CRICKET.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 1131, 11 March 1910, Page 1

CRICKET.

NOTKS ON PLAY AMD PLAYERS. (By A. Fielder.) Cheltenham had an excellent ivin against Halcombe last Saturday, and they should now be able to secure the Guthrie Shield for t.he second successive year. This will moan that they Avill become the OAvnors of the Shield", but knowing tho Cheltenham cricketers a. 1 do, I shall .not be surprised if they offer the Shield for competition again. There i« still a chance for Halcombe, and Rongotea to tie with Chelton.ham in the final, and, if so, a good tnssie may eventuate. Rongotea made short work of Phoenix on. Saturday. The. Phoenixteam was largely composed of pickups, Avhich naturally tended to demoralise the players. HoAvever, Phoenix 1 has made a good fight of it this season, and have no reason, to put their heads in the sand. Most cricketers ivero surprised affile downfall of Colyton on Saturday to Sandon. The Manaivatu county team had a solid team, howei-or, and I t-hcy Avon a good match. ' I Avas -omoAvhat surprised, at Mr Kcav's letter in the Stah of last Saturday. The letter contained several ; misstatements ivhich it is necessary to draw attention to. in justice to the players. In the first place, Mr Keiv | says the hit on whicli Nicholas ivas J run out was made by Nicholas, and | not by Stilt, and he, makes this ' statement in an endeavour to put me right. He-' is .wrong, hoivever. Stitt made the hit. T.he point is not J an important one, excepting that it - 1 shoAvs Mr Kew could not have been " taking much notice of the game at the time. The second, misstatement is with regard to the stumping of Dunlop. Mr Kc.iv says tho umpire 3 was. standing 18 or 20 feet back from 15 tho Avicket, and could therefore not ' see Avhether the batsman ivas out of his crease or not. If Mr Kew had said tfho umpire was 1.18 or 120 feet haclc, he ivould have the same chance of being believed. The third allegat tion in the letter ivas that Bartholomew had bowled a ball from the front of the wicket, and ivas not no-balled. c That statement is a twin, brother to the one just previously referred to. Mr Kew further says there Is general hostility to the Halcombe cricketers. T-hat remark has already been an- ,,' swered by players taking part in the Guthrie Shield competition. If it had l ~ not been for Haleombe's umpire, there 0 would have been no demand, as there uoav is, for unvnires to bo approved 0 of and appointed by the Association. SATURDAY'S MATCHES. r- Rover, ivill he represented as follows in the match against Cheltenham on .Saturday-. F. C. Burnett, C. Bur- ,. gess. P. Stitt, K. Fade, O'Brien, F. ;; Shirley. T. Nicholas, R. Harding, H. t l Bartholomeiv, Fitzpatrick, E. Brown.