CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 948, 15 October 1910, Page 12

CRICKET.

i ' [By The Beeakek.]

> Basin Matches. , 1; : . Cricket at. the Basin oh Saturday as. a ! .jr : Si:Whple'.was. it' would - of course bo unfair to cast, reflections on •\ ;• the form'of'players . w-ho liavo . justiz;: ■emerged ,'fro.m ',tl;eir, .-winter's hibernations scores j:; - - were really : the, nnly players wlio rose . ' superior, to tho prevailing mediocrity of f;-V" vi 'i.'the"'da^'.-V.'fSpme : .''of ; the : , bowling:,.averages !;. ■ vv-read -fairly ..well, butin.nearly. every.. case, jjS:f:vthe. bowler carried, a. few' wickets with i;/-;; iVi; perfect ease and had a jaboricius' task in iS aisposing 'of tho few' stalwarts who bat- : V. : -r?rsii = <tedJ--w;eIl/-- y : ' A Muoh-Needed i Stand. A ; :.The,;-easydispostd i;of : : Midlane, 'Hutchfvv/'J irigs,Vand.-Mahoriey, :iri i;the! East. v. North -. game. was. somewhat.of.-a 'disappbintment' jt:;'. although it is too'early in. the- season: to harbouroariy-'feelingiof: surprise-at occurj:-, T.'^rc^ces-cifthe.kind.-^ arid.'TuekferF.-, -.- tho game. swung a free dnving £& jijbatji-.at ,'tiines. a; triflei recklessly, but 'with; ,v>.firie:eifecti and Tucker batted with steady -'.With these two rests tho ' honour "of making a ; much-needed, : : i.etand arid- restoring (the,:failing;--forturies li' ,S: of th'eir. sidei >4th: his four wiekV, i'- ; : '«ts ; for. V 27 i;runs,.: was r as';i:nearly up , to. [ • coricert pitch-as :ariy. Sf . the. trunalers engaged.'?"i;■■ ';P\ 1 Batting Honours. : • Central K .'carried the batting honours Ifvß^^off^th'e'/'day'-'-ih'V'their'.'--'iiatch':with :;East;': nt : >of., thbir-,batsmei; reachedi ? d6ubl.e : foilfJ;whb iheaded-the, list' |j '. placed to their,'joint crMit■ no 'fewerthan-' ''.■: ~ . : l-iß,:ruris. Stephenson,-tho'top-scorev, gavo •For,^a timp ; . he.: simply did yivliatl.he-: liked with the |i2ft.'"of Ji6wlirig. : :' The'tricky shortpitched-ball :; : which/Cromb.io finally. induced him to iAir-iliftJlirito ?t)io;;handfc ; bf:jßrabin:;is jtherecommended;,VFor;, f. f ; : -.all-round- quality -Crombio took ■an easy, ; '^^ij^^.:>.Hiß;Jßowl-> i'.,'; : ;'?4lus::battihg:pei:formahco ; w«s. 'ahd caught' sV;.i£'-iWilson;.'*qf i/vWlivery farid^ ' heavitiy fj: fully iarrariged:.;;^.y^)-^^ | Central A and South. ' f . -i . Central A are..uridqnbtedly. in'' a).: very: i--: ; '; : .'bad: -pbsition iin their : nlatcli ; .with „Welfcf;»;?J:lii)gtbri:: SoutliMandtitftwill. &v^ , l-:happen',!to;!boibeateii : ,bri:the;first" innings. i. : . ' , The Central batsmen opened' fairly well -and .compiled' ix s respectable score.for the I' '.-.first'match of the season,' but' surely r£t.Ki'T'.^6biriething;. : :W , as. 1 -!.ivTron^'-; ; witfi. the. --te'ata's; when',-South;: Weie'-. allowed; to, hit. |;;,':::: upU2 ; : runs, iri', : a ;.failing-:,light■■ without p\: ! ;Hho loss of :'a wicket. ; i The-general, opinion fee; jwaS ; very: •*: .' badly managed.. -Miller, who is. iu the riiisr tcajri- for .his bowling', alone,' :and . Mason, ;is'.'aiifast.^btiwler,'-should; certainly '• , have been (lie first: trundlerS tried, and; if r'a change wis necessary surely Hawthorne fi ' •.,';might ,havo been given a chance., . . But ;' • instead of Hawthorne or Miller, Kinvig, and Laws were put; on,' arid; Mason was.; i[-' .' tried for a.couple 'of; overs;'only.-','.. The | n : .result- :is that'' Wellington' South havo -a; -decidel advantago on tho first day's play fc and if tlie batsmen make a stand to-day |> -'- inightv wiii ' bn'i: the '.first Innings., , , Of ? W'.'Vvfthe- Central batsin'eri'.rßruce deserves:menf: : 'tiori 'for-liis,- good'inriirigs; of :,30 ..not. oufv f,. .' ]Io sh6we4'.fiM ; : ago^ - ' was rinder:a'. ; clbiidilast. year;;.. Perhaps, he; l. ■;.; is.'going to shovr his best again this sea- [ - There did not' appear to be very much IS.-'S... rating, iri,' tho'. bowling.-of : pv'Warid rip M;the':'.timer.the' eighth- Centralte- 1 - -vrickfet fell, ■' iiorio 'of ' tho bowlers : , had. a. f„' ;' good average. Considering - that, the tUV::•• i - tfoiibling the t'-''.''Patrick and Co. : ;might-have,done;a little, better.^ ; SchraolJ., ; as • wicket-keeper, -• al18i.extras',xbut of-; cptirse ; felrfivas;; against -"liira r t'oo,.\ an 4 ; then; Patrick. Jis' not a good .-maii ■to take' at .any ■; time. ■

