CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 253, 23 October 1909, Page 14

CRICKET.

AUCKLAND CHURCHES , CRICKET ASSOCIATION. The following is the ame-nded junior draw:— First Draw.—St. Paul's v. P.M.C.C, r>ev., U pr,rt l'resbytTian v. W. V.M.1., ihur.-h of Christ v. St. Luke's, Carltuu a bye. Second Draw.—St. Paul's v. Carlton, Devoupurt Presbyterian v. Church of Christ, P.M.C.C. V, W.Y.M.1., St. Luke's a bje. Third Draw.—St. Paul's v. St. Luke's. DeroLport I'resbyteriau v. P.M.C.C; Carlton v. W.Y.M.1., Church of Christ a bye. Fourth Draw.—St. Paul's v. Church o£ Christ, Devonport Presbyterian v. St. Luke's, Carlton v. P.M.C.C, \V.Y.M.I, a bye. Fifth Draw.—St. Paul's v. W. V.M.1., Church of Christ v. P.M.C.C. Carltou v. St. Lukes, Devouport Presbyterian a bye. Sixth l'ran-.—St. Paul's "v. Devonport Presbyterian. W.Y.M.I, v. St. Luke's, Carlton v. Chun'h >.f Christ, P.M.C.C. a bye. Seventh Draw. —St. Lake's v. P.M.C.C Dev.jnpurt Bros. v. Carltou. W.Y.M.I. V. Church of Christ, St. Paul's a bye. A slow leg-break bowler named Christie did great work recently in the match between Glebe and Kedfern. His break is reported a= "extraordinary," and he captured nine wickets for 39. They always seem to be striking new leg-break or 011-bre-ak slow bowlers in Sydney. It is worth noting that in the 12 seasons from 1597-8 East .Melbourne have won the premiership seven times, and have been runners-up five times. This is a remarkably fine record. To outside cricketers it is incomprehensible that the opening of the cricket season in any Australian State should be put off till October 9, out of deference to football and its financial solatium. But it seems a mere matter of course in Melbourne and Adelaide. Are the ericketer3 of those fair citiee so vastly interested in football that cricket is, even to them, relatively insignificant? The expenses in connection with the proposed tour of a Xew South "Wales team through Xew Zealand next year have been estimated at £701 10/ for 11 matches. These are to be borne by the Xew Zealand Association. It 13 suggested that two matches be played at Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin, and one at each of the following towns: Christohurch, Timaru, Invercargill, Xew Plymouth, TVanganui, and possibly Xapier and Masterton. The controversy consequent on the Teappointment of C. "Wordsworth, of Sydney, as coach to the Otago Cricket Association, is still waging in the Otago Press, and the Association i> having a strenuous time under the scathing criticism meted out to it. The Otago Cricket Association has hedged a bit, and now says that "Wordsworth has been engaged as a ground bowler only, and not as a coach! This is only making matters worse, for we are now forced into the position of paying £3 per week to a ground bowler.

F. A. Terrant. the ex-Victorian player, who is now a member of the Middlesex team, was the hero of the match against Gloucestershire, which was commenced and finished on the day before the last mail left England. * Gloucestershire batted first, but could only make 33, Tarrant taking seven wickets for 18 runs, and Hearne three for ten. Middlesex scored 145, Tarrant batting throughout the innings for 55 not out. Gloucestershire fared a little better in the second innings, but the total was only 81, Tarrant securing six wickets for 40 runs and doing the hat trick. The wicket, of course, was in favour of the bowlers, but Tarrant's performance was, all the same, a notable one.

