EIGHT FOR ONE!

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 10

EIGHT FOR ONE!

GRDIMETT THE BOY

HIS FIRST Bid CAME

(By "Not Out")

How many cricketers who have won high honours in the game can attribute thciv success to the tuition they received at school? i'here must be few, indeed, who cannot go back to schooldays for their first stepping-stone to fame. As the cricket nursery the schools of England have been a wonderful institution, and those in Australia have also turned out many great players. New Zealand, along with other countries outside the two cricketing principals, falls a very long way short iv its contribution to the list of famous players, being as yet a rising star in the cricket world. But the schools have played their part nobly and well in starting the boys on the right lines in the great summer game. Many boys from the 'primary schools have become New Zealand representatives, and there are many more to follow. Each week, there is the evidence in Wellington, as in all other centres, that the nursery of cricket continues to be a very live institution. Inter-school matches are played regularly, and as a further aid to the development of the youngsters representative matches are arranged in each season. The Wellington and Wairarapa primary schools play representative matches annually. Some very fine cricketers in the making have been seen in these annual matches, the most recent of which took place on Kelburn Park yesterday and to-day. From past experience, it is more than likely that some of the boys who participated in this season's matches will make their mark in later years when they reach senior status. START OF GREAT CAREER. It was in one of these Wellington-Wai-rarapa primary school matches, played iv Wellington twenty-five seasons ago that one boy in particular registered an exceptional performance which was to mark the beginning of a wonderful cricketing career. For what that boy has accomplished the Mount Cook School has every reason to- feel proud, and if there is one teacher more than any other who has good reason to be gratified at one result of his cricket coaching it is Mr. F. A. Hempleman. The boy under notice was Clarrie Grimmett, and it was "Hemp" who gave him his first opportunity to step up the ladder of fame. Mr. Hempleman was nothing out of the way as a player himself, but he was a tiptop coach. Whether at cricket or football he could sum up very quickly the possibilities of the boys under his eye, and where there were faults in the play of the boys he had the knack of rectifying them. TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONIt is interesting to note that Grimmett, in the book which he published recently, states: "At school practice, arranged as in a match, each boy batting and bowling in turn and all the others fielding, we had had a round when the master asked me again to take a turn with the ball. Feeling a little weary, or perhaps in a mischievous spirit, I van to the wicket and bowled a leg-break, which completely beat the batsman. My master called me to him and asked, if I had tried to do this. On explaining to him that I could break a balKwhenever I liked, but was afraid to do it in a match, he straightway forbade me ever to bowl fast again." The master was Mr. Hempleman. It was soon afterwards that Grimmett played in his first big match, and under the eye of "Hemp," who was umpiring, Grimmett was forced to bowl leg-breaks, which he had learnt from the Harris family. "The match proved to me the value of this kind of bowling," states Grimmett in his book. Grimmett's 'figures were six for. 5 and eight for 1, / DETAILS OF THE MATCH. ; With the passing of many years Grimmett has stepped up the ladder and is now at the top, recognised as the finest bowler of his kind in the world to-day. The records of his first .representative match now have a new value and a new interest. It was at Athletic Park on the 17th and ISth April, 1905, that the match was played, and it .resulted in a win for Wellington by an innings and 126 runs, the Wairarapa boys being dismissed in their first innings for 8 runs, and in. their second innings for 4 runs (of which 2 were extras). Assisting Grimmett in the rout were E. C. Cording and C. G. Finlayson. The following, details are as set out in the score book:— WAIRAEAPA. First Innings. Moses, b Grimmett 0 Hoar, b Grimmett 0 Fenwiek, st Binnie, b Grimmett ...... 0 Scrimgeonr, b Cording 3 Rhodes, b Grimmett 2 Drummond, b Grimmett 1 Gayfer, c Nunn, b Cording 1 Jackson, b Cording 0 Fairbrotlier, b Cording ................ 0 Walden, not out 0 Ashtoiv. st Binnie. b Grimmett 0 Extras: Bye 1 1 Total \ S Fall of wickets: One for 0, two for 0, three for 3, four for 3, five for 5, six for 8, seven for S, eight for S, nine for 8, ten for S. BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M. K. W. Griinnictt 5' 2 5 6 Cording 4 3 .2. 4 Second Innings. Walden, b Grimmett 0 Drummond, b Fiulayson 0 Serimgeour, ■ b Grimmett 0 Hoar, st Binnie, b Grimmett 2 Gayfer, c , b Grimmett 0 Fen wick, c , b Grimmett 0 Rhodes, c , h Grimmett 0 Fairbrotlier, c , b Grimmett 0 Moses, c , b Finlayson 0 Jackson, not out "... 0 Ashton, c , b Grimmett ........ 0 Extras: Byes 2 ..■ 2 Total ■ ...'..... 4 Fall of wickets: One for 0, two for 0, three for 0, four for 0, five for '?, six for o. seven for 3, eight for i, nine for i, ten for i. Bowling Analysis. O. M. R. W. Grimmett 4 3 .1 S Finlayson 4 3 1 2 WELLINGTON.. . \ First Innings. Greeks, b Rhodes 14 Nunn, c Serimgeour, b Rhodes a Finlayson, c , b Rhodes' 38 Binnie, c Waldeu, b Faii-brothcr .... 11 Ralph, c ——, b Moses 34 Cording, c . b Rhodes 0 Southgate, b Rhodes 111 Renner, b Rhodes 5 Collier, c -—, b Rhodes 0 Grimmett, not out V.... 10 Sargoant, b Rhodes :. 21 Extras—bye 1, no ball 1 2 Total 13S, Bowling Analysis. ~ O M. R. W. Rhodes 10 G 31 S Moses 11 3 27 1 Gayfer 5 2 . 6 0 Jackson 2 —. lo 0 Fairbvothei: .:.... 6 — 32 1 Ashton 4 2 13 0 Drummond 2 — 9 0 Waldeu 2 — 3 0 OTHERS HAVE DONE WELL. Most of those boys have since taken a prominent part in cricket. "Rangi" Finlayson, formerly of Wellington, is now in Auckland and still a candidate for representative honours. Cecil Cording has played regularly in Wellington, but has not made a start this season. H. Nunn and Renner have also been prominent in the game locally, and D. Binnie, too, has been an outstanding performer at times. As indicated in the score sheet for the 1005 match, Doug. Binnie was the wicketkeeper, and in many a match. Binnie (who played for the same school as Grimmett) was a splendid support, to-the slow bowler iv whipping off the bails when batsmen, as was frequently the case, failed to connect in stepping out to Grimmett. In one school match on Newtown Park Binnio stumped four boys during one of Grimmett's overs of six balls. J. Ralph, who captained the boys on the occasion under notice, is still a keen follower of the game in Wellington, as are others. Ralph was a fine batsman at school, but

he apparently did not go on with it to any extent afterwards as a player. Old I Boys of Mount Cook pay fine tributes to Mr. F. Hemplcman as a cricket and football coach, and they consider that much credit'is due to this schoolmaster for Grimmqtt's later success in cricket. Mr. Hemplcman is now stationed at Marton Jtiuction, where he still takes a live interest in the development of young cricketers and footballers. Only a few months ago he was in Wellington with a team of Bangitikei boys engaged in a football V>m pnament, and the evidence of his jjood work was shown in the iiue performance of those boys. Let the good work in the schools go on! It is possible that more Grimmetts might be brought to light, and with them a Bradman or two.