Cricket 1909

462 CR ICK E T : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 25, 1909 SOME CHAPTERS OF AUSTRALIAN CRICKET HISTORY. B y J. N . P E N T E L O W . C h apter II. N E W S O U T H W A L E S v. V IC TO R IA . [Continued from page 158.) The first partnership was between Red­ grave (41) and Mackay, the second between Mackay and Noble, the third between Noble and Charles Gregory (73), the seventh between Cotter (68) and Carter (67). Cotter slammed up 68 in 35 minutes, hitting 26 (2, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6) off one over from Saunders. Mackay’s 194 were made in 221 minutes, and he gave no chance whatever. Twenty-six fours were included. Noble’s monumental 281 (his highest in Australia) hsted 6 h. 10 m. He was badly m issel by Carkeek at 123, and was let off again at 192. Six of the Victorian bowlers were h it for over 90 runs each. The second innings of the home side was not a great display. Warne batted over two houis for his 56, and was again top scorer. Carroll h it up 48 in 40 minutes, aud helped Warne to add 76 for the seventh w icket; and Carkeek made 30 in half-an hour. The Sydneysiders won by an innings and 253 runs, the third heaviest margin recorded in these matches, the 63rd and 78th games ending in wins for N.S.W . by an innings and 274 and an innings and 266 respec­ tively. Austin Diamond, a Yorkshireman by birth, like Carter, played his first game v. Victoria in the Sheffield Shield compe­ tition (he had scored over 200 for N.S.W . Second v. Victoria Second in the preced­ ing season) in the seventy-sixth match. In 1905-6 nothing looked more certain than that Mackay would be in the next Australian team for England; in 1906-7Diamond’s form was such that he seemed to have succeeded to the place left vacant by Mackay’s departure for South Africa; but both are under eclipse cow. Mackay has gone back to the country; Diamond did little in 1907-8 and played in only one match last season. Victoria tried a new wicket-keeper in C. Jones, who has not appeared since. N.S.W . had first innings on a pitch affected by rain. Saunders broke in dangerous fash ion ; but Trumper went at him, determined to knock him off, and actually scored 101 in an hour, a feat worthy of Gilbert J<ssop on a good pitch. He hit one 6 and eighteen 4’s, and finished his innings by playing-on. Duff (27) helped him to put on 100 for the fourth wicket. Cotter scored 35 and Diamond 27. The total was 263, and Saunders had seven wickets for 122. M cAlister (53) and E llis (40) put on 82 for the second wicket of Victoria. Collins made 19 of 25 added for the third with his captain. Christian scored 38. Cotter had five for 63, O ’Connor three for 57. The total was 48 less than that of New South Wales. The home side soon added to their credit balance. Mackay (50) and Diamond (23) sent up 60 before a wicket fell. Mackay and Noble added 39 for the second, Trumper (23) and Noble 48 for the th ird ; and then came a long stand between Waddy and Noble, who put on 157 for the fifth, and made the match practically safe. Noble’s chanceless 123 was made in 169 minutes, Waddy’s artistic 82 in 100 minutes. Cotter (30) and Garnsey (25) did some useful hitting towards the en d ; and the visitors were set 433 to win. McAlister made a splendid fight for his side. He came in after E llis had scored 46 of the 63 which be and Warne put on for first w icket; and he stayed for 3J hours for his 128, giving only one chance, and batting in most solid fashion. Warne helped him to add 107 for the second w icket; and, though the batting can hardly have been spectacular, the pair played the right game. But after Warne’s dismissal the Victorian captain got very little support, except from Carroll (13), who stayed while 52 were added for the fourth wicket. Laver made 24 later o n ; but tbe match was lost then. Like Warne at Melbourne a month earlier, and Stuckey on the same ground in 1901-5, M cAlister was top scorer in each innings for his side; and that this should have happened for the same side thrice in the course of four matches in a series is a coincidence worthy of note. Armstrong was badly m issed; his absence was probably due to tbe fact that he was about to embark for New Zealand with a Melbourne Cl'ib team. Saunders had 12 wickets for 262 in the match, Cotter 9 for 127, and Collins 8 for 196. Noble’s 123 was his eighth century v. Victoria. The home side’s win— by 145 runs— put them two matches ahead. The new men in the seventy-seventh match (Melbourne, Christmas, 1906) were Gervase H . Hazlitt, a young all-rounder of great promise, whose non-inclusion in this year’s Australian team was resented hotly in Melbourne, T. Rush, whose brother had played for Victoria a dozen seasons or so earlier, and F. Vaughan, a good batsman who has not quite realised expectations yet, for V icto ria; and on the visiting side Edgar L. Waddy, brother of the parson, and cousin of the Rev. P. S. Waddy, the Oxford Blue. A ll three of the Waddys are masters at The King’s School, Parramatta, the old Oxonian being head-master. E. L . Waddy had played for New South Wales as far back as ten years before, appearing v. Queensland at Brisbane in the match in which Leslie Pye and Hopkins first represented the side. V ic­ toria started badly on a good wicket, only Vaughan (37), Rush (30), and Armstrong (27) offering any resistance worth mentioning to Noble (4 for 55) and Cotter (3 for 65), helped by Garnsey and Macartney. Hopkins was top scorer for the visitors with 63; he and Duff (47) added 67 for the third wicket. Macartney scored 42; and Edgar Waddy (51) and Cotter (47) added 63 for tbe ninth wicket. New South Wales finished up 154 ahead. Hazlitt, then only 17, took four wickets for 114 ; Armstrong had the other six at a cost of only 66, keeping the batsmen very much tied up. When the home side went in again Warwick W. was as prominent with the bat as he had been with the ball. Though McAlister made 36, Warne 27, and Laver 26, the support given him was, on the whole, very poor; but, going in first wicket down, he carried his bat for 168 (of 324 while he batted), made in 230 minutes w ith­ out a chance, and including a six and eigh­ teen 4’s. The best stand was the 80 for the seventh wicket which Laver helped him to make. H azlitt completed a pair of spec­ tacles. Diamond (62) and Hopkins (51) put on 99 together for the second wicket of New South Wales ; but then the other players* in their anxiety to force a win before the call of time, fell easy victims to Warne’s leg breaks. The Carlton man actually had 6 wickets for 50 in the course of nine overs. The situation had grown exciting; but Hickson kept his head and carried his bat, having reached 27 when the end came with victory for the visitors by two wickets. Marcus Herbert Blaxland, of whom Mr. P. F. Warner spoke in terms of high praise in his schooldays, made his first appearance for New South Wales in the series at Sydney in the return; and L . P. Vernon, fast bowler and dashing bat, and T. Horan, jun., a member of the steady brigade, like his brother James, were included in the V ic ­ torian team. New South Wales had first innings, and Duff (38) made the lio n ’s share of the 50 which he and Trumper sent up before the first wicket fell. Both left at 50, and Hopkins at 63; but then Noble (68) and Diamond added 96 for the fourth wicket. Edgar Waddy went cheaply ; but the fields­ men were kind to little Macartney at the outset, and afterwards he had no need of their favours. He scored 72, and helped Diamond to add 219 in hours for the sixth wicket. Cotter (34) aided the Yorkshire-born man to put on 62 for the ninth. When the innings closed for 491, Diamond was not out for a splendid 210, made without a chance in 6^ hours. The one feature of the Victorian batting was the stand of McAlister and Arm ­ strong. E llis and Carroll were both out with the score at 7; but those two added 128 for the third wicket. After McAlister left for 51 no one could stay with Armstrong, who, missed at 20, played sound cricket afterwards, and was last out for 111, made in just over 2J hours. The other nine members of the side scored 17 among them ! Cotter had 3 wickets for 37. Heavy rain on Sunday spoiled the w icket; and on the Monday the Victorians were as sheep led to the slaughter before Noble and Macartney, whose figures are worth reproduction :— Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. N oble.................. 10-5 2 21 (i Macartney 10 7 6 4 Macartney took his four wickets in thirty balls without a run being made off him. The total was 31, Carroll top scorer with 8 ; and New South Wales won by an innings and 266 runs, this victory putting her four games ahead. Colin McKenzie, a young farmer of Trawool, whose keenness brings him many miles into Melbourne every Saturday to play in good cricket, and who may yet be seen in England, Frank A. Tarrant, the Middlesex professional, home on a visit, and H. Whiddon, a young bowler of whom something was hoped, made their first appearance in the series in the Melbourne match of 1907-8, the two former for Victoria, the last-named for the visitors. Tarrant, when no more than a boy, had appeared for his native colony v. Tasmania and New Zealand nearly nine years earlier. Syd Gregory, who had been left out of his State’s team during the two preceding seasons, re-appeared. Armstrong stood out on a monetary question, and Vernon was unable to play owing to a damaged leg. The match was on the whole a disappointing one. McAlister was the only man who did himself justice in Victoria’s first innnings. He made 72 in about 2£ hours, of 121 put on during that time. James Horan (20) helped him to add 60 for the fifth wicket. Warne (15) and McKenzie (29) had sent up 52 for the first. Ransford made 23, Carroll 20, Tarrant 16. Noble was even more the outstanding bats­ man for his side than McAlister had been for the other. On a wicket that was never easy he scored 101 out of 166 in less than 2£ hours. Only Trumper (29) and Cotter (22) of the rest did anything worth noting. Saunders had 5 for 51, and his side secured a lead of 25. But Cotter (5 for 52) and Whid-