The Fifth Test.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 203, 24 February 1912, Page 8

The Fifth Test.

ENGLAND AT THE WICKETS. SIX WICKETS FOR 204. "UNINTERESTING BATTING. i GOOD BOWLING AND FIELDING. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received 23, 6.45 p.m. Sydney, February 23. Although the ashes are won and lost, there is great interest in the fifth best, owing to the bitter controversy concerning the personnel of the team for England. The weather was fine but threatening, and the wicket good. Douglas won the toss and had np hesitation in batting. I Hobbs and Rhodes opened to MacLaren and Macartney. Rhodes started by driving Macartney to the boundary. Hobbs scored a single* off MacLaren's second over. Rhodes had • a narrow escape, tipping a fast one, but Carter was just unable to reach it. Maeartney drew first blood by bowling Rhodes off his pads with the first ball of his third over.

Gunn followed, - and when MacLaren had bowled six overs for 15 runs, Hor-j dern relieved him, and his third ball Hobbs lifted dangerously over Trumper's • head to square leg. Fifty went up after, 57 minutes' play. Before adding to the score, Hobbs skied Hazlitt, who was bowling, vice Macartney, in the slips, but out of danger, however, and the ball went to the boundary. The same over, Gunn lifted a ball dangerously to leg. MacLaren reached it with the. tip of his fingers, but was unable to hold it. Next over, Hobbs hit out at a googlie fnvn ( Hordern, and Eansford at wide long on effected an easy catch. 2—32—69. Hearne joined Gunn and they were together at luncheon. After the interval Armstrong and MacLaren attacked. Play was extremely slow, 18 minutes being occupied in scoring nine runs. Then Hearne, who had scored four, turned and hit Armstrong hard to leg, where Macartney at short leg snapped a brilliant catch.

With Foster in the rate of scoring did not improve, 100 occupying 126 minutes. Gunn's BO took 118 minutes. At 114, Foster, who had scored 15, stepped out to Hazlitt, missed' and was smartly stumped by Carter. Douglas was next. Gunn" at 50 gave Macartney a difficult chance, at short leg, off Armstrong, which he dropped. Douglas at 4 also tipped Hordern to Gregory at short leg, who caught the ball as it touched the ground. Gunn was 23 minutes on 50 before adding a single. He added another single in 10 minutes, and was then stumped through stepping out to Hordern. He hit three fours.

Douglas and Woolley were together at tea time, when the score was five wickets for 132. After tea, play was still slow, the batsmen displaying extreme caution. The bowling was good, Armstrong especially keeping a good length. When he was relieved by Minnettj he had bowled 22 overs, 8 maidens, 29 runs, one wicket. Hordern was also bowling a good length and spinning well. When Doug-' las had scored 18 in 71 minutes by uninteresting batting, he tried to straight drive Hordern. The ball twisted on the bat, and Ransford at deep midon took the catch. The partnership produced

After Vine came in, Woolley brightened up and brought up his 50"in 70 minutes. Vine was 29 minutes putting on one. The second century came up in 252 minutes. The Australian's fielding was keen and good, with the exception of Hordern, who made several bad misses. At 5.45 the light failed, and the match was adjourned with the score as follows:ENGLAND. i First Innings. Rhodes, b Macartney 8 Hobbs, c Ransford, h Hordern 32 Hearne, c Macartney, b Armstrong 4 Gunn, st Carter, b Hordern. 52 Foster, st Carter, b Hazlitt 15 Douglas, c Ransford, b Hordern .... 18 Woolley, not out 62 Vine, not out g Extras 5

