CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 140, 7 March 1908, Page 9

CRICKET.

(Bt Breaker.)

ENGLISH TEAM IN AUSTRALIA. '-.West'Australiay-at Perth—March 12, 13, 14, ' and 16. •'•• . The:, "gate" - at 1 the Basin Reserve on Saturday totalled £23, the same amount ,as the proviousweek. Mr. C. G. Wilson, the ex-Melbourne cricketer, and sole selector of Otago representative team, has given up the game, for the season. -' • ( It is oxtrcmely probable that Canterbury will,• challense'■^•Auckland'"for the Plunket Shield' next season.' • '

Asked- durins an interview the . cthei day whether lie recommended bulli wickets,' Relf, the, English coach, at Auckland, .re-' plied: "Not necessarily so. Any soil good, enoughwould do if tho work is put on it.'' J. H. Bennett, the well-known Canterbury and Sydenham cricketer, leaves at the close' of the season for England, where he intends to follow the gamo as a: professional. His record for senior championship r.inlr.hes from, 1896-7 /until the close 'if last - season reads:—Batting—lnnings', ■ 1 '!7; n>:t outs, 12 • runs, 1539; highest score, .77.;. average, .16.18. Bowling—lluns, ; 5265; wickets, 348; average,, 15.13.:// . ': . /:" Playing for Karori against Newtown oil Saturday, "Ranii" Finlayson showed fine form both with bat and ball.. Ho scored 39 ill finished ' style and obtained, 'in-all, 12 wickets' for .23, '.' "Ranji" was responsible, directly or indirectly, for all of the Newtown wickets but one. -He is considered to be tho best i all-round , player in the third-class champipriship; arid it is thought that with a littlo'coaching lie would be a success iri a higher grade, as' he possesses a very good defence and 'times his strokes wejl. ' His weakest "points '• are fielding'. and judgment as to rims. • ' .'•/•.. .. .'V

The. conditions iwere again favourable'for cricket last.Saturday, aiicl the fact, that'considerable • interest- is .-taken;-in- tho result of : tho 'chanlpioiiship, and in cricket - generally,was'.proved -by the good' -attendance,; notwithstanding that a-charge was'made for.ad--■mission.-V ; , :T It is'a well-knoivn fact that' tho public in' Welliugtoii attends' cricket, matches in much. larger numbers than in any other city in tho Dominion. Tho- spectators are more numerous at a series'of championship matches'hero than- at : an - -'average -: representative '-match anywhere else in New Zealand. In Christ-, church,-'which is.' cdhsidered to be thoV hub' of good attendances'are exceptional; Dunedin ; crowds, ate even "less' keen game,.- whilst at: "Napier -.the .atteaidarioo at :"Rep;" .matches'does net', pay .the gateman's wages;': "Interest -in Auckland', is improving, but Wellington/.crowds' aro also, increasing, and,; fui-tlier,' here ; the .public fairly,, understands .all the finer points of tho game. -■ /

/' Old 'Boys' first- innings ,in. the final produced ; 509-runs.": Of this'total 164. were, made: last Saturday for tho last five wickets. -/Moriaghan.'started -with: 38. not/out. .Ho was missed behind the-ivickets straight'away, and''later , on' Mitchell kindly., dropped, him.. After having was;.caught. by Hicksbn.' .His'innings wasofreo/jindvuse-.'

.;i C.;,Pr.Blaokloclc made* a.crisp : sjy:'-'Ee was. at no;, time reckless," but. his : ./strokes/ r v/erp clean and hard. Jacobs caused 500 to go jip by lunging at one' on tho off',which reachcd tho fonce. It was , a peculiar stroke, and apparently a lucky one. - M'Gi'll iscqr.cfl' attractive' Bat',' ;< buVVHplqd'der/", and .'plodders; get rims: .fcasfttoßA.Js !««?? < Midland fielding was very ordinary, with -the exception of Manson,'>ho saved a good number of runs. It'is also, considered that better uso 'oould- have been mado of the available bowling. : ,'.V ' Midland opened' with Wynyard' and - Williams. The latter started by being dropped by; J; P. Blacklock, but ho' was'taken shortly after, by'C. ;P; Blacklock in a brilliant manner.: Bruce came and wont, likowiso Wighton, aiid. at.tho moment Midland'havo lost .three'for. 56-in .their attempt to' mako. 509:, It is a largo job to have : to make over;soo' runs-.in, ono.; innings,: .and their; chances do iiot look too'rosy; but,the Midlanders'take' a lot of killing,'"and; then they: dio 'hard; i - Wynyard; is not Tout .with'-,.44' 'to': his credit; In: scoHiig/thislnumber out of-' 56\ho lias;put. .up : a' very'good 'perfprmanco,; and his.'runs wero. obtained in a-.very attractive, manner. .

