CRICKET.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 373, 24 March 1902, Page 4

CRICKET.

THE ENGLISHMEN’S TOUR,

VALE MACLAEEN. (By “ Biffer.”) The curtain has been rung down on the Australian tour of Mr A. C. Maelaren’s First English Cricket Team. The last stroke was made on the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday last, when the Englishmen brought a successful tour to a close by defeating South Australia by six wickets, and on Wednesday the popular English captain and his equally popular toam embarked at Adelaide in the P. and O. liner Omrah, homeward bound. It truly was a merry band that boarded the Omrah last week en route for the Old Country. Besides Maclaren’s team, the ship’s company included the Tenth Australian Elaven for England ; so the Lion and the Kangaroo will have numberless opportunities on the long voyage for fighting over again the long list of battles

encaged in by the Englishmen during the ; Australian tour just closed. Another passenger, who will lend additional interest to the sea voyage of this galaxy of cricketing talent, will be no less a person than Mr F. B. Spofforth, the 11 demon ” bowler, whose name has long been a household word among cricketers the wide world over. Mr Spofforth has been revisiting the scenes of his early triumphs in Australia, and has taken the opportunity of returning to England with the two great elevens. Probably Trumble, Noble, Giffen, and Turner have done as good work with the ball for Australia against England as ever Spofforth did, but we feel certain that they will never attain the fame “ Spoff ” has done. A hallowed radiance clings around his name, and ho will be an honored member of tho bright band of criekoters on the voyage Home. Wo pity any foolhardy eleven that challenges the Omrah to a gamo of cricket on her prosent voyage. Although Maclaron has not succeeded in wresting from Australia tho lt ashes of English crickot, his tour has certainly been one of tho most successful ever made by an English eleven of recent years. Despite advorso criticism and many obstacles placed in the way of his getting together the men he wanted for the tour, the play of his men in Australia has proved that he knows more of Australian cricket and of the men who can perform on Australian wiekets than any English captain who has yet brought out a team. Of the five test matches played, Maclaren’s team early in tho tour raised public interest to a high pitoh by defeating Australia at Sydney by the overwhelming majority of an innings and 124 runs. The four remaining matches, however, were won by Australia, though only by

narrow margins, except in the second test, which commenced on New Year’s Day at Melbourne, and ended in a comfortable win for Australia by 229 runs. The third test, at Adelaide, proved a close game, and the Englishmen only suffered defeat by four wickets. Australia had a seven wickets win in the fourth test, at Sydney, and thus won the rubber. In the fifth and final test, at Melbourne, the scoring was small, though the game was closely contested, and Australia only won by 82 runs. A feature of the series of test matches was the absence of the tall scoring one usually expects to' seo on Australian wickets. A few of the games were affected by rain, but it is hard to account for the small scores in the others. The only inference to be drawn is that the English bowling was either very good or that the Australian batting has deteriorated.

Only one batsman on tho Australian side reached the century in the whole series of test matches. Duff, the young New South Welshmen, had the honor “of this distinction, making 104 in tho second innings of the second test, at Melbourne. Maclaren and Braund were the only Englishmen to register the coveted threo figures in the test matches. The English captain hit up 116 in the first teßt, and the Somerset man scored 103 (not out) in tho third test, at Adelaide. For the test games, Armstrong heads the list of batting averages on the Australian side. He played in seven innings, scoring 159 runs, and was four times not out, giving him an average of 53. Clem Hill comes next, with a total of 521 for ten completed innings. He had no not outs to help his figures, yet came out with an average of 52. Hill is without doubt the greatest batsman in Australia of the present time. Duff (44), Gregory (29), Darling (25), Trumblo (24), and Trumpet (21) are next in order of merit. For the Englishmen Maclaren koads the list. Ho scored a total of 412 runs for nine comploted innings, giving him an average of 45. Braund comes next with an average of 36, gained from a total of 256 for nine innings, twice not out. Then follow Hayward (33), Tyldesloy (26), Lilloy (23), and Quaife (20). Jessop was practically a failure, and Jones and MeGahey, who had such good performances to recommend them on English fiolds, did nothing on the hard Australian wickets. Jessop had an average of 18, while Jones (10) and McGahey (9) are at tho bottom of the list.

