Cricket 1895

78 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r il 18, 1895. fortable to Richardson, played a ball on to his wicket. Gregory stayed with Giffen until lunch time, when the scores were—Giffen, 50 ; Gregory, 8—Total, 139. In Richardson’s second over, after play was resumed, Giffen, who had given instructions that the same “ wearing” game was to he played, dragged a ball on to his wicket. (4—51—148). Giffen was batting nearly three hours, and never in his career has he played a more stonewalling innings. This was the first time in the tour that Richardson took Giffen’s wicket, although in England George was clean bowled by the Surrey express in eleven out of twelve innings in whioh they met. When Darling joined Gregory the spectators, who saw their brilliant cricket in the first innings, expected to see some brilliant play, but dulnessagain prevailed neither batsman attempting any but the safest of strokes. The fielding was magnifi­ cent, and in an hour not one solitary fourer was made. Only 30 more runs were added in the time. At 178 Briggs relieved Peel, but it was Richardson and not Briggs who parted the batsmen. Gregory being clean bowled at 179 after play­ ing an hour for 30. Briggs, however, did extremely valuable service within the next quarter. To my mind, that quarter of an hour’s play turned the whole tide of the game. Lyons had gone in and started by cutting Richardson for 2 and hitting him to the on for 4. In the fast bowler’s next over Lyons again scored 6—one five drive—sending the ball careering to the fence. He seemed bent for a score, and made 12 in five minutes. At this rate he would soon have had Richardson knocked off, and the Australians’ chance would have been very rosy, but with 200 on the board a last ball from Briggs breaking back from middle to off beat the big hitter, and with six wickets down the Englishmen were confident, Graham the next man, went in for desperate hitting tactics and soon had 10 up, then he got his leg in the road of a straight one. Two balls were enough for Albert Trott, and with 8 down for 219 the Australians were gloomy. Jarvis j joined Darling, who continued to play with unusual caution, and with 2 runs added one of the twain should have beenrun out, but Philipson, to whoin the ball had been returned, threw at the wicket at which the men were standing together instead of the other. Jarvis playing more steadily than usual appeared like stay­ ing so Darling began to make nse of his strength to force the play. Peel came on again at 236andthe left-hand batsman cut him for two. Then he drove and cut Richardson to the pickets, but these were his last efforts, as in attempting a big hit off Peel he missed the ball and over went his leg stump. 9—50 — 248.—Darling played a useful innings, lasting just over two hours. He did not give a chance, but many of the Australians thought he should have forced the game more after Gregory got out. Anyway, it was a fine performance for an inexperienced player of twenty-four years to make highest score in one and second highest in the other innings. Jarvis and McKibbin again made a fair stand, although when he had made eight Jarvis was missed at cover by Lockwood—a difficult chance from a low hit. The innings closed for 267, which left the Englishmen 297 to get to win. it was a very fine performance to get such a strong batting side down for 267. The fielding was magnificent, Brown and M’Laren both performing astonishing feats. Peel bowled well, but Richardson fairly triumphed over the batsmen, and executed a feat worthy of the reputation he has achieved in the Old Country. A cross wind, of which Stoddart wisely gave him full advantage, helped him to some extent, but no assistance came from the pitch. In the compilation of 28 runs in their second innings the Englishmen lost one wicket, the proverbially unlucky Brockwell being the victim. No excuse could, however, be made for the elegant champion of Surrey this time, as on a good wicket he played a bad stroke at a ball that was by no means difficult, and gave Giffen an easy catch. When stumps were drawn Stoddart had made 11 and Ward 10. F if t h D a y .— W e d n e s d a y , M a r c h 6 . The Englishmen spent an anxious time on Wednesday morning. At ten o’ clock rain began to drizzle, and for a time it looked very much like continuing. It, however, cleared off at eleven o’clock, and leftthe grass slippery, besides taking some of the life out of the wicket, so that the Australians, with their slow and medium pace bowlers, had somewhat the worst of it. The attendance was splendid, quite 14,000 people being present. The betting was even, but the Australians themselves were none too sanguine of the result. Whatever despondency there was, however, quickened into sanguine expectation, when the English captain, reaching forward to a straight one from Harry Trott (the first ball, too), got his leg in front. An appeal to the umpire, an affirmative response from Phillips, and thousands of throats were shouting with delight at the dismissal of so formidable a batsman. Some even went with the length of saying the match was already Australia’s with two such men as Brockwell and Stoddart out for 28. They reckoned, however, without Brown and Ward. There is no need to detail the incidents of their long partnership, one of the finest ever known at the finish of a match. Indeed, never before on the fifth day of a game has such fine batt­ ing been seen. The six men on the Austra­ lian side who can