Australia v England 1907-08

Played at Adelaide, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, January 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16. Australia won by 245 runs.

The Englishmen lost the third Test match by 245 runs, allowing the game to slip out of their hands after it had seemed twenty to one on them. They played the same eleven as at Melbourne, but the Australians made two changes, Hartigan the Queensland batsman and O'Connor taking the places of Hazlitt and Cotter, the last named player being kept away by a bad strain. Clem Hill, suffering from influenza, was too unwell to field, but fighting against his illness he played a wonderful innings. Winning the toss the Australians scored 285, runs coming at the rate of just under one a minute. Macartney batted finely for two hours and a quarter, and Hartigan's first appearance was a great success. The innings ended on the second morning the English bowling, despite the intense heat, having been maintained at a high standard.

The Englishmen batted very consistently and when play ceased they were only 26 behind with five wickets in hand. The Australians missed Cotter on the fast wicket. Crawford played finely the next morning, and the innings closed for 363 or 78 ahead. On Australia going in for a second time Barnes soon got rid of Trumper and Macartney, and at the drawing of stumps the Australians, with four wickets down, were 55 runs to the good. Noble, who played splendidly, left with two runs added next morning, and though Ransford and O'Connor put on 44 together the seventh wicket fell at 180. The Englishmen were in a tremendously strong position, but as events turned out a couple of dropped catches destroyed their chance. Hartigan, when 32, should have been caught by Fielder at point, and Hill, when 22, was badly missed by Barnes at mid-off.

Making the most of their luck the two batsmen played superbly and at the close of the afternoon they were still together, the score having been raised to 397. In all the partnership added 243 runs, Hartigan being out on the fifth morning at 423. In his 116 he hit a dozen 4s. Hartigan's success in making a hundred in his first Test match was much appreciated. Hill was batting for five hours and twenty minutes for his 160 - a great effort considering his illness. He hit eighteen 4s. Fielder, who had been unwell all through the match, could not play on the fifth day.

The innings ended for 506, the Englishmen being left with 429 to get to win. There never seemed the least chance of this enormous task being accomplished. Hardstaff played very finely, but five wickets were down for 139 and on the following morning the match was finished off in less than an hour.