The Canterbury week

THE CANTERBURY WEEK of 1871 was the most successful yet held. From the call of Play on Monday to the call of Time on Saturday, the week's cricket was played under a bright and seasonably hot sun. The ground--thanks to the careful and unremitting attention of Mr. T. LADD--was in splendid condition all over. The crack match of the week was contested by the cream of the skilled cricketing talent of England; and if the cricket lacked the so-called sensational form of former weeks--to wit, that of 1868--there can be no question that truer, better all round cricket was never played at Canterbury than that witnessed in the North v. South match of '71, especially on the Tuesday. The attendances on the first four days of the week were far in excess of any preceding week's, evidencing that, as season succeeds season, so does this ably conducted meeting increase in popularity and success; and so it is to be hoped it may continue to prosper, for from May-day to St. Partridge-day there is no cricket week played out by first-class cricketers in so pleasant a spot, or one that is so heartily and healthfully enjoyed, as THE CANTERBURY WEEK.

NORTH v. SOUTH.

FIRST DAY, MONDAY-- The Week was successfully inaugurated. The weather was bright and hot, the attendance the largest known on a first day, the wickets in excellent condition, and the cricket played on them first-class. At 12.30 the South's innings was commenced by Mr. Thornton and Mr. G. F. Grace, the Northern bowlers at starting being J. C. Shaw and Martin McIntyre (who played because Daft could not). A couple of 4's by Mr. Grace from J. C. Shaw's first over, and a couple of 4's from his third over by Mr. Thornton, was an ominously successful commencement for the South, whose score was at 45 (30 by Mr. Thornton) when McIntyre (in one over) bowled Mr. G. F. Grace and his successor, Mr. Hadow. At 69 Mr. Thornton was stumped for 52 made in 54 minutes by eight 4's (3 from one over of Farrands'). & c. (It must be understood that all hits to the ring were booked as 4's and were not run out.) Pooley (with a battered, bruised, and very painful finger) and Mr. W. G. Grace then moved the score from 69 to 117, when Mr. Grace was cleverly caught out at wicket for 31; in that same over Jupp was bowled, and when only one more run had been made, Mr. Alfred Lubbock was also bowled. The collapse, in two successive overs, of three such wickets as Mr. W. Grace's, Jupp's, and Mr. Lubbock's, was a stinging blow for the South, but it was a blow ably and scientifically countered immediately after by Mr. I. D. Walker and Pooley, who, by steady and A1 batting increased the score from 118 to 229, when the Northerner's tried the underhand slows of Mr. Rose, and these got rid of the remaining 4 wickets for 21 runs; the first lob drove Mr. Walker on to his wicket, from the fourth Pooley was c and b, from the 12th Willsher was stumped, and from the 26th Southerton was c and b, the innings being ended at 5 minutes to 5 for 250 runs. Pooley commenced at 7 minutes past one, the score at 45 for 2 wickets; at 4.30 he was eighth out, the score at 230; his 93 was a combination of pluck, patience, and punishing hitting that has rarely been equalled, never excelled. Pooley was one hour and 28 minutes scoring his first 25 runs; he made the remaining 68 runs in one hour and a quarter; his 93 included fourteen 4's.

THE NORTH's first innings was commenced in an astonishing manner both with ball and bat, as Willsheropened by bowling 16 successive maiden overs, and Mr. Dale and Lockwoodscored 91 runs before the first wicket fell. The innings commenced at 17 minutes past 5 to the bowling of Willsher and Southerton, with Jupp keeping wicket. When Willsher had bowled 19 overs (16 maidens) for 8 runs, he was succeeded by Mr. Thornton; Lillywhite had previously relieved Southerton, and subsequently Mr. Thornton was succeeded by Mr. W. Grace, who quickly c and b Lockwood for an especially well played innings of 51, the score at 91; and when play ceased at 6.45, the North score was at 110 for one wicket--Mr. Dalenot out 52, John Smith not out 3.

