THE INTER-PROVINCIAL CRICKET MATCH.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2767, 30 December 1871, Page 2

THE INTER-PROVINCIAL CRICKET MATCH.

Yesterday. A long adjournment for lunch (which on both days was served by Mr Watson, of the Royal), was made, in order that play might not be interrupted during the passing of the funeral. Canterbury took the field at 3.5 p.m., Allen and F. Fulton going to the wickets. Corfe, who bowls very fast, started the bowling with a wide, and Fulton got one away to leg for a single. Corfe’s last ball Saville received full in the face. Fowler’s first Fulton put to coverpoint for a single, and Allen scored a like number for a hit to leg. In the first ball of Corfe’s next over, Allen was cleaned bowled. 1 for 4. Kettle joined Fulton. Corfe bowled a maiden. Fowler’s third Fulton put quickly to raidon, and, well backed up by Kettle, scored a good single. Corfe bowled a couple and Fowler one maiden overs. Kettle, in playing one of Fowler’s forward, was well caught by the bowler, who secured just as befell to the ground. 2 for 5. Downes then joined Kettle. In the next over Corfe clean bowled F Fulton. 3 for 5. Downes got a single from the last of Corfe’s next over, which he skyed to leg, and was nearly caught by Loughnan, who tried it with one hand; oft Fowler’s next he got another single for a hit to lew ; but in playing forward one of (Jorfe 7 s, he managed to give Lee a chance, which the latter eagerly seized. Four for 9, and the hopes of Otago became greatly depressed. Collinson came next, F. I niton running for him. The last ball of Fowler’s next over Fulton walked out to, and lifted well away to the off for 3 ; but in the very next over, not watching Corfe, his timbers were floundered by a capital hall. Five for 10. Turton then joined Collinson, but his life was a very short one, the first ball he got being lodged in Lee’s hands. 6 for 12. The very first ball Collinson received found its way into Saville s hands. 7 for 12. Macfarlan took Collinson s place, and got a single off Fowler; another off Corfe, for which he 'must thank Eeade, who backed him up well; another for a hit to leg off Fowler, and one off Corfu for a tap just past Lee. Fowler then bowled a maiden, Corfe following suit. In Fowler’s next, Macfarlan had a narrow escape from being caught, by playing a ball too slightly forward, but the next ball he lifted well to the off for 2. In the next over Keade drove a ball to the off for a single, though two might have been run for it. Fowler then bowled a maiden, Macfarlan scored another single off Corfe’s second ball—another for a hit to mid-off off Fowler, but he had a very narrow escape in running it; and a third single off Corfe s next, also for a hit to mid-off. Reade followed with a single in precisely the same spot. Fowler bo wl ed another maiden and Corfe followed suit. Reade got one off Fowler for a b it to s i ip, which Cotterill did not seem inclined to field, and Macfarlan drove the next ball well down to long-off for 2. Reade got a single off Corfe for a tip to slip, and Fowler bowled another maiden, as did Corfe. Reade in playing one of Fowler’s next, pulled it round where Ollivier was ready to receive it. Eight for 27. Macdonnell thou joined Macfarlan, who obtained 3 for a capital hit off Oorfe’s second ball. Macdonnell hit Corfe to leg fpr 2, and in attempting what was a good third one, Macfarlan was run out, Macdonnell declining to back him up. Nine for 33, Macfarlan’s 14 being obtained by very careful play. Church took Macfarlan’s place, playing a maiden over from Fowler, Macdonnell scored a single for a hit to the off from Corfe, and another off Fowler, thanks to Loughan, who did not p ck it up in his usual style. Corfe bowled a maiden over, so did Fowler. The first ball of Corfe’s next ever M‘Donnell hit to leg for 2 ; and, after giving a chance in the slips, drove one well to long on for 3 ; Corfe bowled another maiden, as did Fowler. Church got a single off Corfe’s next over, that of Fowler being a maiden. In the last ball of Corfe s next over, Church got a single, which saved Otago’s defeat in one innings ; but the very next ball from Fowler, Macdonnell put into Lee’s hand ; Otago’s innings terminating for 43 runs, leaving Canterbury to make I to win. At about five o’clock Canterbury went in to make the one which it required to win, Wood and Pierce appearing at the wickets. The latter played a maiden from Downes, and Fulton’s third ball Pierce skyed to the on, for what would have been a good three. Canterbury thus won the ninth inter-provin-cial match, With ten wickets to spare—a re suit that was not unexpected, although at one time there were hopes that tbc defeat would be less humiliating. Otago had admittedly a weak team, certainly a weaker team than has ever been brought together on the Dunedin ground ; while Canterbury was stronger this year than ever she was. The Canterbury men went in for good, steady practice till within the day of departure, while our men played together but seldom, and the practices were very fitful. The result was observable on the days of the match. Some of the fielding was very poor. F. Fulton, solely from the want of practice, allowed ball after ball to pass him, the byes in the first innings reaching double figures, which they never should in an iuterprovincial match. J. Fulton and Downes, particularly the latter, bowled well throughout the match, but t e change bowlers were decided failures. Why Downes was taken off, after having bowled a succession of maidens, or w .y Collinson was ever put on, are questions which cap only be answered by the Otago captain ; we are unable to divine a reason. In considering briefly the match as a whole—and taking Thursday’s play first, we are of opinion that Fowler started with a mistake, which he followed up with a blunder. Wien he won the to?s, we should have thought he would have been guided by experience and taken advantage of the true wicket presented by Hendley, and sent Otago into the field. And what wo consider was a blunder was the reservation till the last of two of his best bats—Arthur Ollivier and Cotterill. The latter certainly had a bad hand, but Ollivier, if he had been sent in i arly on the first day, would in all probability have been good for half a century. He ap-' peared to he in splendid form ; and Otago may thank a treacherous wind for having disposed of him so easily. His hit to the leg, which was caught, was a bard one, and with a moderate wind, would have been a good 4,