Says L. 0. S. Poidevin: "Some cap- j tains or bowlers habitually overdo tho laying of traps precisely in this way. They make tiie trap too obvious, and the wary bird refuses to be caught. I once remember an occasion when I was doing some cutting at the expense of the Sussex bowling. Things went along merrily for a time, then I suddenly, shut down upon the cut stroke. Reif persisted in feeding mc fo r the cut by bowling a suitable distance on the off side, but I would have none of them. Presently " Ranji' remarked to mc in crossing over, ' Why don't you have a go at them now?' ' Make it worth my while,' I said, 'and I will with pleasure' —he had three slips set to grab my mistakes, a third man close in to save the sinsrle, and a deep third man to save the four. The best I could hope for was an odd single if I got the ball clean throueh, and every attempt to do so moant the risk of my wicket. And this little personal reminiscence has its moral, too little appreciated in scientific cricket nowadays." A ladies' cricket association has been started in Auckland:— She could play a game of cricket. She coulfi fence and she could box. She could row upon the river. She eoulfl clamher 'monsr the rocks She could do some heavy bowllnp. And play tennis all day lons— But she <-ould not help her mother, 'Cause she wasn't very strong. Gregory's complete record in test matches may be interesting since he has taken part in more than any other player. It is as follows- — Matches played. 4S; Innir.prs. S7; centuries. 4: "duoks." 11: highest score, 201: total runs. 21(i0; average, 2G.T. Noble has played in more test matches consecutively than any other player 139), and Hill has made the most j runs in test matches. For the purposes j of comparison 1 append their performances, made out in the same way a3 Gregory's:— XoMe. — Matches played. 30: innings. OS; centuries. 1: '•(lurks," 4: highest score, 133; total runs. l!n>s: average 30 7 Hill—Matches played. Sβ: inninjrs. liii'; een turies. 4: "ducks." 8: highest score. ISStotal runs. :i.T7(i: average, 3t5.3. | The nearest approaches to Bardsley's feat in making two separate centuries in a test match are: — V. Trumper—ll3 a:id 'a. at Sydney. 1001.' A. C. Mi-Laren—ll-'J and 50 "not "out, a' Sydnc-y. lvuT. A. c. MacLaren—l2o and 20 not out at Melbourne. IS:C. Shre-nsburv— n«; and SI. at Lord's 1593. r. T. McD-maM—l2-J and 83 run i.ut. at Adelaide. IS>4. U'yett— \w :i:icl ii 4. at Melbourne. ISB2. X L. Iluu-hliips —l2l! nnd 311, «t "Ueibo lrnf lros. T. Hnrnn—l24 and 2H. at Melbourne, I&SJ. C. B. Fry—l 44 and Iβ. at The Oval UK* : W. G. Gr:ioe. 1.-.:: and 9 not out at The Oval, ISSO. Hon. F. S. Jackson—*ll4 and IT. at Leeds, IPO3. R. E. Foster—2S7 und ID. at Sydney, ir?o3. G. GifTen—l66 and 41. at Sydney, iSM. S. E. Gregory—3>l and 16. at Sydney. IS!H. A. J. Steel—*liio and 21. at Sydney, lvs: , ,. K. S. RfinjitPinhji—lTs and S nnt out at Sydney. ISO 7. C. Hill—OS and 97. at Adelaide WO? G. Giinn—ll9 rind 74, at Adelaide, l<lo7. The following appears in the "Field": "The Australians have several timee thrown nwny n fu!r chance of victory because, although they would have been running no risks, they did not think it t

worth while to try to will. It was impossible to explain the methods of some of their batsmen α-t Canterbury, except on the theory that they were frankly playing for their averages, "tt hen the game was resumed, the Australians in their first innings were leading by about a dozen runs, and had seven wickets in hand, while les3 than two houft and three-quarters remained for play. It is easy to imagine what Kent would have done if the positions had been reversed, but most of the Australians batted as if tihey were playing desperately hard for a draw. When they were leading by about 70 runs, and there was not much more than an hour and a-half remaining, Noble spent about an hour in making 11 runs, while Armstrong to the last was slowness itself taking 25 minutes to score his last seven runs after he had completed hi 3 hundred." —-—^——___