First Test Match.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 19 December 1911, Page 5

First Test Match.

VISITORS 129 BEHIND. AUSTRALIA AT THE WICKETS. SOME CAREFUL CRICKET. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received 18, 8.15 p.m. Sydney, December 18 The. match was continued with the weather line and hot, but tempered by a cool .breeze. The wicket was in excellent condition. Hobbs and Hearne, the not out men, resumed. Whitty captured the former in his first over, before adding to Saturday's score. The tell pitched well up to the leg, and in attempting to glance it ho lifted it to silly mid-on, whore Hill made a clever one-banded catch. Hobbs was at thu wickets for 107 minutes. He gave two chances, and hit five fours and one five. Foster followed. Cotter, bowling at the other end, nearly added another wicket before: the total was further increased. Hearne snicked a ball, waist high, between Kelhnvay and Bardsley in the slips, and instead of a wicket four resulted.

Foster brought the total to 160 by forcibly driving Whitty for two. The innings had then been in progress for three hours. Trumper's injury had sufficienty improved to allow him to take his place, on the field. Macartney, however, still fielded) in place of Minnett, who had injured his. foot at the practice nets.

Foster quickly passed Hearne at 19, twos and fours coming almost every stroke. This pair emulated some of the Australians, notaiblyi {Hill and Bardsley, by maiking every possible! run —a practice that met with hearty approval from the crowd, which repeatedly cheered. At 180, Hordern relieved' Cotter, Kelleway going on at the other end. The Australians fondly imagined that Trumper was the only player who dared to pull balls off his stumps, to the leg boundary, but Foster disabused this l idea by repeatedly pulling aciross, once landing the ball on the track. Both used their feet freely to Hordern. Two hundred appeared in 211 minutes, and Foster's 50 appeared in 50 minutes. Six runs later he attempted to play Hordern, and hit the ball on to his -wickets. His score included nine fouirers.

YVooLley qjuickly got his eye in, and faced .the . howling confidently, while Heairne was watching carefully. After luncheon, Whitty and Cotter renewed' the attack. Hearne's 50 took 107 minutes. At 293, Hord'ern took the ball from Cotter,, unci his first over clipped Woolley's bails. The spectators were sorry to see his dismissal, as, with the exception of Foster, lie was. the most attractive batsman of the .team. He hit five Tourers.

Douglas played his first bald up, and Trumper at silly point effected an easy catch. When Barnes joined Hearne play slowed 1 , 'several maidens following. Then Bairnes dirove Whitty for four, making the total 301 for the .same niumbeir of

■ mites. J1 earn* was loudly cheered on passing Hobbs' score, by lifting Hordem to the track.

Kellewav relieved] Whitty, andi his first ball bowled' Barnes. With' Strudwick in, Hearne hit out, and at 70 skied Kelleway, Trumper accepting the catch at long-off.

Hie innings closed with a deficiency of 129. The Australians' fielding was generally smart and clean. England were out shortly before tea time, so that interval was consequently cat out. Trouble started early for Australia, Foster bowling Bimteley when the total was 2!), and the innings had been in progress 35 minutes. Hill joined Kelleway, who was 17. Both played steadily, and 50 appeared after 54 minutes. The bowling was frequently changed, Douglas, Barnes, WooJley and Foster taking a few overs each, and being well supported by the field. After pacing 50, the play became uninteresting, the bowlers keeping a good length, especially Douglas, whose eight overs yielded 10 'runs. Hearne went on at 70, and play brightened up a little. It was still, however, far from brilliant, Hill ami- Kelleway seeming determined to play out time. The century took 106 minutesi

A slight diversion was caused by Hill hitting the ball about a yard along the pitch and sneaking a run. The wicketkeeper and 'bowler both ran for the ball and collided, meanwhile the men got home. With a quarter of an hour to go, Rhod.es started to bowl, but the rate of scoring was unimproved, in spite -of the barracking of a section of the crowd. Both were in when stumps were drawn. Stores:—

