CRICKET COINCIDENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 10

CRICKET COINCIDENCE

TWENTY YEARS AGO.

ENGLISHMEN IN AUCKLAND.

HOME TEAM SOUNDLY BEATEN.

Just twenty years ago to-day on December 16, 1902, Mr. P. F. Warner and Lord Hawke's cricket team arrived aft Auckland, after travelling over 12,600 miles, to open a New Zealand tour. By a happy coincidence, another English amateur team, this time under the auspices of the Marylebone Cricket Club, of England, and captained by another equally famous cricketer, Mr. A. C. MacLaren, is in Auckland to inaugurate another tour of the Dominion. The Auckland Domain, on which the match against Auckland was played by Lord Hawke's team in 1902, was originally a dismal swamp, used by Chinese gardeners until the cricketers bought them out, and by their own labour created the present beautiful ground. The area, over 16 ftcrefi, it is worth recording, is about the size of Lord's famous cricket ground. "The game itself," said Warner, " was disappointing, for we won very easily by an innings and 129 runs. At the same time I must admit Auckland had the worst of luck, for whereas wo batted on a very good easy-paced wicket, rain overnight brought about a change in the conditions, the pitch during the latter half •if the Aueklandors' first innings and the first half of their second helping our bowlers not a little." Before the match several members of tho Auckland Association waited on Mr. Warner, and asked him if, whether he won the toss or not, would he "put the Auckland men in first? "The reason for this extraordinary request," says Warner. " was that if Auckland batted first, the English eleven would be in on tho second day—Saturday—and all Auckland would come to see the Englishmen bat. While a fair crowd was anticipated if the Auckland team batted on Saturday the public would not come to the cricket in anything like the same numbers. However, much ail I might have wished the Auckland Association to make a financial success of the match, in the interests of my own side I could hardly accede to the request." Ab it happened Auckland lost £6j3 on the matcb. The Auckland Game. Warner won the toss, and the English total was 321 runs. F. L. Fane was the highest scorer with 82, but he was missed three or four times. Auckland's right-hand medium-paced bowler, Stemson, kept a good length, and varied his pace rather well. He bowled with great perseverance and had thebadl luck to have several easy catches missed off hirn. Neill "fed" the batsmen too j much: but Barclay, handicapped though, he was by a mevere blow he had received on the head -while practising the previous dav, made the ball come a bit from leg., and was a useful man. Lusk took three wickets in ten overs, and might, perhaps, have been tried more, for bowling about j medium pace, he made the ball curl ap- | preciably in the air. Tho thro© batsmen j he got rid of were all caught behind the wickets—Johnson and Leatham by the wicket-keeper, and Warner at slip. The ground fielding of Auckland was excellent, especially on the part of Mason at cover and Hay', but the catching was deplorable, five easv chances being missed. Hay, "the Auckland captain, who afterwards obtained a place in the New Zealand test team, batted well; in free, dashing style, though he struck one as being rather weak in his "back play. He. made one or two fine drives before Dow-' son caught him smartly at cover. Hay was rather apt to play forward on faith, and consequently, if the ball broke, found himself in trouble. Mason, who had fielded so well at cover, showed promising form, and Clayton made a few good hits: but, speaking generally, the batting was feeble, though it must not be forgotten that the wicket was by no means easy.

Fine Fielding by Visitors. The English fielding oould scarcely have been better, the ground work being clean and true, only one-catch, and that a hard one, being missed. Burnup and Fane in the country, and Dowson at cover, all made fine catches. His Excellency, Lord Ranfurly, lunched with the two teams on the second day, and there was a crowd between five and six thousand, who were very disappointed at the poor form displayed by the Auckland men.

As the match came to a conclusion before lunch on the third day. an exhibition game was started, but the Auckland team again batted poorly, and on a good wicket were dismissed by Hargreaves and Thompson for 60 runs. ' England in turn also batted feebly, but thanks to more missed catches, the English eleven made 230, Stanning and Thompson being top scorers with 49 each.

How An Englishman Took His Cricket! During the progress of the leatherhunting gamo. Lord Hawke's XL v. Otago, when Captain Warner was hitting his way to his second century, an English amateur sat in front of the Players' pavilion at Carisbrook reading the latest in literature-! •On the seat beside him were three prominent members of the local cricket association, watching closely every stroke of the English skipper, and applauding frantically any specially worthy effort; but the individuals in question as well as the man of the cricket hour—P. F. Warner —might have been non-existent, for all the notice the bookengrossed one took of them. Even when Plum " made an exceptionally big hit and was in danger of being dismissed by a catch on the cycling track, the bookworm merely raised his eyes to see what all the noise was about, and resumed his reading. A wicket fell, and a companion nudged the student, apprising him of the fact; also that he was the next but ono man in. At this he placed the book carefully on the seat, sauntered inside the pavilion and a minute or two later returned, padded, in his right cricket mind, took up the book and resumed reading. Another wicket fell —another nudge, and the recently-padded one reluctantly placed his literaturo on tho seat, and " strolled out to the crease. One ball—a stroke for the grand old game, another ball, and (remembering the book on the soaty played all over it —a crash of timber. The book had won! '

The story is true, Whatman was the bookworm and the book was " The Throe Years' War," by Christian do Wet! Gate-Aioney Arrangements. Lord Hawke's team cameto New Zealand under the auspiccsof the New Zealand Council, the amateur members being paid their travelling and hotel expenses, minus their wine and 'washing bills. The professionals, of whom there were two, Thompson and Hargreaves, had everything except their wine bills paid, and »in addition a liberal sum of money was given them. The English team had no interests whatever in the " gates." Tho New Zealand Cricket Council paid all expenses, gave a fee to, the professionals, and took all gate money. .With the exception of a cheque from the New Zealand Cricket Council for railway tickets across America not a single penny passed through the hands of Captain Warner, or the hands of any other amateur, member of the side.