CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 12

CRICKET.

The M.C.C. team which visits Phila- I delphia next month will probably ex- ! tend its tour to Canada. F. A. Tarrant. the ex-Australian, will | j assist Middlesex this year. Dan Reese, ! I the Christ church bat, will assist Essex. ' E. H. D. Sewell. one of the finest j all-round men in. England, has decided j ; to give up cricket for journalism. I The "Canterbury Times'' states that I ■ Howell left Christchurch for Europe, j j via Sydney. It is not Howell's inten- , tion, however, to proceed further afield ! than Auckland, and he will assist Par- , nell on both the football field and the , cricket pitch. The Yorkshire County committee, which evidently agrees with the Australian XI. as to the cricket critic profes- j sign, has passed the following resolution: "That it is the unanimous opin- \ ion of the Yorkshire County Cricket : j Club that the reporting of County \ j cricket by players taking part in j j matches is undesirable and not consist- j j ent \vfth the best interests of the I j game." A famous batsman and coach passed away last month at Mayford House, | Woking, in the person of Mr Richard ] Henry Arthur Mitchell, who in the j early sixties was a player of the great- ' est ability. It is no exaggeration to i state that Mr Mitchell was the finest . batsman Eton ever produced: the great f J services he rendered the school, too, in ; I acting as cricket, coach whilst an as- i I sistaut master will cause his name to : ihe always held in affectionate remein- j brance by Ktonians. He retained his ; skill until late in life, and at Searbor- I ough in ISB2 played an innings of 32 : I against the Australians, that being the j \ only occasion upon which he ever faced I Spofforth. Gehrs and Xewland. the two South I i Australians who arc on their maiden j ' visit to England, have been so far the ! failures of the tour, neither having come i ' off since their arrival in England. : 1 Writing of Gehrs before the event in the "Athletic News." L. O. S. Poidevin says: "It is easy to conceive of a bats- i man going back to Australia quite dis- j I appointed. That Xoblc and Trumper were so signally successful on their : i first trip is a striking tribute to their ; 1 versatility and greatness. But what j ' about Gehrs. Xewland and Cotter, this season's "new chums?' Gehrs is, of . course, the "star of the three. He i≤ ' in the team a.s a batsman, and great I success has been prophesied for him. Xo doubt he will play many fine innings. ' jHe is young, observant, and versatile ; ■ plays back like an English J made bats- I man, is strong on the 'on-side,' and ! backs up cleverh- with his legs. Sound ; jin defence, with no lack of punishing j j power, and is gifted with no end of i I pluck and much cheery optimism—even j i for an Australian. Xewland will not i Ibe called upon to do much, but he may ! :be trusted to do his share correctly ! and methodically. Cotter. a« a bats- • man. has been quite ignored by the i critics. But he is a very likely and : lively member. He is a tremendously i hard hitter, and with a little more de- j , fence might prove a dangerous oppon- ' I ent. While at the wickets he scores at ; Jessopian pace, and treats all the ! bowlers with amusing impartiality. He ! probably hits harder than anyone else j j in the team." Hobbs. the colt who did so well for j Surrey in The County's first innings | against the Australians last year per- | : formed great deeds for Cambridge- : shire, scoring (59b , runs in twelve com- \ pleted innings, with an average of 58. ■ his highest scores being 195 anrl 123. I both made against Hertfordshire, tbe former at Cambridge on August 19. and i the latter at Watford on the 30th of j ; the ?ame month. On the occasion of ! his debut for Surrey in the .first match ) of the season, against j of England, at the Oval, he scored 88, j I the largest innings of the match, and j i helped Hayward to put up 100 for the i I first wicket in tbte County's seaond j ■ innings. If "coming events cast their shadows before" Hobbs should prove a prolific scorer, even when in the best company. He hits well all round the.! wicket, possesses a pretty forcing j stroke to the off, and can place the ball ! I cleverly on the on-side of the wicket, j !He was born at Cambridge on Deeem- ! her 16. 1882. and has been engaged at j the Oval (on the recommendation of J Havward) since 1902. when he was with the* Cambridge Liberals C.C. It is an extraordinary thing that, j during the recent match between Surrey j anrl the Gentlemen of England. "W.G. ? j should have hit n ball delivered by J. j N. Crawford clean out of the ground ! Tor six. for the old "champion" had j ! never before performed the feat at the J Oval, notwithstanding that he playedj ; his first match there over forty years i ago. and lias appeared on the ground I frequently ever since. During the last j I year or two tho "Old Man' has given the present generation many a. glimpse ' jof his former greatness: It was only I three years ago that, appearing for i J M.C.C. and Ground against Lancashire, lat Lord's, he hit a delivery, sent down Iby Hallows, to leg, over the grandstand j j and out of the ground into an adjoining i j garden. "W.G." is the only player who lias hit right Qut of the two great London grounds m first-class cricket, and j the fact that he should have set up ! the record when well past his fiftieth i i milestone is splendid testimony both, j to his skill and his physique. I