CRICKET NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11188, 9 February 1897, Page 2

CRICKET NOTES.

("By Scoring Board in “ Canterbury Times.”l The Senior Cup matches were continued on Saturday, when the Lancaster Park Eleven defeated the Lancaster Park Thirteen comfortably, and the Sydenham and Addington Thirteen administered a decisive beating to the Midland Eleven. The match between the United Eleven and the United Thirteen was not concluded, and was continued on Tuesday evening, too late to admit of particulars appearing in these columns.

In spite of the fact that the Sydenham and Addington tail did absolutely nothing against Stephenson’s bowling’, the suburban team had previously secured such a decided advantage that the Mid landers were beaten in one innings. As tlxo last eight wickets of the Sydenham and Addington were responsible for only 28 runs, thoir batting needs absolutely no comment. One and all failed to make anything of Stephenson, who broke in from the oft a great deal, and living so much in the air that several men lost their wickets through playing at the ball long before it touched the ground. The fielding of the Midlanders was capital, and Pearce and Barry brought off some excellent catches. Pearce caught .T. Lafforty at short leg off a fine hit and Barry snapped up M'Murray in the slip?, falling over as he secured the ball. Lawrence, too, made a really good catch in the long field. The effort of the Midlanders to avert a one innings’ defeat, was not particularly grand. The wicket was perhaps not first-class, but it was by no means bad, yet all they could make was 107, and they were therefore beaten by an innings and 3G runs. Really the only man to play with any degree of confidence was D. Reese, and the youngster gave a very fine exhibition of batting for 37. His play all round the wicket was good, but it was in his driving that he particularly shone. Wheatley played steadily, and Pearce hit as hard as ever, while T. W. Reese made his runs more quickly than usual, but the remainder of tho batting was feeble. For this there was really very little excuse. M’Murray certainly bowled steadily, and broke from the off slightly, but he only required watching. The fielding of the Sydenham and Addington was fair, and Lafierty made a couple of good catches at short mid-on. The Lancaster Park Eleven had no difficulty in defeating the Lancaster Park Thirteen. The brothers Ridley made the principal portion of the runs which increased the eleven’s total in their second innings from 171 to 254, and it was really hard lines on H. C. .Ridley that after defying all the efforts of the opposing bowlers, he had time to make only 07. Had Fowke not been absent there is little doubt that Ridley would have made the century which all batsmen covet so intensely. However, Ridley lias every reason to regard his performance with complacency. It was a fine one in every sense of the word, and was marred only by a couple of very difficult chances. Smith secured the majority of the wickets for the Thirteen, but he was very expensive, and the fielding, like that of tho Eleven, was patchy. In their attempt to_ hit off the runs required to win, the Thirteen commenced well, but when North was put on a “ rot ” set in and the last eleven men were responsible for only 33 runs. Willis plaj ed a capital innings for 51, and his play on the off-side was especially good, while Labatt was characteristically careful for his 24. Stringer was in for some time for his 13, but as the others averaged only two rims apiece their performances call for no comment. North was by far the most successful of the Elevens’ bowlers, and took nine wickets for- 45 runs. Bates, on the other hand, was short and comparatively plain, and Wilding was at times short.

The play in tho match between tho United Eleven and the United Thirteen was from beginning to end distinctly moderate. Gard’ner was absent from the ranks of the Eleven, whose tail batted so feebly to Eolleston’s slow bowling that their first innings closed for 131, or 32 runs behind the total of their opponents. In the Thirtecn’s second innings three men made 114' out of the total of 173, so that the remaining ten scored only 60 runs between them. Roliestom deserves a great deal of praise for his score of 71. He was very uneasy at the commencement, and was missed off two consecutive balls, and right through his hatting was patchy. At times he woke up and played particularly fine offensive cricket. One drive, in particular, landed right on top of the pavilion, and three consecutive ballsfrora Harman he drove to the boundary for 4 each. Vincent played sound pretty cricket for 25, and Eoss was scoring fast when he was unfortunately run out. The bowling of the Eleven was distinctly moderate. Franki nh was shoi-t, but nevertheless sent in a good ball now and then, which generally got a wicket. Harman, I thought, made a mistake in taking his brother off so soon, and in keeping Wigloy on so long, while he certainly gained nothing by putting himself on, as ho had 17 runs scored off him in one over. The fielding of the Eleven was nob particularly brilliant, and was certainly not so safe as that of their opponents. With 206 runs to get to win the Eleven commenced their second innings in a rather bad light. Sims, after playing streakily at an over from Eolleston, was clean bowled by Barclay, but then the brothers Harman got together, and, batting most stubbornly, succeeded in playing out time without a mishap. The Canterbury Association is issuing a fresh copy of the Eules of Cricket, very tastefully printed by the Lyttelton Times Company. A. E. Gard’ner, of the United, has been transferred to Ashburton, and his services will not, therefore, be available to his club for some weeks.

J. Mansou, of the Midland Club, one of the best Junior bowlers in Christchurch, is leaving this week for Gisborne, whence he lias been transferred.

Playing for the Midland against the Sydenham and Addington, on Saturday, the brothers ileese were remarkably smart between the wickets. They stole at least half-a-dozen runs.

I was in error last week in stating that Mr A. M. Ollivier had presented both Sims andEeese with a bat in recognition of their fine play against Wellington. Mr Ollivier presented Reese with a bat, and Mr W. B. • Clarkson paid Sims a similar compliment. I feel convinced that C. Garrard should “have been selected to practice for the match against Otago. The ex-Midlander has been wonderfully successful with both bat and ball this season in the North Canterbury district, and only last Saturday he made another “ century.” A. C. Eolleston’s performance for the United Thirteen against the same club’s Eleven may be regarded as unique. He had not touched a bat this season until a week or two ago. Nevertheless, lie scored 30 not out in the first innings oktlie match and 73 in the second. His batting average in Senior Cup matches this season is, therefore, 103, while his bowling average is creditable.

