CRICKET

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 12 March 1927, Page 14

CRICKET

NOTES. The juniors of South Taranaki play a match in about a week against Noith Country Associations' B team. Judging by their present displays they might perhaps almost take on the A team, for country cricket does not appear to bo very strong. - , It is worth noting that Hugo Trumble, the ex-international, is specially keen on the New Zealand team bein**' a young combination, and therefore his interest all along has been in the voung men of the teams he has seen. Canterbury specially pleased him, and he was quite emphatic in his approva* of the .selection of Merritt, the young high school player of last year, has been selected for the big tour as a bowler. He watched him carefully and stated emphatically that, in his opinion, the future held a lot for him. A match winner and a world beater Nasir All, who has been playing for India against the M.C.C., has a wonderful record on the cricket field. In a match between Jullunder City.and Ju.lunder, about IS months ago, he took all 10 wickets (all bowled), performed the hatrtriek twice and dismissed the last two batsmen with successive balls for a total Q,f .25 runs.

GIRLS DELIGHT IN CRICKET,

The formation of a Women’s Cricket Association in England is an inevitable effect of the growing popularity of the national game in schools and colleges for girls. Cricket, which is much encouraged in most- of the smaller schools, is played regularly in the summer term in such well-known public schools as Koedean, St. Leonard’s, Wycombe Abbey. Queen Ethelburga’s, St. Felix (Southwold), Sherborne, Cheltenham College. St. Paul’s. Queen Anne’s (Cavershani), Godolphin (Salisbury), and at the Physical Training Colleges it has been in" vogue for many, years. Players on leaving school have hitherto had little opportunity of continuing, except in a few districts where old-established clubs afford,facilities, writes an international hoekev player in the "Daily Mail.’’ THE START OF THE ASSOCIATION. The iirst aim of the association will be to foster the promotion of clubs, from ■which it, is hoped to build up county teams in the near future. It is intended to arrange cricket tours and one-day matches next season in different parts of the country. Although the meeting at which the association was founded was only hell in October, women cricketers have responded most enthusiastically, and a fine nucleus of players has already been enrolled. As leading women hockey players arc taking an important sh<ue in the movement success is practically assured, the officials being capable. organisers whose experience of the winter game will be helpful iu the other. SOME OF THE OFFICIALS. Mrs P. Heron Maxwell, former president of the All-England Women’s Hoekev Association, is president. Miss V. M." M. Cox, Great Comp, Borough Green, Kent, one of the hon. secretaries, is a hockey international, and one of England’s most competent coaches. The committee consists of representatives from six widely distributed counties, besides Bedford, Chelsea and Dartford Physical Training Colleges. A GREAT GAME. The suitability of cricket as a game for. girls is no longer open to discussion, the old prejudices against women taking part in men’s sports having completely died dow*n. Apart from the usefulness of the exercise, the manner in which esprit-de corps is stimulated by united team work is of great importance in the formation of character. It may be urged, too, that the danger of overstrain is reduced to a minimum iu cricket. INDIAN CRICKET. in Indian cricket custom— not unknown in Australia —has grown up ol presenting rewa.ds. to successful placers. in the game between Gilligan’s side and the bomb ay Presidency, the home team, which nad the better of .. the draw with the Englishmen, were garlanded and trophied with enthusiasm, and at the Englishman’s farewell Giiligan is shown festooned with flowers. Selection committees in India are. it seems, not immune to mistakes, because Deodliar who came into the team at the last moment, when an- - other player retired through illness got the top store of 148. ‘‘The Times of India” ’‘Deodhar certainly diet well out of his display. He was presented with two gold watches and a silver cup. in addition to a lot of sil- • ter ornaments. Naidu got a motorcycle combination and a silver cricket .. bat, Jai a camera, and Gotlambe a ' collection of gold ornaments, while he is to get another silver cup for the best performance against the tourists This custom of rewarding players is purely Indian, and nothing of the kind would e.er he tolerated in cricket in England. Gilligan was requested to present two of the cups, but asked to be excused —not because he personally had anything against it, but because he did not care to associate himself with the idea in view of the attitude in ’’England Very wise—and very diplomatic!” The objection to these presentations appears to be that they are prompted rather by business considerations than enthusiasm for cricket. Proof of enthusiasm. however, is offered in the fact that 12 days of'cricket at Bombay attracted 125,00f>people, and would have drawn double the number had there been room, for them. India, like New Zealand, seems to lie fairly on the cricket map. HISTORY OF CRICKET. AN INTERESTING PERIOD. The year 1873 saw a, famous player of those early days. V. \V. Read, come into the arena of first-cl.ass Cricket. It was noteworthy because Gloucestershire was heading the county competition, W. G. Grace, standing on'e more at the head of all batsmen with an average of 79 for 17 matches. W. W. Read, a young and “green” player, had his first county match for Surrey against Yorkshire. He was given by the veteran .Jupp the advice so often quoted since and still often heard. “Now. young man look here! The first thing vou have to do if you want to be a cricketer is to keep your wicket up. and the runs are sure to come.” WAY. has given this, advice to many a young player in the years since that time. In 1874 Gloucester were again ehaim-

pious, though Yorkshire made a great record with nine wins and only three defeats. Notts and Surrey were well, down the- list. That year Oxford had one of the best fielding sides seen at Lord’s for many a, year, while Cambridge was markedly weak. An event of that year was a visit, hv am All England eleven to Australia, hut, according to contemporary writers, it did not have much good effect on; the- play generally, hut resulted inha ..triumph for Jupp, of Surrey, who That iseason excelled him-self. Gloucester, represented hv a team of amateurs, once more -headed the counties. Alfred Shaw, later one of the outstanding figures in English cricket and hero of many a. stern- contest, achieved one- of the most noteworthy bowling successes of -his career, and this was largely responsible for the winning of the championship by his ronntv.

The cry was raised about that- time that the bat had. gained such a marked ascendancy over the hall; that, unless new bowlers- came to the front quickly, England’s national game must suffer. The same cry has been made of late years, resulting in the adoption of a smaller hall and the- making of other suggestions to give the howler more advantage. But in 1875 the bonders had considerably thei best, of the deal, and there were some surprising howling feats. Amongst, these one of the most remarkable was that done by Armit-age’hS lobs. The ;ear following saw* a score of 612 *e orrted by Oxford University against Middlesex. It was- the largest o-n. record- no to that time, and; stood for some years. In that huge total there was only one century. Gloucester -had a, great run in those days, and won f.he chamnion-shin three years ini succession. the great “W.G.” standing out each year. In 1877 his aggregate. 1477. was* far above any other. In-,-lndod in this-.total was a great- innings of ‘261 in the Gentlemen v. Players’ match. i

Slow plaving was known in those da vs. a.s now. and a .story is told; by a. nlaver of a. match in- 1875 _ between Sncov and Yorkshire in which Jupp and W. W. Read, going in fPst for the. former county, defied the Tykes’ howling for several -hours, a. well-lmown Yorkshire howler turned round and said in broad Yorkshire dialect: “Well--1 think they’ve taken root, and J fancy they will have to lie dug out-.” An amusing incident is told of the same mat h when Tom Emmett howled to Jump and the latter played the hall into the too of his pad. and ran round the wicket with Binder chaising him Jupp picked the hall out and dropped it on the ground, and of course wa r clearly out. But the umpire, on an appeal, gave- it “not out.”