WITH THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14886, 28 January 1914, Page 6

WITH THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM.

THE ADELAIDE MATCH. A FIXE SHOWING. (BT OCR SPECIAL RKPRESfccTATrVE.) ADELAIDE, January 15. The "White City" people were warm in the reception of the team. This was the first time a team from New Zealand had visited this city. Mr Orchard, our manager, again expressed the NewZealand Cricket Council's desire to arrange for visits of State teams to New "Zealand, and hoped that South Australia would send a team across next season. The idua appears to be agree--able to the officials here, and I think a visit of South Australians will probably be arranged. .J. X. Crawford, "Jack" Lyons, George Giffen, Edgar Mayne, Clem. Hill, and other celebrities of the past and present were interested spectators at tne practice on Thursday afternoon. Giffen recalls tho pleasurable times ho spent in New Zealand as far back as ISS'2, when the renowned Australian team which visited England that year toured the colony. Lyons is looking well, in spite of his 50 years, and is some three stone lighter than when he dropped out of tne game, some ten years ago. Clem Jtiiil it> iookuig wonuenuliy no, aim tnat no is unable to make the trip to .\e\v Zealand again this ywir witn tne Australian team. Crawioru is a Hue athleticlooking man, who makes cricket ills hoboy —1 hau almost said his object in lile. Ho will be seen in 1 New Zealand shortly, and will give the Dominion batsmun and bowlers some trouble. He nas given tip nis ami is now acting as cricket coacn to the clubs here. New Zealand has retrieved her cricketing honours by making tho hue score oi r -3(32 runs against the team that has beaten New South Wales once this season, and fought out an interesting tiuish with Victoria. South Australia has won the Sheffield Shield, or trod for first position for three years past, and may justly be classed as- equal to the best Australian State team; and to have made such a score against this team goes to show that our cricket is on a higher plane than the previous matches against the best States would indicate. A; anticipated, the wicket proved to be a little on the slow side, but easy, and more liKe a Hagley Park wicket than any we have played on, though it got considerably fa«t«r toward the close of the day. Too much praise cannot be given to Reese and Sneddon for their innings, and it was particularly hard luck on both of them to have failed to reach three figures when so near. Reese had been sick in and was still weak, having lost some five pounds in weight in a few days, and he was manifestly tired toward the close of his innings, and Sandman, who was batting with him, forced the running somewhat, which made him still further exhausted. The ball before he got out he hit for four, all run out. and he

made a feeble effort at tho one which l-owled bun. He nit a few balls into the air. but gave no chance. Sneddon's effort confirmed my previously expressed opinion of the great improvement to bo seen iv his batting, and he gave no chance till ho snicked one into the wicket-keeper's hands. Every man on the side showed good form, and batted confidently and well. Sandman played a sterling innings, interspersed with some powerful drives. His efforts to hit the fast ones on the off, however, caused everybody to smile. One over every ball passed about eighteen inches outside the stumps, with "Sandy" desperately swishing at the pitch. Fortunately however, he failed to hit any of them, and it was a maiden. Tuokwell and Somcrvill were both run out, and both through inertia at the st-art. There have been far too many "runs out" on the tour, and almost all through failing to "make a yard" or by dawdling between the wickots. The fieldsmen here have perfet-ted the art of throwing down tho wickets, and on each occasion in this innings the wicket was hit from the throw in, otherwise the batsmen would have made their ground. Hemus showed his true form in this innings for the first time, and he ■ was going strongly when lie missed a slow break, and was stumped by Campbell, who was keeping wickets in very good style indeed. The spectators greatly appreciated our batting and on all sides was heard the comment that it was much better to look at than the exhibition given by New South Wales and South Australia the previous week. For the third time ovor 400 runs were hit off our howling. And the fact was again demonstrated thai in tho important matches all the available bowling should bo included. However, the tourists did well to got out such a formidable side for the score they did. Such batsmen as Mayne, Hill, and Crawford, amongst the best in the world, not to speak of Steele (a brilliant colt who ha.s boon very successful against aJI bowlers), Pollew and Whitmore form a team which is capablo of making 500 runs against the best bowling in the world. And as they were keyed up to make an effort by tho big score they had to top, the cricket was good", The honours or' the out-cricket lay with the two "veterans," Bennett and Uoxshall. Seldom have they given better exhibitions in their respective departments. Bennett was very accurate, and nipjMxl back nicely at times, and gave the batsmen '"all they knew" to keep him out. Boxshall gave the best performance of the tour, and only one ball in the whole five and a quarter hours that the innings lasted got past him for byes. Robinson got the best figures, but did not bowl as well as he has done in previous matches. Sandman bowled well at times, but was not consistent in his length. It is generally conceded that there has not been a more spectacular display scon on the Oval for many years. It 'is a great pity that our match followed on the New South Wales match here, where the cricket is said to have been of the dullest kind. However, the attendance was satisfactory, and New Zealand should get about £50 beyond the amount guaranteed. Tho hero of tho match was, of course, the captain, who has capped his many fine efforts by putting up the magnificent double of 9(5 and 130 not out. It is a thousand pities that he did not get the double century, a feat he has never yet accomplished, but was well within his grasp here. He started none too surely in the second innings, and had a narrow escape of being caught very early off a long hop. which he hit to square-leg. The fieldsman made a great effort to reach the ball, but took it'off the ground. • At So he was missed by the bowler off a "dolly drop." and at 00 lie made i> powerful hit into the country", which the longfield just touched with his hand as he sprang into the air. When he reached the.century he was generously applauded hv all, fieldsmen, as well as spectators, who had sympathised co strongly with him in Ins first innings failure to reach the three figures after such a fine effort. Reese has come to the top of his form recently, and we have met- few better batsmen. Sneddon also put up a great double, his 88 and 52 being*splendid exhibitions of correct and graceful batting. He lost his wicket to a bad stroke just before lunch to-day, hitting across a straight one, well up, which hit turn on ihe leg. Taylor was the next best batsman, and his 43 were the outcome of really good cricket. This lad has batted throughout with great confidence, and it is fitting. that in this match he should have made his highest score. Taylor lias done nothing sensational, but he has been very consistent, and the way in which he has shaped entitles him to be considered as one of the successes of the tour. He has a4so considerably improved in his wickets, and is much riiore alert in the field than when he started out on tour. Sandman was hitting out in fine style, and runs were doming very rapidly wHen the tea adjournment arrived., and Reese took the sporting risk of closing, leaving South Australia 217 to got in one and three-qnarter hours, on the off-chance thnt our bowlers might possibly get tho other side out.