CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1265, 21 October 1911, Page 12

CRICKET.

BOUND AMONG THE CLUBS. [Br The Breaker.] Central v. East B, No. 1 Basin Reserve. • East A v. South, No. 2 Basin Kcserve. North v. Victoria College, No. 3 Basin Kcserve. Hutt v. Petono, at Hutt. Elevation of Petono. As the Potone Club is being admitted to tho senior championship without paying the full fee, t'he finances of tho Wellington Cricket Association aro not going to benefit much by tho move, and it seems very doubtful if cricket in Wellington will receive any benefit from having an additional senior team. Ccrt'ainly tho Management. Cemmittco was wiso to do away with a bye that would have resulted from seven teams being entered for tho senior championship, but tho general opinion is that tho most satisfactory •way of dealing with the position would havo been to de-grado tho Victoria College team to tho junior competition. Last season tho University team was a vory weak ono and would have been hopelessly outclassed without the assist- ' ance of Saunders. This year they claim to have some promising young material, but they have lost. Monaghan and Niven. How can thoy claim to be Tho position is explained nicely by a •'dialogue that took placo between an East delegate and a College dclegat'o at a recent committee meeting: "Will your team bo as strong as it was in the second half of last season?" asked tho East delegate in a non-committal tone. "I think it' will be a littlo stronger," was the answer. "Only a littlo stronger?" asked the East player. "Yes," came the reply. "Oh, well, it's not a strong junior team," quoth tho other. There seemed to be an opinion on the commit'tec that if tho University team wero debarred from playing in the senior grade, tho club would drop out of existence, but it is difficult to imagine that the collego players would so easily bo pushed out of tho sport. At all events they should, by right's, be playing for the various districts. The new.Potone team is not likely to be much stronger than' College, especially in view of the fact that' they aro not going to run a ream in t'he junior championship.' What will tho East A team do to both of these teams when they meet them? It will be interesting to see., A Letter from Petono. What do tliey think of their own chances—these new Petono men? Well, they are inclined to be optimistic. They will have Brico in their ranks this year, nnd he is a host in himself. Tlieir own feeling and hopes aro sufficiently explained in the following letter which we have .received. It runs as follows:— "Of course, wo do not know yet how out batsmon will shape against such 11 duo of bowlers as Hickey and Gibbcs. We know that "Our Mr. Gibber," and also "Our Mr. Hickey" (as East would no doubt call them) need a lot of playing. Also we have not yet considered how we will get the Rev. Mr. Blamires out if 110 should get set. But we are not going , to meet troublo half-way. Wo shall *■'1 do our best against these redoubtables when wo meet thorn. Wo think that we will defeat More teams than what defeat us. Whether that is any great, feat or not ijsvii matter of opinibii.' 1 ' Brice, of corirse, will make a great" difference. His fast bowling is what Petono badly needed last year. Tho letter then continues:—"Of tho others, "Alf." Cate, the nippy "keeper," will not bo available for some time yet. Tho remainder will probably be Barber, Smith, Thompson, M'Kenzie, Cornell, Nunn, Dalgleish, Bennett, and Hardham. Barter is a valuable man. Besides being a fair bat, he is a good stock bowler. Smith, a new arrival from Sydney, is reported to be a good bat. Thompson, MTJenzie, Cornell, and Nunn'are all young playcTS. and, judging by last season s averages, give promise of great things. Nnnn is also a slow break Howler. Dalgleish, tho veteran of tho team, nnd club-captain, is a batsman of the solid type, and usually to bo relied nn to gather in a few runs. His generalship will also bo an asset. Bennett, the left-hand bowler of the team, is showing good form so far, and will havo plenty of opportunities as tho season progresses. _ Hardham is a very good, aLI-rnivnd junior, but how 110 will shape as a senior remains to ho sscn. Taplin, a junior of somo promise, is at present on a. visit to England, and will not be back till after Christmas. Tho team won the junior championship last year, and as most of tho players finished up with fair batting averages, they may bo expected to hold their own in tliis department, as a senior eleven. Tho brunt of tho bowling will 110 doubt fall to Brico, Bonnctt, Barber, and Nunn. As ft fielding team they should compare favourably with tho best elevens in the competition. The Wickets This Year. At tho Basin Keserve Saunders and Ill's 6talf have been busy during the Inst three days getting tho wickets ready for tho opening of tho championship this afternoon. This season the wickets will bo even better than last, and the 0110 on which the "Miss Gibbs" Company played last Wednesday ■ could scarcely'have been im--liroved upon. Capital practice wickets lave also been prepared, but the outfield still looks rough. It may not bo quito as bad as last year, but S'aunders says it will never be correct unless it is looked after nnd rolled in the winter. In Australia it is the practice to send the roller round the ground every Monday, so as to restore it to a level after the previous Saturday's football. When this -is not done (as in Wellington) the ground naturally liardcns in the shape of hills and hollows. Central, East, and North. Central Club's senic-r eleven will bo materially weakened this season by the absence of Bruce (now resident of Auckland) and Laws (removed to Wellington South). Tho team, however, will have the services of C. Hickson next month. Hickson batted well for tho club during the first season of district cricket, but-ho did not play at all last season. Arnold Williams and E. F. Upham will ■not bo playing for the North Club this neason, and it is said that these old players have definitely retired. C. Itichardsoii and 11. F. Lucitie will, it is understood, onl}' play on occasions. U. Twohill, who did some good bowling for tho club at tho end of last season, is not now in Wellington. Lambert, one of tho young members, who showed much promise, is not yet certain to bo playing. Die team, however, will bo strengthened by the incluwion of M. J. Crombio, who made somo big scores for tho East B team last season. Tho East Club, whose A team won the senior championship last season, appear to bo keen on retaining tho title, and members have been mustering strongly at the nets. The North Club had a good attendance at practice at Kclbnrno last Saturday. In Defcnco of Victoria College. For better or for worse the stato of things foreboded by tho following letter has passed. The letter, however, was received some time ago, and as it put tho case for Victoria College, with reforenco to de-grading, it is given. Tho writer states:— To the Editor.—Sir,—At tho annual meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association, ono of tho delegates complained loudlv Hi at cricket did net reccivo adequate" public support, and I must say that tho report in this morning's paper (October II) of last night's meeting of tlio M.'iiiagemcnt Committ'eo shows that there is u certain amount of justification for that apathetic attitude on tho part' of tho public. • It is to bo noted that there are seven entries for t'ho ■ senior championship, nnd in order to avoid a iivo i' was suggested that unloss anothor eiitrv could bo scoured, Victoria Collego alioijid bo de-graded to tho junior .class,

