Cricket 1895

2 0 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. F e b . 28, 1895. to execute his favourite pull stroke at Turner’s expense, but the ball shot, and took his leg stump. Brown went in, saw Ward get the first fourer of the match by glancing Coningham to leg, and then snicked a ball to Trumble at slip. (Three for 23.) Brockwell, the next man, after pottering about for five minutes without getting a ball through the field, in sheer desperation ran out of his crease and lifted a ball into the long field, which Iredale, running in smartly, caught beautifully. (Four for 26.) Peel joined Ward, and was quite content to see Ward do the scoring. Just before lunch, however, the latter cut at a high one of Trumble’s (Trumble had replaced Coning­ ham), and was caught at third man (5 for 44.) Ford went in with Peel after luncheon, Trumble and Turner bowling on an improved wicket. Ford was troubled by his fellow giant, Trumble, but he seemed to rather like Turner, and one beautiful cover hit was a fencer. Peel made a few small hits, but was at 58 caught at slip. Lockwood went in and saw Ford give Trott at point a hot chance, which was refused. The next ball he cut, and started to run, but Giffen at short-slip jumped across, and, grabbing the ball in his left hand, made a magnifi­ cent catch. (7—9—60.) Briggs after giving Trumble a warm return, which was not taken, then lifted a ball to square-leg, and Bruce made a nice catch. Philipson and Richardson were both caught in the long field, and the innings closed for 75, having lasted exactly two hours. Lyons and Bruce began the Australians’ innings, Richardson bowling to Lyons, who got a couple for a dangerous snick. Peel bowled to Bruce, and a single to each batsmen brought Lyons opposite Bichardson, who beat him with a beauty. (One for 4.) Giffen, the next man, began with a single, then cut Richardson for 4, and hit him to leg for 2. At 12 he lost Bruce, who made a swipe at Peel, but missed the ball. (2— 4— 12.) With only three runs added Gregory was taken at extra slip by Ward. Young Darling joined Giffen, and a fine stand was made, Darling doing most of the scoring. Richardson’s fast ones bumped a good deal, but these the bats­ man carefully let go by. Darling, who batted very freely, then evoked applause by straight driving successive balls from Richardson to the boundary. At 41 Lockwood relieved Richardson, and Darling hit his fifth ball right over the fence. Then he tried to repeat the stroke, but missed the ball, which broke in and took his wicket. (4— 32— 53.) Darling, in forty minutes had got 32 while Giffen made 6 . With Iredale in the scoring slowed down, each batsman going at about the same pace. Iredale reached double figures, but at 80 a splendid ball from Richardson took his wicket. (5— 10— 80.) Trott was the next man, but at 80, lost Giffen, who was splendidly taken by the wicket-keeper, who had to run away to leg to get the ball. (Five for 86 .) Giffen played a perfect defensive game. Coningham and Trott put on 22 before Coningham was caught by Philipson, standing back. Trumble only made 1, but Jarvis, after running out Trott, who had batted nicely, made 11 himself before Briggs entrapped him. The total of the innings was 123, or 48 in advance of the Englishmen. The wicket played better than it did earlier in the afternoon, and the Australians should not have lost more than six wickets. It was three minutes to six when Jarvis’s wicket fell, and stumps were accordingly drawn for the day. S e c o n d D a y . — M o n d a y , D e c . 31. The wicket looked excellent except for a spot at one end. Again the attendance was magnificent, £659 being taken at the gates, which meant, with members, a total attendance of over 15,000, and this although business was carried on as usual in the city—that is to say, no holiday was declared. As usual M’Laren and Ward began the batting to the bowling of Coningham and Giffen. The latter was too accurate to be trifled with, but off the former, runs came freely, amongst other hits being a 4 to each batsman. In twenty minutes 24 runs were made, most of them being to the credit of M’Laren. Coningham gave way to Turner at 24, and the new bowler’s second ball—a fine break-back—knocked out M’Laren’s off stump. Stoddart went in and opened with a cut for three off Turner and a fine hit for 4 off Giffen. Then he drew within his shell, and played as cautiously and correctly as Ward. Steadily the runs came, until at last, with a single off Giffen, Stoddart wiped off