Great Bowling Feats.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42778, 14 September 1905, Page 2

Great Bowling Feats.

RECORDED BY MR. MAOLAREN. There have been several ins.'ances o L great bowling feats upon vary difficul wickets, but the most meritorious results, in Mr. Maclaren’s opinion, have been accomplished when tho wicket was good, and many runs were reasonably expected. He gives some instances of such achivements in the Badminton Magazine: Of bowling performers of rare merit that I have seen, one which stands out by itself is T. Richard’s great work in the second innings of the Manchester Test Match in 1896, when our opponents had but 125 to get to win owing to our miserable batting (with the brilliant exception of ,K. 3. Ranjitsinhji who carried out his ,bat for 154). Wirh only 125 to make on a good wicket it was long odds on a sound licking for us; but so well did Richardson bowl that at the seventh wicket 25 runs were still wanted. Kelly and Trumble 'KifToff' the required number. It took them, however, an hour to do, thanks to the excellence of the attack. Richardson bowled for three hours, on a wicket, such as we do not see nowadays at, Old Trafford, taking six wickets for 76 runs, scarcely an indifferent-length ball being sent down, whilst he was bowling as fast at the finish as he did in the commencement of the innings, It. was hard indeed that a performance so striking should not have borne better fruit, but our bad batting just made it impossible for him to make up the leeway. Probably the most successful of all fast bowlers on what appeared to be good wickeis was Mold, when at his 1 best. Whilst playing for Lancashire bo had some wonderful records. With him on his side Mr. MacLaren never knew what might befall his opponents. At Brighton, onthat very fast wicket, before K. S. Kanjitsinhji and 0. B. • Fry came along, Mold used ko rattle the Sussex side put year after year :

At Trent Bridge he probably bowled as well as he ever did when in 1895 against Notts he took eight wickets for 20 runs on a tiue Notts wicket, against such players aa Shrewsbury, W. G-unn, A, 0. Jones, and J. Gh Dixon. In the second iuniDgs hie analysis read seven for 65. On auotber occasion he took seven wickets for 43 agaiost Kent at Man Chester in 1896, which certainly won us that matoh, There was no getting away from the fact that when that particular ball came along the batse men had to retire.

Of England’s bowlers in Mr Mac laren’s lime J, T, Heame, T. Riohardson, and Peel, in his opinion have •donehest. Many would add Young to the trio j at Leeds he bowled very finely against the Australians on their last tour but one in Englaud, X had almost forgotten Hearne’s hat triolc against Noble, Gregory, and Hill-a pretty hot trio—which pro* bably would have won ua the matoh

on the second day bud for the unfortunate illness of Briggs, rain preventing any play on the last day of the match. Rhode’s fine performance in taking seven wickets for 17 runs in the last Birmingham Test Matoh had al§o nearly slipped my memory. On that occ ision he suited his pace to the slowness of the wicket, like the artist he is. Noble, too, in the second Test of our 1900-1 tour in Australia took seven wickets for 17 runs on a terrible wicket, his bawling being quite un* playable.