whilo ono district should lie permitted to cater two senior tennis. This, I think, sir, affords a splendid example of tlio encouragement oll'orccl by the said committeo to young players. It lias been mid that' tlio Victoria College team is *?° weak to take part: in senior cricket, This, I submit, is u matter of opinion. Even under the club system it cannot bo denied that tlicro were very weak teams in the senior competition—weaker Hiaii the College team now is. The Old Boys Club for several seasons did not nn s single match, but finally justified tlio policy of tlio club by winning the competition three times in succession. The collegians last year won t'hreo matches out of eight—a performance much better than that of the Old Boys' Club m its early years as a senior team. Thus, in order to foster cricket, tlio Management (?) Commil'ieo in its wisdom proposes to de-grado a tenm which is doing all in it's power to encourago thoso who perforin well in the lower grades. It encourages young players, not ' hasbeens," as we may see from the fact that eight of the first eleven are under 23 years of age. I submit', sir,. that it will bo a gross injustice, and ail insult to tho Victoria C-ollego Club if tho commit too carries out its proposal. No wonder players are becoming dissatisfied and are leaving tlio fold of tho Cricket Association and joining tho outside Junior Association. It can scarcely bo expected that one club is going to submit to such "shabby' treatment, while another club is allowed the special privilege of putting two senior teams in t'ho field. If the Management Committee wants better cricket and more enthusiastic support, let it act justly and sanely towards the teams which have placed themsolves under the jurisdiction of the association.—l am, etc., A FAIR FIELD. Pelham Warner's "Compleat Cricketer." Pelham Warner, in his last and best work "The Book of Cricket," remarks of C. B. Fry: "Ho has reduced theory to a fine art. Ilis powers of observation are immense, and just as Sandow develops every muscle in tho body by a' carefully-tliought-out plnn of action, so has Mr. Fry developed every stroko in tho batsman's art, and brought run-getting almost to a certainty." Tho "Athletic News"- supports this statement by saying that I'ry is more certain to mako runs—if there be any certainty in cricket—tliau any other batsman. He is the least liable to error either in judging a ball or in his treatment of it after making up his mind. I; cannot be said that he is tho most attractive or the most stylish, but his batting has been reduced .to a science. But That is Only What They Say in EnglantJ. That is what they say in England. On this side of the world we have misguided notions about' one Victor Trumper, the man who, another English critic said, had .1 scoring stroke for every ball that could bo delivered, and was the greatest batsman living. Australians were saying last season that Faulkner was the best: batsman that had como their way from across the sea, and ho regarded himself as a commonplace in comparison with Trumper. There are Clem Ilill and Warren liardsley, too, bnt anyhotv Mr. I>. F; Warner's book and the "Athletic News" may not' circulate in Australia to any extent.

