CRICKET

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 March 1928, Page 13

CRICKET

THE PROVINCIAL FINAL. ,

Word has been received that the High School in New Plymouth has to play the leading County team, and the winner will play Midlands on Saturday next, at New Plymouth. The match to r day, between Midlands and the composite team from the three clubs, will help to keep the champions in form. The idea was distinctly good. There are only one or two other matches yet to play, and these will serve to maintain interest until Easter, when a local team will play Marists, from Wellington, on Easter Saturday and Monday.

NEWS AND NOTES. A correspondent of the Australasian, who follows cricket very closely, discusses the Australian Test Team, and includes in his choice, no less than eight of the team at present in New Zealand, in his best selection of twelve, Woodfull (captain), . Keppax (vice captain), Ponsford, Taylor,. .Ryder, Andrews, Oldfield, Gregory, Oxenham, Gummett, Blackie with Richardson or Nicholls as 12th naan. This will serve to emphasise what we have previously said- of the great all round strength and variety of the team against winch New Zealand teams have played. The writer of ci-icket notes in the Waikato “Times,” makes a strong appeal for two essentials —more practice and, if that is to be of the best, better practice wickets. He says they have had more attention than formerly, but urges the need of top-dressing with good suitable soil. This is surely excellent advice for South Taranaki clubs.

“Fielding,” in the opinion of 'Kippax, the great N.S.W, batsman, “is the most important phase of cricket. It is more important than hatting or howling, for no cricketer can hope to get into a team without being able to field. A good fieldsman is worth his place in any side, even if he does not make big scores. He makes up for his batting by Ms alertness in saving runs. The total of the other side is lessened by his presence. He urged upon all' young cricketers id pay attention to this branch of the game. Prommtz, the South African howler who met with such success against the English eleven that toured in South Africa, is not an authentic googly bowler, claims J. A. Newman, Canterbury cricket coach, who has been in South Africa coaching for several reasons. Promnitz bowls the off-break and the leg-break, and it hard to tell from his action which ball is coming. It is ’not a, googly, however. The champion can play with any hat A fact which hears this out is that when Victor Trumper played that memorable" innings of liis on the M.C.C. ground against the South Africans lie was armed with a hat picked from among the utilitarian weapons that used to ho ranged along the wall in the old pavilion for service at the nets of an evening. It was characteristic of Trumper that at the end of Ms long innings he considerately placed his commandeered bat where he had got it. Charlie Oyer, who examined the bat afterwards, said that it was one of the commonest brands, and cost 15s. But that was in pre-war days.

VICTOR THUMPER'S SUCCESSOR

When the incomparable Victor Trumpet’ died, the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney were without a cricket idol (says a Sydney writer.) They sought a man whom they might place on the pedestal so tragically left vacant by Trumper’s death. For the last few years, however, that place has been occupied by a batsman who reminds old cricketers more of Trumper, par-, tieularly in his back-strokes, than any other player. That man is Alan Kippart, a “member of the Australian cricket team at present touring New Zealand, Kippax was born in Paddington, which has produced M. A. Noble, in addition to Trumper. For years now he lias been the star batsman of the New South Wales, side, and yet he has represented Australia but once —against Arthur, Gilligan’s team that toured the Commonwealth in the 11)25-20 season Then Kippax made 42 in the first knock, when his side was in a bad position. In the second innings he scored eight. For seven years in succession now, Kippax has beaded the aggregate and the average in batting for his State. In first-class matches. Before he got into the Testside, he had made five centuries in a row in Inter-State cricket. This season lie has scored consistently also.

CRICKET GOSSIP. Mr. F. S. Asliley-Cboper is profoundly versed in the* history of cricket, and “Cricket Highways and Byways” contains some fine miscellaneous feeding (says a reviewer.) Tliis game lias had but a slight appeal to other races than the British, but wherever the lift; ter have gone they have taken it with them. The first record of an overseas match in 1676, when members of the Royal Navy played “Krickett” at Aleppo. In 1822 the crews of H.M. ships Fury and He cl a met at Ingloolik in the Arctic circle. In those latitudes the question of time presented no difficulties. They could have played at inidnight had they chosen. In various Continental cities _ the British communities have established cricket clubs, some of which have had quite a long life. The matches were attended by the public, but while they enjoyed the spectacle, the finer points of the game seem to have been lost oil them. lie quotes a- description written in all seriousness by a Frenchman. “The batter, who has a flat club, makes the strokes—the on-drive, the off-drive, the back-cut, the uppercut. the leg-pull, and the left-hook, of a skill ineroyable. , The crowd , cries ‘Brava!’ like M. le Professeur Hall at the opera. But .alas! The batter misses the ball; the wicket is, knocked down. One cries ‘How out?’ and the umpire nods the hefid. Thereupon the hatter retires and they place upon the board bis score, and the letters 1.b.w.”

The writer observes that the game is very dangerous and that for his part, he * would prefer to exercise himself with diabolo or dominoes. There is a noteworthy exception to the rule, that it is the British who, in general, are addicted to cricket. The gaihe used 1o ho immensely popular in Samoa. Matches were played in which, each side consisted of the whole populations of the contending villages, and which lasted for weeks. Such was the devot ion to this sport that work was neglected and in 1820 King Malietoff prohibited cricket c *byi Royal proelammation.

Air. Ashley Cooper lias much to say about cricket personalities of the past. He lias no hesitation in declaring that Trumper is the greatest batsman that Australia has ever produced. Supremacy with the ball lie awards to Spofforth. We bear complaints at the slow scoring of the present generation

of batsmen, but their predecessors] sometimes showed an even more marked disposition to let the.grass grow under their feet. Captain P. H. Mundy once at Lord’s made six runs in four hours. There is a story of an old umpire, a “character” who was summoned to the Oval from Lord’s, where a match was in progress. He was. asked how things were going at Lord’s. He replied, “Oh. capitally. Lord C — and. Mr. ’as been in for ’ai*f an hour. They gets no runs, but just as I left the ground liis lordship kicked a beautiful leg bye!” And here is an instance of an unconventional set of decisions by a. coupty umpire who called “No ball”, as; the howler stepped over the ci’ease. “Wide,” he added, as the ball appeared to be so. But the batsman reached out and struck the ball. “Well hit!” shouted the- umpire, and “Well caught!” as a fieldsman brought off the catch. “Hout! Hover!” and he strolled nieditativelv towards square Je e- ;