Cricket 1895

J a n . 31, 1895. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. r auspicious morning broke clear and fine, and it kept so all day. There were 11,000 people present, the amount taken at the gates totalling £537 14s. 9d. A grand wicket had been prepared, and as Stoddart and Blackham stepped aside to toss, Stoddart remarked, “ Someone will be swearing directly, Jack—I hope it is you.” It was the Englishman, as he called wrong to Blackham’s toss, and the Englishmen, leaving Humphreys and Philipson in the pavilion, filed out into the field, followed by the burley figures of Lyons and Trott. Lyons faced Richardson and took a maiden, Peel’s first over produced five runs, and Trott then got the fast bowler away for 4, but with one run added Lyons was bowled off his knee, the ball, after it struck the leg stump, having so much pace on that it sped to the boundary. ( 1 — 1 — 10 .) Giffen joined Trott, and looked set from the first ball he took, bat at 21 he lost Trott, who was beaten by a perfectly- pitched ball (2 for 21 ), and the crowd very quiet. Quieter still when Darling who made 117 at Adelaide, was yorked by the first ball he had from Richardson. Iredale now went in, and at once got Richardson to square leg for a 4 and a 2. Giffen meanwhile was batting perfectly, and made a couple of grand straight drives off Peel to the fence, Iredale following with a glance and a cut off the same bowler, which produced 4 each. Then Iredale had a narrow escape. Giffen cut a ball which richocheted from Brown’s hand to Briggs at cover. Giffen went for a run, though a run should not have been possible. Iredale did not start at first, but then nobly decided to run and sacrifice himself for Giffen. They were close together at the bowler’s end when Briggs got hold of the ball. He returned, but badly, and as Gay was unable to get the ball at the first try, Iredale scrambled home, to the intense relief of the spectators. As Peel was ex­ pensive he retired a t ' 58 in favour of Briggs, and at 75, hoping to get a wicket before luncheon, Stoddart put on Lock­ wood vice liicharhson. At 78 lunch was taken. After lunch Richardson bowled again, with Briggs as his vis-a-vis. Giffen snicked Richardson for 4 , and twice Iredale cracked Briggs to the fence. Giffen also liked the Lancashire bowler, and amongst other hits made a fine straight drive over the heads of the people for 5. Runs came but slowly off Richardson, who was bowling better than he had before he took the wickets at Brisbane, but both batsmen continued to get on to Briggs, and at 122 Peel re­ lieved him. A little before this a great misfortune happened to the Englishmen, Lockwood having to retire in consequence of a rick received by his shoulder when he was stopping a hard hit. Philipson was allowed to field in his place. At 129 Brockwell gave his club-mate a spell, and Iredale at once cover- hit him for 4, Giffen, in Brockwell’s next over, cutting successive balls to the boundary. Very soon Stoddart took the ball from Brock­ well, but Iredale appeared to appreciate the change, and knocked three fourers off one over. With 184 up Richardson and Ford were brought on to bowl, and a separation came from the least expected quarter, Iredale being caught at mid-off off the ama'eur’s bowling. The total was then 192. and the partnership of Giff*n and Iredale had brought about a vital change in the aspect of the game. Iredale was at the wickets two hours and a half, and did not make a mistake. He batted with great confidence, and his off- play was very fine. Gregory went out with Giffen after the four o’clock ad­ journment, and after a few minutes’ quietness the champion gained his cen­ tury by smacking Richardson to leg for 4. Then he began to lay on to the bowl­ ing, and scored (for him) very rapidlv. Gregory was unusually dull, and in half an hour only made a paltry 7 runs. Suddenly the little man started to score in earnest, and very quickly brought Peel and Briggs to the bowling creases. In a quarter of an hour 34 runs were added, and in half an hour 53, the bats­ men evenly dividing the spoils. A.t 5.30 the third century was hoisted, and then the batsmen slowed down to play out time. The Enemy defeated one of them, to wit Giffen, who at ten minutes before six touched a ball from Brockwell and was caught at slip. Giffen gave only one real chance. When he was 38 he touched a ball from Lockwood, which Gay could no more than reach with the tips of his fingers, and when he was 90 he snicked one of Richardson’s, which Gay should have held, but did not. Otherwise his batting was absolutely perfect, and was generally voted to be the finest exhibition seen on the Sydney ground for many a day. He hit one 5 and eighteen 4’s. Reedman had time to make 4 before stumps were drawn. Gregory’s score was then 85, and the total 346 for five wickets. The Aus­ tralians had made a wonderful recovery, hut it must not be forgotten that the Englishmen suffered owing to the ina­ bility of Lockwood to bowl more than one over. Richardson bowled best, while Peel and Briggs were fearfully expensive without obtaining a wicket. S e c o n d D a y .