CRICKET ETIQUETTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13691, 6 March 1908, Page 7

CRICKET ETIQUETTE.

THEOWTNG "WICKETS AWAY.

THE ENGLISHMEN HOOTER

[VROM or It OWN COP. RESPONDENT, j

' Svd\l.v, February 26. An unusual display of feeling was made by the crowd of 2500 people at the test match in Sydney on Monday, when many of them hooted vigorously in their resentment at the action of Jones, the English captain, and Young and Barnes, two members of the visiting team, in throwing their wickets away, and thus leaving the Australians to come in to bat on a bad wicket before the drawing of stumps. Jones, when bailing with eight wickets down for 271, apparently made no attempt to play. lie walked out to the second ball sent down by Macartney, hit all over it, and was bowled. Some of the spectators thought that this was because of genuine play on the part of the Australians, but others, who realised what was happening, hooted as Jones left the field. Young jumped out to Macartney, and was stumped. When Haines came in, he made a run, but after a stroke by Gunn, his fellowbatsman, he walked along between the wickets, and Macartney, after looking at him in astonishment, knocked the wicket down. These incidents, as has been stated, caused a good deal of feeling, and this was further indicated by a little episode a few minutes before the drawing of stumps. TJ>€ Australians were then at the wickets, jrad Noble, breaking his bat, ran in to replace it. Immediately there were cries of "Walk! Walk!" from all parts of the ground; but, of-course. Noble paid no attention to these, and was back at the "wickets with the new bat inside of a minute. /

The large section who did not, hoot discussed the behaviour of the Englishmen with some excitement, and, though it was admitted that no breach of any rule had been committed, the opinion was freely expressed that what had been done was not in keeping with the traditions of the old game. •

The Daily Telegraph cricket writer limes discusses the matter: —"Jones' action is not a breach of any rule . governing lie game. Therefore what he did was legal. But there is another aspect. Was he a good sport to do what he did? It must be admitted for a start that it ■was to the Englishmen's advantage to get off the wicket as soon as possible. If it had been the Englishmen's second innings Jones could have applied the closure, and would have been given kudos for clever tacti'ifi. But as he could not close his innings, lie employed other means to achieve a similar end. He did not even take the trouble to deceive his opponents and the onlookers into the belief that the last wickets were going down because they could not help themselves. That appears to be in his favour. When he came to the conclusion that it was time the Englishmen got off the wicket and the Australians got on, he decided that they should get out at once, and he made 110 secret of it. His plan was ineffective; but it looked all right at the time it was put into operation. Anyhow, what happened afterwards has nothing to do with the point. That the noisy section of the onlookers howled at him is beside the point to an extent, too. They were admitted partisans, and partisans will howl on the least provocation, often with no provocation at all. But there were onlookers who were not biassed—men who have played, and then watched the game for 50 years. They said Jones was not » good sport. "Jones' bin is that he- did the unusual, and the usual with a great number of well-meaning persons is something to bo condemned. Jones was there to win the game for England if lie could. He did something strictly within the rules of the game to attain that end. He did it very clumsily—Barnes' run-out made the game farcicalbut to get out was of more advantage to his side, or he thought so, than making runs. And if you make runs to win why shouldn't you stop making them if you feel that is more likely to bring about victory? One may argue this way for a week, and yet rejoice that Jones was the loser in the long run. The rules are with him, but sentiment is not. Jones potted the white."