OKAIAWA NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 November 1925, Page 14

OKAIAWA NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

The New Zealand Cricket Council s decision on the point which cropped up between the Okaiawa and Midlanes Clubs has not yet been received, but is being awaited with interest. Cricketers of manv years' experience are divided over it, so that it will be satisfactory to have the matter finally settled. J-t is most gratifying, however, that the difference of opinion between the two clubs made absolutely no difference in the friendly relations existing between them, the game being resumed and played out in the best possible spirit. ■ A visiting player at a match in Okaiawa recently made the suggestion that one of the scorers should call the overs instead of leaving it. to the umpire, claiming that the latter had quite enough to do in concentrating his mum upon the game without having to keep count of the balls. T have ong held a similar opinion, and in a school mate 1 in which I was asked to umpire adopted the principle, which worked out quite satisfactorily. The space allotted m Lie score books is quite small enough tor an eight-ball over, and when an umpire loses cdunt of the balls the scorer is hard put to it to get in the extra balls. I believe the scorer is not supposed to say anything, but in one match in which I was acting as scorer the umpire allowed ter, balls, and was still oblivious to the fact that he had passed the mark when I felt, bound to draw his attention to the fact. lii outdoor games one dislikes mtensely to see one side take an unfair advantage of the other, and it seems to me that this applies more to cricket than football, because it is generally regarded as a cleaner game. But occasionally one sees instances of unfair tactics upon the crickbt field. The wicket-keepci who appeals for a decision which he knows perfectly well would be an unfair one if gained is not playing the game. There has already been an instance this season where a batsman was wrongly given out, and the wicketkeeper admitted the fact after the match, the ball flying back off his pads and removing the bail. I remember a wicket-keeper some years ago who had a habit, of standing right over the wickets and knocking the bails off with his knees. He would appeal, and was often successful. One day, however, an opposing wicket-keeper who was aware of this little trick, decided to give the other chap a dose of his own medicine when he went in to bat. He did so, and it came off. After the game was over wicket-keeper No. .1 was told what had happened, and he was furious. Whether it cured him of his trickery I could not say, but old habits die hard. Clubs should make an endeavour to obtain the services of some supporter to act as scorer. The matter of keeping the score book was referred to in the Star of Saturday last, 'wherein the writer of cricket notes referred to the unsatisfactory manner in which many of the books are kept. This is only to be expected when the book passes through several hands during the game. On behalf of the scorers an appeal might be made to the players and members of the public not to harass them unduly with questions iTow often one nears them being bombarded with questions such as “How many runs has Brown made?’’ “What, is Smith’s average?” etc. These questions are almost invariably asked while the game is in progress, and while the scorers are concentrating, their minds on their work, and tend to distraction and irritation.