General Chatter.

NZ Truth, Issue 282, 19 November 1910, Page 3

General Chatter.

The air is full of challenges directed at Auckland for the purpose of removing the Plunket Shield to a more central position m the DominionWellington, Hawke's Bay, and Canterbury are all m the field and burning for the fray. Meanwhile, the northern players pursue the even tenor of their way, engage half a dozen coaches, bring on their young players, and practice. as hard as a man going for a piano-playing record. On top of the fact that the A ucklander generally is probably the best cricketer of the crowd, he has another great attribute (common to all Auckland natives) and that is a sublime confidence m himself and m everything that comes out of the Queen City. It is a great factor m any game is self-confidence, and is usuaiMy about one^half the fight. There appears to be some doubt m the minds of New Zealanders as to whether all the South African bowlers are "googlies," or only some of them, and, i[ so, who ? P. Sherwell, the captain of the visitors, makes tha following statement :— "Faulkner is undoubtedly one of the best allroiund cricketers m the world.

f Schw&rz is purely a 'googlie' bowl|er. Snook a fast right hand, Volger • mixes bis pace, and has plenty of variety. Sinclair is a rigfet haaid bowler who mixes his pace, and breaks both ways. It may be added that much is expected from J^trikner'is leg breaks."

What - constitutes a professional CMckeJter ? "Short Stop" is still trying to distinguish between the socalled amateur Australian who divides, the proceeds of a cricket tour ucounio: the world, and then accepts [£25 per test match m his own counI try, and the common or garden ' t^ho gets regular payment for his I services from his coui*ty or his club. Although the AastraH-an is reported 4is "Mr," and is accepted as an amafteur all the world over, the fact re[mains that he is no more entitled to rbe considered as such than the other chap is. In cricket circumstances ali ter cases, but if the hard and fas* j definition of Rugby amateurism were to be imported into, the game, the whole mob would be pushed over the narrow dividing line m a very short space of time. Professionalism is, of course, a necessity m the game of .cricket, but the actual difference between professionalism and cash amateurism is mighty small.

Incidents. "Cricket" is responsible for the following : — During a match at Eeddington between Vhe second eleven of the local club and the Seneca C.C., two unusual incidents happened. Whilst the Beddmgton side were batting, C. S. Body, m attempting to hit a loose ball to leg, lost his cap, which alighted on the wicket, and dislodged the bail. He, therefore, retired "hit wicket." During the Seneca innings, G. S. Harris, whilst trying to hit to the on, missed the ball, which rebounded from his pads on the reverse side of his bat, and was caught by the wicket-keeper.

Referring to the decision of the New South Wales Cricket Association (by 20 votes to 7) that the captain of the inter-State team should be chosen -by the selection committee, that well-known writer, "Recorder 1 " m the Sydney "Sportsman" sides with the minority, "believing that the team should select their own skipper, as they are better able by actual experience to judge who is the player most suitable by temperament to command the respect and obedience of the team, as well as to act the correct part during the many vicissitudes of thG game." With all of which "Short Stop" doth agree.

Interprovincial fixtures.— Otago v. Canterbury at Dunedin on December 24, 26. and 27, and oh the same three days Saunders and ten other Wellington players will attempt to capture the Plunket Shield from Auckland, if present arrangements hold good.

Otago reckons to be short of bowlers this year. The southerners cannot manage to shake off the shock caused by the retirement of Fisher. If the same player and Downes had stuck to their old partnership-, appearances would lead one to believe that they could bowl for Otago till they got stringhault or died of. old a^c or athletes heart. Is Otago su infernally hard up for young bowiers that a leading Dunedin writer can only think of Downs, Waliaway, and possibly Torrance, and weeps afoout Fish&r ? The two first must be getting into the ■ grandfather stage by this time, and as Torrance never got any encouragement as long as the famous pair were playing, it is hardly to be wondered at that he has not come ou<t quite as' well as might have been expected from his form of two years ago. Young bowlers of class are so particularly scarce m New Zealand at present that it is good policy to hold out every encouragement to anyone showing ability m that branch of the game, not to keep them down until all the old fossils of the game die of old age. Wellington committees might make a mental note hereof.