Total for six wickets 204 THE MANAGEMENT' QUESTION. A STATEMENT BY HILL. Sydney, February 23. Hill, speaking for the rejected players, declared: "We are very sorry at the turn affairs have taken. We have done all we can to secure a settlement. The board still objects to Laver as manager, though I offered them all the books and papers of the tour, to let McElhone appoint an arbitrator, and to abide by his decision, whether Laver was disloyal. He refused, repeating that Laver was disloyal. Why don't they select the whole team and allow them to select a manager?" Messrs, McGowen and Holman last night had a long interview with the six players. Mr. McGowen subsequently said he would seen the Board of Control with a proposal, which he hoped would settle matters. Hill subsequently stated that he only wanted peace and that the best team should go to England. Matters could be settled in the event of McElhone being prepared to accept a compromise, but he still demanded unconditional acceptance of the board's demands. If the selectors chose Laver as a member of the team, the players would make no further protest. Melbourne, February 23. Dr. Mailer, one of the Victorian representatives on the Board of Control, declared that the secretary had no right to take action, as the players had accepted conditionally. He will want to know why the secretary took the action be did without a further meeting of the board. The way in which the players had been treated was downright "dishonorable. Players should not be asked to sacrifice their principles. PREMIER AND PLAYERS. LAVER THE STUMBLING BLOCK. Received 24, 12.30 a.m. Sydney, February 23. At the conclusion of a long interview between Mr. McElhone and Mr. McGowen (Premier) over the cricket trouble, Mr. McGowen stated that the ■ Board of Control were fully determined not to accept the nomination of Laver as

the players' manager. They were noil unwilling to accept Laver as a player 1 even at this late hour. r It is believed the Board will accept the J surrender of the six players if they do 1 not persist in desiring Laver as manager. PLAYERS REPLACED. Received 24, 12.30 a.m. , Sydney, February 23. Macartney and Webster have been se- ; lected to replace Ransford and Carter in the team for England. BAD WEATHER. Received 24, 1.5 a.m. Sydney, February 23. A wet wicket is promised for to-mor-row. Heavy showers have fallen and more are threatening. AUCKLAND y. WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON OPEN WELL. By Telegraph—Press Association. . Wellington, Last Night. \ The wicket was good, the weather fine and the attendance fairly large for the • match between Auckland and Welling- ' ton, which commenced on the Basin Reserve to-day. The whole afternoon was occupied with Wellington's first innings, Which is not yet completed. Auckland were rather weak in bowling, the first partnership lasting almost two hours and I yielding 127 runs. Scoring was slow at i the start, but brightened up later. The following are the scores: . WELLINGTON. First Innings. Blamires, 1.b.w., b Somerville 46 Gibbes, c Ellis, b Thompson 81 Baker, b Thompson ~ 2 Mahoney, b Sneddon 25 Midlane, c Hemus, b Sneddon 31 Blacklock, b Thompson 1 Dickson, st Ellis, b Sneddon 8 Robinson, not out 0 Grimmett, c and b Thompson 1 Extras 13 Total for eight wickets 208 Bowling analysis.—Thompson, four, for 64; Sneddon, three for 34; Somerville, one for 21; Jones, Mason, Wallace, and Taylor also bowled. OTAGO v. SOUTHLAND. ! Dunedin, Last Night. | The cricket match, Otago v. Southland, commenced to-day in wretched wea- j ther. The wicket was saturated, and 1 play was impossible till 3 o'clock, and, heavy showers fell intermittently after- '■ wards. Less than one hour's play was indulged in, and there were extra heavy showers shortly before 4 o'clock, necessitating the drawing of stumps for the 1 day. ; Otago won the toss and decided to bat. After twenty minutes' play, 25 runs having been scored, play had to be adjourned for a quarter of an hour. On resumption Watson was clean bowled by ! Poole for 13. Condliffe and Hopkins played out time, the former scoring 11 and the latter 3, the total being 31 for one wicket. Sydney, Last Night.—Arrived, at 2, Wimmera. The following will represent Law in their match against New Plymouth at the High School grounds, commencing at 2 o'cloc kthis afternoon:—Lash, Elliot,

Bewley, Oreatßatch, Lawrey, Anderson, Quilliam, Reid, Harding, Johnston and another.