CRICKET.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1400, 10 March 1905, Page 4

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIA v. NEW ZEALAND,

XPer Press Association.) Christchurch, last night,

Great intercut is evinced in the orioket match, Australia v. New Zealand, which cotnmenooH at 2 o’clock to-morrow afternoon at Lancaster Park. The visitors praotico every morning. Upham and Blaclslock arrived to-day, and the whole of the New Zealand team are now here. The weather has been beautifully fine since Sundny, and appears to have settled. There vvih. be excursions from all the country stations. Although tho Mayor has declined to declare a half-holiday, a large attendance is expected. UNION v. TARUHERU. The Union “cricket olub journeyed t° Taruheru yesterday aflcrnoon, and played n team from the works. Union batted first and registered 114. Torkington played a splendid innings for 40, apd Delaney 24. Robinson 15, and Mefvillo and Sheridan, 13 each, also showed good form, McPherson bowled unchanged, and secured six wiolcets for 50 rune, 20 being scored off bis last two ovors. Lußker bowled tbreo overs, and secured three wickets for six rnns. Upon Taruheru going to the wickets, Sedon was the only batsman to get going. Ho scored 27 quickly, when be foolishly ran himself out. McPherson had made 7, when he was taken in the slips off a bumping ball. Tho inuioga closed for 62. TorkiDgton took 5 wickets for 25 runs. and Tatteroal! 5 for 31. Tho fielding on both sides was good, and the catching fair. McPherson dismissed Lang by a splendid catch in the slips, hav ing to throw himself to reaoh the ball. Lasker and Andrews both brought off smart catches nt midwieket. Messrs File and J. Doyle acted as umpires. The following are the scores :

UNION. Lang, o McPherson, b Sims ... ... 2 'J'c rkington, b MoPberson ... ... 40 Pine, o and b McPherson 3 M. Sheridan, b McPherson ... ... 13 P. Sheridan, b MoPberson ... ... 0 Melville, o Lasker, b Sedon ... 13 Robinson, b MoPherson ... >....15 Andrews, b McPherson 1 Delaney, b Lasker ... ... ... ’24 Tattersall, b Lasker ... ... ... 0 Don, b Lasker ... ... ... ... 0 Rico, not ont ... ... ... 1 Extras ... ... 2 Total 114 Bowling analyses. McPherson, six wickets for 50 runs ; Sims, one for 34 ; Sedon, one for 22; Lasker, three for 6. TARUHERU. McPherson, o Tattoreall, b Torkington 7 Lasker, c Lang, b Tattersall ... *... 4 -Sedon, run out ... A. ... ... 27 GoldiDg, b TorkiDgton ..t ... ... 6 H. E. Clarke, b Torkington ... ... 2 Rolpbe, o and b Tattersall ... ... 0 Sims, b Tattersall ... ... ... : 5 Boyd, b Tattersall ... ... ... 0 Minnis, b Torkington ... ... ... 3 T. Sharp, o Andrews, b Tattersall ... 2 F. Clarke, not out ... ... ... 0 Shepherd, b Torkington ... ... 0 Extras ... ... f ... ...: 6

Total ... ... ... ...62 Bowling analyses.—Torkington, five for 25 ; Tattersall, five for 81. TOWN V. COUNTRY. Considerable interest is. being taken in the Town v. Country match, which will be played at Taruheru to-morrow. -Both teams will have their full strength, and a very close game should ensue. It is not likely that any alteration will be mado in tho team chosen at the conclusion of this match, and in selecting the team to represent Gisborne the selection committee will be guided to a great extent by tho form shown in to-morrow’s match.

A representative of the Christchurch Press bad an interesting chat with Mr M. A. Noble, captain of the Australian Eleven. In Australia, he said, with the true wiokets there, a bowler must be up to all sorts of tricks and devices to get batsmen out. English bowlers also rely on their wickets ; they bowl a longth, and depend on the wicket to do the rest, and because of the nature of their wickets, their reliance is . not ■ misplaced. Australian bowlers have more resource. We rarely bowl at a man’s stumps ; we try to drag him out. We don’t think anything of giving him three balls on the off to craolt to the boundary, so es to induce him to hit another one, which appears to be going

to pitch in the same spot, but which is do oeptive, and drops a bit short. Then, if he hits at it, it probably goes up. It may take us four overs to do this, aud perhaps, when the trap succeeds—and Mr Noble smiled n reminiscent smile as be said (Lis tho catch is dropped, oDd wehavo to bo gin all over again, She batsman having, of course, been put on hiß guard against this particular trap. Another trick is to leave the outfield bare, to induce a man to hit there, and then change your field. Some reference was made to Bulli soil, and Noble said its great advantage was that it will not lot the water soak in so that the water either runs oS or is dried up by the wind and sun. An interesting experiment was made by Mr Phil ShoridoD, of Sydney. He took a lump of Bulli Boil and a lump of soil from Melbourne, rolled them each into a ball, and placed them each in a tumbler of water. At the end of 24 hours the Melbourne soil was mud, but the Bulli soil, was still a bah, and was only soft on the surface, showing what great resistance the soil presents to water. Good wickets are what are wanted in New Zealand, and it would be an excellent thing if each centre oould import some Bulli soil. “I am,” be said, “ strongly in favor of the district or electorate scheme, in Auokland, and I think it would do a great deal of good in New Zealand. You can see what it has done in New South Wales. From that State they could put three elevens into the field of almost equal strength. Tho other two would not contain crack players, but they would be made up of extremely capable young cricketers.. Borne years Bgo raising an eleven meant getting rid of five or six batsmen. Now you have to get rid of eight or nine, and sometimes eleven. The value of the all-round man

is coming to bo more and more recognised. Over there the man who excels in only one department of the game, unless he is very good indeed, is not greatly wanted in higher cricket.”.