SPORTS AND PASTIMES

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 914, 18 January 1918, Page 19

SPORTS AND PASTIMES

By Touohlina.

Cricket. is a summer pastime, and is played best when the sun is shining and the ground is fast and dry. Therefore, when last Saturday morning opened with a light, misty rain that showed every sign of being persistent, very few of the players and enthusiasts thought that •championship matches under the Wellington Cricket Association would be played that afternoon. But they were, and this fact and some of the surrounding circumstances are my opening themes this week.

In the first place, several players, judging by their absence from our cricket grounds, came to the conclusion that the matches would be postponed. There was nothing—other than the rain—to justify them coming to that determination. The Cricket Association, through its responsible officials, had given no pronouncement on the point, and that fact in itself should have convinced the players that the final decision whether the matches would be continued or not lay with the umpires.

My own opinion is that matches should not be postponed until the last possible moment. Saturday's experience justifies this conclusion. It was well after one o'clock before the sky began to clear, and, although the wickets were not dry by half-past two, they were fit to play on, and the matches were proceeded with.

A peculiar position happened in the Old Boys-Trentham match. Neither of the umpires who had officiated on the opening da.y was in attendance when the wickets were pitched for the other senior, game. J. N. Crawford, who captained the soldiers in this match, approached the umpire in the other game, with the intimation that his side were ready,' and unless the Old Boys were prepared to go on with the game they would claim it. Substitute umpires were found, however, and when the wickets were pitched the no-t----out OM Boys' batsmen took their places and the game, was gone on with.

The stand taken up- by the old-time Surrey player was the correct one, and lie is to be commended for it. In the past in cricket in Wellington there has been altogether too much time lost at

the beginning of each afternoon's play, and an action similar to what Crawford threatened to take would have been justifiable on many occasions. This season things have been much improved in this connection, and the Trentham team have helped considerablly in this connection. The Cricket Association have tried hard to> bring about early starts, but with only intermittent success, and the example set by the soldiers in being ready to play bright and early each week has done more than all the efforts put forth by the Association.

The remaining batsmen in the Old Boys' second innings did not make much progress against the bowling of J. N. Crawford and N-. C'. Sneddon, and they were out for 109 runs. E. Thomas (24) and W. Garrod (17) showed the best form with the bat, the former particularly so.

The Trentham team had to make 98 runs to win the match. They started with J. Kenney and Kemmtz, and when the former was bowled by Garrod with only three runs on the slate, the spectators, present sat up in their seats in anticipation of a repetition of the previous week's exciting out-cricket. But N. C. Sneddon, the relliable Auckland batsman, joined up with Kemliitz, and the issue of the game was not long in doubt. By brilliant batting, especially on the drive and the clipping shot down leg, Sneddon piled on the runs, and when the winning hit was signalled he had made 55* of the total. In the meantime, Kemnitz scored 19, and J. A. Bruce (13*), while Crawford had been dismissed for the second time, in the match without scoring, B. Marris getting a beautiful leg-break past the Englishman.

"A pair of specs" is never relished by a batsman, but a little list I have by me may compensate Crawford and others who have had similar misfortune. It is entitled "A Pair of Specs" in Test matches, and the names under this heading indlude Dr. W. G. Grace, P. S. McDonnell, T. W. Garrett, T. Evans, P.. G. McShane, A. C. Bannerman, W. Attewell, li. Peel (three times), M. A. Noble, S. C. Gregory, C- E. McLeod, J. Darling, J. J. Kelly, E. Arnold, H. Trumble, A. E. Knight, E. G. Hayes, L. Tancred, "V. Trumper, J. V. Saunders, M. C. Bird, and A. E. Vbgler.

On>ly five Returned Soldiers mustered to- continue their game with the North team on the No. 3 wicket. The huge score the previous week or the rainy weather may have been responsible for the sparse of the soldiers. Those who did turn up had two strikes each, both innings producing the meagre total of 28 runs.

