Cricket 1907

450 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 28, 1907. It has long been a matter of history how the Australians, disposing of the home tide for 33 and 19, won by nine wickets, only 105 runs being scored for thirty-one wickets and the match finished in a day. Spofforth took ten wickets for 20 runs and Boyle nine for 17, including six for 3 in the second innings. The result caused a very great sensation at the time, and it was his performance in this match which caused Spofforth to be dubbed “ the demon bowler,” although as a matter of fact Boyle’s analysis was fractionally the better one. Punch wrote: The Australians came down like a wolf on the fold, The Marylebone “ cracks” for a trifle were bowled, Our Grace, before dinner, was very soon done, And our Grace, after dinner, did not get a run. Later in the same season Boyle accom­ plished another great performance, taking seven wickets iu eight balls against X V III. of Elland. In all matches for the 1878 team—in the Colonies, England, and America—he obtained 331 wickets at a cost of 6 98 runs each. He visited England again in 1880, 1882, 1884, 1888, and 1890, in the last-mentioned year, however, in the capacity of Manager. He was seen at his best in 1882 when he headed the averages with a record of 144 wickets for 11‘66 runs apiece, although Spofforth, Palmer, and Garrett were also on the fide. He was a right-hand medium-paced bowler who was always exceedingly difficult on soft wickets. George Giffen has said of him, “ Boyle was as fine a length bowler as one could wish to have on one’s side, with a little work from the leg and sometimes a deceptive flight, and he could stand being hit, although it was seldom, so unerring was his length, that he had to submit to punishment. He was therefore an invaluable bowler at a crisis. For instance, when Spofforth bowled out England at the Oval in 1882, Boyle, at the other end, without being so deadly, was equally as difficult to hit away.” What place Boyle is entitled to occupy among Australian bowlers must of necessity be a matter of opinion, but it is probably doing no injustice to his memory to suggest that he was surpassed in skill by Spofforth, H. Trumble, Turner, Perris, Giffen, and Palmer. In all probability, too, Kendall and Evans should rank above him, but the former never visited England whilst the latter, whom Lord Harris stated to be even more accurate that Alfred Sbaw, was past his prime when he came over. Some of Boyle’s most remarkable achieve­ ments with the ball were as follows :— Wkts. Runs. Year. 0 for 36 JAustralians v. M.C.C. & Ground, 9 ,, 17c ( at Lord’s, M ay......................... 1878 Australians v. Hull Town, at Hull, J u ly .............................. 1878 Australians v. Gents of Scotland, at Edinburgh, July .......... 1882 Australians v. The United XI., at Tunbridge Wells, August 1882 ,0 S Australians v. Shaw’s Team, at »’ ° ~l Holbeck, September ............ 1882 4 ,, 6a j Victoria v. South Australia, at 8 ,, 34c ( Melbourne, March......................|1883 Australians v. Surrey, at the Oval, M ay................................. 1884 a signifies 1st innings, b 2nd, and c both, t South Australia scored only 23 and 79. In all first-olass matches in which he played in England he obtained 324 wickets at a cost of 13'31 runs each. Harry Boyle was at times a very useful batsman, hitting freely when set. His best innings in England was 69 against the Players of the North, at Bradford, in September, 1880, when he also took ten wickets for 105 runs. In Australia bis highest score in a match of note was 108 for Victoria against South Australia, at Adelaide, in April, 1881, when he also dismissed eight men at a cost of seven and a-half runs each. He was a venture­ some and splendid field at silly mid-on, where he brought off many wonderful catches. It required no small amount of courage to stand so close in as he did, but he had the greatest possible confi­ dence in Spofforth’s acouracy and the latter, combined with his own agility aud quickness of hand aud eye, prevented him from ever sustaining serious injury. He was senior partner in the well-known firm of Boyle and Scott, of Bourke Street East, Melbourne, which gave their name to five issues of an Australian Cricketer s’ Guide published between 1879-80 and 1883-84. When Boyle had pissed his zenith he very nearly appeared for both Tasmania and Queensland at different times—for the former when employed at the Mount Z jehan mines and for the latter when engaged in Brisbane by the Grazierb' C.C. He was once admirably summed up as “ A true cricketer, who takes good and bad fortune without a murmur, works hard from first to last, and sinks his own personal feelings in the interest of his side and match.” T h e G entlem an i n B la ck . THE