RESULT OF FIRST DAY's CRICKET--360 runs scored; 11 wickets down.

TUESDAY was the most successful second day of all The Weeks yet played out. The Weather was superb, the company in numbers, gaiety, and influence, nearly up to a Thursday's form, and the cricket (to those who admit there is something else to admire beyond hitting balls over pavilions find scoring 100 runs) was splendid. Such a day of superbly effective fielding (by both sides) was worth travelling from Cornwall to Canterbury to witness and enjoy. At 11.30 Mr. Dale and Smith went on with the North's innings; with the score at 129 Smith and Carpenter were both out, and at 134 Mr. Dale was c and b for 64, one of the best and truest innings played in the week's cricket. McIntyre was 34 minutes scoring 8 runs and at 25 minutes past one the innings was over for 203, Biddulph's being the only wicket bowled down. At a quarter to 2 Mr. W. Grace and Jupp commenced the second innings of the South. The Surrey man was out with the score at 15; at 45 a magnificent catch (hands high up and the hit very hot) by Mr. Rose ended Mr. Hadow's innings, and at 47 a left-hand catch, cool and clever, at point by Carpenter got rid of Mr. A. Lubbock. At 58 another left-hand catch by Carpenter settled Pooley, and at 69 a rare bit of fielding by Alfred Shaw and Biddulph led to Royston deciding Mr. W. Grace was run out. Mr. Thornton's 37 minutes at wickets resulted in 26 runs; he left with the score at 108 for 7 wickets. At 134 a superb catch (when running at full speed) by Lockwood at long-off stopped Mr. G. F. Grace's score, and at 137 Biddulph smartly stumped Southerton; then another fine--a very fine--catch at long-field by Lockwood settled Willsher, and thereby, at 5 o'clock, ended the innings for 143 runs, not one of the Southerners being bowled out. At 5.30 the North second innings was opened by Mr. Dale and Lockwood to the bowling of Willsher and Southerton. The dazzling glare of the glorious setting sun made batting at the lower wicket difficult, and when play ceased at 6.45 the North had lost Lockwood (with the score at 14), Smith (at 29), Mr. Dale (at 45), Mr. Mitchell (at 53), McIntyreand Mr. Rose (at 56), and Alfred Shaw (at 60), or 7 wickets for 60 runs; 6 of the 7 wickets fell to the bowling of Willsher, who finished off that evening's cricket by bowling 5 overs (all maidens) and 2 balls for a hit for 4 and 4 wickets--the 4 hit and a wicket being obtained from the last two balls he bowled. Of the 26 wickets down that day, 2 were run out, 3 c and b, 5 stumped, 5 bowled, and 11 caught out. The runs saved that day were many, so truly splendid was the fielding, especially by Smith, Mr. I. D. Walker, Mr. Dale, Mr. Hadow, Carpenter, Mr. Thornton, Lockwood, Jupp, the brothers Grace, Biddulph, and Mr. Lubbock. On the Monday runs were scored at the rate of 33 per wicket; on Tuesday the average was not quite 12 runs per wicket.

RESULT OF SECOND DAY' CRICKET--296 runs scored; 26 wickets down.

ON WEDNESDAY a cloudless sky and a burning sun proclaimed it a cricketing morning, and "off day" though the third day is reckoned, the attendance in the afternoon was numerous and fashionable. The North v. South match was quickly played on the programme. They resumed the innings at ll.45; at 7 minutes past 12 the match was over. When the score reached 64 Biddulph was finely thrown out by Mr. W. Grace, at 68 Carpenter was out, and when Farrands had made a single, a 2, and three 4's (all 15 runs from Southerton's bowling) Mr. W. Grace settled him, and brought the innings to an end for 90 runs, the South winning by exactly 100. Willsher's bowling had 7 wickets in that innings; the ball he obtained those 7 wickets with was complimentarily presented to him by Mr. W. Grace