CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 9

CRICKET.

(By Breakeb.) Local cricket .has been at a standstill of !-.■ late.'on'.account of the,, rain. . _ It is hoped ■to concludo tho filial,for the senior chauipion- - ship, - Old Boys v. Midland, {to-day.' {;■', ; . All matches in tho- junior grado have not '- 1 yet been' decided, but the .championship .lies , between tho Wadestown and W aiwotu teams. : At ' present tho, latter has,' a J lead of two points over Wadestown, b.it as thero is an- . \ other match to be played, the order may yot boreversed. ; v., . „ Cricketeb .Who Put Plenty of Powder Bc- - bind; their Shots:—No. .1 :-S. E. Gregory.— "Tho Globo " '{{;. / Il'c-cently' at Shanghai' two teams composed' solely of Celestials met-in.their annual ' oricket -encount-or and r . tied with/'4O runs each; Moo Don, a wonderfully tost bowJer, v "frightened" fivo of his. opponents out—he ■ - -clean bowled them all—foi .U, inns. .... - - r - Edeii ,by their.'Matest,':, yictory; established .a-total-'lead of .eight-points; for.tho Auckland, .'■ their , nearest', attdndauts , being City and Grafton, who are equil., lho .- -' Eden - Club (says' tlio : ' 1 Weekly , News ) de- : serve . ' . • preonoury 'for - fchej have. lieen most enterprising - in . their .vpnturcs. There is no doubt- but,;that the -imi portation' of ARelf! has" hail -,a f great dealto . ■ ' do, with the success of .tho team.: ; His-own play - has .{helped; materially,;.-but there-are others in t-he - team,'whb -have-shown- much improved" fGrSr-this 'season; nofebly Brooke-; Smith with the. bat and. Stcmson with both bat and ball. Tho team, has eight , ( matches-and won :them. two occasions . securing threc-poiiit -wins.'.' ; ' Mr C- R -Smith, -President of tho Otago / 'Association,-: wrote ' to' .the.;■;New,; Zealand .- ' ' Cbunctl;.-" rTOpntly//.stitting whilo in Syd : I',--' ney a few' weeks'agb .he h."id„had a.conversa- • • ■ tion with Mr. J.-C. Davis, of the -' Rerereo,'in , which Mr. Davis had-.strongly urged that tho Council'should secure a visit from.a good i. ■' team ifroni'.-New .{ South.Wales,. instead, or bringing teams from England. : If tho-Cpun-cil cared to approach .'Mii -Davis, he would ; { :. bei wilUng': I to,*-. ; organise'. a., tejiin,..which '..would • 'tour Now-Zealand*-at:no: expense .beyond. ■ travelling' and-, hotel .expenses,-.-the Council to tak6 all'the gate-money, • arrango--1 ■'■' nientVwouldihave to-b§.made with tfho approval of: tho' Board'.of {Control or. th-o J; New _ { * ; ;;M9st.">'of -. the 1 associations- in .the Dominion wanted a visiting , team'. 1 to;ppus.;t s . ; thonv in funds, ,'and a tour■'isiich-; : as''- : ;was;suggested would ..entail very little risl;.' . It ivas decided to' send -an invitation : to South Wales Cricket , Association ,:tp {send;a. tem {to. New.VZealaih'd, ond tliat'Hr. Davis.shbiild be askcd.to watch ■ : tho. interests of .the New-;Zealaud;Gouncil;;{ -.: ', ..{ -Ji 'Hafdst-att; has. scored; moire runs in tho- . eleven .{aside matches"{this 'season thaii any : . : other' touring ;in this. country (says ail Australian "paper). ,Ho played, in , {•''"- ali '18?eldveh .aside',games; scoring 1359 run's,as follow:—46, 135,'0, 95, 53, 71, 9, 12, 63, 34,'12,,19, 61, 72, 66, 85, 106, 121, 12, 8, 39, '32, 73, 178, :43, • 63,■ and' 4.-. >Apart from,the {; {, . ;nuihber.'of,{these 'matches,' having-bc-en • larger. than: ever before,' Hardstaff's astonishing con-- ! '- cV Bistency;;has;-:largelyvcontributed;;to his big aggregate.'{jWithl-'Stoddart-sisep6nd'.'team ; ,in \ 1897-B,';K. : S.' Raniitsinhji compiled 1157 runs ; in tho,eleven aside' engagements, which ranks' ; as\.tho; highest .'.hitherto. ;. A//' ; C:;.MacLareh. was .'closo up ,with 7 1037,- Ranji!s , 'averago''be- ; ;{ ing. 60.89 and;that{.of;MacLareri:s4:s7:': .- The. . third ibatsman yonrthe' list;;,that isummer wa.s . T.'Haywardj' but tho drop was a deep one.v. t0'695 runs. Ranjitsinhji and Macliareii-did {' not/play{, iji{{matches {{against Australia, |, {{ -{ Tasmania, or Queensland', ;;otherwise- each .would no i doubt have had a much higher {-' 'Z ! 'Rahji'srnnnings were! 189, .">l3, 64, 10, 112, 175, 8, 71, 27, 6,' 77, 24, 55, 2, 12, 37/ 41,-33, 61, 61, 40, 36.:, Thoso of MacLaren uero 0, 26, 10, 142, 100, 109, 50, ' 35,; 38, '14, 124. 8, 45, 65, 0, 61, 140, 20, ■ 21'.'' - Or/his 1 fivo hundreds;-:four were, , { made 'on':. the;{ Sydney . Cricket- Ground, : three: , {'against,; New; So\ith; Wales.; Liko Gunn,;ho ,-; made , twb hiindreds in a.-season, against, Aus-. ; tralia..;- AYith his own te'a'm.,iri 1901-2, A. C. { MacLaren'-scored 929;ruris; : ;;, '{{\Vith ,Y\'arner.'s • -'.'team,- R. E. Foster headed tho list with 755, :{ nm?r-':! ,So;:''that,;:-measured, by'figures, tho i : littlo lNotts -.-batsnian' has ' had .'a: wonderful . season. ' ■ Yet ' lie - has-not . shown like:-.tho .cricket .of • cither MacLafen or. Ranjitsinhji . on, tho Sydney ground..' That' .";: {{famous pair, '.too were .'.faced. by; better-,bowl-. { ■ ing'{and -.better .• all-round - teams..;; . v'.f Says - the. "Sportsman!' The "ashes", have • i ;■ ibeeii lost,':and'mor6;tamely.;than' m6st'of .us • imagined. vWe are disappoint-ed and sorry,' •:a ', 60 are {.the. -boys, but vthings • can- :; .not' be{helped,' .and it : is much: better to tako - thin''to' growl; sotto . -.{;. voce;abont{-;substitutes -:b'ad decisions.; • . i j arb { not- ]'infallible, {{'are' ' ' they ?{'{' Any . way,; there should bo-.a boom -in tho Imperial tourney (1909) stockj .- • ; Ata recent .{meeting, of' th'o,{ Nbiv-Zealand; .: {.; - C-ricket .-.Council; the .Secrctary, reported.-that ho ; had: endeavoured ,-tp .-'arrange.' ai Rest { of {.' New-Zealand match against .the..holders of; ; '-the iPlunket; Challenge Shield,' but;, owing-, to •' -inability-:to ; : get: a; good representative team ;■{'{' ;' - together, , the. : match had, ( been.: abandoned. , '■''OMy.:'th'rM(playe'rs'^fro'm^• : 'VVellingtph ha'd;been available, and, Canterbury antT' Otago had ;. . been unable--to supply, any. ...A cpmrnittee :,-;" :{ submitted',a^'..report' regarding':' the,conditions of tho Phmket Shield .matches. -. Tho com- ,{/ V mitteo recommended that, - any association, ' ~ otlier ithah- Auckland; '■!'Wellington',.danter.,bury,"and Otago should .be allowed.,to apply, to the. Council;for afiiliato{with' i . thoi.'Association;' with which' its .{nam© - was ■ bracketed for-th'o.'purpose's ,'of' the, -Plunket 'Shield; matches,.' only—the v Association eon- ! l ceraed-not- tor-lose its, representation on the • Council: • The. combinations ; of' associations