M.C.C. TEAM IN AUSTRALIA. (Continued from page 448j. 2 n d MATCH. - v . SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Played at Adelaide on November 9, 11, 12, and 13. England won by an innings and 183 runs. The Englishmen accomplished a very great performance in winning by an innings and 183 runs after going in against a total of 343, but they owed a great deal to poor fielding, for Jones and Brauni were each missed three times, Hardstaff twice, and Crawford once. Fane, too, the next highest scorer, was also fortunate. Hill gave a chanceless display in making 104, and Humphries, who allowed only one bye in the match, was seen at his best behind the wicket. The fast and heavy scoring by the Englishmen is commented upon in Gossip (page 456, col. 2). Score: — S o u th A u s tr a lia :—J. Darling, 11 and 2 ; E. R. Mayne, 22 and 0; C. Hill, 104 arid 61 ; J. H. Pellew, 35 and 32; C. B. Jennings, 79 and 0; L. R. Hill, 2 and 4 ; N. Claxton, 57 and 19; L. W. Chamberlain, 4 and 2 ; J. A . O’Connor, 15 and 1; A. McBeath, not out 10 and 4; A. W. Wright, 1 and not out 8; byes, etc., 3 and 1. Totals 343 and 134. E ngland :—A. O. Jones, 119; F. L. Fane, 32 5 Hayes, 8; K. L. Hutchings, 20 ; Braund, 160; Hard­ staff, 135 ; J. N. Crawford, 114; Rhodes, not out 11 ; Barnes, 11; byes, etc., 44. Total (8 wkts.), 600. Inn­ ings declared closed. Humphries and Blythe did not bat. In th*e first innings of South Australia Barnes took four wickets for 107 runs, and in the second Craw­ ford obtained five for 40. The most successful bowler for the home side was Wright, but his four wickets cost 171 runs. 3 r d MATCH.—v. VICTORIA. Played at Melbourne on November 1 5, 16, 18, 19 and 20. Drawn. Although 1 ,3 1 5 runs were nvide in this mitch and thirty-nine wickets fell, it was not found possible to arrive at a definite result. Vernon Ransford, a left-hander, batted soundly in each inning3, and Tarrant was seen to great advantage with scores of 65 and 81. The former offered only one chance in making his excellent 102, being missed at square-leg off Barnes when 8^. Set 499 to win, the visitors achieved a great performance in making 422 for nine wickets. Jones gave the side a fine start, and whilst there was a possibility of the runs being- made Hutchings hit brilliantly. After the latter’s dismissal Hard'tatf and Barne3 defended with much skill, and, when time arrived, the last two men were together with 77 runs still required. Score :— V ic to r ia :—C. McKenzie, 7 and 54 ; T. S. Warne, 7 and 7 ; P. McAlister, 1 and 43; E. V. Carroll, 7 aaid 43 ; F. A. Tarrant, 65 and 81 ; V. Ransford, 51 and 102 ; G. Hazlitt, 28 and 4 ; T. Rush, 29 and 0 ; W. Carkeek, 5 and 35 ; Vernon, not out 25 and 62 ; J. V. Saunders, 4 and not out 12 ; byes, ete., 4 and 20. Totals, 233 and 463. E n g la n d . —A. O. Jones, 18 and 82 ; Hobbs. 3 and 26 ; Hardstaff, 0 and not out 95 ; R. A. Young, 26 and 25 ; Braund, 62 and 4; K. L. Hutchings, 31 and 91 ; J. N. Crawford, 13 and 10.; Hayes, 4 and 4 ; Rhodes, not out 27 and 40; Barnes, 0 and 26 Fielder, 4 and not out 1; byes, etc., 10 and 18; Totals, 198 and 422 for nine wickets. Fielder took ten wickets for 169 runs—five for 71 and five for 98. In the first innings of England Warne obtained three wickets for 18 runs, and in the match Hazlitt seven for 127 (three for 39 and four for 88). 4 t h MATCH.—v. NEW SOUTH WALES. Played at Sydney on November 22, 23 and 25. England won by 408 run3. In this match the Englishmen outplayed New South Wales, the strongest of the States, from start to finish, and won a by-no means heavy-scoring game by the gr^at margin of 408 runs. Hardstaff again showed excellent batting form, but the victory was due chiefly to Barnes and Fielder, who bowled in wonder­ ful fashion on a wicket all in favour of run- getting. Score :— E n g la n d :—A. O. Jones, 16 and 0 ; F. L. Fane, 30 and 3 8 ; Braund, 28 and 2 4 ; K. L. Hutchings, 35 and 42 ; Rhodes, 28 and 50 ; Hardstaff, 53 and 71 ; J. N. Crawford, 17 and 10 ; Humphries, 10 and 3 ; Barnes, 22 and not out 33 ; Blythe, not out 26 and 23; Fielder, 16 and 0 ; byes, &c., 23 and 7. Totals, 304 and 301. N ew S ou th W a le s : —V. T. Trumper, 38 and 6; A. Diamond, 0 and 8: M. A. .Noble, 1 and 2 ; E. L. Waddy, 4 and 8; R. A. Duff, 11 and 11: A. J. Hopkins, 13 and 2; M. H. Blaxland, 7 and 0; A. Cotter, 0 and 49; F. B. Johnson, 5 and 0; C. G. Macartney, not out 9 and not out 13 ; H. Carter, 3 andO ; byes, &c., 10 and 1. Totals, 101 and 96. In the first innings of England Johnson took four wickets for 62 runs and Cotter four for 113 ; in the second Cotter obtained four for 98 and Johnson three for 84. For England Barnes took six for 24 in the first innings, and Fielder six for 27 in the second. The visitors commence their fifth match, against Queensland, at Brisbane on Saturday.