CRICKET.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1511, 14 February 1901, Page 46

CRICKET.

There was much trouble in England when the last mail left anent the noballing of eight of the leading trundlers, and divers of their friends were rushing into print to say that the particular one dear to the writer had been under his jpefsonajl observation any and every time for many years past, and yet the writer could not discover anything objectionable in his delivery. A. NMomsby, a former captain of Lancashire, was specially strong in his championship of Mold, and quoted a list of authorities who had! told him his friend's delivery Was above reproach. The counties aftfteicted by the decision of the umpire have decided to play their barred memffers notwithstanding the umpires'’ protest, and it is extremely likely now that the good work begun by the latter will he without lasting fruit. Three* separate centuries in consecutive innings in first-class matches in England 1 last season were made by it. E. Foster, C. B. Fry and Ranjitsinhji (twice). Fry. stored as follows in consecutive innings for Sussex at one period of the season: —135, 125, 229, 110, 96 and 105. His scores of 135 and 125 were divided by the Gentlemen v. Players match. at Lord’s, in which he scored (B and 72The •aptain of the Auckland team that toured the colony in December and 'January has taken to playing bowls. According to a correspondent of a Southern paper Ohlsem joined the North Shore Bowling Club and made his debut during the present month. A South Australian player named It. Chapman put up a fine performance in a club match recently. He bowled four wickets with consecutive balls, and with the second ball of bis next over took the last man’s stumps. Then he went in and knocked up 105 runs out of a total under 200. There has been trouble in Christchurch owing to the United and Midland clubs failing to comply with an order of the local postponement committee that a match between the two clubs should be played on a certain Saturday. At a meeting of the committee of the association on Monday last letters were read from the captains of both teams in reply to the association’s resolution calling upon the clubs to show reason why the game should not- be declared drawn, and, after a lengthy discussion, the following resolution was agreed to : —‘‘The committee regrets to find that a breach of the association’s rules has been committed, but as it is of opinion that the breach was unintentional, it orders that the clubs must apply in the usual way for permission to continue play in the match in. question.” In a gains played at Lord’s, London, last season, a batsman was apparently run out, and, as a matter of fact, the umpire’s finger went up; but there had been no "appeal, and the wicketkeeper, not seeing the umpire’s absent-minded hint, threw at the opposite wicket, which had been vacated by the other batsman. The ball was overthrown and Went for-four more runs, which, doubtless) prevented a subsequent appeal for the “run 'but.” ‘‘Archie” McLaren, the English amateur batsman, who is writing a series of articles on “English and Australian Cricket,” opens his first paper on the subject in the following characteristic strain : —“lt was in. a weak mosaent thatthe promise to write on this subject was wrung out of me. In my opinion English cricket to-day is very much below * its usual standard of excellence, whilst the cricket of Australia is better to-day than ever-—there is the whole thing in a nutshell, and I strongly advise all wno come across my article to read no further. Many no doubt will, after perusing the few words already written, remark adversely upon them, but I have my own opinion, and what is the use of giving anything but one’s candid views when'asked for the same? We think we know all about cricket in England, and that theme is litle for us to learn. ‘Speak for yourself,’ my best friend will very likely remark. Put eleven Australians in the field against the pick ,of England, and it is ‘All York to a China orange,’ as the punsters say, on Australia as far ; as ,a knowledge of the game is concerned. .The Australians have, known that for some yime past there was a lot for them to learn at the game, and whilst they have been learning it we have been not .only standing still, but actually falling : away.” ::