Speaking of the batting, recalls to our mind very forcibly that Canterbury is as pre» eminently superior to Otago in this department as she is in fielding. Leaving Fowler, Ollivier, and Cottorill, out of consideration, for their prowess with the willow is well known, there are a couple of giants in Corfe and Savillo. It was a treat to watch the play of these men. Corfe’s innings was a brief one, but, judging from his play ot practice, we are inclined to prefer him to Saville. The latter, by all accounts, has not done much in the way of scoring in Canterbury, while Corfe has repeatedly bad large double figures to his name ; one o£ his latest feats there being to carry out his bat for 90 in a good match. And as to the bowling, Canterbury had plenty of changes, but they were made with discrimination. Corfe, who was only put on in the second innings, was very destructive. His delivery is very good and the pace is exceedingly warm, even faster than Reade’s. Fowler was well on the spot on both days and Pierce was not to be sneezed at. Of Fulton and Downes we have already spoken, of the rest we will say nothing beyond this, that while nearly every bowler in the Otago team was getting a turn Church might have been tried. He could not have done worse than Collinson, and it is within the bounls of possibility that his left-handers would have puzzled some of the Conterbury players. The whole conduct of this department showed how ranch Hendley was missed. Say what people may, we have great faith in the veteran; and it was sheer nonsense to talk of bad arms preventing him playing, when ho was able to do service for the Citizens the very next day. The constitution of the Otago team by no means pleased us; and Church, who was conspicuous for his excessively loose fielding, could have been conveniently left out. If the premier club will continue to think that the other town club? are yet unable to furnish a representative or two for the Interprovincial Match, let them turn their eyes to the country, where, as we have before pointed out, there are some really good players. We have only to go as far as the Tokomairo district, where there are two, if not three, as good fields and bats as the majority of the Otago team. While deploring ‘another defeat for the Province, we can only express the hope that it will tend to stimulate our players to greater exertions next season, in order that when the next match is played in Canterbury, a closer game, if not a victorious one, may ensue. We give the result of the matches since their commencement in 1864 : 1864 Otago won by 76 runs, 1865 Canterbury won by four wickets. 1886—Otago won by two wickets, 1867 Otago won by one innings and 37 runs. 1868— Otago won by nine wickets, 1869 (February) Drawn ; Canterbury having 17 runs to make to win and three wickets to fall. 1869 (December) —Otago won by four wickets. 1871 (January)— Canterbury won by one inning and 29 runs. 1871 - Canterbury won by 1 run and 10 wickets.