f At the Ground of the Hog-back Pitch, . The'story of the Hutt. match; has' been S' : - : 'sufficiently., told. It: was; a grand after-. [;;■ ''^ : /nopn-:for;; anyone::,'who; ;hkes,.cnckej;—an ..afternoon, mnmiid with i gold. . Tho out--standing thought- is: What a .ground Hntt have got! And, if the Hutt players I. :h. v^r.themselves.' ; wbuld, r get-;'; that Afine,.': white f :thonght 'unto-'-. Ihcir.f heads, they , would. j?//y /never ; let:thW;.pitch;-. ; j.-:Ir s-/./-. .wants;:tons of water, 'and'. tons'of _ rolling, /itwants.,the' hog-back in.tha middle of. S-j".ifc .leveled, - and, .possibly,. it,; wants , ■ word :'of ..'advice' from 1 Saunders, ..' Which,; iSftR iby the .way, Hutt forgot to-' ask;': tho 'for,: last- :b • te:r--'''Oii6-Baw;'at' a'glance.' that noi'one. wpnld f -'--'-be'.able'to; get the'ball to break, no mat.twizzle;,or finger work;hs I jut on it, and nobody (except Saunders) didbreak.- ,Of ' course,',Hutt. enthusiasts. P^:; v iofteh> pointed out ;'.to! the :untiitored city ; ..visitor: *hat ? 'Brice. was coming in a te',v;iitf," -'abd : the^''iujiinitiated ■' urban'.^'-person-' I'V: . =did-liis -best, io see. even going the length : (of.; leaving .his ■ seat, ~: and - standing in,; the t'-. v. line'of:the wickets. - There was, certainly, ), a good deal of "devil" -in- tho wicket, but, IsSt-Sdf'/ihyi'of»tho Hutt bowlers was breaking; it must havo beon -'.'but, in':th© estimation. I of a hair." : 'It . seemed;, just "straight stuff," but it was by no means easy to •. play till Burns and. Stainton tamed it. ißowling,:.which in; low on one stump, EM.:''.and- rises:: bail-high andmore on ;;the'f: others; requires a: good eye, and a .ready i; : -,turn .of • the wrist. -• '-..•- •' '. • I' : 'Nets, were. up beforo "■ the train' came L .- '.out .from: town, and Hutt were hard .at '. .it..-. Host of them 'seem to play a. freeS ;..-' «iibugh style':, at practice, with' good., com-' iffi. Eland . over ' a rising ball,, and, if * net Piii' stylo were match style, the suburban f:f;;- ; get \pn::iiodding. terms.with S:i.tK the 198, ruiis. against thom. But,' every cricketer r knows how hard it is /.to'get tho strings of ;"bouhdaries}'' ; .'which.; come '. 60 - easily and _so naturally at tlio nets,' t and'how 'in.a match- ifc -isr not the bowlfe""-: :ing ; altogether - which ' puts.: him'.out;-;-Once-t'V - but of- ten .times;' perhaps, - the bowler : sends the .'batsman' fairly ; and : squarely; fK; r : : : to tho.'.right-about. VOa , tho : other; nine t'-iy.:;occasions,it is "nerves!"-: That,"of course, ! is ono 'of the which /gives SyS. /.'vCrioket'i'its-Vundoubted:'.charms-: , V ;• . Burn 3 getting out last week was a i . rather - melancholy sight: after his fine stand.. -If, ho had run all tho runs which , ho -ought to ; liavo run: ho would.' have » . won the centurion's ' laurel crown. And ; : : 'i , jfrho'- , hVdVjrist'''loft' ; that one fatal run I alone, he would have been/ going yet. ! .' : , No doubt ■' two resolute batsmen, ; who, r/'5- : , " always/know "whoso cair it is. 'and who -V' .back can: run for. almost, 'anything; tl.',.:': ■ but it is ' doubtful if the - best ■ runners in the world could "steal one" off a . ' "ball hit straight and-true to mid-off. :': ! * 4 A Tough Lot to Beat." .'••••• Dr. L. O. S. Poidovin,, writing early, . last month t0..-tho '.cricket correspondent : ofthe: ''Sydnoy .Rcferee,'.'.' referred inter- • ', estingly to.; thoSouth': Africans: "In, f: ; Cricket circles - Australia is expected {.to . more:than hold' its own with easo.. HowrJ ever, : -wo .may find the visitors a :tough ;v lot' to beat. Llewellyn may bo a great ' to. .their,.: strength, especially )} ■ . with' tho bat. .Ho is. left-hanacd;: as : f. ■ vou 1 know, very. free in style, and c " ./methods,-' and.: he' puts the bat pretty • ' hard up against, the . ball' every -time.: ® Swarthy in appearance- and slight in build (though he has filled out a bit •'/,/' lately), he bowls about medium pace,whipping: in a faster; one 'now and. then/ !/' .and 'lie has the usual left-handcrY swerve /•':. (with a' new-ball). But our men should ! / ; ' ; not :find many difficulties in his.bowling,: [: :/. ' unless he gets /a typical left-hander's s . wicltet. -He'is good in the field, and very. I .-'fond:of shying at the wicket" . Dr. f... . PoiMovin sends .kind, regards to all Ausj' friends. 1' . A Veteran. Alick Bannermart (coach, to the New /: ' South Wales Cricket; Association) has'in /'/ /."a sense been re-born in cricket, snys the '■// ' Svdney. "Referee." In teaching the.young ,idea ; liow to bat and bowl and: field and i/ / place the field, he-is reliving his earlier ' career. Ho finds young ones in all direci tions who are "chock full of cricket." jS/' There are moro of them in arid around fc:: - Sydney than, lie ever imagined before'ho t/ . undertook the coaching. ..Ho has a/ soft f.. sj)ot for his contemporaries of' 32 and'2o ; ycaxs ago, but tho best exponents of this

