CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 4 February 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

The poor stand made by Auckland XI. against North Shore has been the subject of general comment this week. The wicket was none too g-ood, but Laws' compilation of 3S goes to show that the bowling was playable. R. Neill and Stone were out off long hops, and one or two of the umpires' decisions were adversely criticised, Colwill's especially so.

Warren and Gilmour dismissed their opponents in 2S overs—a good performance—and for the Shore the former played a fine innings of 07, being backed up by Wynyard (24) and Smith (12). Auckland, with no wickets down, in their second innings have put on 17, and to score a win will require to make things merry next Sat'l urdav.

Against United, Parnell scored 113, on a good wicket. Lynch (33 not out) batted steadily, and Ohlson looked fairly set when he made up his mind to drive Stemson, and succumbed by changing it. Thorpe, Cromwell and Lawson reached double figures. Stemson (0 for 4T) had the best of the averages. United have lost 4 wickets for 84. D. Hay batted nicely all round the wicket for .17, and was bowled in trying to pull Young, who also dismissed Stemson with 19 to his credit. Labatt was well taken by Woods off Lawson when he reached double figtires, but with SO runs to get to win the United's victory seems assured.

Gordon eoulil only bat S men against Auckland XV., but succeeded in notching- 340. Pabst (43) and Ansenne (10) made a good stand for the first wicket, but were somewhat, fortunate. Sawbridge (22 not out) batted safely, whilst Seecombe (liJ), .Veil (10) and Lusk (12) assisted to swell the total.

Harrison (5 for 45) bowled well, and this player, who left for Sydney by the Mokoia, shows promise of distinction with bat and ball, and is a loss to his club and team.

■ T,he New Zealand rep. team made a poor show against an Otago XIII, on their first appearance in the field, and although the wicket was slow and wet the difference between first and second-class players was too lightly denned to point to a successful tour.

Mr P. C. Raphael, the manager of the New Zealand cricket team, has had printed a neat card giving the names of the members of the team, tog-ether with a complete programme of the tour. The team now consists bf-.G. Mills and I. Mills. (Auckland) ; H. B. Lusk (Hawke'B Bay) ; F. L. Ashbolt and E. Upham (Wellington) ; C. Jioxshall, L. T. Cobcroft, F. S. Prankish, D. Tteese and A. Sims (Can-tei-bury) ; J.Baker, A. Downes and A. 11. Fisher (Otago). On February o the players will reach Hobart, where they will stay at Heathonrs Hotel. On February 4, 0 and 7 they will play a match against .South Tasmania, at Hobart, and on Februar3 r (.l they will leave by train at 8 a.m., arriving at 1.50 at Liuinceston, where they will stay- at the Criterion Hotel. February 10, 11. and 13 will be occupied with the match against North Tasmania. On the evening of February 14 they will leave Launceston for Melbourne, arriving in the Victorian capital the following day, and staying at the New Treasury Hotel, Spring street. The, match against Victoria Avill be, played on-February 17, 18 and 20, and on February 21 the New Zealanders will leave Melbourne by train at 5.15 p.m., arriving in Sydney the following day at 10.50 a.m., staying at Petty's Hotel. On February' 24, 25 and 27 they will play New South Wales, and .on March 1 sail by the Elingamite for home. The steamer will arrive at Auckland on March 6, Napier on March 0, .Wellington on March 10, Lyttelton on March 11, and Dunedin' on March 12.

In responding to the toast of the New Zealand team proposed at the Midland's (Christehiivch) smoke concert, Cobcroft said that he thought the team was a strong one, and from his knowledge of the various players in Australia would come back with a creditable record, and, if beaten, would not be disgraced. He thought the team should win their matches ixi Tasmania.

Mr J. Phillips, the English coach, who has been acting as instructor at Christchurch this season, returns to England with the Australian team. He has given some of his impressions of New Zealand cricket to a representative of the ' Canterbury Times,' in the course of which he says : ' I consider New Zealand cricket better than that of Tasmania and Queensland, biit it cannot be expected to be as good as the cricket of Soiith Australia, Victoria, or New South Wales. Still, with practice and frequent matches, there is no reason why it should not reach the standard of the first-class colonies.' He thinks the style of batting in Canterbury is better than in the rest of New Zealand. The- English coach also siiggests that it would be more beneficial to Canterbury to play home-and-home matches with Otago each season, and in the same way for Wellington to play home-and-home matches with Auck-

land. The Wellington - Canterbury

match might be dropped in favour of a match between the North and South islands. This, lie says, would improve, the game throughout the colony, and bring the flower of. New Zealand cricketers together at least once a year.

It is stated that Mr Ash bolt, the. selector of the New Zealand team, will accompany them unofficially during their travels.

As an illustration of the way in which most batsmen fail in their early career as Intercolonial players, it is only necessary remarks ' Not Out,' to state that in his first three innings against Victoria Trumper (with 12, 12, and 4) has done better than several of the older players this colony has brought out. Trumper's total for those three innings is 28. Just note the following : Murdoch made 10 (0, 9, and 1) ; Noble. 20 (5. 7.and 3) ; Donnan, 8 (0, 0. and 2): Mackenzie, 13 (4, S, and 1); and S. P. Jones. 19 (0, I.1., and (3). They are all inferior to Trumper. who has" not yet struck a good wicket against Victoria. The same remarks; apply to many of the Victorians. Harry Trod: compiled only :>•"> runs in his first nine innings, and Ihree of them were consecutive blobs. Lover made 8 in his first three tries : C. M'Leod, S:.1. : Harry, 5 : Worrall, 36 ; and Blackhaui, 21. 'Felix' in the latest number of the -Australasian' tells some good cricketing yarns which he heard from a Yorkshire parson, a player himself, and a cricket enthusiast. Among them are the following: ' T. wasn't playing in the match in which the following occurred, but I have often played on the ground, a beautiful Yorkshire park, in which it was reported to have happened. The owner, a noble lord, was a keen cricketer, and not backward in putting himself on to bowl. On the occasion he bowled several successive balls which would ordinarily have been called ' wide.' He at last bowled a ball even wider than the others, and the batsman appealed to the umpire, ' Wasn't that a wide ?' ' Yes,' for sure; ah niver seed a widercr ; but his lordship don't, like 'em calling.' ' I heard a very good thing once at Knaresboro". Ft was at a match Knaresboro' v .United North. 'Hie team included Jonathan Joy and Charlie Penrose. The lastnamed was a big heavy man of about 225t., and he had to be followed in the batting by Joy. At the drawing of stumps Penrose was not out, and on leaving the field 1 heard one of the crowd, who could evidently not afford- to break more than one day, say. ' Deary me. I came just to see Joy bat, and here he's not going in until to-morrow morning.' His companion wittily replied, ' Why, don't you know that heaviness (22st of it) may endure for a night, but Joy eometli in the morning ?' 'I was playing once with George Freeman in a match in which there was a deaf umpire. Freeman appealed for 'leg before wicket,' but the umpire simply put his hand to his ear, and said, ' Beg pardon '?' George asked again, ' How's that ?' 'What for?' requeried the umpire. ' Leg before wicket, of course.' said George. ' Oh, not out. of course,' replied' the umpire. ' I only once in my life gave one of my own side out leg before wicket. What time is dinner ? That's the main thing wi" umpires.'