CRICKET.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 7874, 8 January 1904, Page 4

CRICKET.

The effect of the second test match is nob one that will go far to encourage this sport. What I think is primarily responsible, is that the teams are so eager to win that, having as long as they like to play, they are making the game too slow for the spectators. It is all very well to say that the game is played for the sake of the game, but if rules and regulations are going to be made to spoil the spectators' interest the sport must suffer. Without money a few good players may have a very nice game, but cricket would not be the game it is without the big matches. A time limit to matches would produce more dashing cricket, better fielding, and greater interest all thrpugh. The action of the crowd in hooting, etc., is to be very much regretted from every point of view,' but too much stress should not> be laid upon the report when I looked upon in this light. There were twenty thousand people or thereaboats present, and if there were a hundred misbehaving themselves they would cons'.i tute a very small minority, but still be able to maku a very considerable amoua^ of clamour. Again, when so large a number of people were present expecting, some big cricket, most people will acknowled?*. that it would be hard to restrain a cricketloving crowd from hooting what was really poor cricket. But of course the teams wanted to win the match, and everything will have to be sunk to that. The Englishmen have won again. There are a groat number of people who knrw tney would, of course, but the Australians prooably would have got a good deal nearer the mark had the weather held out. For a tesb match 111 is a painfully poor score. The cables say : "Wariif-r superintended the rolling of the wicket} or rather mud, which caked on thi* roller." . The small score does not need much explanation. The Englishmen only have to win one more match to enable Warner to get his "ashes." » * « Thetfollowing is the result of the tour so far and the list of matches for the future : — 7-9-10— V. South Australia. Drawn. 13-17 — V. Victoria, at Melbourne. Englishmen won by an innings and 71 runs. 20-24— V. New South Wales, at Sydney. Englishmen won by an innings and 10 runs. 27-30.— V. Queensland, at Brisbane. Wow by fe wicket* December. 2- 3. — V. Newcastle, at Newcastle. Drawn. 4- 5. — V. West Mail laid. Drawn. 11-15— First Test Match' at Sydney. Englishmen won by 5 wickets. 26-29— V. Bendigo. Drawn. January. 1- s—Second5 — Second Test Match, at Melbourne. Englishmen won by 188 inns. 8- 9— V. Ballarat. 15-19— Third Test Match at Adelaide. ' February. / 12-16— V. New South Wales, at Sydney. 26- I— Fourth Test Match, at Sydney. March. 5- B— Fifth Test Match, at Melbourne. * • * Wellington <ki\ s.ted Auckland at Christmas by 90 runs. Wellington in their first innings scoi'ad very consistently, and all but one man obtained double hgures. <> Staples .was the only one to make a very large score, his amounting to 67. In the second innings Hickson put up 42 and Gore 36, while the others made practically nothing, the aggregate score for the team being 337. Auckland was apparently repiesented by a very medium sort of beam. Mason (31), Schmoll (28), and McCormick (27) were the only ones that were at all successful. Their secon-1 effort produced a 33, a 19, and an 18, while the total score reached 247. * * * Wellington afterwards suffered defeat at the hands of Hawke's Bay' by 96 -runs, and by Canterbury by a very good majority. * • ♦ Cricket in Miis pait of tha world ap pears to be very dead. Even with MrGeorge Bayly's magnificent gift no one takes an interest in it, or if I am libelling some enthusiast, I will add that his efforts do not induce very large attendances at practice. Xo snatches have be-3n heard of for some time, and the practice grounds are made practically no use cf. Wonder what it would be like if thoy had to play round stumps in a paddock*; probably there would be a larger crowd then. l?erhans things will improve whun the holidays are really over, but it looks pretty oiue when cricket has to be given up because one or two of the principal players are out of town. * * » I believe that the Stars are to lose the services of one of their most prominent players. Lou. Elliott, who has been connected with the club almost if not ever since its inception, has received an appointment in the well-known firm of Alessrs "Bell, Gully, Bell and Myers, solicitors, ol Wellington, and wiil probably leave at the end ot February. I must congratulate him most heartily, for to get into the office named has been the aspiration of many young lawyers in the colony. Besides - cricket Lou. has taken a great interest in hockey, being one of the founders of tho Hawera Club, and certainly one of lhe very bast players. With enterprising, though^f illness one of the Wellington players has already bespoken him as a member of his olub. * * • Dealing with R. E. Foster's recordbreaking performance with the bat (287 runs) against the Australians in the recent tost match, a writer in the Sydney Mail says : — Foster was in for six hours 59 minutes, and he played an extraordinary innings. He forced the pace so much during the last Jiali-liour that almost every ball was hit hard enough for four. He travelled from 150 to 287 in two hours five minutes — faster than a run a minute. The great point about his cricket is that it was not until his side had a substantial lead that he let himself go, and then he went at the bowling in a way that has seldom been witnessed in first-class cricket on »he Sydney Cricket Ground, ' and more especially in a test match. The bowling was completely worn out, for which he was, of course, main'y responsible. Ihc- whket was perfect, an-1 the fielding ground was ve.'y fast. Everything was therefore favourable, to the hitter. There was not a stroke of the gam/3 that ibis superlatively attractive and wristy batsman did not play. Indeed, it would be next to impossible to imagine a greater range of hits, for he scored from the finest glance on the iff side to hitting the ball with the full face of the bat behind him, and to the right of the ticket-keeper.' In the smashing of records which took place a good cbal of credit is due to the men Foster had in with him — Bran id, Relf, and Rhodes But 10 runs were required to break the record of 586 held by Australia. It is not detracting to any great extent to say that a batsman to put up such a performance as Foster is now credited with must have Juck to help him along. He was missed by Giegx-y at 51— certain! v a difficult chance, but still the* batsman was fortunate that he did not then come to grief — and he had Dame Fortune, ou his side when ha hit the full toss from Hopkiii3 just over the bowler's head, and the possible chances to Hill. Although thesi are matters which should not be forgotten in summing up an innings, there . ■ware very few pre3ent who were not pre- : pared to forgive him those blemishes in ■ tho remembrances of the delightful bat ting to which Chey were treated. Aus- ] traEa was deprived of a few of the best-on-record achievements, in test matches.' R E.- Foster's 287 deprives W< L. Mutdoch's 211 of (he priie of place as highest innings ever played; and the fist wicket partnership of 330 runs by Foster and Rhodes surpasses the 120 by R. A. Duff and Aroetrong on the Melbourne ground two years ago. The total of 577 is the record for England, being one vun better than the 576 at Kennington Oval ' in 1899, but it is still surpassed by Australia's §66 on Hie Sydney ground in