Day 1:
Good progress was made yesterday in the first day of the match at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, between Scotland and South America, but the game, unfortunately did not make any great appeal to the Edinburgh cricketing public, and considerably fewer than 1000 people were present.

The South Americans were dismissed for 220, and Scotland had four men out for 91, so that there was little between the sides at the drawing of stumps, and no indication given as to how the game is likely to go as the result of the play today and tomorrow.

Some good batting was seen, but there was nothing of an eventful character about the play. Only a steady rate of run-getting was reached, as is shown by the fact that it took fully five hours to make 311.

Only at the beginning of the South American's innings was the scoring at all fast. At one time it seemed as if Scotland would get the opposition out for a smaller total, and later, there was a prospect that they would make a much larger score. Then, when the Scots were batting, it looked as if, after a poor start, they would close the day with but two men out. The taking of two fine catches altered that, and in the end the home team were really no better off than their opponents.

The touring team got their total in just under three hours and a half. They started briskly enough, and, thanks chiefly to Jackson, 90 runs were put on in the first hour. That rate of scoring fell, however, and the average for the whole innings was just about 60 per hour.

There was nothing specially noteworthy about the batting, and had it not been for Jackson and Ferguson the South Americans' total would have been but a paltry one. Between them they had more than half their side's total, and each participated in a useful stand, Jackson making 49 with Paul for the third wicket, and Ferguson and D. Ayling adding 69 for the fifth.

It was a smart bit of work by Baxter which separated the first pair. Running from mid-on behind the bowler, Baxter picked up the ball with his left hand, and, transferring it to his right, threw down the wicket to dismiss Paul, who at the time was batting very confidently.

Jackson was more aggressive than the top scorer. He made his runs in about seventy five minutes, compared with Ferguson's stay of nearly two hours. The former had nine 4's, and the latter seven, and if Jackson hit harder, and never failed to punch a loose ball, there was good style about the younger man's batting, and he had some well taken strokes, many of them being nicely placed to send the ball past cover-point.

Ferguson's success would be all the more pleasing to him as his father is a Scotsman. This is his first visit to the Old Country. He is a youth of but nineteen. Jackson gave no chance, but Ferguson might have been taken by the wicket-keeper, off Baxter, standing back, when 32, and at 40 he got a decision in his favour for an appeal for a catch low down at square-leg by Jones.

With five wickets down for 168, the outlook for Scotland was not too promising, but the fielding side had a good spell when a wicket fell at 181, two at 199, and another at 200. At that time the match had taken a decided turn against the batting side.

The last pair gave some trouble. They added 20 very useful runs, and they need not have been got, for C. Ayling was missed in the slips by J. Kerr just on the arrival of the last man. Not many "lives" were given, and, unlike the game with Ireland, none of them proved expensive.

The Scottish fielding, generally, was good, but, like the batting all round, there was nothing very notable about it. The bowling was better after lunch than earlier, and when it appeared to have little sting about it, and especially did Mortimer improve on going on for a second long spell. He found a much better length, and from the time that he got his first wicket only 19 runs were hit from his bowling.

The Aberdeenshire young man, with his slow, right-hand deliveries, did very well on his first appearance for Scotland. Baxter, however, had the better average. Four bowlers only were tried by the Scottish captain, and the brunt of the work fell on Baxter and Mortimer.

Scotland had just under an hour and a half to bat, and with the total at 17 Kerr tried to pull a ball from the left-hander, Keen, missed it, and was out lbw. Then at 28, Stewart, who was batting soundly with but one bad stroke, lost his wicket through a misunderstanding between himself and his partner. Jones batted with great care, and, as at Greenock in the game with Ireland, proved a good man to open the innings, and he and Nicholson looked like batting out time without further loss.

The West of Scotland man had some fine strokes, including four 4's, and with Jones responding to his example, the pair put on 58 when together. Nicholson, however, with the score at 85, hit a ball firmly to square-leg, and a good catch was made, and three runs later Knox, who is also of Scottish extraction, brought off a wonderful catch from a hard hit ball. The South Americans gave nothing away in the field.

