CRICKET.

NZ Truth, Issue 224, 9 October 1909, Page 3

CRICKET.

(By "Scout.").

General Squibs.

. X is probable that on every Saturday afternoon tea wiil be available for the public and players at the Basin) Reserve. It is likely the matter will be financed by the Association at r. minimum charge, assisted by committee? of ladies ttora each district club. In. order to assist th<» ladies cricket niovement, the Association has granted the fair' ones a free practice wicket on the south-western, corner of the Reserve, provider! a back net js erected for the, protection of the. public. The vexed question of a bye being probable if. the Senior Grade this season cropped up .4 the committee meeting of the Association on Monday nip;ht. Jt was recognise^ that although the question o'' allowing 4 . senior district to enter two ?enior teams was against the principle o.f district cricket, it" was advisable m view of the inconvenience and interruption caused through a bye.

The matter of which clubs should lje allowed to enter the extra team is sure to cause heart-burnings. The suggestion of the secretory m lavor of the ciufo abJe to produce the greatest number of last year's seniors would appear to be the only equitable way out of. the difficulty. : An extraordinary number of amendments to ,the Association's rules have been sent m for the special general meeting. Some of these are of a very puerile character; and are evidently brought forward for the beneiit of the reporters present. C. Wordsworth, of Melbourne, who has been re-appointed coach for the Otago Cricket Association, gets A-3 per week and passage to New Zealand. Last season Wordsworth was not m good health, and his appointment this year is on the understanding that. , he lias, completely recovered. Glufesi competing m the Canterbury Cricket Association's district matches officially opened the season on Saturday. The weather was fine, and altogether the season .was opened very auspiciously. It 1 has been a point of criticism m regard to test match players this season, says the .'* Athletic .News," that they have -too often been grizzled veterans. There, is something, m the criticism, although the oldest player on the English side has probably done as well as anybody else. We refer to Arthur L.illey, commonly known as "Dick." His youngest daughter has just been blessed with a son. In a letter to the Chris tchurch "jP.ress" "Ex-Australian" '.advocates the appointment of Australian coaches for New Z6aland cricketers, instead of. sending to England for men. He points .out that this would mean that their , services would be" available for, at least- two months longer m the season and expresses the opinion that Australians have proved more capable than their British rivals. The teaching of schoolboys is also urged, and here the writer m question has put his linger on. a weaK spot m the New Ztealand Cricket system. The first cricket match ever played at Hunan, the most anti-foreign province of China, has just taken place. The '.. local population displayed the liveliest interest m the pnacejedings, but frequently crowded so close round the wicket that the police had to assist m keeping, them back. The annual; report of the , Upper iHutt Cricket C.lub shows that the past season was a fairly successful one. thirty matches were played,, zy won, 'J lost, and one drawn. After expending £3 on widening the pitch. £5 IDs on new matting, , and £10 on material, the club has a credit balance^ of £2 7s, which speaks well for. the 'prosperity of t;he /district. Mr R. Mabey has,been elected captain ; Mr E. Phillips, vice-captain ; Mr J. .Lanibert, and Messrs i 1 ;. h'ellvna:, H. V. Benge, .A. R. Jowitt, and W. JVlcCrossin, committeemen. It has been decided not to enter for any town competition as the train arrangements are not convenient. The Hutt-rtes will be pleased to again meet their opponents 'of last season and any other- teams that come along. The season will be opened this alternoon with ai Married v. fcimgte .match. Afternoon tea /is. to be/provided, arid a big attendance is anticipated. Clem Hill is to stopper the Sturt Club this season. He expects', to play club cricket regularly. . ■ Sydney Cricket Ground Trustees have decided to engage a coach for the pur-; pose of instructing young cricketers, and Reg. Puff, the one-tirae Australian representative, is likety ' to receive the appointment. : j In some quarters appeared the statement that Ransford was iirst .m the 1909 ' Australian team's batting averages. As a matter of fact, Hardsiey has the honor, the correct averages ol the first three players being :— Bardsiey, Hl7a runs, average 46.36 ; Armstfrongf MfcSO runs, average 43.52/ ; Ransford, 1783 rims, average 43.48. Armstrong's position is due largely to tite number of aot-outs to his creditReported that Sid. Gregory might, remain m England when the Australian team's programme came to an,end. Pete JVfcAlister's position m the batting averages of the . Australian team shows that even Clem mill and A. O. Jones are npt infallible as judges of cricket. . Cfiristchurch cricket controllers, who insist upon obtaining a coach from Hingland because he is able to say "Haw \" witfi the correct bleat, although he enters the) field by a gate different to that used by the "gentlemen,! 