ENGLAND—(First Innings. Hobbs, o Hill, b Whitty 63 Kinnear, b Kellewuy 22 Gunn, b Cotter 4 Rhodes, c Hill, >b Hordern 41 Mead, c and b Hordern 0 Heajiis?, c Trumper, b Kellcway 7GFoster, b Ilordean 56 Woo Hey, b Hordern- 39 Douglas, c Trumper, b Hordern ..... 0 Barnes, b Kelleway 0 Strut! wick, not out 0 Extras 8 Itytal 318 Fall of - wickets. —1—45, 2—53, 3—115, 4 —129, 5—142, 0—231, 7—203, 8 —293, 9-310, 10—-318. Bowling- analysis.—Cotter, 1 wicket for 88; Whitty. one for (iO; Kellewav, three tfor 4(i; Hordi.-rn, live for 85; Armstrong, none .for 2S; Minnett, none for 3. AUSTRALIA. First Innings 447 Second Innings. BardsTey, b Foster 12 Kelleway, not out 47 Hill, not out 49 Extras 11 Total for one wicket 119 The attendance at the test match was 13,000. 'MUMPER AND MINNETT. Sydney, December 17. Tnimper's senre. was his sixth century iu the tefU. He 'has also completed two thousand runs in the tes-ts. The Hera.ld, commenting on Min- ! nett's brilliant, debut, says he imparted splendid power to nearly all his strokes, bombarding the fiehters on the off-side repeatedly, his strokes ranging from third man to straight, with an occasional on-drivc. He is ca.pable of still better things. MATCHES ELSEWHERE. Auckland, December 17. The concluding day's play in the .fourth round! of -senior grade cricket matches was favored- with splendid weather. Eden, who had five wickets down ,for 323 in the first innings on the previous Saturday, declared the innings closed without going, to the wictoe-ts again, and dismissed University (first innings) for 224, Eden thus winning on the first innings. Graham (75 not out), Jacobsen (40), and Taylor (23) were 'Varsity's best -scorers. Bowling for Eden, Hay took three wickets for 43, and Mills three for 30. Eden batted again, and scored '4O for one. wicket. Parnell bent North Shore on the first innings, Shore scoring 150 (Sale 53, Bosh 251 to PanncM's first innings' score of

231. Bowling for Parnell, Olifr took six wickets for 08, and Kerr four far 64. Batting again, Parnell made 68 far five wickets (Sutherland 18), Towrreend taking four wickets for 39 runs. In the Grafton-Ponsonby match, Grafwho had made 174 for six wickets on the first day, were dismissed) for a total of 199. Ponsoaby won on the first innings, they 'replying with 23(i for eight wickets (Wilson 57, Kavanagh 36, R. C. Sneddon 28). Ohmtehureh,\December 17.

Another round of the first grade cricket competition wias started to-day, but play had to close early on account of heavy rain. 'Scores:— East Christchurch (5!) for three wickets) v. Limvood; West Christchurch (Ml for two wickets, 11. B. Lusk 74, D. Reese not out 58) v. Riccarton; Sydenham (55 for two wickets) v. St. Albans. Mr. .T. IST. 'Fowke' has selected the following to represent Canterbury in the Pluwket Shield match versus Otago:— J. H. Bennett, C. Boxshall, E .11. Caygill, W. Cartlon, H. B. Lusk, Alfred Norman, K. M. Ollivier, W. R. Patrick, D. Reese, A. Sims, and D. Sandman. Wellington, December 18.

A match was played oil the Wellington College ground om Saturday between teams of prospective representatives of Wellington. A team scored 'lO6, the highest scorers being S. Hicbson (39), Blamires (34 retired), and Lenton (24). Bowles awl Crombie wetre playing for A team, and scored 14 and 9 respectively. B team madia 159, the highest iscorers being Patrick (43), Staples (24 not out), and Finlayson (24 retired).

In the match Petome v. East B, the latter team with a leeway 'of 88 runs on the first innings, followed on, and were disposed of before their opponents' first innings' total- was reached, the winr uers thus obtaining a three-point win. Petone scored 189 in 'their first innings, and 1 liast B made 101 and <lB.

A match was played at the Hutt between Victoria College and a local team. ' ,'lege scored 158 and the Hutt 236.

The selectors, Messrs. Blamires, BHackIwk and Tucker, have chosen the following for Wellington against Hawke's Bay at Christmas:—Beechy (captain), liricie, Blaroiiresi, • Berendsen, Patrick, Kenton, Gibbes, iMaikmy, Naughton, May, and Saunders. In the inter-collegiate match, Wellington College beat Wanganui by 25 runs. Wellington scored 17G and 149, and Wa-ng-anni 102 and 138.