(Continued from page 18., Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume IX, Issue 455, 20 March 1909, Page 19

(Continued from page 18. , Cricket.

There was hardly a scintilla of interest taken in the playing of cricket matches as far as the senior championship was concerned last Saturday, amd but the shortest reference to them by me this week will 1 suffice. As was expected, the Old Boys did not recover from the position they had got into on. the first day against Gas Company on the Lower Hutt Recreation Ground, and time alone prevented the "smoke-wheelers" from registering a three-point win. In. their second try Old Boys had 115 runs to their credit for seven wickets when, stumps were drawn — Birch 26, Beechey 18, J. P. Blacklock 18, C. P. Blacklock 16, and Lomax 11. « • • The V.M.C.A. went in and out twice at Petone, their two innings producing 98 (Midla-ne 21, Timperley 35, and Wilson 14} and 70 (Midlane 12, Roberts 15, and WaTne 11). Petone, m their only innings, gathered together 219. • • " Midland accounted for Phoenix to the tune of a three-point win at the Athletic Park, the respective tallies being • —Midland, first innings, 125; second innings, 97 for six wickets (Manson 33. Wynyard 24. Kmvig 19 not out). Phoenix, first innings, 96; second innings, 123 (Audinwood 45 not out, Berendson 37. Little 16). On the College Ground the Newtown team kept the advantage they obtained from Waiwetu on. the opening day, a. fortnight ago. On that occasion they ended their first innings with 50 runs to credit, and on Saturday they again hold the unper hand, although only by the small margin of 9 runs, buu sufficient to win the match by 59 runsSecond innings scores: — Newtowt, 107 (Schmoll 36, Laws 22, G. Day 14. daridge 13); Waiwetu, 98 (Rodgers 28, Judd 27, Climie 14). For some time negotiations have been in, progress for a match between the veteran cricketers of Canterbury amd Wellington. It was decided to play a two-days' match, and the dates had been agreed upon but the Canterbury executive made a stipulation, that if the match was played only underhand bowling should be permitted. lnis the Wellington, people would not agree to, and the game, which, no doubt, would have raised a lot of interest, hat fallen, through. At least, a telegram worded ' 'Cannot agree underhand bowling; match off if you insist," has nob yet been replied to. • • • During the meetings heid In connection with the proposed veterans' match, it was but natural that deeds of der-ring-do on the cricket fields of Wellington in the gajJt should have been turned on occasionally. Biliy McGirr brought up the great win by Wellington over Nelson on one occasion, referring more particularly to Cbarley Dry den's performances on that occasion. A few years ago Mr. Anders Wiren. gave me some stray notes on Wellington; cricket, and the reference in them to the incident above referred to may interest otheTS besides McGirr and Dryden, whose remembrances of the happening did not coincide- — "About the finest recovery Wellington ever made was in the Nelson match of 1886. When, Dryden joined Motley the Wellington men in their second innings were eight runs behind with three wickets to fall. The pair put on 63 runs, Motley notching 58 (not out), and Dryden 19. Nelson was eventually left with 84 to win, but Dryden followed up his batting by disposing of seven of his opponents for 24 and Wellington won the game with 13 .runs to spare. W. J. Ford, well-known in English cricketing circles, captained Nelson, and. made 30 and 11." • «■ ♦ The idea of a district scheme in connection with the playing of cricket in Wellington never carries any conviction to me, for the simple reason that the Empire City does not lend itself to being divided, up into districts. In Auckland and Christchu-rch, where the district scheme has proved a success or otherwise, according to the way you look at things or the district you belong to, the various districts are definitely located. In. Auckland, for instance, Ponsonby, Parnell, North Shore, Eden, and City are easily separated one from the other, and in Christchurch, Sydenham, Linwood, Riccarton, West Christchurch, and East Christahurch would be known well enough by those names even if no district scheme of cricket was in operation. But in Wellington we are in a different position altogether. For instance, where does Thorndon end and Wellington, begin and likewise with Wellington, and Newtown. The electoral districts are as confusing as fchey can be to the average elector, but the division of Wellington and its sub-

