Cricket 1908

F eb . 27, 1908. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. V ic to r ia .— G. H. S. Trott, 4 and 30 ; F. Vaughan, 16 and 15 ; E. V. Carroll, 6 and 61; G. Healy, 14 and 11 ; Delves, 4 and 4 ; H. Fry, 8 and 1 ; T. Rush, 0 and 9 ; F. Laver, 2 and 20 ; G. Hazlitt, 8 and 0 ; Spiers, 10 and not out 1 ; J. U. R. Woodford, not out 4 and j 3 ; byes, etc., 1 and 7. Totals, 77 and 172. Trott took five wickets for 116 runs in the first nnings of England. Barnes obtained ten for 67. 15 t h MATCH.—v. AUSTRALIA. (FOURTH TE8T.) Played at Melbourne on February 7, 8 , 10, and 11 . Australia won by 308 runs. By their success in this match, Australia won the rubber and so recovered the “ Ashes.” England did excellent work on the first day in getting rid of their opponents on a hard wicket for 214, and it was wretched luck that they should have been obliged to bat on a pitch ruined by rain. The wicket was perfect again on the third day when Australia went in the second time, and their eventual suceess did not come as a surprise. England, in their second innings, showed batting quite unworthy of the occasion. Score:— A ustralia .— M. A . Noble, 48 and 10 ; V. Trumper, 0 and 0 ; C. Hill, 7 and 25; P. A. McAlister, 37 and 4 ; S. E. Gregory, 10 and 29 ; W. W. Armstrong, 32 and not out 133 ; V. Ransford, 51 and 54 ; E. Carter, 2and 66 ; C. G. Macartney, 12and 29 ; J. A. O’Connor, 2 and 18 ; J. V. Saunders, not out 1 and 2 ; byes, &c., 12and 15. Totals, 214 and 385. England.—Hobbs, 57 and 0 ; Gunn (G.), 13 and 43 ; Hardstaff, 8 and 39; K. L. Hutchings, 8 and 3 ; Rhodes, 0 and 2 ; Braund, 4 and 10 ; J. N. Crawford, 1 and 0 ; A. O. Jones, 3 and 31; Barnes, 3 and not out, 22 ; Humphries, not out 3 and 11 ; Fielder, 1 and 20 ; byes, &c., 4 and 5. Totals, 105 and 186. Fielder took eight wickets for 145 runs and Craw­ ford eight for 120 for England. Saunders obtained nine wickets for 104 and Noble four for 25. 16 th M a t c h .— v. NEW SOUTH WALES. Played at Sydney on February 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th, Drawn. New South Wales, without their full side, per­ formed capitally, and came within an ace of winning, requiring only 12 runs to win with a wicket to fall when stumps were drawn on the 19th. The next day, unfortunately, no play was possible, the match being drawn. It was an excellent performance on their part to score so well after being set 387 to win. The match was marked by heavy scoring, no less than 1,497 runs being obtained for the loss of 38 wickets. Score:— E ngland . —F. L. Fane, 2 end 101 ; Hobbs, 4 and 12; Hayes, 10 and 33; K. L. Hutchings, 73 and 5 ; Hardstaff, 32 and 73 ; Braund, 4 and not out, 132; R. A. Young, 59 and 7; Rhodes, 45 and 53 ; A. O. Jones, not out 57 and 17 ; Blythe, 1 and 15 ; Fielder, 4 and (absent hurt), 0 : byes, etc., 7 and 8. Totals, 298 and 456. N ew S outh W ales .— W. Bardsley, 3 and 108; J. C. Barnes, 19 and 9; C. G. Macartney, 96 and 20; V. Trumper, 14 and 74; A. Diamond, 7 and 30 ; A. J. Hopkins, 13 and 3; Rev. E. F. Waddy, not out 107 and 57 ; A. J. Bowden, 87 and 22 ; Newton, 0 and 20; L. A. Minnett, 3 and not out 18 ; C. Gorry, 7 and not out 1 ; byes, etc., 12 and 13. Totals, 368 and (for nine wickets) 375. Minnett took seven wickets for 131 runs in Eng­ land’s first innings. 17 th MATCH.—v. AUSTRALIA. ( the fifth test .) Played at Sydney on February 21 , 22 , 24, 25, 26, and 27. Australia won by 49 runs. England, who were severely handicapped by the f ^ eJ1Ce °f Fielder, put Australia in upon winning tv?6 c S| inasmuch as the visitors led by 144 on ne first innings, the move must be regarded as a ery successful one. Trumper played a brilliant game in his second innings, and was almost entirely esponsiblo for Australia getting into a winning position after having their first innings score more nan doubled. It was a matter for regret that the Gather Bhould have influenced the game to a great extent. Scores:— A ustralia .— M. A . Noble, 35 and 34 ; C. G’ Macartney, 1 and 12; J. A. O’Connor, 9 and <5; C' Hill, 12 and 44 ; S. E. Gregory, 44 and 56; W. W* Armstrong, 3 and 32 ; V. Trumper, 10 and 166; V. Ransford, 11 and 21 not o u t; R. Hartigan, 1 and 5 ! E. Carter, not out 1 and 22 ; J. V. Saunders, 0 and 0 ’ byes, &c., 10 and 24. Totals, 137 and 422. E ngland .—F. L. Fane, 0 and 46 ; Hobbs, 72 and 13 ; Gunn (G.), not out 122 and 0 ; K. L. Hutchings, 13 and 2 ; Hardstaff, 17 and 8 ; J. N. Crawford, 6 and not out 24 ; Braund, 31 and 0; R. A. Young, 0 and 11; Rhodes, 10 and 69 ; A. O. Jones, 0 and 34 ; Barnes, land 11 ; byes, &c., 9 and 11. Totals, 281 and 229. In the first innings of Australia Barnes took seven wickets for 60 runs, and Crawford three for 52. Macartney obtained three wickets for 44 in England’s first innings. W I S D E N .