Should be as- follows: —Auckland—Auckland; -> ;-Taranaki—North,Taranaki and South Tarayj naki; Hawke's . Bay—HawkoY. 'Bay,. and' .A/Poverty Bay; •„ Wellington — Wellin&on, nWairarapa, Manawatu, and W'anganui; West i iiCoast—Westland, -Buller, Marlborough; and V: :.ilNelson ; : and, South, v TvCanterb'ury; Otago—Otago, South Otago, } '.ifjm'd 'Southland. report ' was .'received;, i alnd it: was. decided: that it: should Jjp placed, J'", bfeforo'the next; annual meeting of tho Coun- , cSI. ylt was resolved.'tp ask the rMarylebone . GlVictfet Club whether) its new rule" regarding-' th-qi'/qualification of professionals'engaged as coalches would,apply to-'a-New Zealaifd team [ ' plapnng importod,professional coaches, agairist. forffiign teams .'or ;tp provincial teams'-playing ' against foreign teams. : /'\/. : '.'•y ■ ■ s ,': V: NO RLE IN REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET. Be)Jow is given a' list'of the performances of \M., Al: Noble with bat and ball in all his re- ■ ' proscn.tativc oriclfet. ' It will be seen that , bo haft made 11,810 runs and taken. 573 wicketli. .'With, the .bat' he has .been'.most' successful against Victoria, and South Ans- \ : v tralia, ! . averaging oyer r6O runs per innings. H. Be has,; strangely, performed with greater Bufcess us bowler in Australian Test: matches ..than- against the States, which tends to show ; that ho rs greatest • with tho ball' on tho • greatest occasions! ' , .• .: BATTING RECORD. / > In. N.O. H.S. Runs. Avg. fictoria ... • i.. ,42 6 281 2447 67.97 South 'Australia 33 2 230 1930 62.2/5. • "N.S/W. V; England. 16 0 - 74 332 ,20.75, /Tests in Australia 34 1, 133 1057 32.03 Obhor Matches— . , In Australia 15 o'■ 11,1, 650 43.33 Australian Xl— • . . , ' , In South Africa 10 K V 53 185 • 20,55 In New-Zealand , 6 1 42 /131. ''21:83 lu England, 1899 50 7 156 1608 37.39 - 1902'48 5 .284 1416 32.93 . ( 1905, 49 2 267,' 2084 44.34 Totals: 303 innings,/. 25 not- out,. 11,840 •uns, at' 42159 averago per innings. BOWLING RECORD.■ , . ; Wkts. Runs. Avg. Viciui.a 76 1676 " 22.05 Smith Australia ... ... ■72 1574 21.86 N..S.V/., v.-, England:, . r,.' 1 :31: ' 894 : 28.83 icsts.m Australia ... 78 1610 20.64 . Other matches in Australia 40 . 962 24.50 Australian Xl— : In. South Africa . . ... -8 273 22.11 In New Zealand ' ... 29 301 10,37. In England, 1899 . 82 1878 22.90 ; ;.. 1902 ' ■~.....98. .1945 ,19.84 • . ■"% \ 1905 „ 59 1559 26 40 Totals: 573 wickots for 12,372 runs, averaging 22.11 runs per?-wicket^