• In'this.match, only. 220. runs were, scored all tli& afternoon,'as against: 345'0n .the] previous! Saturday- ~'

Petorio continued-their-first'innings'on No. 2, with; four wickets down foi-;67', and finished; with' 190. Taylor- top-scored with'- S6:« Ho: pbtyed a. very; .free .innings,'-hitting,.'and-'be-ing dropped ' all, round , This, player' has': been mudh l morel sucMwrul -. with the bat' for . P.etbno.: than;, fPr . VTolliiigto" Some , of'his "b.est scores i are' 62 ;iiot out,- 56, and'.49..- .' : ' '-. .-•• '-. '■

Brici, in making 51, played tho best innings for-his side, and he scored'very quickly. The ball he got out off was driven, like a cannon ball, 1 back ttf tho bowler, who held'it. -As> a rule ; it . does hot pay. to handlo theso fast' returns; •' because ; thp .least, . mistake iii judging the ball may mean' a broken, finger. - Connolly was not a success with the bat, and in, .bowling, in Phoenix second -inningsi he again 'failed to corns up to his reputation, besides dropping an easy catch off Sanders. ; ;; - - ' 1,: " 1 -- : : - - • *y>'

Phoenix i-n the second innings: had made 149 "for :six wickets when-' the stiimps f 'were drawn.

Naught-on, for Wellington, pn No: 3, scored 119 in a lively mariner. The innings was one of the host- he. has played., - Quinn seeins. to. bo-getting over the nervousness .which has for! a long timo interfered with his batting: In making -51' i ho gave a very good exhibitioii. S-: Hickson batted very well, and was 1 56 not ..out: at the finish of the day's- play. The other Wellington performances do not call.for any comment. " Gas Company's bowling is .very weak,, and although- Wellington have • 339 for ■seven, all but 100 of them .wero made by. thrfie moil, and out/of the 100, there, wero, 36 extras. ' Tho Government* should bo'askod.to get hold 'of thre'o' or four'' wicketrkeeper's ''when solecting tho .next batch ; of assisted immigrants.: - They aro'wanted. .'

The: "Sydney Morning' Herald"'.estimates, that 'something like £2000' Will"have! to. be, paid : by-the-cricket association's to' niako 1 up tho Board of Control's guarantee to the English --team'.' : ! . : J

Playing .for South Australia, against tho Fijiaus; veterain George ! Giffen showed much, of his.old form with bat. and ball, .and-more; than his old-judgment, as captain. ' He kept himself .back, in bowling, -.till Ilees, and tho much-boomed youngster. Stirling had- prdvedquite ineffectualthen, he-wont'..oil himself and _skittled ! tho dark-skinned- men out (six for 58). Later,-the- veteran, going "in tenth for his side, put up a 'beautiful not-out'3o ; odd, placuig tno ball;with perfect command. S.A.' now' 4 .wonders,;..says tlie "Bulletin," whether Giffen's..usefulness in big cricket is really over.. , J., Humphries, the English. wicket-keeper,■ lindcrwont'v.ani .operation ; in,' Melbourne '■ on. February. 14, arid isnow.making satisfactory progress.'.; His'.,medical attendant hopes that Humphries, will. bo ■ able, to accompany tho team on.its return to England,. Mr. T. L. Taylor, tho Yorkshire crickoter,' wlio .will be remembered here as a member of Lord Hawko's English toam that toured New Zealand and Australia, was married on January-14.i to. Miss Etholwynno Rose Parkes, daughter of Mr. H. C. Parkes, for, 16 years captain of tho East Molesoy Cricket Club. • ." . ,- ' At Balmain, Sydney, on February 22 N. Gillies_ spored 125 out of 179, and scoured all ton wickets for, 29, out of 7G, besides performing the hat trick, for Balmain Earlshra'e v. Rozelle, tho formor boing tho leading "B"' Grade, and latter the leading "A" Grade in the ;Ba.lmain and District Association's'. competition.';.. The Lancashire County Committeo has voted £2.5 towards the Lord Hawke Testimonial ■ Fund. Tho letter; accompanying tho cheque -contained this ; very nice sontiment: "Lancashire cricketers ; join with thos'o of Yorkshire in their desiro to honour one whoso

devotion to the • gamo and whoso splendid sportsmanlike qualities have won universal recognition and admiration."

