Cricket 1907

468 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. D ec . 19, 1907. sickness, left the field on medical advice, his place being filled during the rest of the day by Hobbs. It is worthy of mention that an agreement between the two captains was come to whereby the outfield should be mowed every morning during the match at eleven o’clock. Winning the toss, South Australia batted first on a perfect wicket, and did well to score 274 during the day for the loss of only half their wickets. Gehrs, owing to influenza, was unable to play, and L. W. Chamberlain, a promising colt, came into the side. Darling, who opened the innings with Mayne, was the first to leave—at 24— Jones catching him finely at the second attempt at mid-off. Mayne showed quiet, but confident cricket, and, after batting fifty minutes, was second out at 43. Hill, who went in first wicket down, was in twenty minutes ere making a run, and scored only 16 in an hour. Although the bowling and fielding were of a high standard, the run-getting was sur­ prisingly slow, and during the ninety minutes prior to lunch only 59 were made. It was during the association of Hill and Pellew that the hundred was chronicled, two hours from the start. The pair mentioned made a good resistance to the attack, adding 94 for the third wicket during the one hundred minutes they were together. Pellew, seeing that he was missed at the wicket off Rhodes when 1, and at short leg by Barnes off Braund when 34, was not at his best. Hill, who reached his 50 in one hundred minutes, found another useful partner in Jennings. The latter took some time to settle down, and was in half-an-hour for his first five. When 12 ho was missed by Fane at mid-on off Crawford, and at 26 had a narrow escape of being run out. Rhodes, it should lie stated, was suffering from tonsilitis, but played on, and even bowled, iigainst the doctor’s orders. Hill, after batting three hours, completod his hundred out of 157, but, having made four more, was caught at the wicket. The left-hander showed faultless cricket in making 104 out of 170 in one hundred and ninety minutes, and hit nine 4’s. Eleven runs later—at 205—L. R. Hill was bowled for a couple, but after his departuro Claxton kept Jennings company until the end of the day, the pair during their association of an hour adding 69. Jennings, who reached 50 in an hour and three-quarters, showed fine cricket when once he had settled down, whilst Claxton gave a faultless display. On the second morning the temperature was again high, being 151 in the sun and 97 in the shade. Braund, who had retired unwell on the Saturday, enjoyed a quick recovery, and was able to take the field again when play was resumed. Only 15 were added to the overnight score when Jennings was dismissed by a fine catch on the part of Crawford at mid-off. The sixth wicket had added 81 in eighty-five minutes, and Jennings, who hit seven 4’s and cut well, played a very fine game, offering only the one chance mentioned. Chamber- lain, having hit Barnes to the square-leg boundary, was immediately afterwards bowled off his thigh, and five minutes later, when the innings had lasted five hours and a-half, the 300 went up. Twenty-one were added and then Claxton, who played a patient and watchful game, and hit a 5and five 4’s, was stumped for a faultless 57, made out of 110 obtained whilst in. O’Connor and McBeath (who should have been caught and bowled by Blythe when 2) quickly added 21, and, with Wright scoring only a single, the innings closed for 343, made in three hundred and seventy-five minutes. The fielding of the English­ men was very good, and their bowling was never collarcd. The visitors opened their innings with Jones and Fane, and, if catches offered had been held, the pair would quickly have been separated. The captain played a vigorous and confident game, but his vis-a-vis was very slow. The former was missed at the wicket very early by Jennings, and when 39 should have been caught and bowled by Wright. It was, however, owing chiefly to his forceful methods that the 50 went up at the end of forty-five minutes. Fane also had more than his fair share of luck, and when 22 should have been stumped off Wright. The 100 went up in eighty minutes, and shortly afterwards Jones was twice missed, each time off Wright—when 60 by O’Connor at mid-off, and when 65 by Mayne at point. The blunders in the field gave rise to sarcastic comments among the spectators, and the offending players were freely advised to “ go home for their carpet­ bags.” Fane, when 30, was dropped at silly-point by Mayne, Wright again being the bowler to suffer. The last mistake, however, did not prove a very expensive one, as at 