In bowling, Noble and Trumblo stand out hoad and shoulders above their companions on the Australian side. Noble captured 32 wickets in the test games for 598 runs, giving him an average of 18-68 per wicket, while Trumblo took 28 wickets for 561, and his average was 20'08. Noble is third on tho list of averages, and it is hard to imagine what Australia would have done without him. The Englishmen were never comfortable when facing him, and his magnificent bowling performance in the second test at Melbourne will be handed down for all time, Old Hugh Trumble, who has for so many years been such a sterling performer with the ball for Australia,.seems to have been as good as ever, and as brimful of resourceful tactics as of old. He and Syd. Gregory are the “ daddies ” of Australian cricket now, and the success of these two veterans was very pleasing to their hosts of admirers in this part of the world. Saunders, who took nine wickets for 162, and McLeod, five for 164, also did good work with the ball for Australia in tho test matches. For the Englishmen, Barnes heads tho list of bowling averages. He took 19 wickets for 123 runs, and came out with an ayerage of 17. Blythe is next, with 18 wickets for 472, average 18-44. Gunn comes third, with 17 wickets for 350, average 20-58. Braund, who comes sixth on the list, however, did the best work with tho ball. He was worked constantly, and has established a reputation which will cause him to be long remembered in Australia as a bowler. In the test games, he took £1 wickets for 738 runs, giving him an average of 85-14 ; and, though the figures do not read well, it must be remembered that he had to bear the burnt of the attack, and peg awav at the crack batsmon early in each innings. Barnes, the fast bowler, did splendid work till he cracked up in the third test at Adelaide early in January. A fast bowler, to stand the strain of incessant work on

the hard Australian wickets, upder the broiling sun, requires to be possessed of the stamina of a Hercules. What an iron frame Tom Richardson, the Surrey bowler, who accompanied Mr A. E. Stoddart’s two English teams to Australia, must have had ? Barnes, though a power-fully-built man and apparently possessing a splendid physique, could not stand the strain, and had to take to his bed after the third test. The muscles of his knees gave way, and he had to keep them bandaged for weeks, and was unable to take part in any further matches. This was a serious handicap to Maclaren’s side, but Gunn and Jessop rose to tho occasion, and with Braund, Blythe, and Jessop kept the runs down in the big matches better than Richardson, Hirst, Hayward, Briggs, and Co. did on the last occasion on which an English team visited Australia.

Though unsuccessful in the test games, the Englishmen were much too strong for the States, and only lost two matches against the colonies. South Australia beat them somewhat easily in the opening match of the tour, and New South Wales also defeated the Englishmen by 50 runs in the first match, but the Englishmen easily won the remainder of the matches, defeating Victoria twice, New South Wales (second match), and South Australia in the last match of the tour. It was in the matches against the States that the Englishmen were seen at their best. The second game against New South Wales at Sydney, which com-

meneed on February Ist, will become historic. The New South Welshmen had the luck to take first strike on a good wicket, and felt satisfied with themselves when they got the line total of 432 in the first innings, towards which Syd. Gregory, the captain, contributed a fine score of 147. Tho Englishmen set the hall-mark of greatness on their team by their reply to the Welshmen’s effort, Maclaren and Hayward gave a magnificent display, and established an Australian record for a first-wicket partnership. It was not until 314 runs had been piled up that Maclaren dragged a ball on to his wicket. Tyldesley, the brilliant youDg Lancastrian joined Hayward, and continued the rungetting. Hayward left at 390, after scoring 174. Quaife and Tyldesley took the score to 546, when the latter left, with 142 to his credit. Jessop got going for.once, and banged the ball into the stands and pavilions in great style. The fourth wicket fell at 649, and the innings closed for 769. New South Wales could only total 209 in their second venture, and England thus won by an innings and 128 runs. ,

Maclaren selected bis men with regard to temperament, and the members of his team cettainly appeared to bo all philosophers. The Australian barracker, “ loud-voiced and reckless as tho deep sea tide that whips their harbor mouth,’ - had no effect on them. They were supremely indifferent to praise and blame from the barracker, and played the game like men. Only two discordant notes wero struck during the whole tour. Maclaren's objection to the inclusion of Marsh, tho aboriginal fast bowler, in tho Bathurst team, on the ground of tho bowler’s unfair delivery, was‘considered by many unsportsmanlike, and his dismissal of Crockott, whom he had engaged as umpire for the tour, owing to him (tho umpire)- “ having lost confidence in [himself,’’ called down on tho English captain’s head some strong comment from the Australian press, who have the greatest confidence in Crockett’s ability and integrity as an umpire.

But, on the whole, the English team was very popular, and every member would be warmly welcomed back to Australia should they ever return. They were all typical Englishmen, and worthy of the name. We wish them “ bon voyage.”