It would be iio\;cl to English crowds if tho next Australian Eleven to visit England included at least four first-class left-hand batsmen, remarks tho "Referee." And it is a possibility, seeing that in Australia to-day thero aro such players. as Hill, Ransford, Blaxland, and Bardsley. And: what a brilliant set in the sido's out ; cricket th'ey would bo, for tho three younger ones are among the smartest and most reliable fiolde in Australia, and far superior to several' men who were' mombors of the 1905 Australian Eleven.-

.The Rev. E. F. Waddy has completed 1000 runs;;for New. South Wales in representative, cricket, averaging 43 .runs per innings. Ho has made. 330 against South Australia at an average 1 of 66, and 309 against Victoria at 28.09. . i.His biggest innings aro'l29, 65, 57, and ,43,-not out,.against South Australia; 95 against the Australian Eleven of 1905; _82, • 63, arid' 50 .against"Victoria; 106 against Queensland ;■ and 107 not out, and 57 against -England. 11l cricket ho has played 25 completed innings for 1077 runs. "Tho~ timo ■ may be nearer at hand than some of us think,'' remarks Major Trevor in the "Australasian," "when Hobbs will be known-as tho best batsman in England. Ho will stand '.• pre-eminence well, for ho is less likely than almost any young player I know to suffer from what is, called, I believe, the swollen head. Yet the brightness of his batting only serves to accentuato tho darkness of its surroundings. His comrades- in tho M.C.C. team do not fight against their difficulties particularly , well. It -is in times of trouble that ,wo look to tho first-class, eric-, keter for instruction, and if wo aro disappointed, with him when trouble comes ho must; bo prepared. to pay' tho penalty of greatness." . ■■•

Thus tho. Duncdiri "Star" :—"The Otago representatives, who wcro decisively defeated by Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury, this season, recognise that they-did not show their.real form, -and,-further, tho impossibility of the. Association financing, another tour next: season!"' But,they aro keen in' the desiro of another opportunity of challenging tho holders of tho Plunket Shield, and wish to bo first in the fipld np;;t season in throwing down tho gage of battle. They have, therefore, generously offered, aided by a few prominent players, to undertake the trip to Auckland —each player "agreeing to pay his own oxpenses, about £14 14s. and the Asso-ciation-has given its support and sympathy to the projcct. Tho team will leave Dunedin .on December 22, play Tara'naki on December 25 and 26, meet Auckland on' December-31, January 1 and 2, and Hawke's Bay on January 7, 8, and 9, reaching home on the 12th. Otago and Taranaki have not met at cricket, and it is anticipated that the visitors will get something out of the "gate" at New Plymouth.: The weak point; about the proposed Otago team is the bowling,, .but it is l understood that Mr. C. G. Wilson (tho: sole' selector and captain), has a 'scheme whereby some improvement will be effected in this department of the gamo." ? ■ DEPARTURE OF MR. A. E. RELF.'. •AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. ' ADVICE. TO YOUNG, .PLAYERS.. • Mr. A. E.; Relf, the English, professional,, who has been brought to. Auckland, for , the past two . seasons;' as coach :to that progressive, club, Edeii,,.will leavo Auckland on Monday, on his return to. tho Old Country. Relf will 'journey' via'"tho East Coast. and catch tho Euapehu in .Wellington;' whither :ho will embark for England. Interviewed in/Auckland, Mr. Relf, referring to cricket in Auckland, said, that.: tho iwholo of season was sounder than- last- -year^—a- good deal' sounder;..'tho. fiolding, taken all round wiis bettor.but there -'was still plenty of. rooin for/ improvement •in-the batting, as also in the .bowling,- which was about tho sanio. standard, no improvement at all 'having been shown, for the •simple reason that tho players had not taken sufficient'pains.-' Ho pointed out that it 'required a-.-great; deal,-of.'determination and ',persoverancp to become: a/first-class bowler./ Rolf.' expressed, a' hopo that .a very early, start would bo rnado next season with those selected, aijd with the most promising of the juniors who had received coaching of late.. Several '.of tho' latter woro • very : promising players in . batting and'bowling.

- In a few years' time thero would, lie remarked, bo any amount of the right stuff availablo for the seniors, hut at present they were still a little bit junior, and most of them rather young. Thero-wero plenty of them who- woro • likely ito bccomo. good players in senior cricket- and - show out in tho representatives. Their futuro- improvement; however, lay entirely with themselves: f-hey .had', good physique and plenty of r staiiiiha. . , "Young players," observed Mr. Relf in'con'cliision,'' "must "not think tliey.can learn cricket in one or two days, for it required years "of constant and steady- work;'.''