128, made in one hundred and five minutes, the Essex player, who had hit two 4’s, was caught at mid-off for a slow innings of 32. Twenty-three runs later Hayes was out to a fine running catch at third man by Chamberlain, who fell in taking the ball. Hutchings and Jones added 32 together, and then the latter, who reached his 100 in one hundred and thirty minutes, was caught for a freely-hit 119, made out of 183 in two hours and a-half. Jones made strokes all round the wicket and hit eleven 4’s. His display was a very bright one and aroused much enthusiasm, but the number of chances he offered detracted from the merit of the innings. Braund, when he had made 3, should have been stumped off O’Connor, and events proved the let-off to be a most expensive one. Hutchings, who hit five 4’s in making 26, gave the crowd an idea of his form of 1906, and after his dismissal Hardstaff kept Braund company until the end of the day, when the score was 233for four wickets. Ninechances were missed during England’s innings. On the third morn­ ing few spectators were present, the weather being overcast, but those who put in an attendance were well rewarded. Only 16 runs had been added when rain caused an adjournment of half-an-hour. Braund, when 29, had a great piece of good fortune, playing a ball from the unlucky Wright on to his wicket without disturbing a bail. Hardstaff, showing the brighter cricket of the two, completed 50 in eighty minutes, and a little later the 300 went up when the innings had lasted four hours and a-half. Braund reached his half-century in two hours and five minutes, and Hardstaff, who punished Wright for 14 (three 4’s and a 2) in an over, completed his 100 in one hundred and sixty minutes. When he had made 120 the latter was missed by Darling at mid- off, and shortly afterwards the 400 was chronicled as the result of three hundred and fifty minutes’ cricket. Braund reached three figures after batting two hundred and twenty minutes, and nine later was missed by Pellew off his own bowling. The pair remained together until 572, when the stand for the fifth wicket had realised 270 in two hundred and twenty-five minutes, Hardstaff then being caught at mid-off. The Nottingham player’s off-' strokes and timing were perfection, and his cutting excellent. He hit seventeen 4’s, and was responsible for exactly half the runs added for the fifth wicket. When Crawford went in Braund had settled down to a free game, and, with the new­ comer hitting vigorously, some very attractive cricket was seen. Crawford hit 20 runs (five 4’s) off Wright in an over, and shortly afterwards made a huge straight drive for 6 off Claxton. The 500 went up in four hundred minutes, and Crawford made 50 in twenty-four minutes. When ho had scored 61 he made his only mistake—offering a hard chance of c and b to Claxton. Braund, when 153, s missed by Jennings, but shortly afterwards, when the sixth wicket had put on 109 in thirty-four minutes, he was caught by O’Connor. Hitting nineteen 4’s, he made his li>0 out of 398 in two hundred and fifty-five minutes, showing fine defensive and hitting powers, and offering three chances. When Rhodes came in he was content to leave the run-getting to Crawford, who hit Claxton for 19 (four 4’s and a 3) in an over. The sixth hundred was made in thirty - five minutes, and the Surrey amateur reached three figures in fifty-three. Crawford was seventh out, at 643, having made his 114 out of 171 in fifty-eight minutes by a display of hitting which was said to be unparalleled in Australia. He hit three 6’s and eighteen 4’s, his strokes being 3 4 1 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 6 4 1 4 4 2 2 6 1 4 4 4 4 3 1 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 6. At the end of the day, when the score was 660 for eight wickets, made in four hundred and sixty-five minutes, the innings was dcclarcd closed. On the last morning play commenced at eleven o’clock, but, as stumps were to be drawn at a-quarter to four in order to enable the Englishmen to catch the train to Melbourne, it was generally thought that the home side would have little difficulty in effecting a draw. Mayne, however, was caught at the wicket at 2 and with the score unaltered Darling’s off-stump was bowled down. Hill and Pellew then made a much desired stand, and while they were together a draw always appeared probable. Fifty wont up in fifty- three minutes, and two runs later Crawford went on to bowl. Pellew, when 23, was missed in the long-field by Hardstaff off Braund, and it was not until the third wicket had put on 81 in seventy- five minutes that the pair wero soparated. Crawford then commenced a series of suc­ cesses by bowling Pellew. A run later