Day 2:
Scotland gained the mastery over the men from South America in the match at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, yesterday, and finished the day with a very decided advantage. They are in a strong position to enter upon the closing day's play, for, with securing a very helpful lead of 125 on the first innings, they got rid of half of their opponents for 105 in the second innings.

Thus South America are still 20 runs behind with but five wickets to fall. After what happened at Greenock, however, in the Irish match, it will be well if there is no anxiety about a victory until it is actually gained. In favour of Scotland was the loose fielding of the South Americans. They were not nearly so smart or accurate as on Thursday evening, and nor were many runs given away unnecessarily but several catches were dropped. These, however, did not prove very expensive.

The Scottish batting was chiefly responsible for this that so handsome a lead was obtained. McTavish, Jones, and Spowart all did splendidly in that department, though it could not be said that any particular liberties were ever taken with the bowling.

All three batted remarkably well and if Jones and Spowart gave no chances during their stays at the wicket McTavish did not give a "life" until he was well in sight of his century.

The weather was dull and threatening, but the rain held off. There was, however, a hard wind, and so hard that it was found necessary to play without bails, a rare occurrence in Scottish cricket. Once more there was a disappointing crowd, of all told well under a thousand.

Scotland got a splendid send-off for the day from the overnight not-outs, Jones (36) and McTavish (3). The latter especially scored fast, several 4's came from his bat. Quickly he caught up on his partner, for he had 35 out of the 44 obtained yesterday, and he got them in about half an hour's time. It then became a race between the two as to who would get to 50 first, but again and again, when it looked as if McTavish would be the winner, Jones pulled away again. Jones won, and McTavish followed his example in the next over.

The coming on of Knox and C. Ayling to take over from Gibson and Keen quietened the early rate of run-getting, and though McTavish had a great on-drive for 6 off Ayling, the batsman could do much with the high slows of Knox, who gave a lot of trouble, and had the satisfaction of breaking up a prolific partnership by bowling Jones after he and McTavish had put on 71 runs for the fifth wicket. Though Jones had taken fully two hours to make his 54, and had but three 4's, his innings was a very valuable one for the side, and he had a very considerable part in enabling Scotland to go ahead of the opposition total.

After losing the company of Jones, McTavish was not nearly so free in his batting. His first 50 came in forty five minutes, and was a delight to see, it was McTavish at his best, but he required nearly an hour and a half for his second half hundred. And he had a bad time on approaching his three figure score, for at 86 Keen failed to take a catch in the slips, and at 91 in making an attempt for a full drive, the batsman skied the ball, and D. Ayling made a poor shape at the catch.

McTavish tried hard to get his hundred before lunch, but failed by one stroke, and it was some time after resuming that he achieved the goal, his first hundred in an international match. It was a fine off-drive which gave him his century. He did not go much further, and included in his hits were one 6 and eleven 4's. His favourite stroke was a powerfully hit off-drive.

Spowart, the Fifeshire man, made a great debut in international cricket, and his innings was a chanceless one. He exercised the greatest care, and he helped McTavish to put on 116 runs for the sixth partnership. It took him two hours and ten minutes to make his 66, and he had a 5, 4 from an overthrow, and eight 4's.

Spowart was content to wait for loose balls for his run getting. He was at the wicket while 142 runs were being got. A very serviceable innings it was. Neither Logan or Anderson gave any trouble, but the last pair did; and they added 44, and so quickly did they bat that they got the runs in twenty minutes. Both had some good strokes, particularly Baxter, who had a splendid straight drive for 6 and three 4's. It was a jolly "knock," and it was his 6 which put Scotland a hundred ahead. He was also badly let off.

The South Americans fared badly on going in again, and lost their fourth wicket at 54, with still an hour to go. Latham and Knox then put their backs to the wall, and it was not until a few minutes before the time for the drawing of the stumps that they were parted, Logan making his third catch at the wicket in dismissing Knox.

