CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 69, 25 March 1904, Page 2

CRICKET.

Jn all 71 test, matches haw been played buivV'A'u „. ;M Australia on tin.' cricket lield, :il wins beillg claimed |,\ ii',.fi; alll i 28 by Australia, v.-hil.- I:J ,lmwn. r l he "rubber" which was .■vcentl.y won by Warner's !;..•• .;f J l,i • 1o Iks Australians ever since Stoddart's team was defeated in ly'JT-'.-'rt. Warner, captain of the long!ish cricketers, is described b\ tin- A'evv South Wales Cricket Associniion as bcing "discourteous, impoii lie, and impertinent." This savours of bitter disappointment. After congratulating Warner and his men on winnim, i Amri h le>(, ma I.ch, and I heir recovery :i' the "ashus," the Sv.iliey I 'e! -I"' ■(.' writer . c >a;, s (hat il- has lin-:; larky season for t'lie Englishmen, ami goes on to say that "there is \.-ry dltle between the two teams/ and u>.u<<r equal conditions on either good or bad wickets, Australia, in my opinion, is a trifle the better side. Jf you do not agree, pm i; down to the fact that 1 am an A a*; r.ilian, and you are—well, perhaps, not ore. lint if England had MacEaren and Jackson—not to mention r'ry and UanjiUiinhji in (lu* eleven—l here would, in my opinion, be no question as to England's superiority on the form of this season, always provided that MacLuren ami .Jackson were not in form inferior to their average. One feels sure that Australia will learn a few lessons from this season's cricket. We have had a lengthy run of inlernalional success. A reverse just now will not do cricket, any harm in this country ; it will be more inspiriting than another "rubber" win could have been. And England wanted a win very badly. The press is the voice of the people, and. judged by ihe British press, cricket ing England had been languishing through want of international success. It is worthy of remark that, in i\w live matches England made 2'MM runs for the loss of 95 wickets, averaging 2-1 .f>'> runs per wicket, and that. Australia made 21'21 runs for 100 wickAu, averaging 24.24. The figures show remarkable equality."