CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 9

CRICKET.

(By. Breaker.)

COMING, REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. Wellington v.'Otago (Basin Reserve)—De-' cember 27, 28, and 30. Wellington v. Canterbury (Basin Reserve)— , January I,' 2, and .3. . , .'j . .. . Canterbury v. Otago (at Christcliurch)—December 24, 25,-and 20;. Auckland v. Hawke's Bay (at Auckland) — December 26, 27, and 28. Auckland v. Otago (at Auckland)— January '2, 3,"'ami 4. : ENGIiISH TEAM IN AUSTRALIA., ,Victoria, at Melbourne —December 21, 23, 24, and 25. Ben'digo—December 26, 27, and 28. Australia (second test), at MelbourneJanuary 1, 2, 3, and 4. Australia (third test), at Adelaide—January 10, 11, 13, and 14, Tasmania, at Laur.ceston—January 18, 20, i and 21. ' ' • . Tasmania, at Hobart—January 24, 25, and' 27. • •' Victoria, at Melbourne—January 31, and February 1, 3, and 4. Australia (fonj-th test), at Melbourne—Fob-. rtiarv 7, 8, 10, and 11. (New South Wales, at Sydney—February 14, 15, 17, and 18. .Australia (liftli (est), at Sydney—February 21, 22, 24, ami 25. South Australia, at Adelaide—February 29, I iiiif] March 2, 3, and 1. .West Australia, at Perth—March 12, 13, 14, and 16. , The wickets on the Basin Reserve played ias if tliey bad . been prepared by am amaI teur, and it is a wonder that there was no

domand for the ambulance, because rising balls were the order of the day. The principal game was between Midland and Phoenix on No. 1 wicket. Midland won the toss and batted, first opening with Queo and Hicks'on. Quee lost his wicket when the score stood .at 14,..and'of the total ho 1 had mado' all but .1, biit he lnid a "let oil" behind tho wickets before lie had scorod. Williams' was- never, comfortable' djirihg his stay. , AVhoii'-he had-scored 18 he .was caught behind t1.i0.. wickets. . Murphy and Bruco put on 33 runs be.foro' the former was'caught in the slips, off Wilson. Both men. batted, .confidently,. aiid 'the • contribution was most useful." The other batsmen did not trouble" the bowlors;at all. ; . ' ''

Bruce, who top-scored, played the best innings on-tho ground, vHo did not give-u charico until late in his. innings, when he was dropped in the" long field; His driving was- yery.clean. . C. Jlickson, ;whp. retired l.b.w,' to Moore, was hot satisfied with the decision.-. Ho. had right-on .his side,.for 'the., half would' hot have gone near the'wicket".* In this connection it may-be said that the .umpiring iri Wellington" is' far' 'from perfection;. Too oftoii". matchcs" are-i"i {footed, by de-. cisions v/hicii, though weil mean';, are Jaulty. It "is" rec6g[iiscd".thaf" lilllpiringis' a' -thankless task, and' on. account of criticismmany good men •\vill not ..undertake the. work; but- some of thoso that" do woiild be far more serviceable to. the game if they were on'the "bank." It is to be hoped that there will bo careful selection of-'umpires foi tho representative games -shortly to bo -played. Laws, was ore. the sick..list-..0n Saturday,.and was unablo to leave his bed. Phoenix -missed him both in the field 1 and in tho batting department. ~ -Wilson, who took Laws'" place, bowled well and successfully.. . His. .thrco..-wickets, only, cost .liim 23 runs... Hickpy..tiowlcd'besf'for his side, securing five for 43, <anrl rs»:v'eral chances woro not taken off his-howling. Moore was very useful, but' Gibbes . was "off." . . With a total of 131 against' them," the game looked an psy win' for' Phoenix,- but" Phoenix batting is such an-uiikiiown quaii--tity that it is never safe to give an-opinion of -its" capabilities.. /.-Eighteen ,riiiis T .'had : ' been scorod without the loss of a wickot' : when Dakin : .retirc.d.., Then, the .two Burtons • also, got out,-and,-with- the exception'of; Gibbes (27) four other batsmen got 'out practically without doing anything, at'all.' Hickoy and Moore are each 9 not out ; and with a total of 76. for S-wickets; ■it .would 'appear"as' if" Midland, had tho game in hand.' The' most successful Midlaiider with the hair was C. 'Hickson, who secured 3 for 16. Uphaiii nnd : Mitchell also' cdntributed to Phoenix's downfall by securing 2 wickets apiece: Gas .Company played Old Boys on No. 2 oil a .'bad Myicko't.; •' Gas Co. batted first, and made 168.v. Towards', this- Dredge contributed a'; nice'.and correct 50.' Goui'l'ay v/tfs extra 'quiet M'Kay had 'a -bang'' for,' 23.' Waugli arid' .Burke. each., made'lO ;l>y useful'"arid '"careful"cricket, "aiid Clnircir scored 10. Topp compiled 9 not. out I "in'' ,f tedious ,manner. M'Gill was the principal Old Boy bowler, and ho,.finishbd [with 4 for 31. '

