CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 54

CRICKET.

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. Doubtful (Wedderburn). — The bat is for the player with the best average in 12 inning 3; therefore B. is entitled to the trophy. There is no getting away from the conditions.

NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

The members of the Dunedin Cricket Club met on Saturday evening and presented Pat Nichol with a gold medal, being the trophy for the winner of the batting average for the Dunedin Second Grade team for the season just closed. It is reported that one of Victoria'a leading cricketers intends talcing up his residence in Dunedin. Also that a strong combination from New South Wales will tour New Zealand next year.

Lord Hawke, writing Home from India, mentions a sad incident that occurred in a match at Ragkot, in which his Lordship took part. Captain Pogson, one of the players, after delivering the fifth ball of an over, sat down on the crease, said he felt queer, and died while being carried to the pavilion, where his wife was one of the spectators. The brilliant baUman Mackay heads the batting averages in Sydney Senior Grade cricket for this season just closed with a total number of runs 972, and an average of 108. Mackay's highest score is 204. His total score for the past season in all matches is 2064-, which constitutes a record for New South Wales.

It is reported that in a match at Charters Towers between Victor Trumper's Eleven and a local side tlie local wicket-keeper was stunned by one of Cotter's fast deliveries, and remained unconscious for over half an hour.

H. B. Lusk has left Auckland for Christchurch to join tho staff of Christ's College as house master. His departure means a loss to Auckland cricket ( c ays a northern writer), and a gain to that of Christchrnvh, on whey rep. team he will find a ready place if he continues hatting and fielding in the form he has displayed this year. He will play for West Christchtuch, the team which includes Sims and J. D. Lawrence.

Apropos of the Board of Control trouble, tho ->ase for the Board of Control is put shortly by Mr A. W. Green, a member of the New South Wales Association, as follows: — "New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland will form the board, and will be in a position to approach the Marvlebone Club in respect of the visit of the English team and other matters connected with the English matches. The board intends in no way to interfere with the financial aspect ; but it will Bee to it that the best team is always available to make the trip in the future. Our limit of financial interference will be to see that the teams are properly and sufficiently financed to leave home without having to jjo to the Melbourne Cricket Club, for instance, and borrow the necessary £1500, a.3 was recently the case. And there ought to bo an amount of money put away to in some way reward old and worn-out players, who at any time do something good for the game." The. Board of Control, which came into existence last May, consists of representatives from New South Wal-es, Victoria, and Queensland, the constitution stipulating that one of the Victorian members shall be appointed by the Melbourne Club. "Originally" (says a Sydney writer in a recent article on the board) "the Melbourne Club was frankly hostile to the board, and it did its best to wreck it at any early stage of its career. This opposition was intelligible enough, for it

was obvious that, with the establishment of the board, the paramountcy of the club in Australian cricket would inevitably cease. It is to be admitted that this para-

mountcy has not been altogether a bad thing in the past, and that it has rarely been mieused. The Melbourne Cricket Club, indeed, has done much for Australian , crioket. But, even so, it came at length to be recognised as an anomaly that the administering authority in the cricket of Australia should be an irresponsible proprietary body — especially as that body had made possible the eystem under which a group of players were ablo to create a vested interest, and pick themselves afgain and again for trips to England." I One of the objects of the Board of ! Control is "to arrange, control, regulate, and finance the visits of the Australian teams to England and elsewhere, either solely or in conjunction with the governing cricket bodies of the places visited." If this object tvere attained the members ' of the Australian Eleven would cease to participate in a lucrative industry. In each of the last three tours the players pocketed about £800 apiece. When the team was at Home last year Darling, Noble, and Hill persuaded a subcommittee of the Marylebone Club that the board was quite unrepresentative of the cricketing • interests of Australia, and Darling wrote to the South Australian Cricket Association telling them not to ioin the board. The association followed Darling's instructions. The Marylebone Club declined an' invitation from the board to fiend a team out this coming summer, but the club's secretary said that the club was "perfectly willing to negotiate with anybody authorised to speak for all the important oricket interests in Augtralia," the inference being obvious. However, in • January last Darling informed the chairman of the Board of Control that if the board would insert the words "if neoes- , sary" before the word "finance" in the '■ clause in the objects of the board quoted above, the players and the South Australian Association would waive all other objections g-nd throw in their hot with ' the board. Incidentally, Darling stated I that he had a written invitation from the M.C.C. to take an Australian Eleven to ,• England in 1908. The threat bad no effect ' on the Board of Control, the Cricket Associations of New South Wales. "Vic1 toria, and Queensland arguing that if they 1 did not control the finances they would I not control the players. The players in j tours controlled by the Board of Control ! will be paid, but. so says the writer quoted j above, oricket will be the first considera- ! tion and not money. It is difficult to see how, the opposition to the Board of Control can prevail, unless public opinion goes against that body. Should Barling take a team Home in 1903 independently of the board, the board could, " and certainly would, disqualify the players from participation thereafter in inter-State matches or senior competitions. Jf an English team came out at the invitation of any other body but the board,' the board could dis- " qualify all the men who played against it.