— S a t u r d a y , D e c e m b e r 15. A record attendance was looked for after the fine score made by the Austra­ lians, and, considering that the weather was again delightful, there was no reason why there should not be an enormous attendance. Still, the record was not broken, although later on records were to be broken galore. About 24,000 people were present, and the gate amounted to £1,273 9s. 10d., as against £1,249 for the Saturday of the late match between England and New South Wales, and £1,400 for one day when Ivo Bligh’s team fought for the ashes in 1883. Richardson and Peel resumed the bowling, and a ball from the former rose as high as Reedman’s head. The batsman foolishly cut at it, and Brockwell in the slips had a chance, which he did not accept. Gregory set to work in a very steady manner, and in due time got out of the eighties, which is a crucial period with him. Again one of Richardson’s rose, and clouted Reedman on the head, i but he had his revenge by lifting Peel over the heads of the crowd. The bowlers plied the off theory to Gregory, who stood on 99 for a long time, but all to no avail, though the fielismen crowded into the slips, for the boy cut one through to the boundary, and thus secured his century, a feat which drew enthusiastic applause, as the diminutive batsman is a great favourite at Sydney. Hardly bad the cheers subsided, than Reedman played softly at a tricky little break ball from Bobby Peel, and Ford at slip prettily caught him. Six for for 379, and only what looked like a weak tail to be wagged. M’Leod, the next man got along nicely, and made 15, while Gregory made half a dozen, 400 went up, amidst cheers, but at 401, a fast ball from Richardson landed at the base of M’ Leod’s middle stump. Turner stayed a quarter of an hour, making the while a solitary single, and then was snapped up at the wickets. Eight for 409, and only Blackham and Jones left for Gregory to outlive. It seemed almost any odds that he would last longer than the two of them. Blackham began with a square-leg swish off Richardson for 4. Gregory thought it time to let go in earnest, and make the most of his time, and twice he drove Richardson to the chains, but when he was 131, he was missed by Gay off Peel. Blackham was still there, at lunch time the total being 442 (Gregory 134, Blackham 15). Im­ mediately play was resumed, began one of the liveliest bits of cricket ever seen on an Australian cricket ground or any other. They started to steal runs, run­ ning for almost every hit, and in next to no time the fieldsmen were not picking up the ball cleanly. Runs came apace, yet Richardson and Peel still bowled on as they had while 132 runs were put on. It was simply killing Richardson, whose pace had dropped considerably, and both batsmen were able to hit him to leg to their hearts’ content. A snick by Black­ ham brought up 500, amidst enthusiastic applause. Ford was tried without work­ ing the oracle as he did on Friday with Iredale. The batsmen got on to him as they had on to all the rest. When Gregory had made 194 he lifted a ball from Briggs to long-off. Ward went for it, and got the ball into one hand, but that was not enough to hold a catch in the long-field. The next stroke made him 201. Then Stoddart went on, and the little man lifted a ball right into the hands of Peel at long-on, who had not to move to make the catch. He and Black­ ham were only together seventy-eight minutes, and in that time they put on 154, the ninth wicket falling at 563. Gregory was batting altogether four hours and four minutes, so that he scored roundly at the rate of 50 runs per hour. His batting was beautifully clean and well-timed. There were three chances, at 54, 131, and 194, but only the one to Gay, at 131, was at all easy. He hit no less than twenty- eight fours. So much enthusiasm was evoked at his feat, that £103 10s. was collected, and at the end of the Austra­ lians’ innings handed to little Sydney by (Continued on Page 11 ,) NEXT ISSUE FEBRUARY 28,