Cricket 1909

A pril 15, 1909. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 63 SOME CHAPTERS OF AUSTRALIAN CRICKET HISTORY. B y J. N. PENTELOW. C hapter II. NEW SOUTH WALES v. VICTORIA. [Continued from 'page h7.) Victoria triumphed in the return, thanks to the batting of Charles McLeod, well sup­ ported by Harry Trott, John Harry, and Frank Laver, and a fine bowling performance at the start of the. game by Hugh Trumble. The home side opened proceedings; but only four batsmen made double figures, Iredale with 56 and Garrett with 53 contributing between them considerably more than half the runs, while Walters (28) and Donnan (19) were the other chief scorers. The total was 187. Trumble bowled two hundred and fifty-eight balls for 61 runs and five wickets. When Victoria went in Brace made 28 of the first 26 ; but the second wicket pioduced a dogged stand between Charles McLeod and Harry Trott. Of the 117 added Trott’s share was 63.. McLeod stayed until the score was 245, of which he had made just 100, his first century in big cricket. Donahoo hit up 33 runs in twenty minutes ; Laver (38) was also vigorous ; but Harry (31) played rather slow cricket. With a deficit of 132 to face New South Wales fought gallantly. Mackenzie, though his 97 took four hours, played capital cricket. Iredale (43) al o stonewalled ; but Gregory’s 36 weie made in half an hour, Turner slammed up 30 in ten minutes, and Walters carried his bat for 68 in his last in­ nings in these matches. The visitors’ second innings was no mere one man show; and their victory by four wickets was well gained. McLeod, with 50, was again highest scorer; but Harry (39 not out) and Laver (38 not out), by the vigour with which they lashed the bowling at the finish, were more prominent than he. The elder Trott made 27, the younger 24. Apart from Trumble’s early success no one did anything very notable with ^the ball, though Harry bowled really well in N.S.W.’s second, getting the wickets of Mackenzie, Donnan, Garrett and William Richardson at a cost of only 53 runs. For the losers McKibbin had seven wickets for 199, Turner four for 135. In the first innings of N.S.W. four bowlers, in the second six bowlers, each took one wicket, a happening which it might be difficult to find a parallel to. There was one new man in the match in the person of Alfred Edward Johns, a really fine wicket keeper whose hard luck it was to visit England twice and yet never play in a Test match. New South Wales had an unbeaten record in 1896-7, and both her matches with Vic­ toria were won with considerable eace. It may be noted that the oldest colony played the same eleven in each of the four Sheffie’d Shield matches that season, a record in the contest. That eleven consisted of Coning­ ham, Donnan, Garrett, Syd Gregory, Howell, Iredale, Kelly, McKenzie, McKibbin,‘^Noble and Turner; ten men who could bat well, though not all were great batsmen, six good bowlers, a sterling wicket-keeper, and an excellent array of fieldsmen. There was no absolutely new face, for Noble had played once two years earlier. It must be admitted that the visitors had all the luck in the Melbourne match. On the first day they made 277 at a cost of five wickets. Then came rain ; their innings closed for 312; the home side could only reply with 99, and, though putting up a better show at the second attempt, when they made 220, really never had a chance. Gregory (68), Iredale (54), Kelly (51), Donnan (50), and Coningham (38) were the winners’ chief scorers ; but Charles McLeod’s 78, made with some luck, was the highest individual innings of the match. Graham made 34 and 33, Worrall 21 and 27. McKibbin had eight wickets for 127 in the match, Howell five for 37 in Vic­ toria’s first, Coningham six for 38 in their second. Trumble (five for 89) alone did well for the losers. The margin was nine wickets, N.S.W. having to go in a second time to make 8 runs, and losing Donnan in making them. The return was a really remarkable match. There was no apparent reason for the initial failure of the home side; but Roche, on a good wicket, proved the master of everybody but the colt Noble, and took six wickets for 63. Noble batted splendidly for 71, giving an early sample of what the Victorian bowlers were to expect from him in coming years. His record against his State’s oldest rivals is little short of phenomenal, as will be seen when the averages come to be dealt with. Only McKibbin (22 not out) and Iredale (22) gave him any help on this occasion, and the whole side was dismissed for 159. Victoria had four wickets down (all to McKibbin) for 68. But then Harry Trott and Frank Laver got together, and added 175, Trott 104, Laver 81. In each case the batsman’s score was his highest against New South Wales in the series. The last five wickets slumped for an addition of 26. In an innings of 269 McKibbin took eight wickets for 111. Now came the revival of New South Wales. Their tot^l of 570 was the third highest thus far recorded in the series. Noble was the central figure ; but good work had been done before he came in. Gregory made 58 of the first 99, Le and Donnan adding 70 for the second wicket. Donnan made 84, Iiedale 62, Mackenzie 50, Howell 48, Garrett 42, and McKibbin 37 ; but Noble’s 153 not out was in quality as in quantity easily first. It was evident to all then that a newT star had arisen. Victoria put up a fair fight; but the task was too heavy for them, and they went under to the tune of 192 runs. Eight batsmen made double figures in the last innings of the game—Trumble 58, Trott 40, C. E. McLeod 38, Bruce 36, Worrall 31, and O’Halloran, who made his first ap­ pearance against New South Wales, after a sensational debut v. South Australia, 28 not out. McKibbin had 13 wickets for 240 in the match; the other New South Wales bowlers took six for 285. For the losers Roche had eight for 185, Trumble five for 161. The total of runs scored in the match was 1,266. The great feature of the fifty-ninth match (Melbourne, Christmas, 1897) was the in­ tense heat in which it was played. The thermometer registered over 100 degrees in the shade on cach day of the game, and on the Monday it was .107, while on Thursday, the last day, it reached 108. Kelly sustained a suustroke, and could not bat in either innings of New South Wales. Trott col­ lapsed completely duiing his second innings. Noble had to be helped off the ground on the first day. McMichael held up to the end, but then lost consciousness, and was insensible for five hours. Gregory, besides 'suffering from the heat, had his left hand badly hurt in stopping a drive from Worrall; Trott would have allowed Trumper to take his place, but Garrett, thoueh grateful, dec’ iued the sportsmanlike offer. The only lucky people were Trumper and Howell, who wTere left out of the visiting side, though for that matter both fielded as substitutes during the game, and Charles McLeod, who stood out of the Victorian team to get a rest before the Test match on New Year’s Day. There were as many as five men new to the series, Leslie Pye, who played in this game as he never again played against Victoria, on the side of the visitors, and on the home side J. F. Giller, an all-round player who would have done i.-reat things had his health been better, S. McMichael, a very useful batsman, T S. Warne, who still plays for the side, and W. 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