.'Mrisfi'nV.was-''also - succCssfiiT' with' :, 3' for '28; 'This'; bowler .'s'onds ;d6wn too", iiiahyj; short ones, '-and..if hp."would try' to'.culti'vato'.a length , he would soon' notice "the .difference. Monaghan took 2; for 43, but Tucker failed to get a wicket. : Old Boys opened with Becchey and Birch. Each made 14. -Tucker, as .usual, made a good showing.'"At the drawing of stumps ho: had/, spored ;46 not: out,, i This .season Tucker,-has. -been hatting!, remarkably ..well. Ho plays the hook stroko very .well,; and a lot of his runsj aro obtained from* it. Gourlay was tho best Gas Co. bowler.' Ho got 2 for. 31. Quito a number of his balls were only ' pitched half way', aiid ba'tsmon; had "to "duck'l to dodge' them. - Tucker and S. Hickson- are unablo to play against, Otago, and their -places (Will -.be takenby Briicp 'and. Beechey,;Br.uco .has liecri' Batting very, well lately,, and no exception can bo reasonably takfiii to his' inclusion, hut Becchey has absolutely no claim to a placo in the team.' His- performances' this'season, should never havo put liini there, and it would bo unkind to again refer to his score iii representative matches in" tho 'past'. ' ' . ' The team is weakened by the alterations,both in batting and bowling, but Otago is said to bo- a pretty, wpak , sidc. ( .

