CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 254, 29 October 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

The final entries for the cups to be com" peted for during the season 1887-8 were received last Monday, and may on the whole be considered very satisfactory. There are six senior, eight junior, and six second junior teams entered for the competitions, and if some of the entries are not quite so large as they were last year, I hope they will makeup for it in quality. Though as yet cricket does not seem to be making much headway, in a few weeks I expect to see it have more votaries than ever, arid I am sure the cup competitions will be keener and of far greater interest this season than they have ever been previously. Last year a large proportion of the clubs entered for the juniorcupwerefrightened out of the competition by thesuperior calibre of the ParnellC.C. which club^proved itself to be head and shoulders above the other clubs in the sanle rank. This year they have moved lip into the senior ranks, and the balance of power among the juniors is better and more even. | The same remarks apply with equal force] to the second juniors. Very few of the! clubs in for the second junior cup last year considered themselves equal to the Alpha C.C., and in many matches the latter club; had a walk over. They have this yoar t fot.' i lowed the ParnelPs example and moved, j and though considerably weakened by, the defectidn of some of their best men, will; make a good fight of it for the Junior ,Cup and See if they- Can appropriate; that j in the same manner they did the second brie. In the' senior ranks of the second j eleven of the Auckland C.G. ia the only stumbling block that I can see to a:very i close arid idteresting series of cup matches. | I trust, that everything will be carried; -out ■ squarely and as it ought to be, and that the two bJues will not have cause before the i season closes to lament the of their club into two. Last season Complaint was often made in reference to the umpires employed by the varidus clubs. NbWi before the cup matches commence, it would perhaps be advisable f6r the Cup Committee to appoint gentlemen who will act aa umpires. lam sure that' several can'be obtained who would willingly undertake the onerous duties attached to the post, md whose fairness and qualifications for the, position are undisputed. The practice matches of the various clubs were continued last week and fully showed that ,Auckland will have a very strong set of playeis tb select their represehtatives from for foreign matches. t ; Jij the Auqkla.»d match Morrison proved t&afc He .is a good man in all departments of the gamp, -and frdni What 1 saw, Cleridinrien also showed good prpini|e, especially in the bowling department. Neill played an extreniely good innings for 40, showing , strong defence combined with judicious hitting, and he will, no doubt, prove to be one of the,best bats in the eleven. Arneil arid Reid both performed creditably, and if they practise will be very dangerous during the coming Season: • , , ..;.... ,■.\ ., M The Holland match showed that ; tb.e Tjrothers Hills haye not lost the least bit of their cunning, and will be able suppprts to both their club and their province. Gordon have, done nothing by which: to gauge their Strength as yet, but they have such a string tail to fall back on that they will always be able to place astrpng team in the field. The United practised last week, but what they will-:b« like this season I cannot say yet, as they have not exposed their hand. Parnell have not much improved upon last year's eleven, but with good fielding and constant practice they" will place a strong team in the field, Iv" .fctie '■'' matcH played at the TOwnley ground, Dulwich, England, oh August 2, L. D'iklbeffe carried Tiis bat out for 287 runs, and took five wickets in five successive balls. The scores were :—B'Alberto's Eleven, 497; Harry Tinkham's Eleven, 9 (six of which were extras). " "I'elix,"' the cricketing scribe of "The Australasian, is informed that the Melbourne Glub will send a team to Kew Zealand at. Christmad to play a series of matches, And return Via Tasmania, and.*play fcKere." 1 ani glad to hear that such well known player* as Messrs Earl, Gill, and Buckland have decided to play regularly again, and have no doubt their services will be of Igreat assistance to their club. ! ■;; Messrs W. Newham and G. Brann, the two aftiateurs who are coming out to Australia with Shrewsbury's English team, intend settling here—most ' "probably^ in Sydney. Mr Br-ann is one of the inosb prominent of English Association footballers. ; I men|>ionea' in rriy riotejs soiiie time back | the remarkably high BCiorin^ of Mr C. J. N-] Fox "for the Crystal' Palace :Club. I see by; late hum-bet's of " Cricket "that he hasbeeri coming it strong again. During the first_| ; week iri'August he M&de 261, not out, for j i the Crystal palace, against Gharlton Park, i ! And they apparentlyliave- some very good I bowlers iii the latter dub, for I see that in July 30 one of them--d-. Ray—iriairiatch against Shrewsbury Park bowled 6 pyers I(o maidens) for 2 runs and 5 wickets, arid 1 againßt Blackheath the liext week trundled !6 overs {3 maidens) for 4 funs and swicjfeetß. ,v - ■'■'^- '>' • /?; r:: ■;' , ,'f1' , i A remarkable instance of fast run-getting I was recorded lately in" England. TLt • Occurred 'in a match between the Alderley ! Edge and Brooklarids Clubs. The former I Were dismissed .for 205* and then Mr C. Haigh, who has played frequently for i Lancashire., and Mr Hi A. Forsyth Scored at. such a rapid rate that Bftroklands were able itoolaimlssrunsattheexpiry of fifty-five minutes. * Of this sum 98-were run out and I only;< four of the number came under the category of **extrasi" Mr ttaigh contHbut|ing93andMrFors3rthsß.i . ■ In the Surrey-Sussex match, Qiiaifej the [Sussex professional, was out in a n^ost peculiar mariner* In playing forward to Lohmann the ball beat him altogether, and he lbst his balance. Thinking that ho had been bowled from the noise of the ball hitting the wicket, whioh it did'without dislodging either of the bails, he left his ground, apparently under the impression that he was out, arid was promptly stumped by the Surrey wicket-keeper. I v _ Lohmann recorded a unique feat in the Surrey Hampshire match iri ' Englana lately. In his first ball in the match he had Mr Foreter caught afe ths widketi from his bowling, and in the Second inningswitfr \m first ball he clean bowled Mr Wyn--yard. ■; ;•';■ _■'■__.' ' \,