CRICKET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 5 February 1944, Page 2

CRICKET

THE GAME IN NELSON good representative side AVAILABLE TEAM DIFFICULTIES Although no one worries much these days about championships and* results the local competition is producing some excellent games and quite a good representative team could be at the present time. There is a noticeable improvement in the wickets over the? past two seasons. Jack Ross, who gave such good service over a long period, passed away after a long illness during which time there was no regular groundsman, but the new man is doing well, with a pleasing improvement in the ground. The presence of the Air Force has enabled some good outside players to take part during the last two or three seasons, although naturally there are constant changes. The Air Force B team, which had worked up into a strong combination, has been almost completely replaced and a new B team will probably appear this week. Most of the teams are having weekly changes, Ath-letic-Old Boys having had some 25 or more players out during the season. PROMINENT PLAYERS The “personality” in the competition at present is Newman Hoar the Wairarapa player ip Air Force who is always worth watching whether batting, bowling or fielding and is worth a place in any provincial side in New Zealand at present. Several other Air Force players have played good cricket in other districts, notably Webster, Mace, Sharrock, Pitt and others. Petrol restrictions unfortunately have kept wellknown country players out of the game but, at Motueka, it is pleasing to see that several teams have got going again. Last year’s match between Nelson and Marlborough Air Force side would be worth repeating. TOM LOUISSON PASSES ON Cricketers (and others) of the older school will sincerely regret the passing of Tom Louisson, who was an ornament to the sporting field, in cricket, football and trotting. A quiet, unassuming player, it is difficult to imagine that he could ever have been guilty of an unsportsmanlike action. Commencing cricket with the old Rival Club over 40 years ago, he first played senior with Nelson, a club which went out during the last war. He played representative cricket for Nelson for an exceptionally long period and was an outstanding bowler and a good bat and field. A particularly fine club performance was l’or the Nelson Club against Athletic 35 years ago when the latter team contained about nine representative players and he clean bowled four of their best batsmen in a six ball over. On the representative field some of his best efforts were: four for 41, v. Taranaki; six for 40, v. Manawatu; six for 36„ v. Marlborough; six for 76, v. Auckland; four for 30, v. Wanganui; and four for 48, v. English XI in 1923. In latter seasons he was a most reliable and trusted umpire. ONE-DAY CRICKET It is interesting to note that many opinions on one-day cricket have changed very decidedly as a result of the enforced trial during the war period. So many sides, especially the Services, have difficulty in putting out the same teams two Saturdays running, that one-day games were almost a necessity, but it fs noticeable that Auckland has not been able to get back to the two Saturdays quickly enough, while Canterbury, which tried it once before the war. have also done so. Wellington has even considered reverting to two days for the rest of the season. It will be surprising if one-day games are persevered with any longer than is necessary in Nelson. umpiring and lbw decisions Particularly earlier in the season, there was very grave dissatisfaction with many of the lbw decisions being given in Nelson and it was quite evident that players and umpires did not appreciate the difficulty of applying the rule, especially since the new rule came in, whereby a batsman may be out to a ball pitching outside the off stump and turning in. The principal fault has undoubtedly been in lack of appreciation of the slight amount of turn necessary to carry the ball past the leg stump. Young players, in fact any people interested in cricket would do well to put in the three stumps and carry two pieces of string to the middle stump and take the other piece just clear of the leg stump and most players will be astonished to find what a small break is necessary for a ball to miss the leg stump altogether. Another very important point is to remember that although a ball may now pitch outside the off stump and turn in, the portion of the batsman’s body struck must still be in a line between wicket and wicket. There is little doubt that it is extremely difficult to give a batsman out with certainty when there is anything more than a small turn on the ball or when he has played right back on to the wicket. Nothing ruins games more quickly than bad lbw decisions. tl is difficult to understand the Canterbury Associat\/t°S Wish to get a decision from the M.C.C. on the lbw rule, on the wording of the press message. So far as the, portion of the batsman’s body struck is concerned, the rule is absolutely explicit; it may be any part other than the hand. This calls to minu an amusing incident in a match here some years ago when a batsman had a habit of going down on his knee and sweeping the ball to leg, was hit on the shoulder and given out. On his indignant outburst, the umpire (a College boy), reversed his decision thinking the ball had to hit the leg. At the end of the over the batsman went up the wicket and asked his captain batting at the other end to do something about changing the empire but was told very definitely that actually he had been out ♦ . T® s clean as a whistle” although the ball struck his shoulder.