SOUTH TARANAKI PLAY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 January 1929, Page 10

SOUTH TARANAKI PLAY.

TUSSLE FOR LEADERSHIP.

ISSUE CLOSELY GONTEISTED. The cricket competitions which were to be resumed to-day in South Taranaki are at a. most interesting stage because the end of the fixtures in December saw three teams practically level and naturally the keenest interest will be centred in the second round of fixtures.

Special interest will attach to the meeting of High School and Stratford who are at the top of the list. It will be awkward for the boys because of the holidays. Old Boys should have a fairly easy win from Raponga though the latter have a knack of putting up excellent scores when least expected. In North Taranaki the result is much less open, but the matches will be fought out with the keenness that characterises all cricket competitions.Wednesday players are practising hard and look forward to many closely contested matches. There is a fine spirit of enthusiasm among the midweek players and they get a lot of fun out of their weekly contests. DAIRY FACTORY TEAMS. But in none of the competitions is the interest more alive than among the dairy factory teams of the district in playing for the Patterson Cup. Mr W. V. Patterson is an enthusiast and he has “lit a real torch of enthusiasm'’ among the lads of the factories. The spirit is serving a fine purpose with a dual good result. It is bringing together the employees of the factories m friendly rivalry In the best of games and it is also extending the spirit of camaraderie which has such a useful influence in any walk of life where interests run in common.

Our factory men are concerned in competing one against the other to see which can turn out the best product. That is their main object in life—and as a side line, when the curd is set and (.the eheesees packed away on the shelves in cool store, they get out the impedimenta of the game. One side buckle on the pads and tape up the bats while the others try to beat the defence and scatter the stumps or taice catches in the slips or the outfield. The spirit of rivalry is, therefore, in evidence in their work as in their play and surely the result must be all to the good. One can imagine that the cheese will be all the better because made by men who have another interest —a real healthy hobby. If they imbue their work with the same keen spirit of emulation as they do their cricket, then they must get the best out of the milk supplied for their attention in the factory. It is pleasant to note the excellent combination. The long evenings enable them to start fairly late and still get a good afternoon’s play. They are making the most of life as it is quite right and proper they should do.

Their brother workers in the business organisations of the city have their regular competitions in cricket as in football. Same years ago the “Hawera Star” hacl a cricket team, which was more than able to hold its own with the local teams. Many big firms have regularly organised games and some of them have, in addition, other competitions such as in music for . choir or orchestra. The leaders encourage these efforts whch demand team work .and realised that they have a valuable influence. They are all worth encouraging.

THE THIRD TEST. ENGLAND DETAINS THE ASHES. The blue riband of cricket for the world is the supremacy in the Tests between England and Australia. No series of matches anywhere in the civilised world creates such wonderful interest and enthusiasm nor are the results of any other matches looked for with such a keenness of anticipation as the meeting of the elect of the Mother 'Country and her 'overseas Dominion, which is the only country to seriously dispute the right of the former to be considered leader in the realm of cricket. Although the rubber has been decided and in consequence the interest to the public is largely gone, the result of the two remaining Tests has a special significance for the Englishmen because their opponents from the overseas Dominion still lead in the aggregate of matches played and a win to th e visitors in the remaining two would put them ‘‘all square,” as a golfer would say. This would make the 1930 tour to England most interesting because both teams would, as it were, start off scratch on the fresh “lap” in the history of Tost Cricket. FEATURES OF THE PLAY. One of the features of the nrst two Tests was ' the work of the rival wicketkeepers, Oldfield and Duckworth. Both have given brilliant exhibitions, and maintained th. e highest traditions of the ’keepers’ art in the two games. In following a man like 'Strudwick, Duckworth has something big to live up to, and he has performed very well indeed. Ilis job in one respect has been more difficult than 'Oldfield’s, for the Australian lias not had to handle a bowler like Larwood. The Notts fast bowler is a difficult man to take, for his deliveries fly about a lot, and Duckworth has had to perform some acrobatic feats in taking him, says the “Sporting 'Globe.” He has made some remarkable stops of wide, high-flying balls, particularly an the leg side.

