CRICKET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9019, 4 January 1908, Page 5

CRICKET.

J ENGLAND v. AUSTRALIA. Received January 3, 9.58 p.m. MELBOURNE, January 3. The second test match was resumed' to-day. The wicket was excellent,, and the weather warm. The attendance reached ten thousand. Hutchings did not last long when, play was resumed. He started briskly, but only added nine when he was bowled by Cotter. His innings lasted two hours and forty-three minutes, and was a really marvellous exposii tion. It was a predominant feature ! of England's batting, and showed how the bowling could be hit all over the field, but none of his colleagues followed his example. He hit 21 fourers and one six, and showed amazing power of the wrist and forearm in all his strokes. He has a peculiar flick which is unorthodox and highly successful. Old cricketers claim that nobody, barring the Indian PrinceRaniitsinghi, has come from England? to Australia with such extraordinary skill in this direction. He received a well-deserved ovation on returning to the pavilion. Braund played a solid and artistic innings, which lasted two hours and forty minutes,, and included five boundary hits. Rhodes was out to a wretched stroke after a colourless innings. Australia's, fielding and bowling were very good,. Armstrong in particular keeping theruns down with a magnificent lengthHis full figures read: Overs 34.22,. maidens 15, wickets 2, runs 36. Cotter and Saunders both bowled exceedingly .veil. England's innings lasted seven; hours and two minutes. Australia started their second innings with Noble and Trumper. Fane, satisfied with the performance of Crawford in the first innings, put him on with Fielder, hut before long he sought relief in Barnes, Rhodes and Braund. The batsmen immediately entered upon forcing the game, and scored rapidly. Runs came from both ends with splendid regularity, each batsman playing sound and artistic cricket, which delighted the crowd. They hit up their 96 runs in eighty minutes, and when stumps were drawn were greeted with a burst of cheers. Scores: — ( ENGLAND.—Ist Innings. Hobbs, b Cotter 83 Fane, b Armstrong 13 Gunn, lbw, b Cotter 15 Hutchings, b Cotter 126 Braund, b Cotter 49 Hardstaff, b Saunders 12 Rhodes, b Saunders 32 Crawford, c Ransford, b Saunders 16 Humphries, b Cotter 6 Barnes, c Hill, b Armstrong 14 Fielder, not out 6 Extras 10 Total 382 Bowling analysis.—Cotter, 5 for 142; Saunders, 3 for 100; Noble, nil for 26; Armstrong, 2 for 36; Hazlitt, nil for 34; MacArtney, nil for 34, Wickets fell-4 for 126; 5 for 299; 6 for 325; 7 for 353; 8 for 360; 9 for 369. AUSTRALIA.—2nd Innings. Trumper, not out 46 Noble, not out 50 Total for no wickets 96

CANTERBURY v. WELLINGTON. \

i!Y TELEGRAPH-MESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, January 3. After a close finish Wellington beat Canterbury on the stroke of the clock. Play lasted from 11 a.m. till 6.30 p.m., and the game was only won in the final over of the day. Wellington closed their innings at 346 for seven wickets. Beechey increased his score to 94, nearly all by singles, and Blacklock hit up 93 by batting of an entirely opposite character. Both, however, were missed. Hickson made 38, and Williams 29. Canterbury had 310 to get in tl.ree and a-half hours, but never tried for the runs. Reese played another fine innings of 69, and Orchard hit up 36, but with nearly an hour to go eight wickets had fallen. Then Bennett and Williams made a stubborn stand, the latter simply blocking while the former hit. They took the total to 211, and Crawshaw stayed till the last over. Bennett was afraid to let him have the bowling, and would not run for his own hits, but unluckily gave a chance off the last ball but one, which was accepted, the total being 218. There was high scoring in the match, 1,255 runs being recorded.

OTAGO v. AUCKLAND.

AUCKLAND, January 3. The cricket match between Auckland and Otago was continued to-day in fine weather. Play generally speaking was alow, and not up to the opening day's form. Scores:— OTAGO. First Innings. A. Adams, c Hemus, h.Relf 21 F. Williams, b Relf 1 S. S. Austin, lbw, b Relf 0 H. G. Siedeberg, c Oliff, b Kerr 6 A. Eckhold, b Relf 8 W. W. Mackersey, lbw, b Relf 2 H. O. Wilson, b Relf .11 T. Adams, c Robinson, b Kerr 0 W. Kilgour, not out 3 R. C. Torrance, c Smith, b Kerr 1 A. Eckholf, c Prime, b Kerr 12 Extras 16 Total 81 In bowling Relf got six wickets for 22 runs, Haddon nil for 5, White nil for nine, Kerr four for 24, and Oliff nil for five. AUCKLAND. First innings 276 . Second Innings. L. G. Hemus, c and b Austin 29 W. 'B. Smith, c A. Adams, b Mackersey 0 E. V. Sale, b Eckhoff 25. L. Prime, c and b Eckhoff 0 Cummings, not out 29 . A. Haddon, c and b Austin 9 / A. E. Relf, not out 31/ Extras ll Total for five wickets 3/34 Bowling—Torrance got no wifltfets for 35 runs, Mackersey one for 29, Eckhoff two for 24, Austin 2 f(6r 27, Wilson nil for eight. ;