The Fourth Test

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 244, 21 February 1911, Page 8

The Fourth Test

AUSTRALIANS ESTABLISH A BIG I ,J LEAD. j 1)t SPRINGBOKS' BOWLERS BAFFLED. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. „j Received 20, 8.30 p.m. A Melbourne, ebruary 20. y There was superb weather, and the j, wicket was perfect, and much faster than Saturday's. c ' ( Flags were half-masted, and players wore mourning bands out of respect for c Murdoch, who died during the previous 'i day's play. There were 11,200 present, j, and the takings were £4OO. ! Bardsley and Gchrs were the batsmen, and Pegler and Schwarz bowled. Both i batsmen opened confidently, Gehrs by c attractive cricket scoring nine straight away off Pegler. He reaehed 50 in an ° hour,. but when at 54 he gave a hot n chance at short leg to Sinclair oil Schwarz. In the next over Bardsley was run out, Vogler cleverly skittling the 2 wi(V"t from niid-off.—Two for 88. Arm- T sti , v - ,ime next. Schwarz appealed a fro;i, the first two balls for leg before, j Ar...4i,.:ig twice beautifully square cut; j Sinclair for four and drove a fourer in . one over. The hundred occupied 71 minutes. Schwarz's 'googlies frequently puzzled Armstrong. When the score had Teached 100 Faulkner relieved Sinclair, and Gehrs sneaked his iirst ball to the slips, a fatal stroke. He had batted for 75 minutes, and had hit six foufers. —Three for 100. Hill early in his innings narrowly escaped being run out. It was a foolish attempt, but a lucky one. Shortly after- f wards, Schwarz again loudly appealed j for leg before against Armstrong, fol- ] lowed by an appeal for "run out." Just : before the luncheon adjournment, Zulch took the bowling, Armstrong scoring ten 1 off the first over for strokes in the slips, to leg and an off drive. The 150 occupied 111 minutes. The morning's play was full of incident, and very keen. After the resumption, Hill scored rapidly, making 40 while Armstrong was getting 16. Armstrong was shaping beautifully against all but Schwarz, while Hill was particularly watchful fori Faulkner's googlies. Sherwell was keen and magnificent in taking balls on the leg side. Hill tried to hit Pegler to leg, and lifted his foot, and missed. Like a flash he was stumped. He haa batted superbly, and scored all round' , the wicket for a hundred minutes, his' score including thirteen tourers.—Four for 200. Trumper was soon busy, and Armstrong continued scoring steadily. The second century car.. :n for 143 minutes play. Although &)u .. is had been scored, Vogler had not entrusted with the ball. Trumper reached his 50 in 47 minutes, hitting three successive fourers off Sinclair in one over, for which he was loudly cheered. Nourse was also applauded for his smart work in the outfield. Zulch strained his leg in the outfield, and retired, and Carter fielded un- ' til Pcarce arived. Faulkner was still puzzling Armstrong, who, however, punished the others. Trumper, on the other hand, jumped in to Faulkner, and hit ten off him in one over. At 301 Vogler , wag tried for the first time, eight others | having bowled, and Llewellyn's injury prevented him from taking the field. Four hundred occupied 259 minutes. Trumper was dismissed by being caught by Sherwell off Vogler. He had batted magnificently, elegantly, and en- , terprisinglv, hitting eleven fourers.— Five for 403. Rausford opened cautiously, and Armstrong shared Trumper's fate, concluding a splendid innings lasting 208 minutes, during which time he scored thirteen fourers.—Six for 418. Cotter was caught second ball at point. ' —Seven for 420. Vogler at this stage had taken three wickets for 10. Hordern played a watcht ful game, and 450 came up for five , hourß' play. Hordern had made 19 when . he was missed in the slips by Snooke off Faulkner's last over. The fielding was keen, Sherwell being superb, only two byes being recorded. AUSTRALIA.

First Innings 328. SOUTH AFRICA. I First Innings 205. AUSTRALIA.-Second Innings. Kelleway, run out 18 Gehrs, c Snooke, b Faulkner 58 Bardsley, run out 15 Armstrong, c Sherwell, b Vogler .. 132 Hill, st Sherwell, b Pegler 100 Trumper, c Sherwell, b Vogler 87 Ransford, not out 38 Cotter, c Pearce, b Vogler 0 Hordern, not out 23 Extras 4 Total for seven wickets 475 THE VISITORS' PERFORMANCE. Melbourne, February 20. The Herald says that but for Nourse's plucky uphill fight and Sherwell's fine performance the Africans' innings would have been a dismal failure. HordernV googlies were a veritable thorn in the side of the visitors, and his record would have been better but for a dislocated finger, received when trying to stop a ball, The Telegraph declares that the Africans' most enthusiastic supporter admits that there was no excuse for the poor score. The bowling was certainly good, but nothing to write home about, and the failure can only be put down to sheer bad batting. MURDOCH'S SUDDEN DEATH. Melbourne, February 20. Mr. Murdoch was visiting Australia I on business, and intended to return to England next week. A NOTABLE CRICKETER.

Hi'. William Lloyd Murdoch, who was siozed with a fit during the progress of the test inntch on Saturtay, and expired the same day, was one of the moat notable figures in the annals* of Australian cricket. He was born at Sandhurst, Victoria, on October 18, 1855. His early cricket was identified with New South Wales, for which v. Victoria, at Sydney, in February, 1882, he made 321, his highest score in Australia in a first-class match. He went to England with the first Australian team in 1878,

mainly as second wicket-keeper, and proved himself the hest batsman on the' side. He was captain of the Au.-dralian team that viisted England in 1880, 1882, 18S4, and 1800 (in the England v. Australian match at the Oval, in September, 1880, he scored 153 not out; at the! Oval in August, 1884, he scored 211 for j Australia, which was his highest scort in a test match). In all, he played in i eighteen test matches in England and [Australia, scoring SOB runs in thirty- ' three innings, with an average of 32.1 In 1893 he qualified for .Sussex, and captained the team, his aggregate for the; county that season being 1088, and his average 30.8. He was second in the Sussex averages in 1894, scoring 172 not out v. Hants, at Southampton; in 1895, his aggregate for Sussex was 923, and he compiled 226 v. Cambridge University, at Brighton; in, 1890, he scored 144 for Susex v. Somerset (Sussex made 525 for four wickets); in 1807, Ills aggregate for Sussex was 1263, and his average 30.33; his aggregate in 1898 was 93(5, and his average 27.52; in 1899 he only played in seven matches for Sussex, and in July resigned the captaincy. In 1900 he played in eleven matches for London County, for which club he had an average of 21.82; in 1903 he scored 15 for London County v. Lancashire at Manchester; in 1904 he played for Gent? v. Players at the Oval in July, and scored 140. He was a keen golfer