Both the batsmen exercised extreme caution, which was not surprising in view of the situation, and Latham was at the wicket for two hours and a quarter for his 38, and he was still unbeaten. His was a stubborn resistance, and so was that offered by Knox. Neither bothered about runs unless they could be made with every safety. On Knox being dismissed, stumps were drawn

Day 3:
In the second of the season's representative matches, Scotland accomplished a splendid performance in defeating the South Americans by the substantial margin of eight wickets at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.

The tourists 125 in arrears on first innings, fought an uphill battle from the beginning of their second venture, and, entering the concluding day still 20 behind and with half their wickets down, they were in a decidedly precarious position. The weather was brighter on Saturday, although the high cross-wind was again a troublesome factor, but the attendance was no better than on preceding days.

Latham and D. Ayling continued the visitors' innings, and the former, who had batted stolidly for two hours in scoring 38 the previous evening, showed less restraint, playing both Baxter and Anderson with some confidence. The first innings deficit was wiped out after twenty minutes, and the pair put on 34 before Mortimer, coming on for Anderson, got Latham taken at the wicket in his second over shortly after he had completed his half century.

Latham's innings, which was a valuable one to the side, was characterised by excellent defence. He had only four boundaries in his total, and was at the wicket for a little over two and a half hours.

The visitors then lost a couple of wickets cheaply, both falling to Baxter, who bowled very fast, but D. Ayling and Gibson were more difficult to dislodge. The visiting skipper was content to keep his end up, and left the scoring to his partner. Ayling went for the bowling fearlessly, hitting Baxter in one over for three successive 4's, but the Grange man succeeded in breaking up the partnership after it had realised 34, when he had Gibson taken behind the stumps.

The last wicket also gave trouble, and had added 25 before Baxter, clean bowling Ayling immediately after he had reached his 50, brought the innings to an end after three hours and three quarters. Ayling who Batted ninety minutes and hit six 4's, gave a confident display, and coming at a time when the tourists were desperately in need of runs, it was a creditable and valuable effort.

To get 84 runs to win was not a formidable task for the Scots, and starting off after lunch, Kerr and Jones gave them an excellent start putting on 59 inside forty minutes. Jones, who was in confident vein and scored much quicker than the Greenock man, was sent back at this figure, and Stewart followed him to the pavilion 11 runs later, but the remaining runs were knocked off without further loss after seventy minutes' batting.

The decisive victory over the men from South America is an encouragement to the Scots, who in recent years have met with little success against touring teams. They are certain to encounter more formidable opposition in meeting the All Indians in two weeks' time.

T. Spowart, the Fifeshire skipper, gave a faultless display in the first innings. He was not called upon to bat a second time, which went a long way to establishing the Scots in a strong position. J. Mortimer; the Aberdeen youth, was another who made quite a successful debut. His fielding was excellent, he made quite a good shape with the bat, and on a wicket that gave him no assistance he did well to capture five wickets at a cost of 97 runs.

W.R. Logan failed with the bat, but acquitted himself creditably behind the stumps, conceding only nine byes in the game, while in the tourist' second innings he brought off no fewer than five catches. Along with Spowart, the batting honours were shared by J.F. Jones and A.K. McTavish.

The Royal High Schoolman showed a welcome return to form, and his attractive innings was of immense value to the side. Jones had another very successful match, and with the Fettesian and John Kerr the Scots have a splendid opening pair of batsmen. The Greenock veteran redeemed his first innings failure with a sound "knock" in the second.

A.D. Baxter also played a prominent part in the downfall of the visitors, and was the most successful bowler in the match, his "bag" over the two innings being eleven wickets at a cost of just under 15 runs apiece.

The tourists made a fair show with the bat, but they did not appear very efficient in bowling strength, and their fielding, which was excellent on the first day, deteriorated badly afterwards. In this, as in other departments, the Scots were their superiors.

(Article: Copyright © 2013 Cricket Scotland http://cricketscotland.com)