Cricket 1906

J an . 25, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 5 VICTORIA v. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Played at Melbourne on December 29, 30, January 1 and 2. South Australia won by 120 runs. South Australia made 181 and Victoria 183 in the first innings. In their second innings South Australia scored 378, Claxton carrying his bat through the innings for 199. Victoria had to make 377 in the fourth innings of the match, and were dismissed for 256. NEW SOUTH WALES v. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Played at Sydney on January 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. New South Wales won by nine wickets. South Australia won the toss and scored 257, of which D. R. A. Gehrs wasresponsible for 101. New South Wales followed with 269. In their second innings South Australia scored 188, leaving their opponents to make 177 to win. Mackay was again in fine form, and put up 102 not out. NEW SOUTH WALES v. AUSTRALIAN TEAM OF 1905. K e l l y ’ s B en efit M atch . Played at Sydney on January 12,13,15 &16. Australian team won by 79 runs. The Australian team won the toss, and scored 226 and 465, O’Connor taking Bix wickets in the first innings for 50, and five in the second for 138. The chief scorers were: Noble 100, Darling 66 and 73, Trumper 60, Hill 76, and Duff 58. The scores made by N.S.W. were 140 and 472. J. R. M. Mackay made 136, Diamond 97, E. F. Waddy 95, and E. L. Waddy 60 and 74. Cotter was the most successful bowler with two for 40 and six for 163. It is estimated that Kelly will receive £1,300 or £1,400 as the result of his benefit match. R E M A R K A B L E INC IDENTS . A peculiar catch was made in the third grade match between Paddington and Leich­ hardt, at the Leichhardt Oval. C. Robinson, in catching N. Winning back against the fence, came in contact with the pickets across the back, and somersaulted right over the fence and went down a steep embank­ ment. Throughout his fall he held on to the ball, and presently reappeared, as though he had done the feat just for the fun of the thing. Some years ago, when Syd. Calloway was playing for New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground he went back to the fence, and went over amongst the spectators. Catching a man and disappearing out of sight of the umpire calls to mind something that befel Mr. Victor Cohen, who was manager of the 1893 Australian Eleven. It was at Hobart in 1875, and the occasion was the match between the Albert Club and Southern Tasmania. There was so big a drop in the fielding ground at long-leg, that sometimes the fieldsman in that locality was out of the world as far as the umpire was concerned. Benneson, who scored 10 not out and 41, was in the second innings caught by Victor Cohen out of sight of the umpire. There was, however, within vision of the incident a squad of deaf and dumb spectators, and they made such a fuss in ejaculations and signs that the umpire was satisfied the catch had been made .—Sydney Mail. YOUNG CR ICK ETER S OF TO -DAY . J. R. M. MACKAY. There are very few men who have accom­ plished such remarkable performances as Mackay, to whose extraordinary record for this season reference has been made in “ Gossip.” Mackay’s hundreds, says the Sydney Mail , came along with so much per­ sistency that people in Sydney doubted whether there were any bowlers at all in the New England district. However, the visit of the New South Wales team to Armidale showed that there were some batsmen, and, I might also say, some bowlers. Here are some of Mackay’s statistics in the country : 1895-6, 749 runs, average 39; centuries, 140, 127, 103 not out, 105. Season 1896-7, 920 runs, average 58 ; centuries, 101, 100, and 100 not out; 1897-8, 1,308 runs, average 72, 154 not out, 152 not out, 118 not out, 111, and 105 ; 1898-9, 1,280 runs, average 78,143, 126, 108, 103; 1899-1900, 1,110 runs, aver­ age 89, 240 not out, 111, 108, 105, 100. J. E. M. MACKAY. 1901-2, 1,507 runs, average 120, 224 not out, 223 not out, 128, 108, 104; in 1902-3 his hundreds were 104 not out, 128 not out, 108 not out, 200 not out, and 65 not out. What a succession of undefeated visits to the wickets ! In 1902-3lie opened for Burwood, scoring 270, averaging 45, and notching 113 as his highest. In 1903-4 he got 120 against Glebe, 102 against Central Cumberland, 140 against Redfem, and 111 against Balmain, aggregating 548, and averaging 68. Last season he totalled 549 for 10 completed innings, and his hundreds were 111 v. Red- fern, 105 v. North Sydney, and 113 not out v. Paddington. He made his bow to the interstate public in 1902, when he obtained 8 and 1 against Queensland. In 1903-4 he got 56 and 0 against South Australia at Adelaide, and 2 and 25 against Victoria at Melbourne. In the return against Victoria he got 56 in his one innings, 2 and 9 against England, and 1 and 43 against Queensland at Brisbane. In 1904-5 want of success just when it was most required blocked him from going to England. His name was liberally connected with the selection, and had he performed even moderately he would most likely have got into the fourteen. In the matches away from home he obtained 1 in his single innings against South Australia, ami 13 and 15 against Victoria. It ;s hard luck to have failed in these engagements; there are so many waiting for a place in the interstate team that there is a likelihood of a good man being lost to the country and to Australia. There are any number of people who enter­ tain the opinion that Mackay should have been in the last Australian eleven, yet, because he had the experience which has fallen to the lot of every cricketer, because he failed to get a lot of runs he was dropped out of the two return Sheffield shield engage­ ments. What good and bad luck there is in cricket! Here is an instance. Mackay during his career has got a power of runs; it is doubtful if any one in New South Wales scored more in the seasons mentioned above. He bats fairly well in his first-class matches leading up to season 1904-5, then in three innings his wicket is lost at his first mistake, he is dropped by his selection committee, and, perhaps, thereby loses a trip to England and £950 as his share of the proceeds. Another man gives chances before settling down, then gets a big score, he is kept in, goes to England, and profits to the above extent. For New South Wales v. Queensland in April last Mackay knocked the bowling about at Brisbane, to the tune of 131, and against Tasmania, a month before, he registered 67 and 15. It is a big recommendation to aman to be able to say that there is a good deal of freedom in his cricket; that he can be solid in defence, and vigorous; that he can adapt his style to the requirements of the circum­ stances. He has more than a nodding acquaintance with all the strokes there are, and he can get to the ball to make a stroke. CR ICK ET AN D TH E CLOCK . B y H. P.-T. (Continuedfrom page 476, Dec. 21, 1905.) Clause 1 I) would establish a new variety of victory—“ by award” —to settle games in which neither side were all out twice, after completing a full three days’ quota. If both sides were all out, naturally the game would be otherwise decided, and if only one side had been dismissed twice, one or two things would happen; the other side, with liberty under exception ( b ) to extend its last portion, would either win by so many wickets, or failing to equal the opponent’s score after batting a longer time, the game would be drawn. Thus, Somerset scoring 500 runs for 20 wickets in 160 overs (average 25 per wioket), and Warwick 480 only for 15 wickets in the remaining 200 overs (average 32 per wicket), the game would be deservedly drawn. A little consideration of this rule will show that it would encourage real cricket— the kind of game that has been sadly lacking in many matches of recent years, and whose want has transferred the enthusiasm of so many patrons from the once vaunted “ National game ” to football. Whose soul has not wearied at witnessing some of the long-drawn and purposeless front halves of “ fixtures” that have been foisted on us in place of games in recent years? Under the award system the draw would become quite impossible, except when the weather absolutely prevented play, or when a side, with the match in hand, were too faint-hearted or feeble-handed to go for it. The tedious process of “ playing for a draw ”