OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMES

Free Lance, Volume X, Issue 509, 2 April 1910, Page 19

OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PASTIMES

By Touohline.

Cricket.

THE second test match 'between •the Australian and New Zealand teams, played at the Basin Reserve on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday last, emded, as most people expected it would, ilru aai easy win for the visitors. As an all-round display- the cricket was not as enJtelrtaining as iprevio.us maitches in which visiting teams have taken part on Wellington's main cffiickeV ground, either iin test games on- in miattches against the local pa-oviincial team. Probably, the faict that the New Zealand team were generally expected to- have to fighit hard aflil the tiaruei bo make even a decent showing against thed-r formidable opponents —arncl that fact was fully impressed upon the players- themselves —tended to make the New Zealanders play mesne Wairily than dm '-their ordinary provincial . matches. Be ithiat as it may, I aan inclinied to the opinion thatt w© i'n New Zealiaind have a lot to_ learn yet lat this ganne of cricket, amid to one it its prolblematioal still whether '-the viisiibs off tleiaons such as the one now fimlishaing a successful tour of the Dominion wall help our cricketers forward iin their- education. Judging foy the miaitdh undiea" revtitew, these visits only tend to shoiw the weaknesses of "our players when opposed to a team equal to ft'hiei sibrienigth of an aiverage Australian eleven. * » * The figures of the' match are: — Australia, first innin.gs, 260 (.Smith 102. Bardsley 36, Emery 32, Keleway 14, Mayue 13) ; second iininiinigs, 232 for five ..wickets, innings declared closed (Maiyne 90, -Bardsley 71. Wiairne 21 not out. Keffllewiay 16 not oiuit). New Zealaaid, first .innings, 177 (Reese 69 not out Sims 37, Sale 24, Lusk ? r " second' immiiinlgs. 153 (Brice 43, Sims 38, Sale 21, Had/dion 12). The successful bowlers were: —For AusrbraOflia : Whiitty, 'two' wickets f or 71 riunte and six for 28; Faoey, sevenn for 71 and one ■for 28; Emery, two for 2d; Wame, one for 49. For New .Zealand: Brice. five for 70; Bennett, one for 71 and one for 62; Reese, one for 56 and one for 26 ; Sandman, two for, 32 amid two for -62. * * . * The thin g 'that struck me most in thinking over the batting of the New Zealand team in the first innings is ,that> wei- haven't a fast howler in New Zealand,, and fro-m that cause our batsmen; found much difficulty in timing the lightning deliveries of Ashley Facey, the Tasmanian. It is a wellknown axiom that in cricket something "that the batsmen are not used to invaribly finds them wanting, and thait in the summer game, as mi everything else, familiarity breeds contempt, and it is only the unexpected that coimpe'ls respect. Take all the fast bowler® we haive had in the Dominion and it will be found _- that met one for pace approaches Jones, Cottor, or Facey, the' Australians, or Douglas -and May here with the English beam led by Walruer. Our bowlers have heen hut mediumpaced in comparison and it is therefore only in keeping with things that our leading batsmen should fail when

apposed to a bowler who. is appreciably faster than ainy who have trundled against them in their oiwu local cricket.

I do not wish to detract from the* excellence otf the Tasmajiiaai's -bowSing in the innings under review., for his deliveries were moire in keeping with' the things' that were said about him before he left Australia than, in the match against Wellington. All the saone, I aim bound to contend that if the local batsmen had more opportunities of playing against bowlers of Facey's pace his averajge would not be so. flattering to him as it was on the occasion undei review, even ocapanting that his howling was igood enough to set the best of butsuien thinking.

Another thought that impressed itself on me while the Austi-alians were batting led to the queistio,n : '''Will the next Australian team that tours- the Dominion —as all previous ones and the present one have done—get what -aire impossible runs to the average- New Zealainld cricketer P" The ordinary of the l ,game will see what I mean. Runs that our baitsmen never think >nf trying for are- got with seeuijingly ridiculous ease by the- Australiatns. We have had the lessom impressed upon us every time the Australians- have visited us, hrut yet our batsmen are no nearer learning it bhiln tihey were in- the years that have gone by.

But there were many runs that were going down point in the match under review that would never have been attempted if the player fielding there had been brought in five yards closer. Now. Sale, the Auekl-ander, was, without doubt, one of the finest "out" men iin the-match, and his gather ing-in and returning -of the ball to the wickets Pound the Australians just scraping home many times. Therefore' my contention!, that many runs -would have been saved if Sale 'had 'been fielded about five yards closer brooks mo contradiction. P'r-obaibly, occasion ally a wiide one would have .q;ot nflst hiim. but tliwfl -is no denying fact that "run out" would have been the umoire's verdict if the runs- had been attempted with fipOdino - closer.

