Cricket 1892

98 CRICKET A WEEKLY BEOOED OF THE GAME. MAY 6, 1892 a good length is rarely ineffective. He is at times a very effective bat, having good powers of hitting as well as defence. In addition he is an excellent field. Our portrait is from a photograph by E. Hawkins & Co., 108, King’s Road, Brighton. LORD SH E FF IE LD ’S TEAM IN AUSTRALIA . R e p r in t e d fr o m t h e Sporting L ife by PERMISSION. THE CLOSE OF THE TOUR. The third of the test matches was looked forward to with remarkable interest through­ out Australia. In spite of the fact that the Aus­ tralians had already won the rubber the in­ terest did not flag to any great extent, as it was known that the Englishmen were going to make a great attempt to win the last of the three contests. The Adelaide wickets are reputedly so true and fast that Dr. Grace thought it was no use playing Sharpe, who had not been at all deadly on the fast Aus­ tralian wickets, and so he gave Philipson, who has shown fair form with the bat, a snow. The Australians were unfortunate. Moses, one of their finest batsmen, had not recovered from the injury to his leg, and could not play. A capable substitute was, however, found in Gregory. A greater misfortune then occurred. All the men chosen were in Adelaide practising when, two days before the day announced for the start, Callaway was recalled to Sydney, owing to the dangerous and expected to be fatal illness of his father. This robbed the team of a useful bowler and batsman. If there had been more time H. Trumble would have been got over fromMelbourne. There was not time, however, and so Donnan was put in, giving the team a weak fieldsman, a nervous batsman, and a very moderate change bowler. This was a greater loss, considering that on such a wicket all the bowling talent possible consistent with batting strength would be needed. F ir s t Day— T h u r sd a y , M ar ch 24, Thursday was a beautiful warm Australian autumn day, just warm enough and not hot enough to be unpleasant. March is an unsettled, dangerous month, so far as the weather is concerned, so that both sides were anxious to have first v 8e of the magnificent Adelaide Oval wicket, a wicket at its best, without an equal in the world. This time Grace won the toss, which was no more than he deserved, seeing that he lost it in both the preceding test matches. The Master and Abel were the first pair of batsmen, G. Giffen and M‘Leod haviDg charge of the bowling. Giffen started to Abel, and a couple of leg-bails were sweetly despatched to the chains. M‘Leod took]A couple of overs to find a length. Abe had now reached 14, Grace meantime having only made one. The fielding was perfect, and the bowling very accurate. Giffen especially troubled both batsmen, especially Grace. Abel was over anxious to score, and repeatedly jumped out to hit Giffen’s well-mixed “ ticers.” M‘Leod was first changed, Trott taking the ball from him after two fours to the Captain. Then Abel jumped right out to hit one down the ground, and missing it, was easily stumped by Blackham. One for 47. Stoddart started very streakily, but managed to keep his wicket intact until luncheon time, when the total was 66—Grace 32, and Stoddart 9. Turner and Trott,who resumed the bowling, were soon knocked off, and Giffen and M'Leod took up the attack. The latter kept down the runs, but Giffen was expensive. In his first over Stoddart hit two fours, and Grace repeated the performance in the next over. This brought the 100 up amidst applause. Runs came rapidly, and Grace was getting very dangerous when M’Leod yorked him. The captain had played a faultless innings. Bead opened shakily, and when only 8 put a ball back to Giffen. The bowler evidently did not expect the return, and was not in time to make the catch. Mr. Stoddart was now scoring fast, especially with leg hits, while Read got a pretty square cut off M’Leod to the chains. At 138 Trott replaced Giffen. Both batsmen seemed inclined to hit, and it was hoped that Trott’ s slows would tempt them to indiscretions. Steddart did have a go at one in Trott’s second over, but Lyons badly misjudged the flight of the ball, and, coming forward, instead of going back, saw the ball go over his left shoulder. At 179 a double change was tried, Turner and Donnan relieving Trott and M’Leod. Read apprecia­ ted Donnan’s fast bowling, and after two presently three fours to his credit brought up the second hundred. A short adjournment took place at four o’clock, and when play was resumed, the bowlers were Turner and Don­ nan. In Turner’s second over Read smacked a ball to Bannerman, and to the delight of the batsman, who in anticipation had walked away from his wicket, that surest of sure fieldsmen did not hold the ball. Read was batting so well, that this might have been a disastrous mistake for the Australians. As it happened, however, it did not make much difference, for Read, after driving one for 4, in Turner’s next over put a ball into the hands of Gregory at extra mid-off, and with different results. Thus the third wicket fell at 218. Bean, the next man, began badly, but Stod­ dart piled on the runs at a great rate. He lifted a ball from Turner clean over the boundary fence, and repeated the stroke two minutes later, Giffen being the sufferer this time. Lyons now relieved Turner, and kept down the runs for a couple of overs, while the Middlesex man got his century with 3 chain hits off Giffen in one over. Two were grand square-leg hits, although one went dangerously near Bruce, who was stationed very deep. Stoddart received a great ovation when the three figures were hoisted. He soon lost Bean, however, a tame hit being easily held by M’Leod at cover. (Four for 272.) Stoddart and Peel played out time, the total when stumps were drawn being 313, of which Stoddart had made 129 and Peel 23. Stod- dart’s