bowl were chopping and changing frequently, but the magnificent hitting of Brown made it all seem plain and easy as falling off a log. I cannot better describe their partnership than by quoting- generous criticism from an Australian daily : “ More correct style than Brown’s, from the absolutely scientific point of view, has no doubt been seen on the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but a safer, freer, or more useful display has certainly never been seen. Going in at 12.10 p.m. he quickly placed himself on the most familiar terms with the Austra­ lian bowlers. He got 4's fromall parts of the fieid off every variety of bowling, his strokes being models of perfect judgment and safety. The rate at which he scored may be j udged from the fact that he put together 51 while Ward was making 5, and realised his century as the result of just about as many minute’s play. Indeed, his total score of 140, made in 2 hours 25 min., works out as clearly as possible to a run a minute—a remarkably fine performance under the circumstances. Ward’s innings of 93 was obtained in that batsman’s usual slow but perfect style. As an earnest of this he lifted Giffen right over the railings, and scored the first five in the match; but when three figures looked a certainty, H. Trott beat him with a beautiful yorker. It was a pity—a feeling shared alike by Australians and Englishmen - that he should have fallen short of the double glory of having made a century and helped so materially to accomplish the defeat of Australia. At 54 he was appealed against for a catch at the wickets, but Phillips, decided in favour of the batsman. It was said afterwards, however, among the players, that the umpire made one of those mistakes which occasionally occur in the best of umpiring. With this exception Ward’s innings was free from blemish. The partner­ ship of these two batsmen, lasting two hours and twenty-five minutes, and adding no fewer than 210 runs to the score, was certainly the most brilliant feature of a brilliant match. Never has the Australian bowling been more completely collared.” M’Lean and Peel finished up the match in dashing style, a cut for 4 by Peel making the winning hit. It is only fair to the Australians to say that Giffen, their crack bowler, was handi­ capped by the injury to his right hand, the little finger, which was knocked by Lockwood on the first day of the match, being swollen to the size of his thumb. M’Kibbin did not bowl as well as was expected, and Albert Trott disappointed his admirers. The fielding was excellent, although one or two possibili­ ties of making brilliant catches were not availed of. Although the rain helped them to win the first test match, the Englishmen deserved to have the rubber, after losing the toss and winning the last match in such magnificent style. They played up to the finest traditions of English cricket, and Brown, Ward, and Richardson deserve the greatest praise for their splendid play. It could not be expected that the Australian crowd would enthuse over the result, yet they gave the Englishmen a really warm reception after the result. Score and analysis :— A ustralia . First Innings. Second Innings. H. 8. Trott, b Briggs........ 42 b Peel ..... 42 W. Bruce, cM’Laren, b Peel 22 c and b Peel .... 11 G. Giffen, b Peel ............... 57 b Richardson.... 51 F. Iredale, b Richardson ... 8 b Richardson.... 18 S. E. Gregory, c Philipson, b Richardson ...........70 b Richardson....... 30 J. Darling, c Ford, b Peel... 74b Peel ................ 50 J. J. Lyons, c Philipson, b Lockwood ................... 55b Briggs............. 15 H. Graham, b Richaidson... 6 lbw,b Richardson 10 A. E. Trott, c Lockwood, b Peel ............................. 10b Richardson....... 0 A. H. Jarvis, not out....... 34not out................ 14 T. R. M‘Kibbin, c Peel, b Briggs........................... 23 c Philipson, b Richardson..... 13 B 3, lb 10.................. 13 B 5, lb 6, nb 2 13 Total ...............414 Total ...267 E.voLAND. First Innings. Seconi Innings. A. Ward, b M’Kibbin ... 32b H. Trott..........93 W. Brockwell, st Jarvis, b H. Trott .................. 5c and b Giffen ... 5 A. E. Stoddart, st Jarvis, b H. Trott .................. 68 lbw, b H. Trott... 11 J. T. Bro^n, b A. E. Trott 30cGiffen,bM’Kib­ bin ...............140 A. C. M’Laren, hit wkt, b H. Trott ..................120 not out............... 20 R. Peel, c Gregory, b Giffen 73not out................15 W.H.Lockwood, cH. Trott, b Giffen ................... 5 F. G. J. Ford, c A. E. Trott, b Giffen ..................11 J. Briggs, c H. Trott, b Giffen......................... 0 H. Philipson, not out..... 10 T. Richardson, lbw, b H. Trott ........................11 B 8,1 b 8, w 4 ......20 B 6, lb5, w 2,nbl 14 Total ........... 385 Total (for 4wkts)298 BOWLING ANALYSIS. A ustralia . First Innings. Second Innings. B. M. R. W . B. M. R. W. Richardson... 252 7 138 3 ... 274 7 104 6 Peel ........... 288 13 114 4 ... 276 16 89 3 Lockwood ... 162 7 72 1 ... 96 7 24 0 B riggs........... 142 5 46 2 ... 96 3 37 1 Brockwell ... 24 1 22 0 Ford ........... 12 0 9 0 Lockwood bowled two no-balls. E n gland . First Innings. Second Innings. B. M . R. W . B. M. R. W . G. Giffen ... 270 13 130 4 ... 186 4 106 1 H. Trott ... 144 5 71 4 ... 121 1 63 2 A . E . Trott... 180 4 84 1 ... 114 2 56 0 M ‘Kibbin ... 174 6 73 1 ... 84 2 47 1 Bruce ........... 30 1 7 0 ... 18 1 10 0 Lyons ... 6 0 2 0 A. E . Trott bowled four wides. M 'Kibbin bowled two wides, and H. Trott one no-ball.