The visit of the Australian team tothe Dominion is with the abject of teaching our cricketers- soane of the finer points of the game-. These are some lessons we can learn from the second test match : —(1) The urgent need of unearthing a really fast bowler in each of the principal cities of the Dominion ; (2) the ability of scoring every run the strokes' of the. batsimen are worth ; and (3) the placing of the fieldsmen, so that liun-setbing may be kept down> to the lowest -possible minimum. There may be. others', but these will do for the present.

The most written about 'player in the New Zealand team before the' match was Donald Sandman, the Canterbury colt. I was amongst those who could not see what right he had, by his previous. performances, to Ms place in the eleven. B"t I ami fain to admit that _ the young C-alnteaibuiry player _is going to- make his mark in our cricket before "he is many yeatrls older, and when he frets full ooimmand of his leuigth he -will he a very hie asset for Canterbury—and New' Zealand for the matter of that—alb the bowling crease.

Although, his' figures in the matcih.—l am writing on Monday night—are mfott yeary flattening to has qualJitie® as a bowler, he bald the satisfaiation of thoa-ougih'ly beating bath Warren Ba>rdsley and.Edgar Mayn© iwhen- they weire 'well set and going strong , on Monday afternoon. Thereifoire, I withdraw at this stage my objectfcdoinis to Sandman, being give'n a, iplace in the New Zealaaid team, foir v ithe simple reason that he is a youngsteir that will yet do the • cricket of the- Dominion orediit, land has early start will (help to wear off the nervousness a- youngster like Man is bound, to suffer fironi:

As I have started to write about tihie New Zealandiens first, I may ! als wetl keep on, and Daniel Reese is worth all the encomiums I can passis on. him as .a hatlsimam. In Wellington many times the Cawterbutry left-handie>r hals entertained u>s with clintkinig shots fa-am his bat. but I doubt if lie has done anything better than his stubborn display of 'batting against- the Australians in the first innings.. When the New Zealand caipta in gets fairly into hois stride, he is delighftful to watch for the reason thait he taikes many risks' in oirder to pile the runs on. . But things wierei going s>o badly with the. side that he had to keep the restraining hand on hliimiseilf all the time, and. despite the fact that he gave a couple of very shairp clbalnioes at the wickets dnirania: his iraniniers. Reiese deserves- a. teinniblliei lot of credit for his dlisprlnv otf sound batttiniP" aisaimst real .good bowling at a nri+n'ic-nl sta.se of tbe gathie.

SHMI, I do not wish to convey the impression that Reese's batting 1 wais only defensive, for many of his shot's wiere real clinkers. The best of them were probably- the out jmst clear of point, the late cut tihat went past third rniani like a shot' from a caininion, and the stnaafght drive. To Reese as a batsttnan I do honour.

As a bowler , > enough was not seen of which again leads;'me: to give vent to an olid criticism to. the effect that a leading bo.wler should not captain u side if 'theme are other capable leaders in the team. . ■ I don't think I will be contradicted if I make the statement that if Arthur Sims had the manipulation of the bowling Reese would have sent down conisideriably more overs than he did. From my view-point, the best ball.of the miatdh was delivered by Reese—the oine that disposed of Dave Smith in the visitors' first innings. -

Arthur Sime was one of the players whose ' inclusion in the first test match was the.them© of ' much, coraticdstm. In. the past this bafbsmian has helped Canterbury to> many a victory, but off late years Ms cricket ha® been so- intermittent dn the Cathedral city tbaft one is likely to forget his deeds of the past. _ To shoiw what I aani driving nt heme, it is aborat six years since Sims 'last played in. Wellington, and it is therefore' but in the .oirder of thitnigs that we have forgotten- his oaipaibi'lß-t-iieis as a batsman. -

Brtffc-tihe match under Tievieiw has brought him x»nce again favourably under our notice, foa- Arthur SiimiS' batting in_ the mattch wlae disfcilnctilv creditable to Mim. Itighfb from his first ball he was in. and heigami <bo' make r.uns fast, although his plentchanib for going art the rising balls \ going dowm oif caused him to be debited with

one or two chances. Sims is very quick on his feet, and puts the wood on very solidly on the cut aaid the drive.