Oldfield has lived up to his reputation as the greatest ’keeper of the day, and in the two games has put up a remarkable record in that he has allowed only two byes while the Englishmen have scored 1173 runs. At Brisbane he did allow a bye in the English total of 521, and at Sydney there were only two byes (from one ball) in the grand total of 652 runs. His work throughout has been marked by soundness and neatness, with no unnecessary flourishes.

“AJL.C,” writing in the Christchurch “;Sun” on “The Spirit of Cricket,” says inter alia: “Though we may see, occasionally, blemishes on our cricket and the spirit in which it is played, the great heart of the game beats on. That heart is not in cricket for shields or cups or banners, but in cricket for the joy of the game. “Well, there are antidotes for most poisons. In the meantime, I suggest that properly-qualified umpires be given power to disqualify teams that are simply filling in time in shield matches, or to deduct runs from them, or to order wearisome batsmen off the field —something nice and drastic. “It certainly is annoying to a lover of cricket when an interesting match hard fought for a time is allowed to splutter itself out like a damp squib.” SIX CENTURIES TO FOUR. Although Australia 1 has been so decisively defeated in the Tests’, her players have, six centuries as l against four by England-. Hammond outdistances ’all othetrls by annexing five in all matches, two in successive Tests. Bradman has played in Sheffield Shield cricket only since last season, and in his first match against South Australia scored 118 and in the return match 72. In the final shield match against Victoria he carried his 'bat for 134.

Playing this season he has scored 131 and 133 (not out) against Queensland. His success in the Third Test was hailed with much satisfaction, for, it was generally considered he had not been treated fairly in being dropped in (the second when more experienced Usftsnm failed on a wearing wicket. Bradmiam it was who 1 threw down Hobbs’ wicket in the First Test and gained a deserved reputation for smartness and accuracy in the field. Again in the Third, at a critical time for England, he did the same to dismiss Tate for a duck.

One wonders why it was that the’ Australian selectors were not game to back their opinion of Bradman sufficiently to give him a second trial in tfie Second Test, although he had not done any good at Brisbane in the, First. He would not be the first champi on-who had failed in his first experience of Test cricket and who had gone on to the highest honours. His performance in the third amply vindicated him ancl the imaiking of 79 and 112 —the latter his first Test century and noteworthy because made when the odds were againts him—prove him to’ be the greatest “find” of the year. This fact, when coupled with the knowledge that he is a brilliant field, make him one of the first selections of the remaining Tests and, unless unforeseen circumstances arise, a certainty for England.

PROBLEM FOR NEXT TRIAL. It will be interesting to speculate on the result if both team® are composed of young players when the Australians comes to England in 1930. In any case there will be keen anticipation and close watching of the play when the tour eventuates. One fears, however, that the possession of the Ashes is likely to be the dominant factor, a® apparently it is mow. Will the; selectors both in England and Australia have the courage to look to the future of the game and let the world see a real • struggle of youth against youth, the young players of both parts of the, Empire matched on the, playing fields of Britain? The question 'will need strength of mind and courage because the possession of those “Ashes” is so inseparably bound up with the Test matches that the temptation to concentrate on keeping them will prove very hard to resist. It may be of interest to, record that a decision to omit players over 35 would mean the rejection of six of each .team and over 30 years would mean; no less than ten Australians and eight Englishmen. THE LAST TOUR OF ENGLAND. In the 1926 season in England, Hobbs and Sutcliffe had the remarkable disr tinction of securing the following totals: 201 (119 and 82) out of 475; 182 (88 and 94) out of 254; 75 (49 and 26) out of 294; 94 (74 and 20) out of 305; and in the fifth and deciding match no less than 113 out of 280 and 261 (100 and 161) out of 434. Curiously enough there were only four centuries to Englishmen a® against seven to Australians.

The wicket-keeping was very remarkable. Strudwick allowed in successive innings the following byes: 12, 5,2, 2, 5 and 0 (7 leg byes). Oldfield responded with 4,4, 5,4, 6, 19. It is curious that each had one rather bad innings. The Eirst Test saw only a few minutes ’ play, while: the second had threw full days; the third, three days; the fourth, two days, and the fifth, played to a finish, four days.

