EMPIRE CRICKET COACH.

A cabled Item Informs the world that Hitch, of Surrey, is going: to Bloemfontoin to teach the S'Africans how to bowl, and that other English pros, had been engaged for the game m the Union. How many New Zealanders are aware that there is out here a veteran county man doing his best to improve the summer pastime m the South Island, m the person of Alick Handford? In -95 Alick was on Lord's fJuu $ 8 »f"' after winning a reputation v Ith Notts' county eleven. Then the *.'?£' so t nt u h m out to East London, S Africa, to help improve the game over S^n , Back . a » a | n > London (the Old Dart), he played for M.C.C. till 1901 h!i« ln ?. Wn n"J 10 coached the Repton School m Derbyshire, J. N. Crawford passing under his eye there. At that time no fewer than seven Repton youths wore playing m county cricket AUck took his talent* to tho schools of .To'berg m 1905 and ho gave the finishing touches to the S'Afrlcan team that won tho first series of tests against ; England. He did some coaching for tho Lancashire Leaguers m 1910 and later taught the young idea how to cricket at Marlborough School. Then tho M.C.C. sent him out here, to coach at Christ's College, and ho liked New Zealand so well that he h/in stayed out associating himself lntterly with the summer game m Southland, it i 8 not beyond the bounds of possibilities that Alick Handford may add to his already wide nn<l cosmopolitan experience he la truly an Empire cricketer— -by taking on the Job of coaching the promising talent along the West Coast of the South Island, with Greymouth as his centre.