Tho Newtown-Petone; matoh'was played' on the Athletic Park last Saturday, t-lio former team making a poor'showing. At the'closo of.,tho day's play Petone had.aOeatl of 111 on the-'fir3t"innings,' 1 with two wickcts still to fall. When the score sheet showed 15 Alpe played a la.st{oftp/froni.J{rtc 1 6' I pn to his. wicket'. Payne "threw'': his' wicket' atfay by steppiiigtout' to' a slow'-'break /from: Cobcroft, 'enabling: ;i Cate Vl to •shiftythtf' I bales;! 1 i'G-; Day and Tilyard were associated 1 for a few minute's, bnt, with the score at 38, Day made an effort to lift one of Cobcroft's slows out of the ground; with tho result that ho was caught -.011. tho- boundary.-- A-.--Day-filled- the■gap, and runs camo with more regularity, both .men,' Tilyard' especially,- batting with confidence. AVhcn .57 had been reached'A. Day was caught-through trying to. drag Cobcroft to square .leg! .-./ Turned joined;: Tilyard, but only lasted f(ir a few balls before ho was stumped by Cato off Cobcroft. Plimmer took 1 the vacant , crease, and comnionced operations by hooking Cobcroft to leg in a stylo, peculiarly his .oiVn.. Tilyard was the next man to go," "falling "a victini. to Cobcroft,, .He bad played ia fine innings 'for: 38, and scored freely with a'clean'drivtv' to-tho* off. J. Day camo next, 'and carricd the score on ttf 96, when Plinnner was given out 'legbofore.to 1 Cobfcroft. SAiithj 'Ryah, and Mills were .alh'digpo&d of 'by 'tne-tifae- tho score had reached 108, leaving, J.-.'.Day undefeated, Ryanj' knocked up seven in two' lusty ljits. and was :bon;kd through endeavouring to play ;.a ball "which 1 'was' delivered before ho was ready to take strike. I'otone compiled 219 for tho-loss of eight wickets, fcut. were exceedingly lucky in running the jtotal up so high. Tho two first batsmon, Cobcroft and 'lshcrwood, carried the scoro'to 38, When Cob'croft was dismissed by a 1 perfect ball from ltyan... . 'lshcrwood 'continued to scoro freely, and with tho assistance of Barber, Avho! 'played 'ajiluiiiiaturally lucky innings and was let off repeatedly, the I Newtown u s6pi , c' l was passed before'.;the second wfek'e& 'lfell'. -ish'envood's innings ;\vas not; perfect, v but he played well for most of his runs. He gave one-very oasy chance in tho slips. A - smart brie-hahcle'd'\:iitch by Ityan'l was responsible for-the dismissal of Sniyrke, -who contributed 72". Neither Senior nor Bricdj'' who' both' made 13, wero quite at lioino, and'Taylor scratched for some time for his 9. Houso did not last long, ■ his stumps being shattered by Smith when he had made 4. Hargroayes (10, -not out) has an original style,' but no recognisable strokes. His work in the field, however, was 'first-1 class, and saved a good many runs. 1 Taking off the.j:jstras(ss) and the simplest' of thej chances lnisseifT Petone" wouRTKaVO done wcIT to have got 140. Tho bowling of Cobcroft completely tied the Ncwtoiyit men., in •a; knot:. The .batsmen did not. know what 1 to do witli. the Petoneite's .slows:; Some tried running out 1 to., hit, and in consequence were. ~stumped: ; ]i and others stopped, back and;-.did their -best', ;but the result, was invariably disastrous to Newtown. BHco bow-led exceptionally .well, and, although ho only got one wicket, the batsmen could take no liberties, with him. .\

The-sonior players who had to bat on ; No. 2 wicket, Athletic Park, last Saturday niado no sccr'ot of their dissatisfaction with the state of tlio. pitch. The .batsmen had an. uncomfortable time, .the Peton'e men suffering more -than -their opponents..' Isherwood- and Taylor both received several heavy blows about the body, and Gate- had one of his ruigcrs-: burst open. Isherwood also had a finger damaged; Since the above-was written Petone have, forwarded a;, complaint to the Cricket Association in reference -to.tlio state of the wickct.. !

Albert Cotter was recently fined £2 or.one month's imprisonment ona.ehargo of! assaulting a constablo at Brisbane. ' . The "American Cricketer" stages that "with the match against All Canada, at Ottawa, Captain E. 0. Wynyard created the remarkable record of'haying played in every British colony." " ' ■ ' V. Trinnper's century against South Australia is the twenty-eighth-ho has made in first-class cricket, and the third against South 'Australia. • • ; At the three: days of- the England v. New South Wales match £1843 (£412, £1085, and £3-15) Was takon. 1 ' The" fifc'days 'of' the Victorian match produced only £1083.