generation, have no greater admirer, than A.C.B. It is ono: of his. delights to watch a first-clriss. cricketer at work, ..whether battingi bowling, or. fielding,-,-,.: And he likes 'him all the more' if the said cricket--or: bo well attired, with his boots white as snow. • 'Vy -"j Now. Zealander at Homo. -'. P. R. Johnson, .' who has been able to assigt Somerset: of late,,had an experience jvhiph is -very: ,rare in 'first-class , cricket in August, as ho scored A3 not out and 96 not out in the same match. Pew, players, whether amateur or professional, ' navo had such a narrow escape from obtaining two hundreds 'in a, match—although, in, spite- of his four supcesses in this direction, ,'C. 'B. ' Fry; has been as near • and failed.' P. Randall Johnson is a native of Kew Zealand. In the Eton eleven of 1597 he : afterwards entered Trinity, Cambridge, and secured' his: Blue 'in 1901—although his. fast'. bowling', probably' ..won 'hiin his colours iri' conjunotiori With his','batting; As it happened his bowling- nearly; wori the'.'Varsity match. Since -giving up bowl-' ing. through afl'-'injury,.' he .has become a first-rate: batsman; 5 In. Vyiew - .of-,' his achievements of .98 and 96—bothVn'ot out —it ■is i interesting.; to. recall that Ain - August, ,1906, at Taunton, he - scored: 96 and ..109,, riot. 1 out against Worcestershire. ~He must feel thankful that he made 161 and 131 .for , Somerset :'aga:inst'; Middlesex at -Taunton in' August, f 1908. ; When:, refrom . The: Bar he is evidently a mair'to/be; feared in; ; letio' News." •.-'These, comments (says the Sydney "Referee") .will -be fully appreciated by Australians, who had the pleasuce of seeing P.' R. . Johnson making, runs for'. the English: which, played ;in.-Australia after touring-Now, Zealand a -few,, years.,ago.': :lii:tliat.;t€ani. wer« .two,young batsmen of .eioeptionttl' promise ' froni: the ..interna-tionw,standpoint.;.-.:,One .was ,E..:M.r.-Dow-son..and\ the ■ other';,P.; -R. Johnson. In Zealand Dowson did veiy little, but ■in-Australia,- against the mdie: powerful ,t«airis/-his'-batting was i the: feature. ; of the English play. By the way, ; that team' included -soriie very 'fine .batsmen,, for: in' it were, also' G. J. :Burnup f T. L". Taylor; aud'F.,'L. Fano.-