. It was dastiinctly hard luck for the Bides aaid hiinsie-lf in particular, that Wed bade was run out just wkem he was settlmg down to make ilighit of the Australian bowling. Reese and Sims got more runs than the Aucklandex, it as true, but the latter did not make a weak stroke .all the time 'he was at : the wicketis and there is no. saying how *ar .he would have gone if bald thick had. not overtaken.-Mm. In the second mmugs, also, lie had had luck in belimg adjudged caught at the wickets off haJil that -missed. his bat. He wais well set at the time.

I ; think I am correct in* saying that Harold Lnsk's score in the first innings .is the highest recorded by birai in any innings in. which, he has taken pa\rit in Wellington, i/robably that w?],l . encourage him to show us inore of his undoubted powers in- the future, but fl-oon what we have seen of him he does not convince that he has fully earned his place as one of the leading batsmen in the Dominion-. Both din, Christchurch and in Auckland, however, he ~ has done great things with the bat in tin© past, and, barring ian. initial nervousness when he Gp\st takes strike, is ia very sound batsman, with a lot of • Strokes. "Poor old Chummy Hemns! s '! This the way all enithusiasts at the . Basiim Reserve an S-aiburday £elt when the unassuming young Aucklander was dismissed without sob-ring. .lb is the tuck of the game that 01ccas13i.oma.lly the of batsmen.,arte dismissed for one less .than- one. .and, fine batsman' as Hemns is, this match finds him amongst the many great play ears- who . have "bagged a pair" an a anaffoch. Of the other > T —- Zealanders as 'batsmen there ; r -.-,- 1 - much to say. Alfred Haddon justified previous comment about him that he is a, back-- . number. It is true that the ball thaft got .TiV" l ' in the first innings was am underground one but' his work in the field wnis slovenly. ' Harry Siedeberg did not get -a start. Stanley Brice was shaoing in good style till he managed >to- 311 st touch one goine away fa*om. hiim sent down to him by Whtitt". i Don. .Qo f v..^.r^ l n i n 7i,od. one hit, Joe Bernnett made one <mt and a lucky snick. . and "Storer" BoxshaJJl had -two ball®. In _the second innings Brice top-scored, driving and cutting in good' styflbAs -regards the o-utwork of the New I have -ail-ready referred to Sandman .and Sale moire particularly. , Wellington's ,-■ sole representative—Stanley Brice4—justified his inclusion by the quality o£' his bowling in the Australians' first innings. To clean bowl Edgar Mayne and Warwick Armstrong, and to account for the , wickets of Warren. _ Bardsiley amid Albert Hopkins, is satisfactory enough for anyone, and the» bare statement of these facts I will placei on record as my approval of the lengthy Petone man's oerformanees. The Canterbury niedinm-fast trundl- - Joe'Bennett, has appeared pftener to much better iadvantage ini Welildng- ' ton than; in the match under review. , Occasionally' he sent along some veiry good balls, ibnt for the greater part his deliveries were on the short side. . The only other comment I wash to : make in this direction is that, bajprinjg the fact that the Australians were allowed to-get too- many short run®, the work of the New Zeal-anders in the field was very satisfactory. The groundwork, barring a few lapses at different stages of the-plav. was very satisfactory, and butt few chances that went to hand -were allowed to. fall. As a matter of fact, the Australians dropped .more oaltehes than the New Zeal<aniders.

The first'innings of the visitors was mainly" noticeable fox a. fine cenftury score by David Smith, the yoainig Victorian., who has sip ..much enjoyed bis tour pf the Doominiom as to have increased- bis weight by fully a stone. But.itfhe /growth, of bis avoirdupois bas not decreased 'bis control'of .the bait, far he was exceedingly busy during biis si>ay at_ the wickets. At the heginniiiig of his inndngs he made a few atgricu!tural sweeps, but directly he settSlleld dowm his shots were sweet cues all the time. He has a tendency to drag the baQl round to 'between, square-leg and ahdid-on, but as it .generally reaches the ropes when he makes that stroke the .method in his. madness ds aippairenfb. Smith, however A"!pr not rely on, . the. one stroke to make his runs, . for he ihlas a, 'basketful of them, everyone of which has a oowerf vtl bat behirad it.

The batsman that pleases me moot orn the Auisbraliain side, 'however, is Edgar Mayne, the South AuistriaJiani.All his strokes aire orthodox, for the l "bail goes where it should according to the traiditioui's of the game. If irfc ooimies down, om the leig it as hit haard to the ropes; if it is pitched nicely up

outside the oif-stump, point hasm'ti the remotest chance in the world of stopping it reaching the boumdary; and if it is dead in, with a good length, it is either- played back to the bowler or driven had past hdm either to his right or his left -hand. Mayne is a batsman who is busy all the time, and makes his runs with delightful cricket.