. That, cricket- is well patronised in Philadelphia is evident from the fact that 10,000 peoplo attended on one day at. one of the matches between the M.C.C. English team and the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. Mr"- R, "H'. ;Fox, who'was wicket-keeper to tho M.C.C. team in Now Zealand last summer, was married recently in Sydney to Miss -Grace Roes, sister to It. IJ. and-J. S: ltees, the well-known Adelaide cricketers. He met "his. bride while slip was touring, in.New; Zealand:.W'th Williamson's Opera Company. Ari. Tsrigl.ish. marksman is stated . to. have ."wijiged" a cricket ball' on three occasions out' of fbiir-attempts, while it -was- being pitchedbetween the wickets,, while a revolver •sh.b.o.tiat claims to have demolished a blue-bottle.fly .settled on-the white, of a tar"get" at- 'a.tlist'ance of twenty yards.' . Reforring.'to, the influence of.a good coach. :oii .'proviiicia'l cricket, tlio "Press" says: llelf has- done-lvoiiders with the Aiicklanders. .Every; maii- : 'Showed the stylo of.tho teacher in-the. receiit ; rc'p. match, and the play of the -whole -lot of the Aucklanders .was 1 a yery !oug .'.wiiy..ahead of the form they exhibited '..at'Lancaster'Park a couple 'of 'seasons, iigo. . - lii - all" between New. "South Wales aiid .South Australia, from the first in '1890; "the South Australian first innings totVil has : 'bceii'- surpassed by them ,in a' first innings bnl.V- four times,, .and, strangely enough of tlioso four matches the South Australians were beaten.: Tho .519. is tho , highest .second innings total: by. South Australia'.-" " • John . Tunnicliffe . has severed liis cbniiccYorkshire.' Ho has accepted-the pbst;;pf!'c'oach at Clifton College, 'and - will commence'his duties at Bristol ori January 1! " Thoro. ai'b six huVidred pupils'"at 7 Clifton aiid Tunnicliffo will combiiie aii athletic : outfitter business with tho duties of coach. " • • J..;.N, Crawford, of the English, team, celebrated, .his-, twenty-first hirtliday 'on' Docemher 1, and, to mark the occasion,'. Mr. Georgo Morrison, on behalf of the; Queensland . Cricket'.Association, presented him', with' • a liandsonib .'.Queensland black palm' "(P.tycosperriia.. Nornianbyi) 1 walking-stick' :made ..by uMiv . J."'N, 'Horton, .vice-president' of. the Queensland;.. Association. V.. . :- One has seen Clem Hill playing'for., twelve or'thirteen-, years now, and in no other match at-Sydn'ey has he surpassed the form,shown in -the latcst-Xsays .the 1 'Referee"). He ap•peared to a tliprough sight of . tho hall i'rom .the-start,' and needed no preliminary scratchingitb play himself in, as with some of-his-most celebrated opponents. No matter what merry Clem may achieve in -the, Tost .matches,'-his form. with . the bat just now. is superior to-that of any. Now, South Wales player, though one or two. ai-o-now not far.;behind. ; In-'first-class cricket in Australia "Clem liill'-'has :run into the;9o's seven times — ;viu:;; 97;:'95, and 99 against England; 95 and 95 against' Victoria; and '92 and 94' against : New: South Wales. In January, 1902, in the Test l match :at Adelaide, he • scored ■ 98 and 97,':'' so. that lie- then went closer to making two-xejiturios .than in the current- v.-match-with New South Wales! Tho South African Cricket Association has officially communicated with Mr. AY.- P. M'Elhone, lion, secretary o(3 tlio Board of Control for International Cricket in Australia, extending an invitation to an Australian team to play in South Africa on their way to England'in 1909. It would, however, appear inadvisable, for the Australians to play in South . Africa on their way to England. .'Among - other reasons is tho possibility- of defeat in, the, Test games on matting wickets, and tho, consequent depreciation, of the team'svprcstige ,in England. No doubt arrangoments will be niado for the campaign in-Sputh'.Africa after playing in England in on the way back to Australia y-as was--'.done by the 1902 - team.— ■ ; .,i. " ■

