CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 12

CRICKET.

EBl THB_BEEiEEB.]

;.The ' Hawke's'Vfiay'vCricket:'AESociatibn 'has;'..suggested March i, 5,;. and 7.: as the. dates ; '.for-.''the;:r' : Plunk ! et" Shield , match against: Auckland. ■■;'..■■ -'■•'■"■.■;-';' -.■.; ■,'f';r'' : '-; : ':;''

vVA'cpri'espondent writes as .follpwe to the. Sydney Picton 'cri(> keters wero; practising at Picton recentlyr Whilst the ball was in .flight from 'the; bowler/- to .the batsman, it .came, in contact 'with : v a- swallow, ..flying?-across: the piteh, : which; needless to say,'immediately.; dropped .'dead, on.'the. matting.; "'■ ■.■■.'■.'

•"• The'."Bpsie" bowler ; has'.come'..to stay, in ;Sydney, : it; is too .early ; to say, whether: he has come:to' conquer;in firstclass; cricket. -■'W;. J. : Stack:'is" theVmpst ■ accurate .example of the' '.'Boßie"' bowler. Most of ■ them , are long-hot);and 'full-toss young :meh,'\after'-the style ;of'.the'■■illustrious pioneer, -. 8. '.., J. • T.-. Bosanquet. •,".,;; : Lord Hawke, . the famous captain'-' of 'Torkshire,;.who. has, perhaps, .done; more thanany.'other,man to spread.the.'.popularity. of;the great Englisn' national game' throughout the' British -'Empire, : being impressed'' with>'.the".impetus ■■ ;given ■'■'■ to l cricket-iii'li'-iw. (Zealand by. ..the Jnsti tutionof. the, Wunket -Shield,- and the engagement of .professional .'. player-coaches) land, being desirous.of seeing the improvement in .play, and. increase of public., in-, terest general■', throaghout the■ Dqminionj to, send out from .England a| shield .'or cup for comp'etitiori among,the .minor; provinces and, sutMlistrict cricket associations,' .commencing" with, /season 1910-11,-' .This; further: evidence of Lord Hawke'e real'and,"(lively, interest in'": New Zealand cricket will in' due - course " be placed .beforo/.the, New 'Zealand ■ Cricket Councillor consideration.;■'■''' nPv -of .'the/ North-Sydney' Club,: and-formerly of Eedfern, who haa received; an .appointment, in : connection' with; Wunderlich, Ltd.,- Wellington, was ■accorded-a- send-off-by his. many, cricket- 1 mg friends varid .'wellTwishers,' and -pre- "' sented with a suit suitably engraved. ,A lei't-ha'nded- batsman, with strong, defence, ; he , .should- doVwell .in Wellington .cricket' (remarks the. Sydney 'TSeferee") though latterly in North Sydney he.has' confined ■ his : play, to; the; second eleven : The matter, of professional, coaches taking part in the Tlunket Shield matches is ■ mentioned , by the Sydney'. "IJeferee." It •Jβ important (says that paper), yet'a matter ,only New;. ; Zealanders can satisfactorily ; dotermine in .the best interests of -\ their^'-own..cricket.;'..There must, , - of i'course,- 'come a; time' irhen tho ■ standard ■ of, play.: having ;boeomo co-ordinate with' that of Australia, will, make it necessary .to restrict interprovincial' cricket to -, players possessing Vbona-fide residential qualifications. Whether it 'is wiso to 'make that restriction.-beforo such a happy time arrives is quite' another matter. Perhaps' if "each province, were, restricted to the playing ■ of only one professional, coach ; in its representative eleven, the chief aim of the many; would be compassed without depriving -the cricket- of the province of the material,, moral and educational assistance which would be derived from the presence , of a "high-class: coach "'in! the team, and which may be still, necessary, for some years. , .!. ■:■*'', .'.'■ : Judge Parry' gave-judgment on : Deoem-ber.-13'.'in/sin action brotiKht. by Jamesi Topping against, the. committee, -of- the Burnago Cricket Club (England) arid ,C. A/ Butt,''a:'.player of- that club.: In the course of a match, Mr. Butt hit fcho ball out of the ground, beyond'the' boundary of the club's property. : It-struck plaintiff on the head and injured him.'Plaintiff at the time was' lawfully'standing whore ho was attending to his own affairs, and was ho trespasser.; SHU less was ,he spectator ; of the game .then in progress. It ; was contended on Ms behalf that- the entry of the'ball into the ground- where plaintiff was (whioh. was his, own) was of:itself a trespass, , and as such carried with it -all' consequences, that.might accr.uo from suoh trespass. ■ On this basis it was urged' that both" the batsman and the officials, of the ; club, who .had promoted, the game and so him induced the batsman, to; strike the, ball on this occasion became jointly and soverally' liable for any damage which.might result. The defenco contended that, in order to entitle a-plaintiff to. sucoMd .in such a situation,: there ehould ■■ be evidence of negligence on the part of one or all of the defendants. ... It was not denied by the defence , that to-thcir knowledge batsmen on other ocoasions had hit a ball out of this;ground.--His Honour, in giv. ing judgmont for plaintiff, reviewed to wme citottt th«j ancient history of cricket

—how:'it:had developed from a sport, on an open common or field, which spectators oould attend or avoid at option, to a pastime within enclosed areas, those areas in divers oases being insufficient for tho travelling propensities' of the propelled' ball, , and suon areas/moreover, being in certain cases fenced in for the purpose of gate.money and of income from the same. . But the pith of the judgment- lay in his analogy to Lord Ellenborough's judgment as to' noncontrol of a dangorous animal, and ho said, "if in the playing of a game players let loose a moving ball -liable? to injure, and left it. to the hazard o£ the Bkill or the power of the otljer players to keep, the ball within the bounds and limits of the game that they had chosen for themselves whereby it .escaped from their control arid injured a person who was not a pky«r ot a spectator of the game, but: an ordinary citizen lawfully going about his usual pursuits, ho could could not see why an action for trespass should not lie," and again he-roarked, later, "here were a body oi persons brought together for the purpose of amusement and using a dangerous missile;, which they failed to keep under control; thereby injuring the plaintiff."- :Upon this basis he awarded .£ls damages and costs. • •... . ■■ ;. . -. ■ y