Warrein ■ Bardsley. gave uis a little sample in this match of what made his reputation as a batsman. Like the gireait South Australian—dement Hall —he' has a fondness for sending most of the bowling sent to him awiay .to- the on, but he brings the ball further round to. leg than, Hall dad on- -the oc- - casians 'he played in "Wellington. Itfc is hardly fair to jndge Bardsiley on has performances in the Doaninion, for his mis-timing of the ball on many occa.sioms proves him to- be a. long way fno.m form, but .my impression is that at present he is not nearly so great a batsman as the _ South AustraJia.n lefthander w.as in Mia orime. Be that as it oniaiy, Bardsley is a fine cricketer, and one whom it was a pleasure to meet. To see- him. fairly going at thetop of _ hiis form is what some of us wouild like to see in the n-ea-r future.

Sidney Emery is a bundle of energy all the timei he is at the wickets, and earns every run his partner for the time being -and he may make. But before he 'becomes a greiat cricketer he wdlH have to sober down a lot . amd take thinigs more .seriously. . StiiM, allowing' for a-M this, he is a slashing baitsmian, .amd hits very hard. on. Bions, -the drive — out of the Reserve on Saturday being a case, in point.

Tte feat time the Australian Eleven were through New Zeala-nd Albert Hopkins was one of the strong men- of. the side, but he is a long way -below has olld-tdrme form just now, both with- bat and hall!. The North Sydney man may be having a lean 1 season, but a olace in the Anstna-lian Eleven should be beyond him at this sta'ge.

Warwick Armstrong has done so- weil in the world's cricket, and occasionally l on the present tour, .that it must be confessed that a-feeling of sorrow pervades us at the present j-uncftuire, simp'ly because the occasion hasn't happened -in Wellington on- this tour for hdim_ to show us a fair sampde of Ms ability. . ■We have- hopes, however, that he may be acr-ain seen amongst us in the future.

Charles Gerry may be an aspirant for the position of wicket-keeper in< the next Australian Eleven., but he 'missed so. many snicks im_ the. New Zealanders' first innings that his abilities have been much discounted in my inind. Pro/bably it was not his, true form, but 9j wickets-keeper that -masses catches I would not have on my side at any price.

Willlia.m. Wbiittv's sun was under a dk>ud in the first innings of the New ZeaQianders. Many times and often be absolutely beat the batsmen neck and crop, but the wickets by some chance of other were not 'hit. He mixed his bowling all the tiane, the fast ball swerving into the batsman, and the slow one going away from. him. By the way, the theory of a rotundbowler not being able'to get an l.b.w. decision is completely uraset by. Whirbty, for occasionally he dro>ps a ball in ia straight line with the offetump. which goes past the wicket on the off-side. Sonne people say it dis impossible'—in theory—but in Whitty's case the 'proof of the pudding is imi the eating. In the New Zealanders' second innings Whitty had a >good time, practically overpowering the ibatfcsmein opposed to'.him:.

Charles .Kellaway and Tommy Wiarne are the only two members of the visiting team I haven't commented on. The former had terrible hard luck in his innings, for he was goanig really well when 'he was thrown out from the field. As there has been some cosmmenfb about this, it ds just as well to say that Kelleway seemed to draw back' as- the ball W;ais coming .in, and before he could put his bait down/ the wicket wais broke.

Tommy Warn© is a keen cricketer, and ,a fine fellow to. boot. He is one of .the cautious school of bacbsmem. preferring to make 'his runs from the loose stuff rather than take amiv <nisk©. »7 the way, I heldeve he had a. 'look art Kelbutrne Park, a.nd discussed its

edibilities as a cricket ground with some ex-Victorians .now resident in Weffinigton. _ I wonder is it possible; to sot has opinion for publication, and also is there amy ch'amce of prevailing upon Watrne to put in a. comple of years' coaching 'in Wellington ? To my mind, he would suit us in these pairte admirably.

The takings, at the snatch just :iitont baJiainoeid the expenses, wihdicih ns. ?:io'sfactory, considering all tfhiings.

The soaring-boaird was presddsd c.i ex by 4 "Billy" Quee,. <Vk§> old Midland cricketer. ■.. He haid '-a. trying time in ■tlbe northerly gale on Fin May, the wind blowing the noxmbers aboixt in disorider. _ The scormg-boiaipd, altfaiorugh am .antiquated cma was miuch appireciatteid by . the spectiatoirs'.