CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 46, 23 February 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

Local cricket has had. so many interruptions from various causes this season that there is very little interest left in it. Cricketers will have to concede two more Saturdays —one for ihe Auckland Amateur Club's meeting, and one for the Hibernian sports. "And yet," as one cricketer pathetically remarked to me, "they grumble when we are beaten down South!"

Says "Dark Blue" in the "Weekly Press": "Frankish, while stealing a run on Saturday, accidentally intercepted the bftll with his bat whilst. running between the wickets, causing the ball io go away at a tangent, and enabling him to score another run. The umpire considered he was not entitled to the second run. 1 have not yet discovered under which rule he buses this decision."

From Africa comes news of a boy who recently took six wickets in six successive balls. I rather fancy this has been clone before, but it is certainly a schoolboy's record.

Frank Mitcfliell, the Yorkshire cricketer, is now an officer in the Imperial Yeomanry, and will most likely return to the front. F. S. .'Jackson, recently invalided home, is now attached to the "Fighting Fifth." If Jackson takes up the army as a profession England will be a good deal poorer on the cricket field.. In the second innings of Victoria M. A. Noble delivered 240 balls for 69 runs. This, says "Not Out," on a perfect wicket was worthy of those most accurate of old bowlers, Evans, Shaw and Attewell. Our representatives can console themselves with the thought that they are not the only representative team whose fielding is bad. In the reports of the recent New South Wales-Victoria match the Welshmen's fielding is spoken of as being characterised by "superb incompetence." "Not Out," in the "Sydney Referee," says: "Every time one saw a ball hit up, he had a, feeling that it would find a safe resting place on mother earth." I fully sympathise with "Not . Out," for 1 know that feeling very well. The end of this exciting match is thus described in the "Referee": The match was continued until 6.25 p.m. At two minutes to 6 o'clock Victoria required 12 runs, and had three wickets to fall. Then Worrall was stumped off Mcßetli. The captains decided to go on. Ross, who followed, was out l.b.w. to McHeth four overs later, Noble having in the meantime bowled two maidens to McAllister. It took some time to get the remaining 10 runs. The batsmen were terribly anxious, and Saunders prepared to run for anything. McAllister played one ball from Mcßeth a few yards in front of him on the leg side, where Howard got it. Saunders was halfWay down the wicket when he saw the run was hopeless. He doubled back, but Howard gently threw the. ball to Mcßeth at the wicket. Had Mcßeth taken that gentle "lollypop" throw, Saunders would have been out two yards, and —Victoria would have been beaten by 9 runs. Hut Mcßeth missed it, and the spectators said— well, never mind what the tmprintable things were. Mcßeth will never be forgiven nor forgotten for his mistake. Controversy is still raging round the action of the county captains on Hie throwing question. The London "Sportsman" says: "It is evident that the counties' are determined to srt their house in order, and bowers who habitually 'drag' their foot in tlie act 6f delivery are to have no mercy shown them by th" umpires. O*ne thing is certain; we shall tar our visitors with the same brush, and any colonial bowlers with doubtful action, had better mend their sways ere the time arrives for the next visit to the Old Country In 1902.'' "Not Out," in reply to this, says: — "With respect 1o the closing sentence in the above paragraph, it might be observed that Australians are desirous of playing the game without transgressing the laws, as they believe the Englishmen .are. But I feel tolerably sure that no Australian captain will ever countenance the barring of any member of his side from bowlins} by the county captains, and especially while the laws of cricket make provision that should be adequate to prevent such breaches of the law. Another thing, it is unlikely that any really doubtful bowler will ever be again chosen to play for Australia. The exclusion of McKibbin from the 1899 team was primarily owing to his delivery having been classed as illegitimate by many cricketers in the Old Country." The averages for the inter-State Sheffield shield competition for the present season are as under:— BATTING. N.I. N.O. H.S. T.R. Ay C. Hill (5.A.).... 7 1 SCO* 020 103.33 L. O. S. Poidevin (N.S.W.) 3 1 140* IGS 77.50 S. E. Gregory < (N.S.W.) 7 1 168 430 ' 71.57 V. Trumpet(N.S.W.) ........ 7 0 230 458 05.42 H. Stuckey (Vie) 7 3 130* 235 58.75 W. Armstrong (Vie) 6 0 118 30S 51.60 M. A. Noble , (N.S.W.) 7 0 153 352 50.28 H. Graham (Vie) 8 1 120 253 40.42 R. A. Duff (N.S.W) 7. 0 119 269 38.42 T. H. Howard (N.S.W.) 3 0 64 89 29.66 S McMichael '(Vie) 8 2 7G I?* 28-50 BOWLING. O. M. R. W. A. P Collins (Vie.) 33 10 69 4 17.25 J.Saunders(Vic) 201 43 497 29 17.37 A. M' Be th (N.S.W.) 77 26 179 9 19.88 J. Travers(S.A.) 254 Cl 602 29 20.76 J. Mp.r s h (NS.W.) 163 35 537 24 22.37 C. M'Leod (Vie.) 144 .41 362 16 22.62 A. J. Hopkins (N.g.W.) .... 78 21 243 11 22.90 F. Layer (Vie.) 79 ,16 219 9 24.33 M. A. Noble,(N.S.W.) 108 87 223 9 24.77 H.Tru m b 1 c (Vie.) 155 40 413 18 25.16 B. T. R. Bailey • , (S.A.) •►...,.. 8 1 31 1 31.00