Cricket 1895

12 CRICKET • A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J a n . 31, 1895. Brown came in Trott went on, but again the oracle failed to work, Ward getting the Yorkshireman by twice cutting Turner for threes, and then driving him to the boundary. Brown opened rather steadily, and for sometime made no more than an occasional single or brace. Reedman and Lyon* were tiied, without doing any damage, Ward driving Lyons for four, while Brown secured a similar number for a cut off Reedman, the Lancastrian repeating the latter stroke in the next over. Jones and Irerlale having been ineffectually tried, Giffen took one end, and M’Leod, having resigned the gloves to Reedman, bowled from the other. Ward cracked Giffen to leg for four, Brown secured the same number for a hit over long-off’s head. A couple of overs later Ward played back to a splendid length ball from Giffen, but missed it and was bowled. Ward was batting four hours, and only gave the one chance when his score was 28. His batting was beautifully easy and grace­ ful, his strokes in every direction bfing well timed and forcible. He was heartily cheered upon his return to the pavilion. Brockwell went to the assistance of Brown, who at once got Giffen past mid- on for three, and then drove him for four, making his score 50. He only made three more before he skied Giffen at inid-on. and Jones running in from long-on, was just able to make a bulliant ca<ch, and cut short a promising career—4-53-245. Peel went in, and after being badly missed by Jones at short square-leg. stayed with Brookwell, who had batted very steadily until stumps were drawn. By that time the deficit had been wipe! off, and as the total was 268, the visitors were seven runs on, with six wickets to fall. On all hands they were highly praised for the plucky fight they had made, and Albert Ward particularly came in for commendation. F if t h D a y — W e d n e s d a y , D e c e m b e r 19. The wicket was in remarkable good order, the rain which fell on Monday having firmed it, and stayed the tendency to crumble which the best wicket in the world would have after four dais’ play upon it. Brockwell (20) and Peel (9) faced Giffen and Jones. A late cut by Brockwell off the fast bowler gave him 4, and a safe square-leg gave him 3. Still Jones was bowling better than on the previous day, and very soon earned his reward a beauty beating Brockwell. (Five for 291.) Ford joined Peel, but the two left-handers did not long remain together, the shorter one of the pair playing a ball from G:ffen on to his wicket. (6—17—297.) Then came Briggs, and he and Ford gave the brightest exhibition of batting seen since Gregory and Blackham were togelher. Ford relished the fast <nes, cutting one to the boundary and driving another for 4. Briggs, after momentary caution in opening, got on to Giffen for a fourer Turner went on at 313, and in rapid succession Trott and M ’Leod were at the bowlii g creases. The former was unfor­ tunate, as Briggs hit a ball in his first over high to square-leg where Graham was standing, but that usually reliable fieldsman mulled the chance. In doing this, however, he was only keeping up the character of the match. Seldom, 1 erhaps, in such an important contest have so many changes been missed. Ford was then 21. Tbe giant returned thanks by bitting one of Trott’s out of the playing ground for 5, and then Rriggs twice, in one over, hit Giffen to the fence, feats which greatly pleased the little Lancastrian. M ’Leod went on at 363, and Briggs at once back cut him for 3. Ford’s last succesefnl effort was to execute his sweet cover hit, which travels from his bat like a shot from a gan. for the next ball he tapped back to the bowler, 7—48—385, the seventh wicket haviDg added 88 . As Lockwood and Gay are generally good for a few, and Briggs was well set, the situation was none too comfortable for the Aus­ tralians. Lockwood opened well, too. hittingGiffen past and onto the boundary, and snicking M’Leod for 3. but at 398 he lost Briggs, who was bowled by M’ Leod. Briggs must be bracketed with Ford for the desperate effort, they made to win the game. Gay, the next m»n, glanced M’Leod to leg for 2 and brought up 400, the posting of those figures being warmly cheered. Whereas in most of his preced­ ing innings the Cantab bitvigo ovifrly, on this occasion he stonewalled, and when at last Trott bowled him he had only made 4. (Nine for 420.) Richardson, the last man, Jet fly at Giffen, and quickly had up a dozen ere Trott deceived Lock­ wood. The innings closed for 437, which