1 have been badly slipped up "this season by a person named Buckingham, who announced at the last moment thai he is going to India, or somewhere else, and can't undertake the well paid* .job. Owing to the near approach; 'of the cricket season the distracted ; association is obliged to fall back upon a vulgah place called Australia — which is a»good job ' for Canterbury cricket, if the right man is chosen. It is, however, a dreadful thing to N enter into correspondence with Melbourne and Sydney aftci . communicating with distinguished persons like Lord Hawke, .and it is hoped that the Australian person will at least have decent mannahs. freeing that Australia whips the very devil out of Britain at cricket, and Britain sends to Australia for coaches like Tarrant and Trbtt, Canterbury, may iea»n some cricket for the first time this season. • -=■•■■■•■ The Australfan team of 1909 has completed its English tour, and despite the fact that it was the unlucky thirteenth, it has been remarkably successful, and brought back the celebrated "ashes" with it. Considering the adverse weather conditions, which were so different to those of its own sunny land, its record of victodfes is worthy of the best traditions of Australian cricket. The two left-handers have surpassed even the great South Australian pair, H\'l and Darlijlig, by their wonderful play. Bardsley,' by mak-ing two centuries r m the fifth test game, put up a record which is likely to stand, even m ithese record-breaking days, for many a ; year. Had he done nothing else, this would have justified his inclusion m the team. Had the wickets been good iie would prolrabljy have eclipsed all previous records m batting. The English bowlers had had work to get the two left-handers put, but the umpires, who had apparently entered upon a leg-before , crusade, often sent them back to the pavilion for using their pads instead ai their bats. Both men also exhibited fine lie Wing ability, and Australia has reason to be proud of her sonsi. While .such fine young exponents of the game are available, the "ashes" should he retained against all comers. ' Armstrong once more showed, Mmself a magnificent all-round player, trie best that the southern colony has ever produced, arid one who vies with George Giffen for the honor of best all round Australian cricketer. He was only a shade over one run per innings inferior to Bardsley and Ransford, and- with the bal J he captured 107 wickets at 16.72 runs apiece. Though Trumper was not the batsman 1 of old', yet he performed very well, filling fourth place i» fltst-class games* McAlister did well, and might have teen given more show. Noble was most disappointing, neither his battijig or his bowling being, as formidable as m days of yore ; and he has probably played his last Test game m the Old Country-. The English press .speak liilcjhly qf his captainship,. HopJriK 1 and Gregory performed mode'ateiy. neither sustaining his Australian r e nutat,ion. Carter keot 'wiclret well, and occasionally made a useful score. Macartney as i batsanan was disapnointine;, but made up for this by hte fielding and howling. R?-itrgan *A'as a comparative failurg. Cot.to" Sound, the wickets unsuitable to hip 'loviir.g, and was only able to take 61 tickets, but hiis 5 for 38 at Leeds, and '3 for 95 at Kennington Oval were of smmensft value to his side. O'Connor, of whom much was expected as a howler, did not do as well as hts admirers and well-wishers anticipated.

Lavea: was the surprise jacket of the team. Going home as manager the exigencies af t!lie tour compelled him to play with the eleven at times, and so well did he bowl-' that' he won the bowling average, witfi 68 wickets, at 14.54 runs apfiece. He had a wonderful performance m the Test Game at Manchester, when he took 8 wickets for 31 runs. Carkeek. had little chance of distinguishing hiniself. Whitty at times bowled well, and finished up wifbh UK wickets at a cost of .ia.72 runs each. The English selection committee ap,poar to haver/tnade a big .bungle of the choice of players for.the Tests. The old players were stuck to too much. They did not select enough bowlers m several games, and ( not until' thelast did they | include a g'ooglie bowler. MacLaKen's inclusion was a mistake. He is no longer a great batsman.