With Bat and Ball

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7967, 25 November 1911, Page 16

With Bat and Ball

The Doings of Cricketers and Cricket Matters Generally

(By “THE VETERAN.”)

TWO rounds of senior championship matches have now been completed, ami a remarkable thing in that each and every team has lost one match and won one. The points scored by each are as follows; Central, 3; East A, Victoria College,. .North, South, East D, Fetono, and Ilutt, 2 each. Last Saturday’s Games. There was but lit do interest taken in the game* last Saturday; the results of which wore rightly considered to be foregone conclusions. The only pi-oats on which there were any contentious were: (1) As to whether Wynyard would increase his score of 79 (not out) to a century in the North-Central match; (2) whether Victoria College would have tu follow their innings against East B; and (3) whether North would score a threepoint win against Central. Those who argued from the negative standpoint in . each of these cases had the satisfaction of saying “I told you so” at the conclusion of the day’s play. AVynyard was sent back with but two runs added to his previous week’s tally by Gillett, another ex-Aucklander; the Victoria Collegians, after a very bad start, did something to justify their contesting the senior championship by getting within 51 runs of the total of 903 60t them by East B; and thanks to fine innings by Blamires and Little, and also to the absence of Findlay (in Auckland) and Lambert from the bowling crease, the Central team were unbeaten in their second innings when stumps wore drawn. This sums up in a general sense last Saturday’s cricket at the Basin Reserve. Too Much Examination. As he was going to take strike last Saturday the Victoria College captain (Caddick) was heard to remark, ‘T ean hardly see/’ "Why?” was asked him. "We hare been poring over examination papers all the week, and the green grass affects our eyesight after the white papers we have been looking on in the examination 1*00111. ” •It is a fact that the burning of midnight oil does nut tend to excellence at the game of cricket, therefore the Victoria College team are deserving of much credit for the fine effort they made to. wipe off the big total set they by the opposition the previous week, after spending so much time ■in the examination room.

Jome Dashing Play. After Dickson and Broad had wearied Ihe spectators and the fieldsmen by their tedious batting. Salmoud, Griffiths, Milter, and Caddick entertained considerabiy by opening their shoulders. In driving these College lads excelled, even on occasion lifting the ball over the fence in front of the pavilion. Salmond and Griffiths laid the wood on pretty freely, but Miller and Caddick gave the more finished displays. , Bruce is also a promising lad—but nervous as a kitten, which Is only natural considering his age and that it was his first game as a senior.

Two Promising Colts. But none of these compared with the hit hard and often methods adopted by Wagstaff and McGirr at the opening of the East B second innings. These young batsmen made- the bowling of Saunders and Dickson appear to be the simplest of simple stuff, and banged it in all directions with lusty strokes. If batsmen scored as freely generally as this pair did there could be no complaint on the score of the dullness of Wellington cricket.

Another Veteran Back in the Game. Frank O’Sullivan has been out of the game since district cricket became the vogue, but ho was pressed into service for the North team last Saturday. And he was not long in proving that he has still plenty of cricket left in him—as much as in his old Wellington Club days —and by line clinking shots, particularly on the off-side, rattled up a hali'-ceutury of runs before his captain asked him to retire for the time being. These older players are always welcome, especially when they reproduce some of their oldtime form.

A New Victoria Collegian. Hull, who promised well the season he played with the Austral Club, is these days a rnotorman on the tramways. He is attending lectures at Victoria College, and if he can be prevailed upon to take the game on once again of a Saturday afternoon should prove extremely useful to that team.

A Veteran All-Rounder. ‘'Moorhouse played a capital innings for 63 not out.” This item in the '"limes” on Monday morning from Mastertoa set me thinking. Harry Moorhouse is a veteran of veterans, and instead of making a score as set out above should, in the ordinary course of things, bo watching the games these days instead of playing in them. A few particulars about him may be interesting. Moorhouse came from Christchurch to Wellington about the middle of the 1880 football season. He played one year for the old Star Cricket Club, Harry Heberts the well-known old-time New Zealand representative footballer, having influenced him in that direction. After that ho played with Phoenix, and captained the side for three years (1890-92), and that club had the most success in its career while led by Moorhouse. As a matter of fact, it never attained to championship honours after he left Wellington.

Representative Captain and Generally Useful.

Moorhouso captained the Wellington representative team several times, one Easter leading Wellington, to victory against Canterbury, lie vras .an allrounder, ■ for tie often got a wicket or two besides acting as “stoomper.” Moorhouse spent several years in England, and did good service for a Surrey club called Merton. On his return to New Zealand be settled in Christchurch for a while, and was a member of the Canterbury team that caused Claude Hickson to ba introduced to the Wellington public as a bowler, lie was not generally known to have any pretensions in that direction previously, but. the earlier Canterbury batsmen bad stuck up the regular Wellington bowlers, and Arnold Williams put the Midlander on as a last resource, or so it seemed , « spectators. Those who started to scoff soon began to cheer, for Hickson s bowling completely altered the complexion of the game.

