OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMIES

Free Lance, Volume X, Issue 496, 1 January 1910, Page 20

OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMIES

By Touchline.'

Cricket. CRICKET was as dead, as a doornail in Wellington during the Christmas holidays, the only matches played being of no interest , - other than to those actually engaged in them'. The Wellington rcpresenta- - / - tives fought out their first battle for the Plunket Shield at Auckland, and '.' ' very many local enthusiasts wished for an aeroplane or something of that sort to transport them temporarily to the Domain, as no matter where -- "'"'they were or what they happened to he doing, their thoughts strayed to the match that was being played on that convincing ground. At Christchurch another match of much importance was played, the representatives of Otago and Canterbury ' , meeting in their annual match.' » » * There are very many people expressing the opinion just now that the result of the Auckland-Wellington match for the Plunket Shield is just what they expected. But lam not one of them, for I had that much con- ' fidence in the abilities of the local representatives as to anticipate that they would make a better fight than a defeat by ten wickets, would seem to indicate, _ . , Reading the report of the match right through, and the fact that it was finished in two days, the conclusion is forced on me that .the Aucklanders. were -considerably the better side, and, - ' as far as Wellington is concerned are fully entitled to retain their o?ip of the Plunket Shield. ,* » * The match between the Canterbury ""* and Otago representatives, played at l)hristchurch, was a splendid, game, victory resting with the players of the Cathedral City by the narrow margin of four wickets. The meeting of Auckland and Canterbury, at Auckland on the 7th inst., should provide a keen struggle, and the great body of cricket enthusiasts, will focus a_ lot of their attention on the play during that match. , Should Canterbury not prove sue-. cessful in its effort to lift the Plunket Shield, it is on the cards that Otago will send" forth a challenge to Auckland for the trophy. But if the Christchurch players do get a hold of the Shield, the Otago representatives have notified that they will dispute their possession of it right away. Which all means that the Plunket Shield is putting a lot of interest into our representative cricket this year. If both the New Zealand Cricket Council and the Wellington Cricket Association adhere to their present determinations, Wellington will be passed by in the forthcoming tour of an Australian cricket team. The former ,"' body has decided that the profits from , all paying matches on that tour shall ' ' be pooled, such profits being devoted to making up the losses on the other games. At the same time the Council '■ asks" for a guarantee from each Associa- ' tion which is allotted a match, such ' , guarantee being sufficient to meet the ',expenses of that game. If there are any business men at the head of affairs of the New Zealand Cricket Council, they should be able to arrange that the promised guarantees cover all expenses, and they should also see that an Association that gave a ' guarantee deposited the amount before the match was played. But, someone says: Why is Welling- ~ r s ton objecting to the pooling scheme, and' should not the stronger Associations help the weaker ones ? The last time this pooling scheme was indulged , in the matches played in Wellington re- ' suited in profits of something like v £250, yet that sum, together _ with a deposit of £250, was swamped in meet- - > ing the deficiencies of the other matches. The pooling scheme cost the Wellington Association £500, and practically put it in financial straits, and the - Committee at this stage consider that it is better to do without a match at all against the Australians rather than incur financial engagements it has not a possibility of meeting. The tour should cost a certain sum, and each match ought to be debited with an amount to , meet that sum. And if an Association is not prepared with, its eves open to guarantee the

amount asked, it let the match "pass, and not seek to> enjoy its sport at the expense of the other Associations. My only hope is that the Wellington Cricket; Association- will remain firm on this matter, and it should do so, for tho simple reason that the whole of the. cricketing public of Wellington are solidly backing them up in their action. An esteemed friend writes from Auckland :—' 'In your notes re the Auckland cricket representatives you omit any mention of Snedden and Taylor, who, you may remember, were the last two selected to practice with the. originally chosen sixteen. Consequently, as these two boys have been given places in the representatives. I thought a few facts about their cricket career may be of use and interest to you. Hoping they may come in handy, and wishing you the compliments of : the season : — "Nesbit _ C. Snedden (Ponsonby) played senior cricket for the first time last season, prior to which he was for two year's captain of Sacred Heart College first eleven, showing much promise in inter-coHegiate matches. Only seventeen years of age, he is the youngest player ever selected to re- , present Auckland—and, perhaps, any , other province—on the crick'e b field. So fa.r this season young Snedden has scored the largest aggregate of runs in the Auckland senior ranks, his average of 36 being second only, and that by a fraction to Rel-f's. He plays a very straight bat, and scores his runs freely and prettily all round the wicket. He is a safe field, and a successful change bowler.

