CRICKET

Evening Star, Issue 19387, 22 October 1926, Page 13

CRICKET

BRIGHT PROSPECTS FOR SEASON (By Mid-on.] The local competitions will commence to-morrow week, which means that Wellington and Canterbury will have had three Saturdays’ advantage as far as club games are concerned. Rain and races notwithstanding, all the clubs report big musters at last Saturday’s practice games. Another pleasing evidence of players’ enthusiasm was shown by the big crowds at uet practice in the evenings. J. S. Bruges, Otago and Canterbury representative, is playing for Old Collegians, Christchurch, this season. Old Collegians and High School Old Boys have both been admitted to senior ranks, thus making eight teams in the Canterbury Association’s first grade competition. Both these teams have some excellent young material, Old Boys particularly. Robinson, a first-grader from Melbourne, is playing for Sydenham in the Canterbury competition. He did so well last Saturday that the Chrbtchurch scribes are already proclaiming him as Blunt the second. Kaikorai, who did well at the latter end of last season, will have most of the old players available, whilst several promising recruits have joined up. The Bishopcourt ground is in splendid order, thanks to the labors of the permanent groundsman, Mr H. Gibb. The Dunedin Club’s season was formally opened by President Wycherley last Saturday, there being forty-six players present. The senior team should be the strongest that has represented this club for many seasons. Peter M'Gregor was present at tho Oval on Saturday, and although Grange are making a bold bid to retain bis services, Tie states definitely tliat he is playing for Dunedin. At the last meeting of the Southland Cricket Association the Otago Association came in for a good deal of criticism for what was described as the contemptuous manner in which Otago treated the Southlanders in connection with representative matches. It was alleged that the teams Otago despatched south were composed largely of second-raters, and consequently local cricket was not improved by the games. One delegate moved that Otago should bo cut out of tho Southland representative matches, but _ it was eventually decided to do nothing further at the present time in view of the fact that Southland play Otago at Dunedin this year. It is hoped that the game will take place in December, as the selectors will be given an opportunity to experiment with some of the younger players. Albert Keast, the ex-Albion player, is an important personage in Southland cricket this ■ season, both _as administrator and active participant. Keast will probably play for Bluff, which has been admitted to the Southland Cricket Association’s senior competition. It is understood that Marists will not have a team this season. The second annual match between John M'Glashan College and Southland High School will be played in Dunedin ~ shortly. Who will he the manager of the New Zealand team to tour England next yearF It is evidently a much-sought-after position judging by tho number of names that are mentioned thus early, but from all accounts it looks as if Mr C. G. Wilson (late of Dunedin, but now of Wellington) will be | the one who will be labelling his lug- ' gage “ England ” next March, And so he ought to he, as there are few i who have _ done more for the game in j the dominion than “ Gillie.” The Rev. ! E. 0. Blamires has at least one enI thusiastic advocate, and next to Wil- ■ son he seems to have the best claims : for consideration. Mr Dan Reeso ! would have, of course, been the ideal J manager, and had be been available ' probably no other candidate would I nave been mentioned. It is under- ■ stood that he is taking a private trip home two years hence, and naturally | thinks two visits in as many years a! little bit of a luxury. R. 0, Talbot, tho Canterbury crack, was in these parts recently r and took every opportunity to get m a little practice. Ho will probably bo playing m tho Wellington competitions this season. Ho is a fine all-rounder, ami if at his best when selection time comes around ho will have to be considered for the English trip. Ho gave plenty of promise last year of developing into a first-class medium-pace bowler. Ono of his best performances was in the last . Wollington-Canterbury game, when ho j proved very destructive in a heavy gale. The fact that Talbot was seen in Dun- ! edin was no doubt responsible for the rumor that lie intended following in Rlunt’s footsteps and settle down here. Unfortunately this is not tho case.

Blunt’s debut in local cricket is bo» ing looked forward to with interest, and it is certain that there will ho a big crowd out to see him in action next Saturday. Blunt is recognised as one of the most brilliant batsmen m tho dominion, but last season he took a great stride forward as a bowler. In recent years he has been concentrating on spin, but after bis return from the Australian tour last season be sent down a faster delivery and got a dangerous spin on every ball. He has now a wonderful control oier the ball, and at the end of last season had the Canterbury batsmen nonplussed. The fact that he could not torn very much on the Australian wickets may have caused him to aim at getting more pace off the wicket than ho usually did and trying to beat tho a usman oh the off side by flight and pave, Instead of relying on leg breaks. If tho season is a reasonably dry one there is no reason to suppose that Blunt will not be as successful here as he was m Christchurch. With two trundlers like Blunt and Dickinson, to say nothing of Douglas, Carisbrook’s attack should cause no end of wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst their opponents. Otago will play both Auckland and Canterbury here this season. There is also a likelihood of a South Australian team visiting the dominion, and a test match will probably be staged her®. Dunedin is certainly overdue for_one. The outstanding success of the E<rar has been W. M. Woodfull, who has headed tho averages and done better than any of his contemporaries or predecessors (says an Australian writer in a review of the tour of the Australian Eleven). It took a long while to convince some people that Woodfull was a class batsman, but ho has forced everyone to the conclusion that ne is the new star of magnitude in the cricket firmament. Woodfull has proved himself. He has had to overcome physical disabilities, the result of illness, bat ho has made good.