CRICKET.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 12, 15 April 1871, Page 6

CRICKET.

It seems that the very best Cricket Match of the season was reserved for the last, and was played on Monday in the Basinßeserve. Itwas not this time a match between the elevens of any two of the Clubs, but between two thirteens selected from the different cricket clubs in the city—the Wellington, the I Zmgan, the Empire, and the Star Clubs. Althougn the temperature of the day could not have been better suited for an enjoyable game of cricket, the ground had not been sufficiently relieved of its lately absorbed moisture. This made the ball fly dead and the game heavy both to the batters and fielders; and also militated considerably against making any very large score. Yet, strange to say, under this disadvantage, and although the teams were selected promiscuously, we have not seen such a lively game for a long time. This, of course, chiefly exhibited itself in the fielding, where the light young forms of the Stars and Empires shone to great advantage. We were much pleased to notice, too, that some of those young cricketers can do their work well and dexterously without any of the unnecessary attitude and flourish sometimes affected by really excellent players. Yesterday's match afforded abundant evidence of the good cricketing material which exists in the Empire and Star Cricket Clubs, and that it would very often be a positive gain to a picked Wellington team to have two or three of these young hands amongst the eleven for their value in the field. While we are anxious to award a due meed of praise to the play all

round, the fielding was so much superior to the batting that we will let the latter pass without comment, unless, indeed, with one exception. Mr Ferris seemed to be in his finest play and wielded a giant bat, which for the time seemed to possess a magnetic attraction for the ball, only to repel it to all parts of the field as rapidly almost as delivered. Several others promised equally well, but fortune or skill deserted them before they had time to score anything remarkable. Messrs Bromley and Dixon acted as umpires. The following are the scores: — Mabchant's Team. Ist Innings. ?2ud Innings. MTntosh, b Ferris ... 0 b Ferris .. 7 Evans, c Dixon ..3b Ferris .. 4> Waters,candb Ferris.. 2 b Salmon ... 5 Boulton, run out .. 3 b Salmon.. 4 Isherwood, b Salmon ... 3 c Ferris ... 2 Marehant, b Stubbin ... 3 b Ferris M'Donald, c Salmon .. 1 b Salmon ... 4 Jones, c Dixon .. 7 c M'lntyre 1 Kinniburg.lbw Stubbing 1 b Salmon ... 0 Meara, b Salmon ... 0 run out ... 9 Howard, b Salmon ... 4 b Salmon ... 5 Milstead, c Salmon ... 5 b Stubbing 1 Mitchell, not out ... 0 b Stubbing 2 Byes,&c 0 Byes ... 15 41 64 Salmon's Team. Ist Innings. 2nd Innings. Ferris, c Mears ... 19 b Marehant 15 Lewers, o Mears ... 2 c Evans ... 2 Salmon, J. A., c Waters 4 b Evans ... 6 Salmon, W. J., run out 3 c S. Waters 0 M'lntyre, c S. Waters 0 c Mears ... 0 Orowther, b Marehant 3 b Evans ... 1 Waters, W., runout ... 3 c Evans ... 2 Baker, c Mitchell ... 6 b Evans ... 0 Stubbing, not out ...5 cS. Waters 3 Salmon, 1., c Jones ... 0 c Evans ... 8 Dixon, b Evans ... 2 not out ... 3 Mason, 1b w ... 1 Staples, c Mears ... 1 not out ... 2 Byes, &c ... '.« 9 Byes, &c ... 9