innings was not perfect. When only 1 he gave Blackham—at the wicket—a difficult chance, and Lyons should certainly have caught him, while Trott had a possible chance at point. Just before stumps were drawn the Australian bowling was thoroughly collared, and the fielding was not quite what it should have been, although no very palpable expen­ sive blunders were made. The attendance was very large, quite 10,000 being present. That may not sound imposing to English ears, but it must not be forgotten that the population of Adelaide is only 120,000. S econd Day— F r id a y , M arch 25. In tlio eailypart of the day the sun was scorching hot, but soon after play was started heavy thunderclouds obscured the sun, making the atmosphere close and oppressive. The attendance was again large, but inasmuch as on Thursday the Government detlared a half­ holiday, and to-day was not a holiday, 5,000 was a satisfactory crowd. The game was resumed at half-past eleven, both captains agreeing to do all they possibly could to ensure a finish. Giffen and Turner were the bowlers, and both were more on the spot than on Thursday. Giffen especially bowled well, and troubled both batsmen. Principally by singles the score rose to 327. Then Stoddart, who had not been comfortable while staying at home, jumped out, but did not get hold of the ball, which hit his leg, and he had to retire. WTrile it can scarcely be termed a remark­ ably brilliant innings it was an attractive display, in whioh the very soundest defence was combined with occasional powerful hitting. The innings, which lasted three hours and fifty minutes, included two 6’s and fifteen 4’ s. Stoddart gave three chances, though neither was very easy. The first was when he had only made one to Blackham at the wickets, the second was in the middle of his innings to Lyons in the long-field, and the third to Trott towards the end of the first day’s play. Lohmann made an unsuc­ cessful effort to get set. He discarded hitting tactics entirely, and actually took four suc­ cessive maidens from Turner. The first over he had from Giffen, however, was fatal, as he put his knee in the way of a straight ball. (Six for 236.) Briggs, the next man, soon busied himself, and had up 20 in a twinkling. Bruce was tried instead of Turner, off whom Peel smacked nine in one over. With his score at 20 the Lancastrian tried a big hit off Giffen. M’Leod, right on the edge of the boundary, made a fine effort to make the catch, but although he reached the ball, he could not hold it. Meanwhile Peel had passed 60 with two fine drives off Turner, straight down the ground. Bruce could do nothing, and gave way to M’Leod, while at 398 Turner was tried vice Giffen, in the hope that Briggs, to whom Turner had been such an enemy, would fall victim again. The change, too, was effective. Immediately Turner went on Briggs put a ball into Ban- nerman’s hands. Again Bannerman, one of the surest catches in the world, failed, though Turner soon had his revenge, clean bowling Briggs. Philipson did not stay long, for he was caught at the wickets with the total at 425. With the score un­ altered, Peel came to grief. After two grand off-drives off Turner for four each, he hit one into the country into G. Giffen’s hands, where it rested securely. Peel was batting three hours, and the only possible chance he gave was a warm one back to Giffen, the bowler, when his score was 60. His driving was very fine. There were eight fours in his innings. Nine wickets were down for 425, and the end seemed near. Not so, how­ ever. M ’ Gregor ran away from Attewell with some neat leg hitting and on-placing, but the Notts professional soon caught him. He got two fine cuts to boundary off M’Leod and another off Turner. Light rain now began to fall, making the ball very slippery. Giffen tried instead of Trott, but could not get a wicket, and Trott was given an over. M’Gregor glanced the first ball to leg for 3, and then'Attewell three of the same over to the boundary. Since three o’clock rain had been falling pretty steadily, and after playing in it for half an hour the players adjourned to the Pavilion. Instead of stopping, the rain be­ came heavier, so at half-past four, play was abandoned for the day. T h ir d D ay — S a tu r d a y , M a r c h 26. The game was resumed in beautiful weather. The start was, however, delayed for an hour owing to the rain which had fallen nearly all night. The ground was completely soaked, but a strong wind and sun dried all the water off by half-past eleven. The umpires, however, gave it as their fiat that tbe wicket was unfit for play. The problem in which the end of the English innings was bound up, was whether the total would reaoh 600. This was not to be, as in trying a seoond run at 498 M’Gregor waa run out. The huge score was larger than it should have been. The Aus­ tralians did not field at all well, except at rare intervals, and several mistakes were made. The first Australian batsmen were Lyons and Bannerman, who had to face the bowline of Briggs and Lohmann. When Lyons had got 7 he made a big hit straight to Bean, who misjudged the pace of the ball, and let it go to the boundary. Thirty went up, and just when a fair score seemed possible Bannerman was caught at short square-leg by Bean, who just managed to get under the ball. George Giffen, after making one big hit for 4, stepped out, and before he could get back to his crease Philipson, the wicket-keeper, had the bails off. Luncheon was taken with the score at 38. On resuming wickets fell rapidly. Bruce was out lbw, Lyons caught right on the boundary, and Gregory taken at slip. The board read “ Five for 51.” Turner did not take long to make 10. Most of his runs came off Lohmann, and then Briggs got him to put a ball up pretty tamely to Lohmann at mid- off. Two balls were sufficient for Trott, who