CRICKET.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 September 1924, Page 11

CRICKET.

The absence of C. E. Parkin from recent English cricket teams caused comment enough, but latest mails show S' Sr reall y hurst when the M.C.C. potentates dropped P. G. H. Fender. Inquiry behind the scenes showed that the reason probably was he same Fender had been ventilating opinions or grievances in the newspapers, and the selectors put their hacks up. Most people will vote for them. A i “squealer” on the bank is bad enough, but in a team . F. E. Woolley made 176 for Kent against South Africa recently and is the first batsman to complete 2000 runs this season. Woolley is 37 years old, but bis form improves with' age. In tact he can be ranked as one of the hnest all-round cricketers in the world —a. free and attractive left-handed batsman and left-handed bowler who is particularly dangerous on a wicket that gives him assistance, and a safe field.

The South African cricketers lost the first three matches in England, while the last two were abandoned owing to rain. In the third test, which decided the destiny of the “ashes,” no fewer than six batsmen were run out. These were Nourse, Pegler, Taylor, Commaille. Wood, and R. Tyldesley. This is ■ not the first time six players have lost their wickets in test matches in a similar way. At Adelaide in 1901 Maelaren, Hayward, A.D. Jones, Trumper, Noble, and J. T. Tyldeslev were run out. and in Melbourne in 1911 the same fa to befel, Kell away (twice). Carter, Armstrong, Bardesley, and Znjr-h Hobbs, bv the way, was clean bowled for the first time this season in the third test.

SIXTY YEARS OF CEYLON

CRICKET

(Australasian.) I have received from Mr .S. P. Toenan der, official record-keeper of the Cevlon Cricket Association, a hook entitled “Sixty Years of Ceylon Cricket.’’ containing in permanent form the his--tory and authentic records of Ceylon cricket since 1860, the history of the leading clubs, visits of English and Austi-alian teams to Ceylon, and visits of Ceylon teams abroad, EliropeanCeylonese test matches, Government and mercantile Service cricket, Ceylon cricket grounds, and bibliography of Ceylon cricket. It is well compiled and profusely illustrated, imparting information of Ceylon cricket that is to ™? st People in this country. While Ceylon does not boast of a cricket history hoary with antiquity, the beginnings of the game can. be ti acecl m that beautiful little colony to nearly a century ago, when the early English settlers, especially the military, introduced the game into that part of the. Empire. The few facts available about the earliest history of cricket in Ceylon indicate that the game was played' with a zest’that is a distinguishing feature wherever the English pastime ha. 4 gained a footing. Ihe early eoftee planters were all enthusiastic cricketers, old records tellmg that they would travel anything between 40 and 50 miles on lioiiback thiough wild country to take part in the. game of their youth. Among the gaiaxy of celebrities that have played at Ceylon may be mentioned W G Grace, A. G. Steel, R. Abel “Ranii ” j' w ich S- rds T 0n ’ G ’ Lehmann, qI Briggs, W. H. Lockwood, A. E. Sfoddart C. I. Thomtren, F. S JackrVobh 0 ' w acL £f n i R Warner, J. Hobbcv, M Rhodes, and S. F. Baines of England, and George Giffen P. Spoftorth Jack Blaekhani, A C Bannerman, Harry Trott, Clem Hill’ \\arren Bardsley, E. Jones, J. Darling, and Warwick Armstrong. The book' which is a credit to the author, adds .considerably to the game’s literature, "and is replete with automation from a hitherto undeveloped source.

A KICKED BALL

The following paragraph appeared in The Field, an English weekly, on June 26:

“Last Saturday at Leyton, in Essex v. Middlesex, R. M. Morris received a ball on the off-side from Hearne and kicked it- through the slips. The batsmen ran one, and were beginning a second rim when Chester recalled them, an cl they returned to their original places. The run was not scored, hut the ball was counted in the over. The- laws do not apply to this ease, but as the umpire is the sole judge of fair or unfair play, Chester was undoubtedly justified. The laws certainly never intended a man to score by kicking a ball. The practice of kicking at a slow hall on the offside has frequently been seen lately, and T. C. Lowry, the Cambridge captain, sometimes kicks or tries to kick the ball away. But, as far as we know,’nobody had hitherto attempted to run for the kick.”

Mith all due respect to the umpire and to the Field newspaper, the laws up’ apply in this o.aso. Jjaw 27 states that “if the ball touch any part of the ■striker’s person (hand excepted) and any run obtained, the umpire shall call leg-bye.’ ’ 1 have seen runs scored (says “J.W.” in the Australasian) by a. batsman kicking at a ball on the leg side from a slow leg-break bowler, and such runs have rightly all been scored as leg bves. The generic law of fair and unfair play only applies in cases not covered ■ by any direct law'; but whenever any law covers any incident irrespective of what the umpire s opinon may he, the lau* must prevail. It will be noticed that law 17 distinctly states that if the ball touch any part of the striker’s person, and any. run he obtained, it shall count as a leg bye, and how the umpire became a law unto himself is a mystery, and why his error of judgment was condoned is also a matter for surprise.

VILLAGE CRICKET

It was the annual cricket match between the busmen and the police, of Bumbleton. The pride of the policemen was run out. Smiting an easy ball, the stout guardian of the law rail as he seldom ran before, and was well on the right side of the stumps when the bails were knocked off by a .smart return from the field. Nobody appealed, as it was obvious that the batsman was well home, and so there was considerable astonish-

ment among the when the umpire remarked sternly: “Out you go!” “But, look here. 1 ” protested the batsman.

“None o’ that, now. Do you remember saying to me yesterday, ‘Don’t argue with the law?’ You was the law then, and you ran me in. I'm the law now, and I run you out. Hoppit.”