* TVisdcn’s Almanack , the book which the student of the game could least afford to dispense with, is always assured of a warm welcome from cricketers. Although for more than a decade it has seemed almost impossible to effect any improvement in its list of contents, Mr. Pardon has generally contrived to make it even more useful and complete each year. In the latest issue over a thousand additions have been made to the Births and Deaths, whilst the Records are more complete than ever before and as many as 47 pages are devoted to Deaths in 1907. The last-mentioned chapter is a most interest­ ing one, containing as it does biographical notices of such well-known men as Alfred Shaw, C. W . Alcock, H. F. Boyle, Harvey Fellows, Edward Pooley, W . W . Read, Titchmarsh, and Charles Absolon. Perhaps the chapter which will be turned to first, however, is that by Mr. R. E. Foster on South Airican Bowling. Of what he terms “ this new type of bowling,” Mr. Foster says:— “ Such bowling will enormously increase defence at the expense o f safe scoring shots such as drives and cuts, and scoring will be confined to hitting. Many people may maintain that this will be a good thing, but if Hayward’s off-driving and Tyldesley’s cutting are to be seen no more, and such strokes to be a lost art to future generations, cricket, so far as batting is concerned, must lose a great deal of its attractions.” He also remarks:—“ In Vogler the South Africans possess undoubtedly a bowler of the highest class, and in the writer’s humble opinion the greatest bowler playing cricket in either hemisphere at the present time ” —a view which many other excellent judges of the game will assuredly share. The Notes by the Editor deal with the Imperial Cricket Scheme proposed by Mr. Abe Bailey and the success of Notts in winning the Cham­ pionship. Mr. Pardon is evidently not altogether in favour of the Tournament taking place, chiefly on the ground that if six days were set apart for each of the Test matches the arrangement would not only effect “ a complete upset of county cricket for a whole summer” but might beget a style of play which to say the least is not exhilerating.” He concludes, “ Without being at all antagonistic to the project I think there are many points which need to be very carefully weighed and considered.” Among the other special articles are Public School Cricket by Mr. C. Toppin—a capital con­ tribution—and John Tunnicliffe in First- Class Cricket. The Five Cricketers of the Year are Tarrant of Middlesex, Wass and Hallam of Notts, and Schwarz and Vogler of South Africa. The full scores of first-class matches played in England and Australia are given, and chapters are devoted to the M.C.C. tours in America and New Zealand and the visit of the Pennylvania University team to England. The Alnanach contains over 750 pages o f m atter and is far the m ost w on der­ fu l shillings w orth ere^'O ffered to cricketers. Wisden 1 s Note BoaJ?„ although not so well- known as its big brother, the Almanaek , has long since been taken into favour by the cricket-loving public. It contains a diary for 1908, an instructive article on Missed Catches, ard page after page of well-arranged paragraphs dealing with cricket played in all parts of the world since September,' 1906. It is pointed out in the chapter on Missed Catches that in the 126 three-figure scores made In first-class matches in England last year 16,182 runs were obtained, of which number 4,965, or 30*68 per cent, were made after chances had been offered by the batsmen and declined. The Note Book contains a good deal o f Useful and curious information not to be found in any other publication. * Wisden's Cricketer's Almanack. Edited b^yydney H. Pardon. London : John Wisden & »C o., 21, Cranbourn Street. Price, Is. Wisden's Cricketer's Note Book. Edited by F. S. Ashley-Cooper. London: John Wisden & Co., 21, Oranbourn Street. Price, 6d. T H E C R I C K E T E R ’S D I A R Y * The fact that this publication ha? reached its seventeenth year is testimony to itspopu­ larity and usefulness. It is/Seatly boutril^'U of a size to slip into the waistcoat pocket, and contains statistics of the' past season and fixtures for the coming one, as well as several tables dealing with the records of the game. The laws of cricket and a diary are also included in the little book, which is well worth the small sum asked for it. * The Cricketer's Diary and Companion. London : George Q-. Bussey and Co., Ltd. Price 6d. and 3d. N E W Z E A L A N D C R I C K E T * Mr. P. R. May, in his introduction to “ With the M.C.C. to New Zealand,” says— “ If my book deals with matters of personal rather than widespread interest, I think that it will at all eventB recall very happy memories to those who participated in the trip, and therefore it will not have been written altogether in vain.” In these days of Test matches with South Africa and Australia a trip to New Zealand attracts but little attention, b u t, this fact notwithstanding, there are a great many cricketers to whom Mr. May’s book will prove very interesting. The author tells his story in a breezy and chatty manner and illustrates his book with some capital snap-shots. Not very much is known in this country of the characteristics of the leading players of New Zealand, and therefore it is very handy to find their portraits and descriptions of their styles in this volume. The illustrations, which number over" fifty, are quite a feature of the publication. Capt. Wynyard has written an introduction, and Mr. J. F. Mac- pherson furnishes a biographical notice of each member of the side as well as a short history of New Zealand cricket. The latter is capitally done, but in the list of teams which have visited the Dominion no reference is made to the Tasmanian tour of 1884. Mr. May’s book is a very interesting one, but, unfortunately, there is no index. * With the M. C.C. Team to New Zealand. By P. R. May. L ondon: Eyre and Spottiswcode, East Harding Street, 11.0. Pric» *«.