CRICKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11854, 4 January 1902, Page 7

CRICKET.

The Association cup matches, suspended dur. ing tho holiday season, will bo resumed this afternoon, at the Domain and North Shore 1 .grounds, when the concluding fixtures of tho ; first draw in the senio* division will commenced. : The matches will be: Ponsonby *, .United, Auckland v. Parnell,, and Gordon v. ; North Shore. As Auckland and Parnell are loading for the championship hon- : ours, considerable, interest should attach to fchis match. ' • Maclaren's team play an eighteen represent, ing the Stawell Cricket Club at Stawell on Wednesday and Thursday next. ' The form of the New Zealandei, D. Reese, in Melbourne this season has been very disappointing. : ; - : The absence of Geo. Mills, the ex-Auck-lander, from the Otago representative team its referred to by, writers down below as a distinct loss to the Southern province. " An English amateur team will leave Southampton on January 22 for a tour through the 'West Indies, and will be absent about three months. The programme will include matches at Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Demerara in the order named, and the Sportsman Understands; that the side will include: Messrs., E. R. Wilson; E. M. Dowson, F. L. Fane, C. J. Burnup, E. W. Dillon, and, A. G. Arohei. '■'■.-.'.;".■ .'■■■:, v '' ]' ' ■'"-. ' The decision of tho committee' of the Marylebone Cricket Club in ' approving the proposal to widen tho bowling crease one toot each way means that the length of the bowling crease on each side of the wicket will be four feet instead of three, as at present. The change will be of advantage to the bowler. - . ■ ~; Discussing the visit of the Australians to England next year, " Wanderer," ,in the Sportsman, says:— if our fast bowling has -apt been very deadly, we may hopefor Rhoiias and Hirst to retain some of their, brilliant form of last season, and for this reason possibly 1902 is preferable to 1903. On 7 the other hand, some of our players will have had over a year'., cricket off the reel 'ere the time for the tes.? games comes along, and three seasons virtually rolled into one forms a pretty ' steep' trial.'' Those upon whom the selection of the 'Australian' XI. fo. England will devolve might very well look about their for a bats- ' man to be what McDonnell, Bonner, Lyons, 1 and Massie were to the earlier ■ teams, says ' the Sydney writer, " Not .Out." : Batsmen of this type are not easy to find, but encouraged by selectors of State teams, they would come along right enough. . Thero wero two weak point., in the last Australian team in England, notwithstanding their great record— one, the need of thorough variety in, the howling, such as would have been imparted .by a slow bowler, and by a good left-hand howler; "the other, tho need of a hitter, besides .: Worrall. While wo all hold a very ' high opinion of the crickotcrs who last: week .represented Australia :■ against Maclaren's ; team, there can bo no doubt wero they meeting the best possiblo eleven of England, in- ■ cluding Ranji, Jackson, Fry ' Hirst, and Rhodes, either in a match to a finish or one restricted to three days, their prospects of holding the Englishmen would -not, be so good as they were in 1899, despite Clem. Hill's thorough recovery, and his strengthening of the batting. - • -•--•■ • • - - .Speaking to a pressman just prior to de- '; parture from England, tho Hon. J.' D.Logan, who piloted the South African team through England," said':—"We have done quite as; well as I expected; in fact, better. "We won thirteen matches, lost nine, drew two, and tied one, which is rather a good record. Tho kindness we have received from all quarters— with perhaps one exception—has been beyond my expectation. Our visit should do a great deal of good, > and in time I hope to bring over a team to play first-class matches only, and of these I think wo should be able to win the majority. I don't hesitate to say that in Holliwell wo have a far bettor wicket- , keeper than you have .in England, and in that , opinion I am borne out by W. G. Grace himself. It was rather = hard linos that "Sinclair, ; who is ;■: admittedly; our" best , batsman, '. should i not' have been in form, '. but : he did ; : some excellent work as a boiler. Wo ought to have won 1' the match at Lord's ; against the M.C.C. when wo were opposed to what was practically an England Eleven. We have had an excellent time, and the boys have gone back highly delighted with the manner in , which they.have been; treated. I wish to emphasise this fact: My team was absolutely: unique. - No man : got paid ' a single penny. I bore all the expense myself, and it was purely an amateur team." v Tho following will represent the Parnell seniors in their match against Auckland, commencing thisv afternoon:"— Mills, T. Elliott, H. B. Lusk, F. J. Ohlson, W. Gardiner, C. piiffc. F. Murray, E. Mills, C. Resteaux, fH. Lynoh, J. Gavin, and R. Woods. :;.-''',-.: " ", INTERPROVINCIAL CRICKET. [BYt telegraph. — press association.] / CHEiSTCHuncn,'i.Friday. ■v Rain set in this afternoon, and- several showers "have fallen ;■ It looks unpromising for the cricket. match, Hawke's Bay v. Canterbury, to-morrow. :