Cricket 1905

J u n e 29, 1905 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 229 THE AUSTRALIANS. THE ESSEX MATCH. ( f if t e e n t h o f t h e t o u r .) Played at Leyton on June 22, 23 and 24. Essex won by 19 runs. So little has the Essex team distinguished itself this season that no one dreamed that it would be able to make a good fight against the Australians, who, although their June record had not been brilliant, had not been defeated during the month. As the weather took a change for the better in the week before the match, it seemed pretty certain that the game would be played on a good and fast wicket, and that whatever might be done by Essex in the way of a small total, the Australian batsmen would run up a long score. When Essex won the toss and gave a most disappointing display of bat­ ting on a wicket which was admitted by the players to be almost perfect, no one was surprised, for the Essex batting has frequently been poor this season. But when against the weak Essex bowling the Aus­ tralians fared even worse than their opponents, it began to be necessaiy to look round for an excuse, which was not easy to find. It was not possible to lay the blame on the groundman, for the Australians, as well as the home team, admitted that no fault could be found with the wicket; the extreme skill of the bowlers might easily have served if the success of the bowlers had been only on the side of the Aus­ tralians, but this excuse would hardly work, for no one would dream of crediting the two Essex bowlers, Tremlin and Buckenham, with possessing skill enough to dismiss a powerful batting side for a hundred on a perfect wicket, unless there were some valid reason why the side might break down. Under the circumstances the simplest excuse, and the most effective, seemed to be that after playing on slow wickets for some time the batsmen, as a body, were unable to gauge the pace of the fast wicket on which they had to play at Leyton. Be this as it may, the bowlers in this match held the upper hand through­ out. On the first day each side completed an inn- nings, and Essex had time to go in again and lose three wickets for 31. It is hardly necessary to say that when Essex did so badly in their first innin£-> their efforts were regarded with some contempt, for to make but 118 on a good wicket is considered little short of a crime. Carpenter kept up an end for an hour and a half, and towards the end of the innings Douglas played capital cricket. But the great batsmen on the side failed, and Percy Perrin, who has not yet been able to extricate himself from the Slough of Despond, made a duck’s egg. Laver had a splendid analysis, and, naturally enough, the downfall of the Essex batsmen was chiefly attributed to his great skill in disguising his pace. The inn­ ings of 118 lasted for two hours and ten minutes. 87 for seven being the total at lunch time. Everbody expected to see the Australians run up a large score, and the amazement was general when Buckenham, who was only chosen to play at the very last moment, proved to be even more effective than Laver, while Tremlin seemed suddenly to become a great bowler. Oneafteranother theAustralians made an exceedingly short stay at the wicket until eight men were out for 49, five of them falling in the course of four overs, and three of them with the total at 49. One remem­ bered the hard things which were said of the Gentle­ men of England at Lord’s when they were all out for 61 against the Australians. But Cotter came to the rescue of his side, and, showing his usual pluck, hit out with great boldness. He scored 38, the highest innings of the day, and saved his side from the fate of scoring less than the Gentlemen. But despite his efforts, the Australians, who had batted for an hour and a half, were 18 runs behind on the first innings. Essex had to bat for three-quarters of an hour, and lost three wickets for 31, so that they were now 49 runs on. On Friday several meii showed good cricket for Essex, notably Reeves and Douglas, but McGahey, who made the highest score on the side, was never comfortable, and was missed three times. So easily did Reeves, Douglas and Buckenham play the bowling towards the end of the innings, that although Essex men were delighted with the success of the tail, they could not help feel­ ing that, if the tail found no difficulty in the Austra­ lian bowling, the great Australian batsmen would speedily rush the runs off when they went in for the fourth innings of the match. But again surprises were in store for the spectators, and again Bucken­ ham and Tremlin vastly distinguished themselves. The Australians had to make 222 to win, and when stumps were drawn their score was .119 for six wickets, so that they still required 103 runs on Saturday. Noble, who was missed at 15, once more played a splendid game when his side was in diffi­ culties, and Hopkins, who was also missed, made an effective resistance to the bowling. 