left the Australians with 177 to make to win, and as the wicket was still good there were few who doubted their ability to get them. At four o’clock Lyons and Trott begin the task, to the bowling of Richardson and Peel. Richardson was suffering from a severe cold, and only went out in order that he might have a good sweat. He bowled bis fastest to Lyons, who uppishly cut a ball past point, which Ward, at third man, was not quite able to reach. Lyons, who in recent inning* had been batting over cautiously, put tbe wood on this time, and hit the fast bowler to leg for 4, and hooked him for 3 more a moment later. A snick off Peel gave him 4. and with sundry smaller hits he in a quarter of hour rntde 25, while Trott scored a solitary single. Then he was bowled off his knee, exactly in the same way as in the first innings. Giffen went in, and a change came o’er the scene, only two runs being put on in a quarter of an hour. The pace at which Richard­ son had bowled knocked him ouc, and with 32 on the board, he had to retire. Lockwood took the ball from him, and Giffen, appreciating the change, hit half a dozen iff his first over. Gradually the score mounted to 45, and then Trott, who had been batting in a ridiculously cramped style, totally unlike bis usual self, was caught at the wickets. Then Darby went cut, but took good care not to be “ yorked ” this time. He began with proper caution, but soon opened out, and batting splendidly, passed Giffen, and when stumps were drawn had 44 to his credit, while Giffen, who had been batting an hour and three-quarters only, had 30. The total was 113 for two wickets, so that the Colonials looked like winning easily. S i x t h Day—Thursday, Dec. 20 t h . Still another record went by the boards when this extraordinary match entered upon its sixth day, because never before, even in Australia, has a game lasted so long. When stumps were drawn on Wednesday evening the Australians seemed certain of victory. The English­ men admitted to themselves that they were in a hopeless position—and yet they won. Whtt brought about the contre­ temps ? Rain. It poured all night, and, as if that was not bad enough, the sun blazed out on Thursday morning. I f the Australians had had to go on at eleven o’clock, they would probably have won, bat by noon the wicket was as sticky as ever a wicket in this world was. Now came the fight. With two hitters out, with 64 runs still wanted, and eight men —one of them injured—to get out, the Australians knew that they were in for a close thing. In fact, they imagined the odds were against them. Peel and Richardson resumed the bowling, and Darling, after a preliminary canter, hit one of Peel’s beautifully over the heads of the people for 5. Richardson’s balls bumped all over the place, two or three fljiDg right over the heads of the batsmen, but one kept low, and Giffen suicked it for 4. Tbe 130 went up, and the Colonials began to think they might win, but with­ out a run more being scored, Darling, trying to repeat his five stroke, was grandly caught near the boundary by Brockwell. Gregory went in, and a brace came to each batsman. At 135 Briggs replaced Richardson, and in his first over he got Giffen leg before. Just before this Giffen had been badly missed by Brown at point off Peel (4-41-135), and the Australians anxious again. With Iredale in Gregory played vigorously, mastering the difficulties of the wicket better than any of the others had done. Just here Gay received a knock on the top of one of his fingers, which was temporarily put out, but he was soon back at his post, keeping wickets in fine style. At 147 Iredale hit a ball high back to Briggs, who made an easy catch. Reedrnanj oil,ed Gi egory,and drove Briggs for four. Then the little fellow snicked Peel for three, and cut Briggs to the fence, but these were his last hits, as in Peel’s next over he was snapped up at the wicket (six for 158). The end was not far off no w. Reedman, after a let off by M ‘Laren at slip, was stumped next ball. Turner was caught at cover at 161, and Jones was taken in the long field (nine for 162.) Blackham, although his thumb was in bandages, went out with characteristic gameness to try and win. He played carefully at balls pitched on the off, the bowlers not daring to give him any even on the middle stump. Four singles— two to each man—were scored, but the hits jarred Blackham »o that he had to bat with one hand, and he soon after fell an easy victim to Peel. It was all over two minutes before luncheon, the Eng­ lishmen winning by 10 runs. NEXT ISSUE FEBRUARY 28.