Test Cricket at Rarotonga.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Karotonga, Feb. 27.

THE London Mission Society’s sports ground was the scene of a fiasco the other after noon.

The fiasco was concerned with a test match (cricket) between a native and an European team.

The game was the outcome of a challenge made by Mr. W. P. Browne (proprietor of the local picture house) for his XI. to meet an XI. comprising Europeans.

The information is not very definite, but it appears that the honour of raking together an European team fell to Mr. E. Mosse.

It seems there was difficulty in getting this team together. One of the most useful colts with the bat could not play on account, so it was announced, of a broken toe.

At any rate the first innings resulted : Browne’s XL, 108; Europeans, 38. Mr. Mosse’s XI. fol lowed on and took second strike.

The report goes that Dr. Ellison was nearly laid out before he proceeded to the crease. A ripe bread-fruit fell heavily at his feet from a tall branch of a tree, under which he was standing.

No doubt this was a warning of disaster.

Another bad omen, according to all accounts, was a slight injury to a fowl in the outfield from a ball.

No one seems to be able to account for it, but the 10th wicket fell with the inning’s score at It is understood that Mr. Browns was re quested not to announce the result at the pic tures in the evening.

So many duck-eggs were recorded that perhaps it may be as well to spare players a perpetra tion of the ghastly horror of the scoring board.