CRICKET.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 14 October 1922, Page 3

CRICKET.

Rarely hitherto has a season opened so propitiously. Apparently there will be locally two senior and two junior Saturday teams and two Wednesday teams, with a prospect of anotther, so that there should be no lack of matches. It now reniadns to see what best arrangements can be made for practice. There is no doubt that is the kernel of the whole position, if good practice tickets, can be secured and maintained, nothing will be so conducive to progress and improvement. It is not of much

use players going up during the week if they have to bat on bumpy wickets. This feature is almost of more importance, or at least of equal importance, "as good match wickets. Would it ba

possible for each player to put in a small amount, only a shilling or two, extra so as to get extra work to be

concentrated on this essential feature? It would not take a great deal of work «ach week, and would make such a .great difference to the game, in fact just all the difference. Prospects in Wellington and other . centres appear to be remarkably good, ■and with the fillip that is bound to be given, to the game by the visit of the English team there should be. quite a! revival in Dominion cricket. The New Zealand Times says of Wellington that: . the season promises to be a record. In' . message to players the Times' critic •emphasises the advice given in this ■column some time-ago. He says the ! unfailing road to success is along the •avenue of practice. He states definitely that the want of methodical prac- \ tice is the cause of the apparent stand- I -still in cricket. He says: "Players "have a ten-minute knock at the nets ; perhaps if they are keen they will /throw up a few balls to the batsmen. 'Then they retire to the field and form ■a, little knot of players, where ail "things on earth are discussed. Everything is let to, run its own sweet' ' -course till the last man has his strike, <an<J with a, sigh of relief everybody scampers off." Does this not just about describe our average practice ihere, whereas there should be practice in fielding, in catching, and in returning to the wicket. . j The writer continues: "I have been .•through the /mill with strict professional coaches, and how differently they Tun the show. • There is no reason in "the wide world why club nets should ."not be run on. the same lines without 'pros. 3 Some day pur young bowlers "will grind hard enough v at practice to ;get a length, and be abl^ to maintain it, and then acquire a few of the arts of bowling. Then, and not before, will *our cricket improve to such an i;hat we shall be able to contemplate visits from outside teams with equanimity. Anyone with a- knowledge of Australian cricket will readily admit that the bowling of the earlier sides "that England was comparatively stronger than the batting. In the ■course of time things evened UT>,\with ; ;the result that the batting reached a high standard right through." |; He concluded in the following com- ' monsense words: "The moral to be' •drawn from all this screed is that prac- < "tice alone makes perfect, and in this game, of all games, one cannot learn, i to play it just by looking on. There ] is no game which calls for more studi- ' i *ous attention and hard work, but one,: i is amply repaid by a well-made fifty i or' century, or by a hardly won hat < -trick." .] 'Hamilton, says the Waikato Times, "has'every prospect of a capital season. l> TPhe report of the association stated : inter alia that "the committee secured ; the services a competent man for the 'season, and under his control the, wickets and outfield soon assumed a' "first-class condition, and remained so1 throughout the season." This is what , Us required in Hawera. ..',(' / The chairman of the association re-. ferred to the introduction of the game,vto the schools during the new season..] He had brought the suggestion up last;.. and he reiterated it, that each j senior club should take a school under j Tits care, provide its teams with ma* 'terial if need be, and give whatever J -assistance possible in the way of coaching, etc. ' He would like to see an -advisory board constituted from among the teachers of the. various schools. ""This matter the president recommend-; '-ed to the earnest consideration of all j clubs and everyone interested in the "game. A good deal has been done in "Hawera each year, but until the last few years there had not been much response. Since Mr. Lyall, formerly of Kaponga, had taken the matter in ihand much more had been done, and in the schools had flourished, -thanks to the assistance also of sev•eral of the headmasters, f.nd bado fair -to help the game very materially. It ■must always be remember si that the -schools are mainly the . recruiting vground for the future and they there--fore deserve and must get all possible -assistance; Any work done in tins re-,-spect will be repaid time and again;