urbs into districts would be confusion worse confounded. In my opinion, the best thing to improve the playing of cricket in. Wellington., outside the engagement of a professional ooach, is to reduce the number of senior teams, or divide the present ones into "A" and "B" grades. The various teams in each grade could be drawn to play one another, amd at bhe end of the season the winners an each could play a final match tor the position of champion team for the season. This is a subject that will bear a lot of elaborating, and I will return to it again. * * * [Since the above was written a report has been submitted to the Cricket Association by a sub-committee, but it is hardly worth the paper it is written on. For the simple reason that provision has been made for too many districts altogether.] • • • Hearty congratulations to Stan Hickson, of the Wellington, Club, on the birth of a son and heir. A. B. Williams, the Midland batsman and wicket-keeper, is the holder of the record score as a Wellington representative. The tally standing to his credit is 163. A match between the .representative schoolboys of Wellington and Wairarapa is to be played om the Basin Reserve to-morrow (Saturday). Play commences at 9 a.m. A note in the Sydney "Referee"- — "Next season an Australian, team is to visit New Zealand. Why not a New Zealand team visit Australia, it being ten years since the pioneers came along?" This should be in the nature of a record. In the return match between. Victoria and Tasmania, played recently at Launceston, no fewer than eight different umpires officiated during the progress of the game. The Australian cricketers left Sydney for- England on Wednesday. May they have the best of luck om their approaching tour, and individually and collectively play well enough to retain possession of "the ashes." At the time of writing I do not know whether it has been announced officially or not, but I think I am fairly safe in saying that cricket in Wellington, as far as the senior championship is concerned, is finished for the present season. "There's mamy a slip," etc. When Wadestown so_ handsomely defeated Victoria College for the junior championship the otner Saturday the contest for that honour appeared to be all over bar shouting. But the Old Boys' team have outed the meni from the hills, and the latter have to play a deciding match with the Victoria College for the championship. A Sydney "Bulletin" writer says: — "If the Board of Control accomplishes nothing else, it deserves the thanks of the public for having put Australian cricket on an equal basis. The 1909 team goes to England with a proper set of governing officers ; and, most wholesome of all the-re is not the sting left behind that some of the team is on the half-pay principle. The Board of Control has swept the white ants out of the game." • • • A propos of umpires, Edward Gregoiy teLLs a good story, which is worth passing along. He was bowling in. a match at Sydney, and the first ball he delivered the umpire no-balled him. Ditto the second. "What did you noball me for?" said Edward Gregory. "For throwing," was the reply. "Throwing!" said E. Gregory. "I never threw in my life." "Never mind," was the answer, "I no-ball you tor throwing." Thinking the matter over for a moment, an idea struck E. Gregory. Says he to the umpire: "You've mistaken me, I think, foir my brother Dave- I'm Nod." "What," says the umpire, "are you not Dave?" "No," says Ned, "I'm Ned; not Dave." "I beg your pardon," says the umpire, 'I thought you were Dave, and, of course, that I ought to noball you." Dick Arnst. the world's champion sculler, had a day out recently in Clirisfcchurch. Thus the "Lyttelton Times": — "Arnst proved himself a magnificent athlete, getting through an amount of work during the afternoon that would haye severely taxed the strength of the stoutest heart He started from scratch in the first heat of the two-lap cycle race, gaining fifth place ; he won the musical chairs competition ; he boxed three rounds with James Miles, middle-weight champion of British Columbia : gave an exhibition of rowing on Mr. F. A. Hornibrook's patent home rower ; won. the first heat of the Dunlop Wheel Race from scratch, five miles and a-half ; engaged in the pillow fight for three rounds, and, to finish up his remarkable afternoon's work, started im the final of the Dunlop Wheel Race, and gained second place."