CRICKET.

Grey River Argus, 9 February 1929, Page 8

CRICKET.

The following will represent the Brunne r “A” team in their match with Watersiders at Omoto on Sunday:—Buckman, Fordham, Hoggarth, Kennedy, McNeish, Henderson, Todd, Hallinan, Loubere, Kerr, Senior. Emer: Hunt. Bus leaves Wallsend Library at 12.45 p.m. The following will represent United “B” team in their match against Stars, to be played on the Recreation ground this (Saturday) afternoon at 1.30 sharp: Nightingale, Jamieson (3), Revell, Davis, Frew, Bunt, Haglund. Wilson, Restieaux. United A team to play Cobden tomorrow are: Merriman, Kear, Williams, Casey, Pascoe, Clarke, Baldwin, Denton, Heaphy, Spender and Matthews.

The following will represent Waterside and Omoto v. Brunner A. at Omoto, on Sunday next: Wilson, Ingram, Comerford, James, Watson, H. Brown, Boustrrdge, Malloy, Ingram,. T. Brown, Kear, Jackson and Cathmore. Car leaves Waterside Hall at 1 p.m. Camerons’ Juniors to play Marist A at Camerons are as follows: Archer. Malone, Ogilvie, Allen, Dalkie, Griffiths, McConnon, Robinson G,. Robipson 8., Wilson, Hibbs, Potter. Jacoi'■sen. • -/--I — <•*’ United Juniors to play Runanga on Sunday.—Rodgers Sharp, Baldwin, Frew, Restieaux, Williams, Grooby, Phil. Stewart, Hughes, Glen. Hopkinson. Car leaves Rec. at 1 p.m? INANGAHUA SUB ASSOCIATION. DRAW FOR PrA?T CUP CONTEST* The ordinary meeting of delegates 1 of the Inangahua Sub Association was held in Mr J. Warren’s rooms, Reefton. on Tuesday evening. Present: Messrs" Williams (presiding). P. Slattery, ?W. Blom, J. Warren and E. Hayes. The following draw was adopted for the third round of the Pratt Cup:— ; February 10th: Reefton v Waiuta’ at Reef ton, Totara Flat a bye. February ,17th: Reef ton v Totara Flat at Totara Flat, Waiuta a bye.

February 24th: Waiuta v Totara Flat at Waiuta, Reefton a bye. ♦ At present Waiuta is three points ahead of Reefton, the latter being two points ahead of Totara Flat. . , The following will represent Reefton against Waiuta for the Pratt Cup: Warren, Hepburn, Blom, Hunter, Lawson, Slattery, Feary, Hayes, Bonifacio, Hunt, O’Connor. Emergencies.. Tattley and McKane. The match will start at 11 a.m? at the Reefton racecourse. AUSTRALIAN NEEDS. “Not out,” in the “Sydney Referee,” discusses at length on some Australian needs, [fri common with th e omission of T. Wall, the South Australian fast bowler. When Great Men Failed. This season, it is felt by many that the Australian batsmen have failed—somewhat badly at times—but in 191112 in the last four Tests Australia was unable to make 200 in any one of the four first innings.. the successive totals in Melbourne, Adelaide. Melbourne and Sydney being 184, 183,, 191, and 176. The wickets, free from rain at that time, were quite as goodas they are to-day. Only one century was made for Australia in that series, and that by Victor Trumper. As -the home teams included O. Hill t W. Armstrong, V. Trumper, V. S. Ransford, W. Bardsley, C. G. Macartney, H. V. Hordern, A. Cotter, R. B. Minnett and H. Carter, with S. E. Gregory coming in at the finish it will be seen that in wining the four Tests.. England achieved a performance of high distinction

Australia had taken the honours just prior to this—in England in 1909, when M. A. Noble’s team won at Lord’s and Leeds, and in Australia when A. O. Jones’s team was beatfen in four of the fiv e matches. To Win All Five. Thus the position was somewhat like that of the current season with England very dearly desiring a Win-. England to-day has still another Test match objective; it is to win all five marches in the series as done by Australia in 1920-21. This objective will tend to keep the touring team at their top because in England there is a very keen desire that they should come through the Tests with an untarnished record. It has been felt that English cricket has suffered so many defeats by Australia since the war. that the memory of these should be toned down. That desire is quite natural. Fast bowlers Needed.

When the Australian selectors announced the team last week a wave of disappointment floated among cricketers. Some thought the committee would go to drastic lengths and onpt four, five, or six of the players of the Melbourne Test to try out fresh bloo.d. That, of course would have been most unwise. But the selectors should have again taken their courage in their hands and brought in another bowler of pace. The man was T. Wall, of South Australia. In the Melbourne match the Australian attack performed with some credit to dismiss England in the first innings for 417, oujy to break down later on the bad wicket. Six bowlers were tried in Melbourne but as Hendry and JRyder are , not regular bowlers it means that the attack for the main part falls on four men, and those four ar e likely to (I be bowled to a standstill. Still More Youth. The success that attended the cricket of the younger men, Bradman and A’Beckett, in Melbourne ought, to have been an inspiration to the selection committee? t 0 go a step further with a view to adding strength to the weakest part of the team, viz.,

the bowling. Another' matter .that has perplexed Sydney cricketers is why V. Y. Richardson, even if not in the eleven, is not retained at twelfth man on his home-ground. It should not have jbeen necessary to haste named a playe r from another state as the twelfth man on this occasion, i It is now quite clear that the selec-

tion committee has not the bulk of the public behind them. Their task has been very difficult, but, on the whole, they have not tackled it like a body of men prepared to back the judgment of the younger players. But, even so. it were useless to throw the blame on the shoulders of the selectors for the defeats sustained by Australia. Though the selectors have not done very well on the whole, Australia has not yet shown that she is strong enough to win. The strength will come again whe nail the fresh atmosphere, and the team combination rebuilt with youth as the back-bone, Commission Not Understood. Everywhere on c njoves one hears the selectors criticised for not having given T. Wall a, place in the team, the last three Sheffield Shield matches Wall captured 19 wickets at an average of 26. Earlier in the season he flid not perform so well.