GENERAL GOSSIP.

NZ Truth, Issue 352, 23 March 1912, Page 3

GENERAL GOSSIP.

| The English team of cricketers that ' has just finished touring Australia _ias put up a record by being the first to win four out v of - the . five tests against (Australia m Australia. It has been 'the other way 'about for some years past. Jv W. H. T. Douglas, captain of "he English team, reckons that the prospects of the i team that has left for England to represent Australia m the triangular tests are real good. P. F. Warner has announced his' intention of writing a book on the just completed tour of the M.C.C. team m Australia; Also, said production wiil be "dedicated (ancl possibly sold) to the people of Australia generally, because everybody has been "so fearfully kind" to the author during his ill - ness s Waiter's a great selector of opportunities, and he rang this information m at the last big dinner to the English team before they left Sydney. Therefore, much applause — but the same old applause won't sell Warner's rehash at English prices. The trouble between the "Six" (a?.i-l their influential mob of friends) ;md the Board of Control, resulted as expected m the team going cheerfully away while 'the "Snayeliing' Six" sit back and watch a fine "trip (and a cert £400 each) thrown, to the devil. In the meantime, Trumper, who has just as many brains /as most cricketers, departs for England on a' business trip ■at once, and has already been asked to play with the team; The "carrot on a stick" is also held out to Ransford. Much surprise has been expressad everywhere at the non-inclusion of fA,. P. Barbour m the Australian XL for Fogland".~"From private, sources I. understand he was not available for selection. An English team, with Lord Hawke's hall-mark thereon, has been touring 1 lately m South America, and has naf turally had a pretty good time. The big engagements, three tests with Ar- ■ gentina, resulted m the visitors catching two and the locals one. What's ; the matter with an English team ap- ; pearing m Tokio or Moscow next, just 1 by way of "cementing the holy bonds' cf peace and fellowship"-? On the subject, of starting all games | and play punctually tp time, Warner waxed' very eloquent ata big send-off -m Sydney the other day. What he noticed was that every game started about 20. minutes late m the morning, an extra 15 or 20 minutes was always sneaked at lunch time, and about the same at afternoon tea time. And when "Baldy" condemned the practice ' he was quite right. In this Dominion the same thing goes on to a larger oxtent, but that doesn't matter so. much, as the long suffering public has usual--1 ly forgotten what the game is before "tea" time. 1 i G. R. Hazlibt, Australian XL, was ' married to a Sydney girl shortly bel fore the; team sailed for -England. _ A good way to take a long, cheap honeymoon is this, and has frequently been , done before by other, cricketers lucky enough to be selected both ways. The outside clubs of Melbourne city , are going to raise a testimonial to [ Pete McAlister on accoimt of the stand he took up m the late bungle. Don't suppose there will be a great deal m it, al about one-half of ihe smellful cjty arose m its wrath the i other day and publicly cursed the Board m about seventeen different ways. So Pete can't get much from ' that mob. . Suggested by pre^ and public that . about two more big games of the same quality as the late Otago-Auckland heat would just about settle the noble game forever m the freezing city. It was the dullest thing that ever happened, even m Dunedin, and cricket hasn't got such a terrific hold down below that the players can afford to serve up tripe. There appears to be a tidal wave of defensive batting all over this country that, does not assist towards increasing public or players' interest m the show, and results are getting worse instead of better. i k Will a Dominion team go to Australia to get cricket instruction next year? Surely not. And yet a select little crowd m the Cathedral City are. grafting it -for all they know, with a view to being m the good thing'at the death knock. One can't believe that allegedly sensible men, knowing the state of our New Zealand cricket, would support such a proposal for two minutes. Let the instructors come

< here and teach the ones who want to learn, instead of trying to confine th-u thing to about fifteen, mostly hasbeens (and a manager). Anyway, tho opposition have got the question on the shelf for the present. Another high class player gone, WiiI liam Storer, the famous' Derbyshire and English wicketkeep. Storer, jvho died a few weeks ago (aged 42), Jvas o brilliant stumper and a batsman who did things well. At thc conclusion of the test matches Aye Englishmen headed the I batting averages before Australia 'showed up at all. Hobbs, Rhodes, 'Vino, Woolley, ancl Gunn all finished ahead of Sid. Gregory, who only had two innings, and Armsti'ong, who played right through. It was an awful ! smashing!