Now that one full round of matches have been played, the* executive of the Returned Soldiers' Club should withdraw their team from the senior championship. With the material at their disposal!. they were ill-advised to try for the higher honour, and should have been content to play junior for the opening, season. They have shown a

fine fighting spirit in keeping going as long as tliey have with the odds so much against them, and no discredit will attach to them if they quietly drop out of the senior contest now. As the years go by, the returned soldiers will be increasing in numbers and .a, very strong cricket club will be built up from amongst- them. They will be composed of men whom we will be delighted to honour, but from the cricket standpoint they are on the weak side just now. -3T vr -71Probably because it was- still raining at one o'clock on Saturday—the train left a, few minutes latex-—the muster of East pilayers was so small at the Lamb ton Station that those presentdecided not to- go out to Petone to continue their game with the local team. In consequence-, they find themselves, with the match they had well in hand, debited with a three-point loss. Tt is hard luck, probably, but the fact remains that they were marked "absent" when the time came round for the match to start. * * * * The teams in the senior championship have all met one another, and the following table shows how they have fared : : — m . Three Point Two Point Matches. Matches. Øog. , , , S-g a SS Won. Lost. Won. Lost. ofS Trentham 5 4 0 1 0 14 North 5 2 0 12 4 Old Boys* 5 1£ I 1 1 Petone 5 2.V 2 0 0 l 1 East 5 l" 2 1 1 —3 Returned Soldiers 5 0 5 0 0 —15 "O'ld Boys and Petone tied, an'd were each awarded half a three-point win, * * The decision of the Selection Committee to play the same team against

Canterbury as did duty in Christehurch at New Year time is one with, which I am heartily in accord. That eleven went south to represent Wellington, paying all their own expenses—a "unique thing in the history of cricket in these parts—and it is but right that they should be given the opportunity of taking part in the return match on the home ground. Maybe, the side is not as fully representative of. Wellington cricket as could have been selected, but it is a good team all the l same. Judging by the result of the game at New Year time I anticipate an interesting and an enjoyable game this week-end. * * * * ' 'Old Victorian'' writes: —Dear "Touchlline," —I notice that remarks of E. H. D. Sgwell concerning the New Zealand wing-forward game in "The Winning Post'' have! been going the rounds of our newspapers. Mr. Sewell, in dealing with this subject, says: 11 Surely they don't humbug themselves out there' with drivel of that sort." Now, Mr. Sewell ought to be the very last man to taflk about drivel, _ for he is the author of a book called ' 'Triangular Cricket," dealing with the test games a.t cricket between England, South Africa, and Australia. Anyone reading this Tbook will be struck with the strong bias shown by the writer against Australia. In the

first match of that series of contests between Australia and South Africa, Charlies Kelleway mad© a century, and when he left—having gone in firsts—the board showed 294—3—114. As his partners were Jennings, Macartney, and Bardsley, I contend that Kelleway's share of the, runs was by no means a small one. Moreover, any man who makes a century score in test cricket i s entitled to some credit, if not- generosity. Sewell gives none to Kelleway, and makes use of this sentence: —"Kel ! leway ate three gooseberries, a piece, of bread, and drank half-a-glass of water during the interval that day, so his lunch was like his innings—unattractive but very useful." Now, what sane writer would ever write such rubbish, a s that? Does Mr. Sewell expect anyone this side of the world to believe it- 01* iaoigli a.t it? Many instances are on record of English batsmen playing- slow, laborious cricket, but their own countrymen have generally given them some, praise for so doing. Did not Scotton in 1884 take sif hours to make 90, and Warner's first team at Melbourne in 1904 actually bat alii day for 221 for two wickets —and in both instances the pitch was in favour of the batsmen P Australia , in the match above-mentioned, with South: Africa, were all out. at 5.35 for a total of 448 runs, so tlie runs were got fast enough. In conclusion, let me express thehope that if Mr. Sewell ever essays to write on test, cricket again lie will endeavour to adopt the manly, sporting tone of say, J. N. Penteiow, or Thomas Ho ran. These men naturally liked to see their respective sides , win, but they w ere not blind to the skill of their opponents.

J. H. Lindsay, who was one of Auckland's finest representative forwards say 30 years ago, is now the stalwart quarter-master sergeant of the guard on Somes Island. And he's a broth of a boy still—a. regular son of Anak. Auckland had a. splendid team of burly, hefty forwards in those far-off days. Another of them that you may see any day on the Wellington wharves is Sergt. Mick Murphy, of the Water Police, and he fills out hi® clothes rather better than ever he did, which 1 is sa.ying a. very great deal. Other star performers of those faroff days who are nowadays very solid citizens, may be found in Mine Host of the Thames Hotel, Auckland, genial Tim O'Connor; in a certain Auckland school inspector, who answers to the name of Billy Crowe; and in the spacious well-set-up gentleman who fills so .well the Ohinemuri seat in Parliament and anyday may be called into the National Ministry—Hugh Poland, to wit. And there are others—but here Tam reminded that space is wanted for other things. So ring off for the present!