Very Versatile. Just before he came to 'Wellington in 1836 (at Easter time) Moorhouse was play-

ing as a Canterbury representative at cricket, and got off the afternoon to piny for East Christchurch against Poneko in one of those annual football matches those clubs were wont to play against one another. Where are the Players of Moorhouse’s Day? The team that defeated Canterbury, referred to above, was composed of M. Moorhouse (captain), W. Wynyard, B. Puller, C. l>ryden, \V. Frith, E. Fitzsimmons, F. TayTor, K. C. Niven. Arthur and Bob Blacidock, and E. B. Izard. Other players of those days were G. Webb, Arthur Gore, E. Boddiugton, T. S. Konaldson, W. McGirr, S. Nicholls, A. Wiren, H. Davis, W. iCirker, C. Xreeift, A. Newbold, W. Salmon, M. F. Luckie, S. Tucker, L. M. Karris. E. F. LJpham, C. Cross, D. F. Howatt. F. Holdsiwoi-th and Dr Collins. With the exceptions of- “Tab” AVynyard aud M. F. Luckio all of these have given up their aotivo connection witn cricket. Some have crossed the Borderline, others spend- Saturday afternoon on bowling greens, and now that the old clubs have gone out altogether very few of them can be prevailed upon to take even a passing interest in the game they used to excel at. Beg pardon, though, R. C. Niven, as club captain of the East Club, is doing his little bit to push the gam© along. Martin Luckie Raises a Laugh. X may not see eye to eye with the chairman of the Cricket Association in the majority of his efforts on behalf of the summer pastime, but I am fain to admit that he gives good service in his official capacity. His purse-strings are always untied to help along the finances of any of the clubs, and an appeal to him is always met in kind. But as a player he is beginning to lag superfluous, and I think ft would not bake much pressure to cause him to retire from, active service. As a bowler he has filled his part well, as a batsman he generally goes in ninth wicket down, or at the end of the day when his captain wants to save better men for the second day, but *is a fieldsman he has invariably failed to reach the standard of his own enthusiasm. All this because he dropped the simplest of catches last Saturday, the doing of which raised one of the heartiest of laughs I have heard on the Basin Reserve tor a long while. Some Queries and Answers to Them. A question that is being frequently asked is: “Is the South Club sincere in us assertion that it wiu withdraw from the Cricket Association if some concession is not made it by the management committee?” From the man in the street, and from prominent officials of the club, to answer my own question X will say “Yes.” The South Club is in a bad way, and bankruptcy*—or what is akin to that, repudiation of its liabilities —is all the club has to look forward to under present conditions. “Is the Umpires' Association a flourishing body ?” The answer to this question is, I am sorry to say, “No/’ All told, the membership does not reach th© ; round dozen, and there has hardly been a new member added to the list during the last three years. Surely, there are sufficient enthusiasts willing to devote thedr time to the advancement of the game in a position that may carry more; kicks than halfpence thpu there are at present. The association only meets once a month, which in itself is a sign of weakness.

‘‘ls cricket less popular in 'Wellington than it used to be?” Judging by the number of teams playing under the Cricket Association the answer would be “Yes.” But, on the other hand, there are so many players taking part in house and like matches every Saturday that one is inclined to the opinion that the game as a game has lost none of its attractions for the youth of the Empire City. “But why are they not playing with the district clubs?” There’s the rub, and that is a matter that demands serious consideration by the Cricket Association. There is no doubt but that these players get their cricket cheaper than the members of the district clubs, and that is a grave consideration with many. It seems to me, then, that the Cricket Association will have to devise ways and means of cheapening cricket to those playing under its auspices, with the object of enlarging its list of players. “Is the district scheme filling the largefelt want its promulgators made out it would?” As my nom de guerre indicates I am a veteran, and therefore an old club man, and my sympathies are all with the acquaintances I made and friendships I formed-in my playing days. Therefore, my opinions are likely to be prejudiced. But, to him who care® to make inquiries, a proposal to revert back to the old club system would receive a lot of support at this stage. To those who do not agree with me I give an invitation to make investigation from among the players and the club officials. Some Foreign Items.

J. Tracy, an ex-West Christchurch District High School'boy, made 161 (not out) in senior cricket at Wanganui last Saturday. This performance is all the more remarkable as he is not yet eighteen years of age.

Harry Siedeberg, the well-known Otago and New Zealand batsman, was married, on Wednesday to a Miss McConmchie, the daughter of an ex-Albion cricketer. Siedoberg’s last tally as a angle man amounted to 128.

H L. Blaroires brother of the Central player, who used to minister to tho needs of tho Thorn dou cricketers and help them on the field when he was stationed in Wellington, is making a lot of runs in Napier this year. Thus a Canterbury writer: "I am pleased to see man after man of the possible Canterbury team getting into form. Tho two Carltons, Sims, Iteese, Lusk, ■ Coygill. Norman. Bennett, and Boxsball are all shewing good form, and Patrick only wants au innings to put him right. The struggle would appear to be for tho eleventh place. A bowler is required, and he must be chosen from Ollivier, Sandmann, Orchard, and Watson. Present indications point to Ollivier being the man chosen. There are few better all-round players in New Zealand." REMINDER There never yet was pride so great That fato declined to humble; Tho man who strives to aviato Must also learn to tumble.