11wasanybody’s game if no rain fell, and the fortune of the game might depend on whether a catch was missed or dropped. No change in the weather took place on Friday night, so that the conditions under which the game had been played were unaltered on Satur­ day morning. Newland was bowled by Buckenham without adding to his score, and Gehrs had only made 2 when he fell to the same bowler, so that the case of the Australians was desperate. McLeod re­ mained with Hopkins for three-quarters of an hour, but when Laver went in for the last wicket 65 runs were still required. It seemed any odds that Essex would win easily, but so sturdily did Laver defend his wicket, and so resolutely did Hopkins hit when he could make a chance, that gradually the balance became smaller and smaller until only 19 runs had to be made. Then Buckenham, who had been rested for three overs, was tried again, and off his second ball the end came in a sensational manner. Laver made a very hard hit in the direction of long leg where Fane was standing to save the boundary. The fieldsman seemed to have no chance of saving the 4, but running quickly for some twenty yards he reached the ball, and brought off a magnificent catch, which won the match for Essex. It may be mentioned that Tremlin bowled throughout both innings of the match from the pavilion end. Buck­ enham bowled all through the first innings, but was taken off for six overs in the second. In the second innings of the Australians five men played on, a clear proof that these players failed to time the ball quite accurately. E ssex . First innings. Second innings. F. L. Fane, c Cotter, b Laver 4 b Noble ......... 16 Carpenter,cLaver.bMcLeod 24 b Cotter ......... 2 C. H. McGahey. b Laver ... 0 cDarling.b Laver 39 Rev. F. H. Gillingham, c Hill, b Laver ................. 9 c Noble, b Laver 21 G.Tosetti,cNewland,bLaver 14 b Noble ..........13 P. A. Perrin, b Laver.......... 0 c Duff, b Laver... 0 Reeves.cHopkins,b McLeod 11 c Duff, b Laver... 37 J.W.H.T.Douglas,cMcLeod, b D uff...............................28 cMcLeod,bCotter 22 Russell (E.), c Hill, b Laver 8 c Hill, b Noble... 12 Tremlin, b Duff ................. 6 c sub., b Noble... 0 Buckenham, not o u t ......... 1 notout.................. 20 B 8, lb 4, w 1 ..........13 B 12, lb 7,w l,nb 1 21 Total .................118 Total ...203 A ustralians . First innings. Second innings. R. A. Duff, c Reeves,b Buck­ enham...............................29 b Buckenham ... 3 J. Darling, c Buckenham, b Tremlin ......... .......... 1 b Trem lin....15 C. Hill, b Buckenham ... 5 c Gillingham, b Buckenham ... 15 M. A. Noble,lbw, bTremlin 1 b Buckenham ... 42 C.E.McLeod, c &b Tremlin 12 c Buckenham, b Trem lin......23 S.E.Gregory, b Buckenham 0 c Carpenter, b Trem lin........ 0 A. J. Hopkins, c Perrin, b Buckenham ................. 0 notout........67 D.R.A.Gehrs,bBuckenham 0 b Buckenham ... 2 A. Cotter, b Tremlin..........38 b Trem lin...... 4 F.I.*aver,c Perrin, b Bucken- c Fane, b Buck- ham ...............................13 enliam ......18 P. M. Newland, not out ... 0 b Buckenham ... 4 Leg-bye ................. 1 B 5, lb 4 ........ 9 Total .................100 Total ...202 E ssex . First innings. O. M. R. W. Cotter ..........10 3 19 0 Laver .......... 25 8 49 6 M cLeod.......... 10 4 20 2 D uff................. 5.5 1 17 2 Noble Laver bowled two wides, and Noble delivered a no-ball. A ustralians . First innings. O. M. R. W. . 11.1 1 45 6 ... .111 54 4 ... Reeves ... Douglas... Buckenham Tremlin ... Second innings. O. M. R. W. ... 11.1 3 35 2 ... 37 11 81 4 26 8 66 4 Second innings. O. M. R. W. ... 27.2 4 92 6 ... 33 10 81 4 ... 3 0 14 0 ... 