CRICKET COMEDIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 November 1934, Page 13

CRICKET COMEDIES

THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS SYDNEY, November 6. . Cricket matches in the country are often productive of amusing or unusual incidents, which provide for onlookers and players more excitement than the more formal engagements bn metropolitan fields. A match at Bland, near Parkes, and another at Moss Vale, during the week-end, each met with an unexpected interruption. The Bland match was between Broadway and Gunning. Norman Minton, in the outfield, suddenly gave an. excited shout. A large brown snake was crawling through the grass close to him. Norman Hawke, one of the batsmen, ran to Minton’s assistance. The snake was in aggressive' mood. As Hawke raised his bat to aim a blow the snake reared and struck viciously on one of Hawke’s pads. There was no appeal for leg-before-wicket. Hawke then made the hit of his life. He brought down his bat, and the snake lost, all interest in cricket. ‘‘Thais a. real Norman conquest/’ said one of-. Hawke’s team mates, as the snake was deposited on the nearest ant-heap. The interruption to the Moss Vale match, in which the local team was playing Glenquarry, came through a human agency. The Glenquarry fast bowler was sending down his “thunderbolts.” He aroused the anger of one Moss Va*le player, who rushed on the field and accused the bowlbr of “bodyline” tactics. The bowler was taken aback, but he sought shelter behind the rules of cricket. “What right have you to protest?” he asked the player. “You’re not the captain of your side, and you’re not one of the batsmen. What right have you to be on the field at all?” The umpire at the bowler’s end looked at the Moss Vale player and laughed. “I don’t know about that,” he said: “he owns the field.” The ground on which the match was being played was part of the dairy » farm of the Moss Vale player who disj liked the alleged “bodyline.”