.Tho >Fijian cricketers ,aro a highly ■ intel-lectual-looking. lot of men, of fine' pliysiquo (says "Tho lloferco"). llatu ■ Popo E. Senilqliiiis .next in' rank to 1 tho reigning chief-jr-Ratu- Eadavu, who is captain of tho team'/ /.Ratu is an oxaltcd title, eorrespond-i'ng--withVthat of an! English peer. Kadavu was. educated :at Singleton, Now South AYales, and speaks English, fluently. Ho is HO 'Stranger to tho'.Sydney Cricket. Ground, for while living in Australia ho occasionally practised thero. ' : /TRatu. ..Pope, who was educated at Suva, speaks tlio. languago like a cultured Britisher.' Joiii, • ono of the bowlers, is only about, 15 years of ago. . At a general ineeting of the. South African Cricket Association on November 1 tho manager of tho South African team in England, Mr. G. -Allsoppj preaonted his . report. and ba.lhnce-shcet, which showed £6376 r'ccoived and £4920 expended, leaving a .':balanco. of £1456.- ■ Mr.'Allsopp alluded to the excessive number-;of froo passes issued for the second Test match at Leeds, which ho estimated at nearly-40 percent-, of the total attendance. Ho-stated that ho had drawn the attention of the Marylebone Club to the matter. it'" may prSl'o of interest, s.ays' "Cricket," to point* out, that t-lio M.C.C. have made the following terms' with each professional visitimf Australia(l), The sum-of £300 as •his'remuneration for his services, l £25 there-of-to be paid to him before leaving England, £175 dUring-'tho tour in Australasia, and the balance'of £100 on his return-to England; (2) Ilia sea passage (first-class fares) and 30s per week when on board ship $; cover charges'for'wines, sjiirits, dl other eS])enses; (3) his hotel expeiiseii"'ill A\i§tralasia during tho tour, and . 40s per week ttf cover charges for wine,' spirits, tobacco, cab fares, and all other expenses; (4) his : -rnrihvay' v and travelling exppilses in Australasia during the tour, including luncheons and drinks on such Occasions; (5) his washing bills up to, a reasonable amount, arid tho usual gratuities for servants" cliu'ii-g this' tour.

RELF INTERVIEWED. y ■ Our"' special •'correspondent in Christchurch, writing in I 'refereiico 6o' tlio CanterburyAuckland match after ail interview with-the Auckland coach, says: —l?elf, the -Sussex pispfessibnal;' would" havo" been more' than human if holiad not'said' ho was very- pleased with' the result of the match, but. like tho (inc.. sportsman ho'"is," ho said nothing "iSoro iu, .conversation with a Press representative about "the performance of his side, nor did he criticise. ■ Canterbury's display, beyond making,a few,remarks about the-bowling of iSOnne.tJi and .tho batting of Lusk and the holding.; nor..was it' for him,' ho said, to say; anything, about t)io progress. of erickot m : ; Auckland, except to notico . the." great growti.i of popular interest in tho game. ' It was not uncommon, lie remarked, to seo 1000 peoplej.n the. Domain ou a Saturday afternopn. ..Reverting to the match,; llclf ssijd bp. considered Bennett bowled exceptionally. It. was a really fino performance tpl keep' on. bowling' such good, stuff, under such conditions. ;\V;ouJd Bennett bo considered good at H.omo'r' . -. j'.'Yes.. Hp. would, and with practice in tirst-ctass cricket there would develop into a lirst-class ■: bowler. Lusk was a-good bat, but .was. inclined to take too many,.;risks. The -lidding' of Canterbury was really g00d.." As'.,this, match-was JRelf's first inter-provin-cial 'ongagemont,' bo \yas 'diflident about, expressing, an opinion on the standard of the provincial teams, but lie did not consider it, from ''what' lie had seen, equal to the English county standard. At the sanie time a Now Zpiiland team would bo up to tlio level of a good average county, and ho thought it. would ,bo an excellent'idea- to send a team. Home. The players would gain most valuable- experience and dilfuso it- through the "colony "when they camo back. Rolf has optimistic views of the future of cricket in Now Zealand..... There arc people who befiovo ' tliat. football and not cricket is Now Zealand's 'national game, and tlie .temperament of .'tho New Zealander is against his rivalling tho Englishmen and the Australian in cricket., , "Hut why should it bo so?" asked Rolf. "You"have here splendid climatic, conditions for cricket, much better than they have in South Africa, and even better than they have in Australia. The grounds, too,, are excellent. I sec no reason why Now. Zealand cricket should not be as good.as South African or Australian." The interviewer said something , about temperament: ' "Yes, the temperament had something to do with.it, but good schooling could counteract . temperament. Coacliiiig could turn a bad-.batsman-into a good'lintsman, a bad howler-into-a. good bowler, and a' bad'field--1 into..a good, field." .