CRICKET.

Grey River Argus, 8 December 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

The Wellington Association has ask ed whether it would be possible for ~ the Auckland representative team to play a special match against Welling ton during the southern tour, and suggested December 21 and 22, or 0 | January 8. 9, and 10 as the dates. It cc was decided to reply that the Auck -Association regretted that the ar match could not be arranged. pi pl Lord Harris, who is in his seventy eighth year, turned out for M.C.C th against Indian Gymkhana, at Lords, to recently. Lord Harris made his first fu appearance on the Lord’s- ground 60 in years ago. playing for Eton College d( against an M.C.C. team. 0I a i The following arc the ages of the L Australian cricketers selected to meet st England in the first test:—Ryder 39. th Ponsford 28. Woodfull 31, Kippax 31 of Hendry 33, Gregory 33, Oldfield 31 to Grimmett 36. Oxenham 37. Bradman hr 20, Kelloway 39. Ironmonger’s age oi is not given in the reference books, m pl F. E. Woolley, the Kent all-round gr cricketer, who is 41 years of age. has for the first time in his caret r scored I, 3000 runs in a season. Woolley is one h: of England’s best all-rounders. EigM times he has accomplished the feat of a< taking 100 wickets and scoring 1000 B runs. m ■ i ■ ' cc Bradman, one of the newcomers tc bi tion ojf his batting, which is emoi h test cricket, hails from the rural dis L triets of New South Wales. Fearless d; footwork is the foundation of his bat L ting, which is eminently sound. Aus R tralia needs another Harry Graham and Bradman may be the man He is g: only 20. * I" — n At the ago of 39 years.. Ryder, the P upstanding Victorian batsman, has a ' been called to the captaincy of Aus a< tralia as successor to ‘ 1 Lucky” Col 1 liufe. He ihas scored with pleasant 1' freedom during the past two years. ” but unfortunately for Australia is no r; l)Cttcr*as a fieldsman than a big man s: of his age can he. lie is, however, i e reliable slip catch. Ryder has scored c 568 v. England in Tests (average 37), and has made 3499 in Sheffield cricket. at 49 an innings. He has captured 125 shield wickets, but his fast-me diuni bowling has deteriorated since 1 1920. and his eight wickets in Test* 0 have cost 56 runs each. “1 think it is a feather in Auck- * land’s cap that we have at last a Girls’ Cricket Association,” said Miss n A. Averill, the president of the Auck 1 land Girls’ Cricket Association, in de- I daring the season open at the Girls’ 1 Athletic Association’s grounds. Roma era, on Saturday week. In a short speech (says the New Zealand Herald) Miss Averill stressed the importance of sport in the health of the girls. A . short address was also given by Mis.J. Begg, president of the Girls’ At-hle-tic Association, who referred to the < skill and alertness of girls who played J games. , ] The association has acquired the use of seven pitches for the girls, and it is hoped to have a dozen teams in . the field later in the season. On Sat- t ur<lay week eight teams played a series * of short on-innings matches, a time ( limit of 20 minutes on each inning-' enabling the teams t n complete a knock-out competition. The English coaches are being kept very busy—too busy as a matter of fact (says the Auckland Herald). The only spell Bowlcy and Langridge get ; s on Monday mornings. They coach on Monday afternoon and afternoon and evening, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays. Thursdays, and Fridays they are at it from morning until night. It would ap pear that a great deal a* *’ie time of the coaches is being wasted. For in ’ stance, the morning work for the pri , mary schoolboys is more or less a’ ■ farce. Instead of having to deal with ■ a swarm of youths the coaches shoubi ■ be permitted to select, say a dozen or ’ so of the best, and give |hem atten ’ tion two mornings a week. The coaches are very tired men at the end of each long day and it is a some scheme , could not be propounded whereby their i norning duties would be lightened a 5 little, the cricket association at the same time reaping more benefit from concentration of coaching.

The performance of gaining the hat trick in each innings fell to the ere .lit of J. Baxter. Ellerslie, in the senior match against Ponsonby in the Auckland City and Suburb Cricket Association’s competition. Baxter w.cpresented with a cap by members of the Ellerslie team in recognition of his feat.. Baxter’s success recalls oth er reniarkable bowling performances (says the ftfew Zealand Herald). In 1912, W. Clarke, aged 15. a fast left hand bowler, did the hat trick three times in the first innings, and twice in the second for St Augustine’s College.. Ashford (Kent), v. Ashford Church Choir. Playing for Middlesex against Somerset, at Lords .in 1907. A. E. Trott took four four wickets with consecutive balls, and did the hat trick also in the same innings. It was Trott’s benefit match, and his double performance is without parallel in important cricket. For Australia agains' South Africa at Manchester, in IJI-. T. J. Matthews took three wickets 1 with successive balls in each innings. ! This is a feat without parallel in test cricket.

Now that the West Coast cricketers have thrasher! out their grievances before a general meeting, and arriv ed at a satisfactory decision, it is to be hoped that the progress of cricket on the West Coast will stride aheao without being handicapped by any further unpleat incidents. While the recent controversy brought local cricket before the public attention, it did not help the progress of the gamf. and now that the hatchet is buried 1 let it be many a long day before any one gets the ’false idea that it should be dug up again.

What is wanted on the Coast is com 1 • ined effort, and genuine sympathy iinong the members otherwise the beams with which we can now obtain innual home and home visits, will find that through absence of unity, find the presence of bickering, tho (’’oast must be passed over. The Cobden juniors to play Marist A at Cobden to-morrow at- 1.30 arc: — Gilmour, Baird. Smith (2), Sexton, Barbara Frame. Clarke. Whitehead Skeats, Pike. Emergencies:—Ctiamley and Eggleton. The Cobden seniors to play United A at Victoria Park at 1.30 on Sunday are:—Barlow, Knapp, Smith. Hyndman Eggleton, Deerdon, Staple ton, Higginbottom. Thomas. Dewar (2). Kelly. GILLIGAN’S TEAM. ITS RECORD TN 1924-25. In the first test, started at Sydney, on December 18, 1924, Australia in the first innings made 450 (Ponsford 110). and in the second innings 452 (Tayloi; 1 118). England scored: —Ist innings 298 (Hobbs 115). 2nd 411 .(Sutcliffe 115. /Woolley 123). Australia won by 193 runs. The second test, played at Melbourne, commenced on January 1, 1925. Ponsford established an Austrlian re cord by scoring centuries in his first two test matches. Australia made 600 (Ponsford 138). and in the second innings made 250. England in the Ist innings made 479. Hobbs made 154 and Sutcliffe 123, they scor ing 283 for Ist wicket, but Hobbs failed to increase his overnight scor of 154. being bowled by Mailey in the second ball in his maiden first over. Hobbs and Sutcliffe failed by 40 runs to overtake the first wicket record established in test cricket by Hobbs and Rhodes in 1912. England’ 2nd innings closed for 290 (Sutcliffe 127). Australia won by 81 runs. The thirt test commenced at Adelaide on 10th January. 4 ‘Lucky” Collins won the toss for the third time in succession, and Australia made 489 (Rvder 201); second innings 250. Eng land, Ist innings 365 (Hobbs 119), 2nd innings 363. Australia won by 11

In the 4th test, played at Melbourne. Gillingham won the toss. England in the Ist innings made 548 (Sutcliffe 143). Australia, Ist innings 269; sc cond innings 230. England won by an innings and 49 runs. This was the first English win against Australia in a test match since 1912. The fifth test at Sydney, commenced on 26th February 1925. Australia, batting first, made 295 and 325. England scored [167 and 146. Australia winning by 307 runs.