CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 12

CRICKET.

To-day—given fine weather—the curtain will be rung down on the 1905-6 season. On the result of the Grafton-City match depends the destination of the championship. Should City be successful the championship is theirs, otherwise it will be decided among Orafton, Pa mc U, City, and possibly North Shore. There is. of course, no possibility > of a play-off in the event of a tie, the time for football having now arrived.

A good deal *of interest is being centred in the football match to be played next week between footballers who also play cricket and representatives who do not go in for the summer game. The object of the match is to raise funds to enable the cricketers to secure a bowling coach for next season. Such a coach is urgently needed, and it is io be hoped that the match will prove a financial success.

Tt. .Wilkie. an ex-Otago rep. who has been living in Sydney for a couple of seasons, has returned to Dunedin.

Harry Graham, tho Albion (Dnnedin) Club's Australian coach, was tho rocipient of a cheque by way of presentation recently, in thanking the members for the gift, Graham expressed a desire to make Dunediu his homo, and stated that should he do so he would be found in the ranks, of tho Albion ne.\L season.

Jack Blackball!. Hie world's greatest ■wicket-keeper, has gone into the furniture trade. They say that when Jack is advising customers who are furnishing he invariably recommends "stump"' bedsteads!—" The Leader."

At the annual meeting of the Marylebon.3 C.C., at Lords on May 2, the following resolution affecting the Laws of Cricket will bo proposed. To become the law, it will need to be carried by a majority of two-thirds of those present: "Law 54. That in a two-day mutch the captain of the batting side has power to declare his innings at a close at any lime after three hours' play, but such declaration must be made not later than 4.50 p.m. on a ground where stumps are. drawn at G. 30 p.m. or 5.20 p.m. when play ceases at 7 p.m."' It is stated the time limit is inserted with a view to preventing the batting side from securing an unfair advantage in a failing light.

Mr. 11. W. Beloe presided over t lie annual meeting at Bristol on Thursday last, and congratulated the members on tho success of the eleven during the past season, and especially on the rarity of its drawn matches. In discussing the financial report lie expressed the conviction that public interest in county cricket, was declining, and urged that eomethi-ng should be done to improve the position of the western counties in this respect. In spite, of the grant of over £300 from the England v. Australia matches, the club had made a gain of no more than £80 during the season. Mr G. L. Jessop, in pursuing the same subject, remarked that the stronger counties ought to share some portion of their gate-money with their visitors, since these, contributed to the attractiveness of the matches. He was also of opinion that the present mode of reckoning points in the county championship was absurd, and that wins should be bo made to. oount more in comparison with drawn matches. The retiring members of the committee were re-elccte.d.

Though the Melbourne Cricket Club has received no intimation from the Victorian Cricket Association offering a certain time within which the club must decide whether or not it will join the board of Control, yet it is understood that such a notice will be given at once. Major Wardill, secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club, states that he understands that the South Australian Association is specially framing conditions on which it proposes to join, and tuiw they are submitted no fresh developments are likely to follow. As far as the Melbourne Club is concerned, the position is unchanged. The secretary of the Victorian Cricket Association states that nothing definite has been done, but that a sub-committee, which was appointed to wait on tho Melbourne ■Cricket Club some time ago, will report to the association. Mr. Creswell, for the South Australian Cricket Association, and Joe Darling, for the players, arc now engaged formulating a request, which will be forwarded shortly. It is still strongly believed that the Melbourne Club, with another strong body behind it, has forwarded an invitation to some one in England to bring out a team. It is most unfortunate that there should have been any difliculty in this matter, if a team were to be brought out by the Melbourne Club there would be a most undesirable quarrel between the Board and the Victorian Cricket Association on the one hand, and the Melbourne Club. The South Australian Association is ranged on the side of the Melbourne Club. Each.' body has its own particular interest. The Melbourne Club wants, as formerly, to take the proceeds of matches played in Melbourne; the South Australian Association wants the pooling of profits out of inter-state matches, and is also fighting for the representation of players on the board, though the S.A.C.A. demand has recently been boiled down to the introduction of the words "if necessary" into that part of the constitutidn which relates to the financing of Australian Elevens to England or elsewhere; the board claims the right to finance. The Sydney Cricket Ground would like to occupy the earn.?, position in N.S.W. that the Melbourne C.C. does in Melbourne with regard to the financial arrangements of matches played by English teams. There are four distinct interests, yet three of the sides are against i the Beard oi Control. The Board has been fighting the cause of the Victorian S'asociation, -while tiye l*tt« has Jsusiog tesauOs jQu* AWSfttzraa jOnft