Carvterbur,y appear to have discovered the real live .article at last. Leading cricketers' from that province state that Sandman is absolutely the best bowler turned out of their district (if not out of New Zealand) for years past. For the bowler m question, it is claimed that he has developed the real, genuine "googlie, and, judging by the havoc he is playing with his opponents m Ohri&tchurca criclcet this season, there seems to be something m it. One hopes the success will be lasting, as New Zealand cricket badly requires a lift m the bowling line.

Some few seasons ago Victor Trumpet put up a record at Redfern Oval, Sydney, by scoring 335 runs m 2f houTs off his own bat m one afternoon. The ground is on the small size, and as the wicket is a, particularly easy one, large scores "there are the rule and not the exception. , The latest exhibition of cricket fireworks on the same ground was given by F. Foster m the match Redfern v. Central Cumberland, on November 5. In an ' innings described as being phenomenal m its brilliance, he scored 115 runs m 45 minutes, treating all the bowlers with equal impartiality, and hitting eleven sixes and eight fours. The only other scores on record m Sydney to compare with this for- force are Trumpdr's 335 quoted rabove, 111 m one hour by J. R. M. Mackay on the same ground, 104 m 42 minutes by Norman Ebsworth, and, again, 120 m 63 minutes by the .same player. Ebsworth's scores were not made at Redfern, but on the larger grounds at Waverley and North. Sydney. On another occasion, Trumper scored 215 m. one hour and 50 minutes against Redfern at Hampden Park, Sydney. These figures are quoted to give the younger batsmen of New Zealand an idea of what can be done with the bat. It wouldn't much matter what quotations were shown to the older hands m the Dominion. They mostly have their own styles of getting rtfas,. and nothing can alter them now.

Dr. H. V. Hordern, the returned Australian, who has several times played against the South Africans, says, "Vogler is the best bowler of the slow, medium type I have ever soon anywhere. He bowls the slow leg break, the off break, the fast ball with a swerve, and the googlie, and he mixes m all these varieties clever-

lyj' The doctor adds the opinion that Australians will be interested m Vogler's bowling. If the versatile bowler can do all that is claimed of him, he would interest anybody.

Evidently it is not only m New ■Zealand that a wholesale rot sets m -at times m an innings. For example, m the match University (Sydney) v. Middle Harbor lately, the former •team had scored 300 for two wickets, and shortly afterwards were all 'out rfpr 339. Dominion cricketers' can take heart.

405 runs for eight wickets In one afternoon is fast enough scoring for anyone to waieh. Parnell- (Auckland) playing the University team, on Saturday last, managed it.

One hopes that Otago's grief at the loss of Fisher from big cricket will be somewhaf assuaged by the performance of Torranee, the Dwredim Club left hander, against Carisbrook on 'Saturday last. Five wickets for 14 on- a good wicket should make even doleful Dunedimtes feel as if the sum had not set for ever.

Slowly, but surely, Queensland, is taking ranfe among the great powers m cricket. Out of the last six matches played against New South Wales the northerners have won four, and the Mother State has reluctantly come to the conclusion that the time has passed for sending "second" reps, to do battle for . her. By winning the last match by 19 runs against a strong, N.S.W. side, Queensland has undoubtedly proved her • claim to an equal place with the great triumvirate, Victoria, , N.S.W. , and South Australia m the world of Australian cricket. r ;

In the S^outh Australian-South African match, with the exception of one catch by Nourse, the whole 20 South Australian wickets that fell were divided by five men. Sherwell settled three behind the wickets, Suooke assisted by catching two, and Volger, Schwarz and Peglar did the rest betwefn them* Schwarz's average of 11 wickets for 130 runs- for the whole game speaks for itself.

l-\ Connolly, the left hand bowler, who at one time played a season or so m Wellington, playing for Petone Club, is playing for Central Cumberland m Sydney. So far, this season, he has not been very successful with the ball, as his figures read 8 for 224. Even at that he is second best on the list, so it is evident that his district bowlers are having a, pretty rough time of 'it. Connolly never did much damage on Wellington wickets. .They were not fast enough for him. He relies on getting a lot of pace off the pitch.