Conditions did not favour fast scoi ing and generally it was pretty, slow, but dogged and resolute. The fact that there was a time liimt did not have the result of brightening the game. In Australia the playing out of all the Tests leads inevitably to a generally slow rate of scoring which on*, would expect would be avoided by the time limit of England. But this is not borne out by previous to,urs ; , and certainly no,t by that of 1926. The following details from the play will be of interest: In the first, only 32 runs were scored for no wickets; second, 1052 fox 18 wickets; third, 1042 fo'r 23 wickets; fourth, 640 for 15 wickets; fifth, 1143 runs for 40 wickets.

PLUNKET SHIELD PLAY. CHANGE OF TACTICS WANTED. Tibet contest for the Plunket Shield, designed originally to improve the standard of the play, appears to be another instance of the trophy rather j obliterating the game, and this year , appears so far to have been one of the; i worst. Certainly the weather ha® been execrable, but much of the play has been such a® to, draw most unfavourable criticism. One city paiper says: “Bad weather

.lias to bo accepted with, patience, but bad play is mostly avoidable. ’ ’ In the Wellington-Otago- match, a report says, inter alia, 1 ‘after lunch play was deadly dull. Twenty-live overs saw as many runs come up and the crowd became ironical. The Canterbury-Wel-lington match, with lifelelss batting by both, brought an. unsatisfactory and tame draw."

T-he same sort of report comes from the other centres and everything points to the need of a drastic change in mefhOids if the game is to progress as it should.

Unfortunately the tests between England and Australia exhibit much of this slow dogged batting. There are, of course, times when this appears unavoidable, but on many ooeasiosn the bowling does not warrant such tactics. The position is -one that needs watching for to let the prize outweigh the game is not good. The spectator at such matches must feel inclined to echo. Punch’s lines -to a notoriously slow batsman of the old days:

| "Block! Block! Block! t ; At the foot of thy wicket, ah! do; Bat one hoar of ‘W.W.’ or 'W.G.’ were worth a week of thee." GENERAL COMMENT. The next Test between England and Australia will commence' in February, and six days are allotted, but as bef ore if play is still going on the seventh the match will be continued. Rountree, the Auckland veteran wicket-keeper, playing against Otago, caught three and stumped two batsmen in the first innings. While a man is doing so well, it is very hard to put him out of a team. THE UMPIRES. "The Umpires." How many are ■toasted by cricketers during the festive season? says a critic in a city paper. The two white-coated gentlemen ("one for each end, not one for each side") who regularly and patiently control each of the senior games and some of the junior ones, are apt to bo forgotten for their honorary services. Theirs is a thankless task. They come in for a lot of criticism, goiodi and bad, but continue to help the game along by acting week in and week out, counting the half-dozens, signalling aind giving their decisions. The game is sometimes painfully slow, monotonous, for them, but their love for the good old game- never wanes. They play their part. It is up to players to play theirs by giving a little thought and consideration to these gentlemen. They are, like cricketer®, only human. "Gentlemen, the Umpires."

THE LORD MAYOR’S 'SHOW. A cricket team of 1850 was one of the most amusing details of the Polytechnic division of the Lord Mayor’s Show, says the "London Times.’’ Though 'Sir Kynaston iStudd’s own fame was achieved in later times, the archaic top-hatted veterans may have been accepted by very young peeple as a reminder of the three brothers Studd in what doubtless seems to them a prehistoric stage of the game. Sir Eynaston was one of the band of famous brothers all of whom won fame on the cricket field. "London Punch" thus celebrated the event in its 'own inimitable style:—• Sir J. E. Kynaston Studd. "Long since when that great team, my foster mothers Knocked the Australians’ till they bit ‘the field; Thanks to the firm of 0. T. Studd and (Brothers, And Fenner’s ■with their triple .triumph pealed; We, who were thus enjoying J. E. K., Had no idea he’d be Lord Mayor to-day."