"Frank R. Taylor (University) jS well worth his place for his bowling, his average being to date 25 wickets at a cost of 9.5 a-piece. He has a most deceptive action, breaks both ways, and mixes them cleverly, and, as he uses his head well, he should be one of the • team's chief trundlers. .Taylor, like Snedden, only left College to attend the University, attheend of last year, and, like is in his second year of,' senior cricket. Last year he played for the Eden colts (which chiefly consisted of Relf, whose average led Hie next best member of the team, by oy * fifty), but on leaving the Grammar

School, of which he was cricket captain he threw in his lot with T7niver3i!;y Taylor is a solid bat, and. scores slcv'y like most of the Sammy Jones persua sion. his average to date being 19.5 The inclusion of these two bjJ young Horspool as twelfth man, is u marked contrast to the perso mel o Wellington's chosen." « * .. » Sincerest sympathies to' Jack Hutch ings and the other members of hi father's family in the serious illness o the head of the. house. North Shore is leading for the Auck land Cricket Association's champion - ship, one point ahead,of Grafton, Uni versity, and Parnell. Unintentional humour in one of ou daily papers:—"Lusk, b Fisher 102 Luck, b Fisher, 0." Who had th , luck—Canterbury or Otago? Arnold Williams will be absent fror local cricket during the next eigh weeks, a- business trip through th Auckland province being the cause. E. L. Waddy is having a good set.soj this year in Sydney. His club score to date are: —76 (retired), 166 (retir ed), 34. 48, 85, 266, 51, 161, 126, total ling 1008 runs for seven" dismissals. A neat note I received preceding Christmas:—"The members of thi Templar Cricket Club cordially wis] you, a thorough sportsman, a happ: Christmas and a bright New Year." '. heartily reciprocate their good wisheß. At a general meeting of the Maryle bone Cricket Club in May the pro poised alteration of law 54 to allow a side in a three-days match to declare the innings close 1 a 1 any time on the second day, comes ur. for discussion. Allan Hill, a brother of Billy oi that name, is the new hon. secretary of the Wellington Umpires' Association. Judging by his work up to the present, it will not be for the want of hustling if that body does not take on a new lease of life. W. Carlton, the Canterbury cricket coach, was a resident of Auckland for seven months on one occasion, and played in a Wellington-Auckland match. My informant told me to ask Billy Quee, the old Midlander, if he remembered him. ' The Junior Championship Committee of the Wellington Cricket Association has at last listened to reason, and, in eoniaequence, the matches in the three grades will commence together next Saturday, a happening that should have taken place many weeks ago. The annual match between Wellington and_ Canterbury will commence at the' Basin Reserve , to-morrow New Year's Day). Those who have enjoyed a free show .from the outside of the fence on previous occasions will regret to notice that the fence has been increased in height. ,

i Tommy Condliffe, the ex-Central t. wicket-keeper, played for Otago r, against Canterbury and seemed' to thorir- oughly justify his inclusion in the team 5. led by Gillie Wilson. "• One of th© pleasing features so far " of the Sheffield Shield matches * this }r season is the fine batting of Clement Hill, the South Australian. Hill, Bardsley, and BJansford—the three !_ left-handers—will, be a fine proposition ; s for the South Africans' to knock up >f against next' season. Charlie. Atkinson, the old Midland i- and Y.M.C.A. player, is in town for a _ ' the holidays. "Atky" is now-a-days a i- resident of Wanganui, and is looking in the best of health and spirits. He tells me that be has got in with a fine lot of chaps in Wanganui. and, though » he misses his old-time chums of Wellington, he is having as good a time as one could wish in his first stay of any tn duration away from home. At a small country place in Lancashire it was the custom on Saturday afternoons for the villagers and farm n labourers to meet together on the *b oleasure grounds to play,cricket.. At i"- one time, when the game was first 1- started, a grey-h a aded old rustic fielded the ball very well, but. to everyone's g prise, he threw it with great force Le at the batsma<n as he was half-way h across the pitch, and knocked him , y senseless. The umpire, in a great I rage; yelled: "Man, you are not allowed to do that!" "Baint it the same as rounders then?" questioned the astonished villager. L .