the deficit of 41. Then the captain made a grand straight drive off Turner into the reserve, and though Trott was tried at lunch rime the batsmen were still at the wickets, Stoddart having made 35, and Ward 28, with the total at 78. Trumble and Turner werethe bowlers after luncheon. Stoddart scored more freely than before, and 23 had been added when Turner bowled Ward off his pads. Albert played in his best style for 41, and did not make a single mistake. The Englishmen iwere practically only 53 for two wickets when Brown joined his skipper, but before he left 90 runs had been added. He opened badly, but soon settled down, and even Trott, whose slows sometimes puzzled him, gave him no trouble. Each bats­ man hit Giffen, who had replaced Trumble, for 4, and sundry other smaller hits following, the Australian captain handed the ball to Bruce, off whose third over Brown was smartly caught at the wickets. The Yorkshireman was batting an hour and five minutes for his 37. Brockwell, the next man, made 21 quickly. He hit the first ball he received for 4, and then got on to Trott, who had taken the ball from Turner, for a similar number. Again Turner came on, and a 4 hit to leg gave Stoddart his century, whereat the 15,000 spectators applauded most enthusiastically. Another 4 to Brockwell was almost his last effort, as in cutting at a fast one from Turner he had the bad luck to pull it on to his wicket. (4—21—222.) Stoddart and Peel played out time. The final score was 287 for four wickets, of which Stoddart had made 151 and Peel 18. The Australians bowled and fielded brilliantly, which made the Englishmen’s perfor­ mance all the finer. T h ir d D a y .— T u e s d a y , J a n u a r y 1. The day being a public holiday the attendance was splendid. Nearly 15,000 people paid for admission, which meant that, including members, over 21,000 watched the game. Stoddart and Peel continued the batting to the bowling of Giffen and Turner. In twenty-five minutes only 13 runs were added, and in three-quarters of an hour Stoddart, usually so brilliant, only added 13. Then he hit Giffen to square-leg for 4, and drove one in the next over for four more. Giffen then with a medium fast ball beat Stoddart, who vainly chopped down to try and turn the ball, which, although he touched it with the edge of his bat, he could not do. The English captain was at the wickets five hours and twenty minutes, and never played a more valuable innings. Instead of playing the dashing game he generally does he was exceedingly watchful, and even cramped, but he succeeded in what he set himself, the wearing down of the bowlers, and, what is more, he did not give a chance. His figures consisted of three 5’s (two of them due to overthrows), fourteen 4’s, ten 3’s, seventeen 2’s, and three singles. Ford joined Peel with 320 on the board, and 42 runs were added slowly. Trumble replaced Turner, who had bowled sixty- six balls for 16 runs, and Peel, with a single off him, made his score 40. Turner, at mid off, having let off the tall hander, the batsman marked his appreciation by cutting Giffen beautifully to the boun­ dary, and lunch was taken with the total at 350 for five wickets, Peel having made 40 and Ford 19. After lunch Giffen and Trumble bowled again, and the score rose slowly to 362, when Ford was deceived with the pace of a ball, which he put into the hands of Harry Trott at point. Briggs now came in, and after making the game lively lost Peel, who was stumped off Giffen. (7—53—383.) Peel’s innings occupied no less than two hours and 48 minutes, and his hits included thirty-seven singles, while there was not even one solitary fourer. Briggs wel­ comed Lockwood by hitting 9 runs off Coningham, one beautiful cut speeding the ball to the boundary. When he had made 24, he gave Iredale at short-leg a sharp chance, and then off Trott, who had relieved Coningham, he hit one to deep square leg, which Gregory just failed to reach. An unsuccessful appeal for leg before by Trott was followed by Briggs with a drive for 4, but Giffen, when he made an appeal, was more successful. (8—31— 402.) Briggs had played a lively innings. The Australians thought the end had come at last, but it was not so, Philipson and Lockwood scored freely, till just before the four o’clock adjournment, Giffen, with a beautiful ball, beat Philipson, who had played a serviceable innings. In thirty- six minutes the ninth wicket had put on 53 runs. Richardson, the last man, also gave a lot of trouble, and the score was NEXT ISSUE MARCH 28.