CRICKET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3222, 21 June 1909, Page 3

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIA v. ENGLAND. INTERESTING FIGURES. The last weeks game makes the eighty-third in the history of the game, the first one dating back to 1876-7, when Australia met England for the first time on level terms, and thanks to Chas. Bannerman's immortal 165 (retired hurt), they succeeded in winning by 45 runs. Bannerrnan's was consequently the first test match century, and it stood as the highest until W. L. Murdock's 211 in England in 1884. England has won 35 games, Australia 32, and 15 have been drawn. Each English professional receives £2O for his services in a test match, but each Australian "amateur" receives £25 in Australia. It is a peculiar fact that the present Australian team contains no hitters of the calibre of Bonnor, Massie, Lyons, M'Donnell, or even Darling, Graham, and W. P. Howell of later times. How many matches have been won by .the hard hitting of these men at a pinch! Cricket was a more popular game then, and the crowds that used to assemhle when it was stated that "Bonnor will play" were simply surprising. I Cotter is the only member of the I present combination, but he is not used so much as a batsman as he ■ might be. It will be seen from the subjoined list of playters who have scoreu I 1,000 runs in test matches that I Gregory requires only 38 runs to j complete his 2,000, a feat nccom- ! plished only by Clement Hill. Trumper requires 178 and Noble 216. The following is the list:— AUSTRALIA. C. Hill 2,386 S. E. Gregory. 1,962 V. Trumper 1,822 M. A. Noble 1.784 J. Darling 1,632 G. Giffen 1,238 A. C. Bannerman 1,105 R. A. Duff 1,079 W. W. Armstrong i 1,079 ENGLAND! A. C. MacLaren 1,882 T. Hay ward. 1,747 F. S. Jackson 1,415 . J. T. Tyldesley 1,301 A. Shrewsbury 1,277 W. G. Grace 1,098 Nearly.-—A. E. Stoddart, 996; K. S. Rangitsinhji, 989; P. S. M'Donnell, 958; G. Ulyett, 901. A few more figures on past performances might also be acceptable. Hugbie Trumble took more wickets in test matches than any other cricketer, his tally being 141, while Noble is next with 111. Giffen took 103, and so he and Noble are the only players to perform the "double" of 1,000 runs and JOO wickets. Peel obtained 102, and is the only Englishman to reach three figures, although Briggs took 97 before his lamentable death in 1899 through excitement in trying to obtain his hundredth. Rhodes has taken 83. C. T. B. Turner ("The Terror") obtained 101, while Spoffortb, who refused to play when still in his prime, had obtained 94*tArmstrong has taken 39, Cotter 38. and Laver 23. No "spectacles" were scored in the first "test" this season, although Carter (1 and 0) went remarkably close to the honour.