CRICKET

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5229, 19 March 1904, Page 15

CRICKET

(By "The Hittite.”)

The cricket season of 1903-1 must be admitted to be the best one that Wellington haa experienced for some years past in respect of the quality of the play. As the months pass the cricket approves, and the evenness of the teams gives a zest to the games that enhances public interest. Mia effect on the public attendances ia very marked: there is little doubt that for many years past there has not been a cricket season in which the public has mustered so largely Saturday after Saturday. - , - ~ . • It is beyond argument that a freer crisper style of baiting has been introduced to Wellington cricket, and to this may in a largo measure be attributed the,increased public interest. The lesson given W the more forceful batsmen of Warner's’eleven has been taken to heart by local players, and several old-time batsmen who used to block and scrape for their rune have now adopted a style of hard hitting that has improved both their scores and their capacity to evoke interest. The change in ■ local cricket is matter for sincere congratulation.

The Old Beys team, which alter many 'seasons of hard, struggling against successive . defeats last month scored its initial win in the senior championship competition - last Saturday followed up its success by’turning out the powerful Midland eleven for 113 runs. Only the tcam’s-moit sanguine supporters gave it credit for thio capacity, TuckerV tricky-

slows were greatly responsible for this, though his figures were only three toi «. He, howevdfc. should have been credited with another, wicket. He got TJpJiam caught in the slips', and Uphaui started to walk to the pavilion, but in a prejuxnn.b'v absent-minded moment the umpire ruled “not out/’ and the catcher was thus under the uecessitv of tossing the ball back to the wicket-keeper to have the stumps upset. For this reasoiv Dulium was dismissed /‘run out —and so tho wicket was not credited to the bowler; Cleland, a promoted junior."made mi. excellent dehut in senior cricket, ior ho secured four good wickets at a cost ot only 21 runs. Me sends down a Puzzling sort of bai’.i that seems to cateh the batsmen in two minds. While r they are making a selection something goes clicx behind them. The Midland innings was begun very badly. Quee and C. Hickson opened, and with two runs up Wills howled Quee for a blob. Hickson’s capacity for what the Sydney laddies call "playing the rock is notorious, and it is greatly due to his sendees in thus breaking the sting of the bowling that Midland run up their usually good totals. -Proof of this was given on Saturday, for when he failed to last at! save'two of the Midlanders were turned out in very-quick time. Two wickets were down for 11 runs three for 10, four for 17, and five f0r,21, but then Upham. and Arnold Williams stopped tho rot by some forceful play. Hpham’s was a grand innings. . Ho is undoubtedly the best man for a tight pinch that Wellington has had for many a season. ■ "he Hibtite” has said something like this before, but when a player exemplifies a fact so often and so consistently as Upham does it is quite right to reiterate the praise. With A Williams he raised the score from 31 to 95, the'respective contributions being 50 by Hpham and 30 by Williams. From these figures (and extras) it may be readily reckoned that the remainder of tho team .made only 28 between,them—Davis 10 and Wynyard 9. The'. Old Boys, after haying lost, one wicket for 2 runs, made a good recovery, and had 58' on the board -when the next wicket fell. Jacobs played nicely for 29, while Tucker hit hard (and luckily, on occasions) for 32, not out. He was given a life in the slips., At the end of the day’s plow there were four wickets .down for 71 runs.' Hpham sent; down fourteen overs for 27 runs and two wickets, Stephenson five ovens for 8 runs and one wicket, Hutchings three overs for 12 runs and’ no wickets. Quee five overs for 11 runs and no wickets, and Mitchell two, ..overs for 7 runs and no. wickets. There wore six extras.

' Wellington made the fair score-of 195 against Phoenix. -who answered with 52 for the loss of . one wicket. Six of the Wellington' men gained double figures .(Mahony 19, S Hickson 29, C. Gore'26, B, Weybourne 38, Latham 26, and'Flsh 21). All 'these batsmen played good ,cricket for their runs, Mahony and > Hickson especially. Six Phoenix men bowled, and each got. wickets: . Hickey, Brice, and Waters two each; Barton, Eedgrave, and Stand, one each. Shand. who was put into the Phoenix team for his bowling, waa given little chance. He was put on so late that ho bowtled only three balls, but with these bo gained a wicket for no runs. Eedgrave was the. chief agent in securing the Phoenix runs, his contributions being 37, not out. The Wellington team misses Eiohardson greatly, especially in the bowling department.

Mr ‘Walter Mead, the well-known professional bowler of Ehsex Coimfcy, in a recent interview spoke as follows regarding schoolboy Vbowlers): — r ‘l don't think th&v ought to try to bowl too fast or even their fastest. Pace will come as they grow older and when their bones get more set. In my opinion they should chiefly aim at getting a good length, leaving pace and also break for a later period. Boys nowadays often sacrifice everything to break, which is, I am sure, a very great mistake. I remember playing for the M.C.C. at Westward- Ho and one of Mr C. L. .TownsendV boys was bowling against w?. He was very small, and like 'his brother, Mr Townsend, ho had a considerable command over the ball, although he broke from the leg. But I found that he complained about a pain in his arm, no doubt* caused hw the exercise of muscles in the;-wrpng way. I don/t know'whether he continued t to, bowl or whether, like others who begin too early with leg breaks, he developed a lump in his arm and had to give it up. Even if a boy has a natura’ Weak from the off he should not trouble' about it too much/*

The best bowling feats performed- in England last season (in first class cricket) wore: the takithg of nine wickets for 35 runs Ivy*-Hargreavo {Warwickshire • v. Surrey), and of eight wickets for 15 runs by. A, Herne (Kent v. Gloucestershire). Iti the two innings of- the match first mentioned, Har™reave took fifteen wickets for 76 rims, ‘ ■