CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 298, 18 December 1886, Page 4

CRICKET.

Several very good "cores were mads l«t ive<k, the wicket being very favourable for tho batsmen, and «omo of them quite eurprucd thomselven. The senior matches on wcra Auckland and Holland", and Gordon and United, and in both instances a good stand was midc. Hollands wero Bent to the wickets by tho Auckland captain, and soon made things very lively. Mills was quite at home with ill tho bowling, and in running up his score ot 75 made eomo splendid hit* and pretty strokes. Brighton (26). Be.ird (20), and Thoinae (13), wero tho cither doublo-riguro scorer?. Board was suffering from a disabled hand, bat in cpife of this he played pluckily, and woll deserved hia run'?. Arneil again cams out best in bowling honour*, five wickets falling to his share for 47 runs, whilo A. M. Bealo secured 4 wicket* for 56 runs. As tho Hollands had occupied the wicketa the whole afternoon, the Auckland did not have a triow to bat, and they will have their work out out for thorn to-day to run up tho 157 runs requisite to win them the molch. United, winning the toss against Gordon, etarted the batting, and after a short run >of ill-luck, by which Yaten, Mutnford, and Lynch were disposed of, A. MacConnick and Testro. made a stand, the partner-ship producing 70 run«, when Teslro was out for 34. Bowden joined MicCormick. and tho bluo and golds had more leather-hunting to do until Mc'^ausland caught MacCormick when tho score stood at 55. Bowden continued to pile on his rune, and aaw two more wickets fall when with McPherson (15) he plajed out time the fcore standing atone off the 200 for eight wicket?; to this total hid contribution was SS. lam well pleased to eoe this player open hia shoulders once more, and I wotild not ba ono bit surprised to find Boh den onco again in an Auckland Representative Eleven.

Some inconvenience was caused on Saturday through the boll being rung a quarter of an hour too soon. In the match between the Parnpll and National C. C's., T. Nicholson, playing a ball, knocked hia bails off. The batsman was goiDg to retire when the Parnell ciptain appealed to his umpire, " How't) that?" " Not out," says he, " I didn't pee it." Of course the National umpire did not see it either, and Nicholson took centre agaiu', to the great disgust of the blue and whites, who saw him put his next ball away for three. Gordon 111. were beaten by the Alpha in the fir.st innings, but looked decidedly like winning in the second, but Father Tima could not weit. The blue and golds are determined to have the match played over again, or declared off, if they possibly.can, on the ground that the Alphas infringed on the rules by wasting the precious minutes. Four wickets to fall, and 57 runs to getthat was how the matter stood. The Auckland 111. put Richmond through in a very soft manner. National.are nnt having a very rosy time of it with the Parnella. Tommy Brown, after numerous tries, was takon when he had run up 40 j bo only got on •■ %vickot. Crowe (19), White (11, not out), and Hipley (9, not out) did the scoring for the Pnrnells, and Spence (11), Drummond (12) and Walker (17) were on the job for the National The Auckland ll.' ran up 136 against Gordon 11., A. Howard (18), A. C. Stewart (49), R. F. Harrison (30), P. F. McPberson (16) doing the scoring. Neil, who got 6 wickots for 32 runs, did the bowling for Gordon. Gordon could only put up 58 for eight wickete, so, as matters now Ptmd, things look very shaky for them. To-day's matches bring the first round for the Senior Cup to a close, and from the way the various clubs have been chap ing it will be a remarkably close finish. Wo are to have a visit at New Year from the Hawke's Bay cricketers. They will play a two days' match, and as this is the first time the two provinces have met here we may hope for something good. Down, who bowled for Gordon 11. last year, was in the Hawke's Bay representatives against Wellington in 18S2, when he lowered nine wickets for 30 odd runs. In a match between East Hampshire and Lawrence's Aboriginal Team in 1868, Twopenny, in ten overs, took 9 wickets for 9 runs. Catching the last batfman off Mullagh, he had the whole 10 wickets. Mr H. C. Gleeson, of the Carlton C.C., has presented Mr C B. Turner with a nice trophy in the shape of a " victory shield," for his splendid bowling performance against the Englishmen in their first match with New South Wales. The people of Bathuret, where Turner bails from, are also going to present him with a trophy to keep the memory of that glorious victory green. The subject of payment of members of representative eU venß has come up for discussion over at Melbourne, and the following will prove interesting to all local cricketers. At a meeting of the Victoria Cricketers' Association held a fortnight ago a letter was read from A. G. Major, the selector of teams, stating that in that capacity the doubtful division between professional and amateur cricketers was often a source of trouble to him. Selected persons had often refused to play, on the ground that as they worked by piecework they were unable to pay their expenses and forfeit their wages during their absence at matches. We submitted that it would not only be illiberal, but also disastrous to cricket, if the rules were too strictly adhered "to in this matter. The English practice was to recoup not only actual loss of salary, but also bona-fide travelling expenses. It was agreed, on the motion of Mr D. Scott, that in cases tn which, acccrding to the selector, players were obliged to pay for a substitute in their work at their own expenße,thoynhould be recouped by the Association, and ibat^at the game time such persons should not bo deemed to have lost their status aa amateurs.