CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 46, 18 November 1925, Page 4

CRICKET

THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM \ ANOTHER BOWLER WANTED The New Zealand team will probably leave for Australia by the s.s. Makura,' which is due to arrive from San Francisco next week. Up to the present, the? fourteenth man to complete the team has not been selected. A bowler of pace is required, and the choice will lie between Dernau (Wanganui), Talbot (Canterbury), and Hope (Manawatu). As Bert'au and Talbot are also serviceable batsmen, they have a better chance of selection. The delay in the departure of the New Zealand team for Australia will mean that the opening match of the tour originally arranged at Newcastle, will probably be played at the end of the tour. NEW ZEALAND TOURING TEAM DEPARTURE FOR SYDNEY ON TUESDAY. / Bi Telegraph—i’aisss Association Christchurch. November 17. The members of the New Zealand cricket team will now assemble in Wellington on Tuesday morning, and sail by the Makura for Sydney that day. No match will be played in Wellington. aiercantiliFTeague. The following is the draw for the Mercantile League matches on Saturday next;—Niven? v. Vacuum, Newtown Park No. 7; Pastimes v. Macky Logan, Newtown Park No. 6; Odlins v, Collins, Wakefield Park No. 5; Ford v. P. and T., Pipitea, Wakefield Park No. 6; Cables v Dalgctys, Wakefield Park No. 7 ; Stewarts v. Todd Moto/s, Kilbirnie; Whitcombs and Tombs v. Munt Cottrell. Karori Park; Harbour Board v. Cowans, Karori Park.

“RAFFERTY RULES” EXPLANATION OF ANDERSON PARK INCIDENT. “The Other Captain’’ writes as follows :— “Referring to your report in this morning’s Dominion on “Amusing Muddle in a Junior, Match,’’ it certainly looks a muddle as reported, but as far as the teams themselves are concerned we were not the least bit muddled. The Thorndon captain, in ignorance, certainly declared at the wrong time, and as everyone rise was ignorant of the position wo carried on. On the following Saturday, the umpires informed the Thorndon captain and myself of the position. Tho Thorndon captain apologised for his action in declaring, and was quite willing to act on the umpires’ suggestion, but mv team objected to Inking advantage of the other fellow's mistake, so we carried on again and tho wrong righted itself.’’ [“The Other Captain’s’’ explanation only makes confusion worse confounded. It certainly looks as if there was a good deal of a muddle when neither captains, players, nor umpires were aware of the fact that a cricket law was broken when the captain of the Thorndon team de clared tho innings closed less than an hour and 40 minutes from closing time on the first day of a two-days' match. Had “The Other Captain’’ lost eight wickets in a bad light iu tbe forty minutes remaining for play his side would have had to pay dearly for his ignorance of tho laws of the game. However, it/ is clear tliftt both captains met the position in a sporting spirit, and “the wrong righted itself,” as “The Other Captain” puts it. Captains of junior teams, however, are not the only people who have been unaware of tlic important Law 54, which was purposely designed to protect sides from being sent to the wickets when, the light is at' its worst. Tennyson, the captain of tho English team, made the same mistake in the last Test match against, the Australian eleven which visisted England. The English captain de. clared' tne innings closed, giving the Australians less than an hour and forty minutes to bat before closing time. Armstrong, the Australian captain, however, knew the rules, and his team remained in the field after the two English batsmen had gone in t<f tho pavilion. This led to a demonstration by the spectators against the Australians. It was not until Armstrong had gone in and pointed out the rule to ths English captain that the game was resumed, with tho Englishmen, and not tho Australians. batting in the bad light. It would save a lot of trouble if cricketers, and particularly captains, were to make themselves thoroughly conversant with the laws of the game. However, both tlio captains are to be commended for the sporting spirit in which they righted the wrong for which both were equally responsible through want of knowledge of the laws of the game. 1 Law 54 of the Laws of Crieket reads. “The in-side \inay declare their innings at an end in\a three-days’ match, at any time ou the second day: in a two days’ match the captain of the batting side has pawer to declare his innings at a. close at any time, but such declaration may not be made on the first day later than one hour and forty minutesbefore the hour agreed on for drawing stumps; in a one-day match at anv time.”!

SHEFFIELD SHIELD MATCH SOUTH AUSTRALIA v. VICTORIA Adelaide, November 17? Tn the Sheffield Shield match, South Australia, in the second innings, hud lost nine wickets for 371 (A. Richardson 52, J. Wainwright 56, J. Scott 20, C. V. Grimmett not out 20), when stumps were drawn. The weather was fine and the wicket good. D. E. Pritchard and the two Richardsons played cor>ect and lively cricket, and thoroughly tested the bowling. Wainwright was forceful and, with the help of Grimmett, kept a tired. field and the trundlers busy, defying many bowling changes.—Press Assn. [The first innings scores were: South Australia, 170; Victoria, 275.] ■'