralian E leven v. N ew S outh W ales After a defeat at Adelaide and a victory at Melbourne, Mr. Beal and his merry men came to Sydney. The University match deprived us of Garrett, Allen, and Pope, and Harry Moses, apparently unwilling to show himself in company with some second-raters, pleaded “ business,” and did not show up at all. The home team won the toss and went to the wickets, the turf being as level as the prover­ bial table. Cowper, who scored well at the beginning of the season, collapsed very early, and though C. Richardson “ Scottoned ” the bowling, his brother “ O.” Hiddilstone and A. Gregory did but little. Indeed, the playing was so slow that, as nothing was expected fiom the tail, very few looked for more than 100 runs, and at one time an even bet against 100 runs was actually refused. M’Kenzie, however, played well for 34, and then Charlton helped Richardson along, making 50, whilst Searle made 36, and Donnan was left not out with 87 to his credit, the innings producing342, and with nine double figures. It has been said that the eleven did not play up in the hope of a good attendance, and then, on the second day, were taken in by Charlton and Donnan. This I do not credit: the wicket was too good, and the fact that Ferris only secured five wickets at a cost of 93, and the “ Terror ” two for 77, shows that the bowling was beaten by the ground aiding the batsmen. We all looked for good work from the Ele\en, but Bannerman was quickly snapped up, and the only scorers of importance were 'luiner64, Trott 57, and Jones 46. Trott has developed into one of the best bats in Aus­ tralia. He hit all round the wicket ; his cuts were equalled by his leg glances, and he never threw away a chance of scoring, or made a fluky stroke. Turner hit like Bonnor of old : the higher they went the more he liked it, but all his hits were out of danger, till he W'as caught right on the boundary almost over the bowler’s head. Sammy Jones had hurt his leg, and got knocked about a little, but he NEXT ISSUE, MARCH 21.