Braund disposed of Jennings, and just after Clement Hill had completed 50 in an hour and a-half, ho saw his brother bowled by Crawford at 89. Claxton remained in whilst 19 were added ; C. Hill then falling to the first ball delivered by Crawford after lunch. The left-hander, who hit five 4’s, played another faultless innings, and scored his 61 out of 106 in eighty minutes. With his departure disappeared the probability of making a draw of the game. At 116 Chamberlain was bowled, a run latter O’Connor met with a similar fate, and at 122 Claxton was caught at point in endeavouring to drive. Upon McBeath’s downfall the innings closed, leaving England victorious by an innings and 184 runs. The chief cause of the well-won success was the fine bowling of Crawford, whose five wickets cost only 40 runs. He varied his pace very skilfully, and thoroughly desorved his success. Humphries’ wicket-keeping was quite one of the features of the match. Score and analysis :— S ou th A u str a lia . First innings. J. Darling, c Jones, b Barnes 11 E. R. Mayne, Ibw, b Barnes 22 C. Hill, c Humphries, b Rhodes ........................104 J. H. Pellcw, b Braund ... 35 C. B. Jennings, c Crawford, b Blythe ........................79 L. R. Hill, b Barnes.......... 2 N. Claxton, st Humphries, b Blythe ........................57 L. W.Chamberlain,b Barnes 4 J. A. O'Connor, b Braund... 15 A. McBeath, not o u t..........10 A. W. Wright, b Crawford... 1 B 1, nb 2........................ 3 Second innings. b Barnes .......... 2 c Humphries, b Blythe .......... 0 c Jones, b Craw­ ford .................61 b Crawford..........32 c and b Braund b Crawford......... Total ..........343 E ngland . c Fane, b Braund 11) b Crawford.......... 2 b Braund .......... 1 b Crawford.......... 4 not out .......... 8 No-ball .......... 1 Total........134 A. O.Jones, c O’Connor, b Wright ..................119 F. L. Fane, c Claxton, b Wright ....................32 Hayes, c Chamber- lain, b L. R. Hill ... 8 K. L. Hutchings, c Pcllcw, b Wright ... 26 Hardstaff, c Darling, b Claxton..................135 Braund, c O’Connor, b Claxton ...........160 J.N.Crawford, c and b Chamberlain...........114 Rhodes, not out ... 11 Barnes, c L. R. Hill, b Wright .............11 B35, Ib6,nb2, w l 44 Total (8 wkts)*660 * Innings declared closed. Humphries and Blythe did not bat. S outh A u stralia . First innings. Second innings O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. Barnes ... ... 39 6 107 4 .......... 9 1 27 1 Blythe ... ... 38 7 75 2 ......... 7 1 19 1 Crawford ... 25*4 5 64 1 ......... 14-4 2 40 5 Rhodes ... ... 16 4 44 1 ......... Braund ... ... 15 6 34 2 ..........16 4 47 3 Hayes ... ... 3 0 16 0 .......... Barnes bowled 2 no-balls and Blythe one. M.C.C. O. M. R W O. M. R. W. O Connor... 34 6 108 0 Claxton .. 23 3 106 2 L. R. Hill... 26 6 90 1 Pcllcw ... 4 0 20 0 Wright 52 8 171 4 Chamber- McBeath ... 27 4 98 0 lain ... 3 0 23 1 McBcath and O’Connor each bowled 1 no-ball; Claxton bowled a wide. 3 r d M a t c h . —v. VICTORIA (See page -ibOJ 4 t h M a t c h .— v. NEW SOUTII WALES. (See page 450J. 5 t h M a t c h —QUEENSLAND. Played at Brisbane on November 30 and December 2. England won by an innings and 44 runs. The visitors held the upper hand from the start and experienced no difficulty in winning without having to bat a second time. Rhodes and A. O. Jones added 133 together for the eighth wicket, and Blythe bowled in excellent form. Roger Hartigan's innings of 59 was spoken of very highly. Score :— Q u ee n sla n d :—R. Hartigan, 2 and 59 ; G. Brown, 9 and 16 ; S. J. Redgrave, 11 and 18 ; Hutcheon, 19 and 10 ; W. B. Hayes, 8 and 15 ; G. F. Martin, 7 and 2; M. F. Dunn, 6 and 0 ; W. T. Evans, 10 and 12 ; J. Thomson, 5 and not out 33 ; J. W. MacLaren, 0 and 5 ; F. Timbury, not out 1and 5 ; byes, &c., 0 and 11. Totals, 78 and 186. E n g la n d :—F. L. Fane, 8; Hobbs, 21 ; Hayes, 12 ; K. L. Hutchings, 67 ; Braund, 8 ; R. A. Young, 40 ; Rhodes, not out 70; J. N. Crawford, 3; A. O. Jones, 69 ; Humphries, 5 ; Blythe, 0; byes, &c., 5. Total, 308. In the first innings of Queensland Blythe took five wickets for 35 runs and Braund four for 43 : in the second the former obtained six for 48, making his record for the match eleven for 83. MacLarcn took five English wickets for 104 runs and Hayes three for 59. ___________________ 6 th M atch .—v. AN AUSTRALIAN XI. Played at Brisbane on December 6, 7, and 9. Drawn. It was perhaps as well for the England team that the game was restricted to three days, and that 110 play was possible on the last owing to heavy rain, for when stumps were drawn on the Saturday afternoon the home side held a strong lead, and the most the visitors could hope for was a drawf