WICKET-KEEPERS.

THE WAY OP THE MODERN MEN. There Was a Certain Blackham. There was a wicketkeeper once called J. :,M. ; Blackham. After him came other .wicketkeepers. but there has never been .'mother Blackham, AVere the Ixiwling slow, medium, or fast, and there were some men in liis day who were really fast, Blackham stood "up to tho wickets to stop everything !tad they do say that ho was tho smartest stumper who ever put on gloves. Recently a writer in tho London "Sunday Times" has been discussing tho modern habit of standing back to tako fast stuff, and what he says is mainly by way of justification of tlio moderns, among' whom may be ranked such famous wicketkeepers as Kelly, Storer, .Lilley, Carter, and Halliwell, all of whom prefer to stand back. Tlicro is alio Strudwick, but lie stands close up nearly always. Coming to Grips with the Matter. Says tho "Sunday Times" mail: "I can quite understand men of my own ago feeling indignant at any depreciation of tho wicket-keepers who stood up to' everything, but one important point seems to bo overlooked. The custom of standing back is purely a matter of tactics, and has not come about through any );:ck of skill or courage on the part of modern wicket-keepers. It began to be general, I fancy, when fast bowlers, /jiir.ving tho example set them for years by their slow and medium-pace brethren, took to tho "off theory," an(l, with nn array of field*- 1 men to help them, bowled almost entirely for catches in the slips. Experts came to the conclusion tluit under these conditions the wicket-keeper would get more chances if he stood back, and back ho went. That the plan answers is proved bv the fact that it is now generally followed in Australia and South Africa, as well as m this country. I had a talk on the subject a year or two ago with a famous batsman of long experience, and ho told 1110 that, though ono of tho charms of tho game was gone, ho felt convinced that by standing back the wicket-keeper gained far more thnn 110 lost. Strudwick, Lilley, Halliwell, "The point on which I want to insist is that modern wicket-keepers would bo quite ready and willing to revert to tho old method if tho character of tho bowling rendered such a step desirable. Even now we are often reminded of old days. For example, Strudwick alwavs, or nearly always, stands up closo to Eushby, anil Rushby in form and encouraged bv a little success, bowls at a lino pace. Lilley, one of the high priests of tho modern school, told me onco that he would not have minded standing up to George Ifirst —a most difficult bowler to take at his full pace—but that it paid better to go back. Again, the brilliant South African wicket-keeper, Halliwell—English by birth and the son of a wicket-keeper famous in his day, the lato it. Bissett Halliwell— used often to stand up close to Kotzo's bowling. To go a littlo further back, I havo seen Storer stand up to I' ortright. Carter and Martyn. "1 am quite of opinion that unless ho has been put to the test by standing up to very fast bowling a modern wicketkeeper cannot fairly bo compared to tho giants of other days; but I am sure that if the present fashion changed we should find plenty of men for whom the old stylo would havo 110 terrors. Tho natural impulse is to go close up, 110 mattor howfast the bowling may be. A public school wicket-keeper, who shall bo nameless, laughed derisively when he saw Lilley and Carter standing back ill the England and .Australia match at ihe Oval two years ago. Ho had not been taught the modern method, and. to his wind, it probably suggested funk. "Iteturning for a moment to the genoral question, there is one obvious disadvantage in the custom of standing back to fast bowling, tho wicket-keeper hr.ving to make up several yards before he con be in posilion to take a return fiom the field. Even if as active as Strudwick—the quickest man on his feet I have ever seen behind the wicket—he must '.r-. to a certain extent handicapped. Another point is that when the wicket-keeper is not closo up the batsman can with impunity stand with his back foot outsido the popping crease, and so get closer to the pitch of tho ball in forward T-ilay. . I do not know whether P. F. Warner does this now, but it was his regular custom a few years ago to fast bowling. Onco. in a South African match, Halliwell, when standing back to Kotze, noticed this peculiarity in the case of a batsman whoso name I forget. He bided his time, crept up nearer and nearer, and at last, to the disgust of the batsman, brought c-fi' a very neat piece of stumping." This last strategy was practised with some effect by P. W. Shenvell, who was with tlio South Africans in Australia last