3 2 6 0 Goatly soon established a command over the bowling, Lees, Nice, Knox, and Strudwick all gave him use­ ful assistance, so that when the innings came to an end the score was 351. Goatly, whose style is more serviceable than attractive, carried his bat for 147, his first hundred in first-class county cricket, after batting for three hours. His hits included four 5’s and sixteen 4’s. The turning point of the Surrey innings came when Holland and Goatly came to­ gether..Holland played admirable cricket. Derbyshire had the unenviable lot of batting for three-quarters of an hour, aud against the bowling of Lees and Knox they failed so badly, that when stumps were drawn their score was only 28, and five wickets were down, four of them falling to Lees, whose analysis was 5 overs three balls for 11 runs. On Friday the bowlers still continued to meet with success until eight wickets were down for 76, and before another run had been made Ashcroft, who was playing well, was missed at mid-on off Knox. After his escape Ashcroft began to hit splendidly, and as Humphries kept up his wicket, the score was raised to 136 in forty minutes. Ashcroft’s innings was one of the most attractive of the match. Despite his efforts, Derbyshire were 210 runs behind, but Hayward, who was again acting as the Surrey captain, decided not to make them follow on. Surrey, therefore, went in again, and made 203. Baker was in fine form, and showed very sound cricket in making his 77 not out in about two hours and a-quarter. Hay­ ward, Hayes, and Goatly also made very useful scores. Derbyshire had to make 414 to win, and in the course of an hour’s play before stumps were drawn Wright (32) and Cadman (29) put up 66 without being separated. On Saturday, Wright played a splendid game, but the last eight wickets fell for 37 runs. S urrey . First innings. Second innings. Hayward, c Wright, b Mor­ ton ............................... 3 Hobbs, b Bestwick ..........26 SURREY v. DERBYSHIRE. Played at the Oval on June 22, 23, and 24. Surrey won by 235 runs. On the first day of this match Surrey recovered in a surprising manner after a disheartening commence­ ment. Hayward was out in the second over, Hayes went when the total was s§ven, and at 26 Baker was stumped. For the fourth wicket Hobbs and Hol­ land put on 54 runs in fifty minutes, but it was not until the game had lasted for three-quarters of an hour that the first four of the match was made. With the total at 94 the fifth wicket fell, and spec­ tators began to think that Surrey would be out for about a hundred and fifty. But Holland was in fine form, and Goatly, who went in next, proved to be the saviour of the side. The partnership between these two men produced 79, and the fortunes of the geme began to change in favour of Surrey, for while Hayes, c Warren, b Morton 4 b Lawton ... c Ollivierre, Warren ... c Cadman, Lawton ... Baker, st Humphries, b Morton..................................11 not out. Holland, c Humphries, b Cadman ............................................53 Davis, c Humphries, b Best­ wick ................................................. 8 Goatly, not out ...................................147 Lees,c Warren, b Bestwick 24 ... 31 b ... 13 b ... 22 ... 77 0 Nice, c Lawton, b Warren 27 N. A. Knox, b Warren ... 14 Strudwick, c Wright, b Lawton ........................21 B 6, lb 1, w 1, nb 5 13 retired... . c Storer, b Best­ wick ................. 4 b Cadman..........37 c Humphries, b Bestwick.......... 1 c Warren, b Bestwick.......... 0 c Ollivierre, b Bestwick.......... 0 lbw, b Bestwick.. 7 B 4, lb 4, nb 3 11 Total .351 Total ...203 D erbyshire . First innings. L. G. Wright, b Lees.......... 6 C. Ollivierre, c Holland, b Lees ............................... 5 Storer, lbw, b Knox .......... 0 Morton, b Lees ................. 0 Cadman, c Strudwick, b Knox ............................... 24 G. R. Sparrow, b Lees ... 5 E. M. Ashcroft, c Baker, b Nice ............................... 67 A. E. Lawton, b Lees.......... 9 Warren, c Strudwick, b Lees ............................... 1 Humphries, not out .......... 14 Bestwick, b Hayes .......... 5 B 2, lb 1, nb 2 ....... 5 Second innings, c Lees, b Knox... 83 c and b Knox ... 18 c Lees, b Hayes... 17 lbw, b Hayes ... 1 b N ice.................29 c Hayward, b Knox .......... 1 b Hayes .......... 4 c Hayward, b Knox .......... 8 c and b Hayes ... 0 not out................. 2 b Knox .......... 0 B 12, lb 2, nb 1 15 Total ... ..........141 Total ..........178 S urrey . First innings. Second innings. O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. Warren .........30 8 94 2 ... ... 20 4 61 1 Morton ........ 20 3 68 3 .. . ... 9 1 29 0 Storer ......... 4 0 24 0 .. Cadman ......... 15 3 38 1 ..' 9 4 9 1 Bestwick,.........25 3 87 3 ... ... 16.2 1 67 5 Ashcroft......... 5 0 27 0 .. Lawton ......... 0.1 0 0 1 .. '. 8 0 26 2 Warren delivered six no-balls, Bestwick two, and Morton bowled one wide. D erbyshire . First innings. O. M. R. W. ..............18 ..........15 4 Second innings. 4 59 6 0 63 2 . 0 11 1 . Lees... Knox N ice... Hayes .......... 1.1 0 3 1 I Knox delivered tliree no-balls. O* ... 19 ... 17.4 ... 15 ... 12 r : W. 56 0 50 5 29 1 28 4