Women’s Cricket

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 14

Women’s Cricket

Eight-Point Win System Shows Flaws

(By

Boadicea.)

HAHIS .year for the first time women cricketers in AVellington are playing uuder the same points system as the twoday match men —8 points for an outright win, 5 for a first innings win, and 3 points for a draw. In theory, the system should have .brightened play by speeding it up, but only two Saturdays have shown that it is not working according to plan. It is resulting in the stronger teams hurrying weak opponents off the field tor a paltry total of 20 or so, so that they can pile up the scores for an eight-point win. Consequently, in the senior grade Technical Old Girls, last year’s champion, have already obtained 16 points and are 6 points ahead of the second team, College Old Girls. ■ The rest of the grade trail hopelessly in the rear. No competition ought to be so easy to forecast at this early stage, but that is not the most serious feature of the competition. Under the old system of 2 points for a win and one for a draw, a strong team like Technical Old Girls could establish a safe lead in the first innings and then treat the game leisurely. Secondstring bowlers would be given a chance, and their less wily balls gave the batsmen of the weak team good practice and opportunity to make a few runs. The end of the matches became not so much competitive in spirit, as cricket for the sake of the- game itself. " As it is now, the emphasis is on win, not on cricket. Every strong team is out for its eight points, and the quicker the wickets fall the better. The captains dare not take off their best bowlers to give the second-strings practice; consequently no one is pleased. In the winning team the weaker bowlers cannot take an over, and sometimes the weaker batsmen do not go in because the team declares when it has a large enough total. As for the losing players', they are simply lambs for slaughter. They are pitted against wily representative bowlers, and their wickets are skittled like ninepins. AVhen they bowl, their loose balls are lifted with depressing regularity in the direction of the boundary. It is war, where the battle goes to the strong. The young players are handicapped because their captains cannot afford to risk their failing. The 8-point system might be workable were the teams more even in merit, but the strength in AVellington is disproportionate. Technical Old Girls and College Old Girls hare nothing to fear from the other three teams in the senior grade. In the intermediate grade Kilbirnie and Y.AVjC.A. are Jwell ahead of AVesley and Trinity, on

paper at least. The junior teams are better matched, but so far they seem to have been cheerfully playing one-innings games without troubling about points. It is difficult to see how the scramble for victory in the two senior grades is to be avoided this reason under the 8-point system. The executive may, however, revise the scheme. It is a particularly live body, with the interests of the game deeply at heart, and if at all possible it would undoubtedly have the courage to admit and rectify its mistake. If may not be too late. So far Technical Old Girls is the only team to have secured outright wins. Though reversion to the old system would weaken its position on paper it would actually affect it little. The match with College Old Girls is the test, and that has yet to be played. Similarly in the intermediate grade Kilbirnie and Y.AV.C.A. have not met for the honour of leading team. The juniors would not be affected by a change-over. AVJtafl seemed at first a sound system is showing in practice obvious flaws and may end in seriously weakening interest in women’s cricket. It was no fault of the executive that its members did not foresee difficulties, because anyone who has had experience of the unexpected developments of apparently progressive movements knows 'how easily they may go awry. All the same, the executive now should-con-sider the matter carefully to discover whether it cannot revert to a more satisfactory scheme. The only objection that could be raised would come from Technical Old Girls, which is a sporting team, always anxious to co-operate and encourage recruits.

Arthur Billon AVcbb. of Gisborne, a fine a'll-round athlete, died recently. As a live-eighth he won a high reputation at Gisborne High School. and he gained rupresentative honours for Poverty Bay in 1933. He represented Hawke's Bay during a period of teaching service in that district, and later returned to Poverty Bay, and captained the representative team through 1936. He was also prominent as an oarsman, a swimmer and a. runner. His family is closely linked with the sport of rowing, for his father, Mr. James AVebb, is president of the Poverty Bay Rowing Club, and his brother. Air. Ray AA’ebb. has been a loading executive officer of the same club for years; while Arthur Wobb himself was an enthusiastic and popular member of the Gisborne Rowing Club.