There is, I hear, a great deal of dissatisfaction among the Midlanders as to the construction of the club’s first eleven. It is considered that three or four men now playing in it ought to make way for juniors who have been showing good form during the season. A similar remark applies to the United eleven, several members of which are, to put the matter plainly, playing on their reputations. North’s delivery—as I inferred some weeks ago—is occasioning a great deal of comment this season. I understand that he was not permitted to bowl in the second innings of the match between Canterbury and Queensland for fear that ho would be no-balled. Nevertheless, he is allowed to bowl regularly in Cup matches. Either North bowls fairly or he does not, and this question ought to be settled definitely. As no umpire appears prepared to take the initiative, it is, 1 think, the duty of the Association to inquire into the matter. Most cricketers of the early 80’s will join heartily with me in regretting the sad and sudden death of Mr C. W. Wagstaff at

Lyttelton last week, and I am sure heartfelt sympathy with his wife and his seven small children will he expressed. Mr Wag-staff was a member of the one time famous Sydenham Youths’ Club, which, in the days I speak cf, was quite the terror of suburban teams. He and “Johnny” Fowke, who subsequently became his brother-in-law, vised to generally dismiss their opponents for very paltry scores and regularly obtain startling averages. Business avocations practically necessitated Mr Wagstaff’s retirement from the cricket field, although he indulged in an occasional game of late years with the Lyttelton Club, lie was a fast rouud-am bowler with a good length and direction, and was very popular both on and oil the cricket field. The total cost of the trip of the Now South Wales team to Adelaide and Melbourne, including payment of professionals, was .£358 10s. The following are the batting and bowling averages of the Australian team for all matches,- with the exception of the test match played in Sydney previous to the team leaving for England:— BATTING.

Commenting 1 on the report that the Queensland Cricket Association intends next season to endeavour to arrange home and home matches with New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, “ Not Out ” writes in the Sydney Referee : —As far as New South Wales is concerned with Queensland, it is difficult to see how the proposal can he en- ■ tertained just now. The one match now played annually results in a dead loss to the New South Wales Cricket Association. Speaking from memory, 1 fancy that only on one occasion has the Queensland match in Sydney paid match expenses, the travelling and hotel expenses for same having been horn eby the Queensland Cricket Association. It costs upward of =B2OO (including professional fees and loss of salary to amateurs) to send the New South Wales team to Brisbane, and the whole of that .£2OO each match is a dead loss to the New South Wales Association, simply because the return match in Sydney does not pay. Time may bring a change, but until Queensland is able to place a team in the field likely to largely attract the attention of the Sydney public, it will be impossible. to arrange two fixtures annually. Indeed;-! were it not that the New South Wales Association is anxious t'o set! cricket prosper ■ in the Northern colony, and does not mind spending money in its encouragement, the annual fixture would not be played. The following items are taken from the Sydney Bulletin : —Perhaps the man who showed the most pluck in England wasDonnau. Several of the eleven say, “If Donuan couldn’t get runs any other way, he got them by pluck.” The best fieldsman the Australians mot in England was Mordaunt, of Oxford. He would field a red-hot ball, knock the wicket down, turn a double somersault, and dance a breakdown, all in the space of 3sec. Griffon's 80 in the second test-match is considered the best innings this time by an Australian Eleven man. Iredale, who was the great man's partner, says that to watch Giffen compile that eighty was to learn how to play cricket. The man who did most work and showed most activity was “ Jonah” Jones. “Rock ’em in” was a great bowler in England, where the wickets helped him and brought his lightning ones back with deadly effect. And when they missed he didn’t swear or cry or sulk—he just plugged in for a rib or a wicket next over, or, if fielding, streaked like an emu for the boundary. A strong goer is Jonah—probably out of tho_ many thousand men who watched him* in England there were not half-a-dozen who could have come into the field and “ mixed it ” with him, One reason of tho recant Australian eleven’s success was the absence of a skiter. Trott and Gregory’s splendid stand in the first test match would have made swelled head almost excusable in any man, hut neither of the pair ever opened the subject with his fellow members of the eleven, or with any one else. Iredale, too, after his unprecedented run of big scores, keptmodestly silent. He never referred to his 108 in the second test-match even, although that innings meant everything to Iredale. For it gave the lie direct to the many detractors who were always anxious to assert that the long chap had little heart. Iredale showed plenty of pluck in England taking thirty-six out of thirty - eight catches in the long field, with all eyes upon him. In the Australians’ first match with Yorkshire, Hirst, the comity bowler, knocked about the visitors in the first, innings; fast balls from him struck gruelling blows on batsman’s arms, legs, and bodies. And whenever a struck player squirmed round, the fair-play crowd of Yorkshire clodhoppers, wallopers and oafs grunted, squealed and chuckled in ecstasy of applause. By and bye, Yorkshire’s first innings began. The crowd saw Jonah Jones run up to the crease, but it never saw the ball. It saw a winged batsman fluttering round the wicket, and it heard the shriek of the strong Englishman in his agony. And the deadly work went on. New stumps were brought, new bats, new batsmen to fill the gaps of the broken up and slain. The crowd couldn’t stand it; the crowd roared with a din that threatened a riot: “Tak um off! play fair cricket! don’t kill men!” To please them Jones was taken off, and the crowd heaved a sigh of relief, deep and loud as the sigh of the ocean. But Eady was put on instead of Jones, and Eady’s first ball, a terrific wind-jammer, struck Hirst himself a sickenin’ thud. “ Oh-h-h,” bellowed the Yorkshire herd in agony. “ Tak um off, too ! He’s bad as t’other.”

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