CRICKET.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14381, 26 November 1908, Page 10

CRICKET.

By LongßHp. Just on going to press I'havo recoived tho following . telegram from the Gisbome Cricket Association in connection with the northern tour of .tho Ota-go cricket team: "Understand your Cricket Association is considering possibility, playing match hero to fit in with the Auckland arrangements. We shall bo glad arrange game cither before Christmas or after New Year, which over suits." | Dear Long Slip,—l read with great pleasure your article, and was particularly struck with the wise .words of counsel you gave ,to the Otago players in trying to do M Hopkins doc 3 (the young exponent of the game from Sydney, whom we have in our midst at present) in the field, and thus demonstratp the usefulness of practising 'fielding, not sitting on. one's haunches after' batting or talking in wild tones of the decadence of cricket in Otago and New Zealand generally. Hopkins has aKvays beon singled out as one of the ablest fiolds in Sydney cricket—not only in his club, Rcdfern,—and the reason of this is .very apparent when one'sees him at Carisbrook doing far more than his share in this allimportant department of the game. May all of our crickoters take a lesson, and then the' game will not go back as it has sadly doiie in tho past.—Yours, etc., Ekthosiast. Dunodin, November 19, 1908. P.S.— My selection of • a team to do battle for tho Plunket Shield would .he:—C. G. Wilson (captain), A. H. Fisher,' G. G. Austin, H. G. Siedeberg, F. Williams, C. 0. Hopkins, — Torrance, R, M. Rutherford, — Wilkie, A. Downcs, and either Eckhoff or 0. Boil. Arthur Fisher, the Otago representative and Carisbrook bowler, who was suffering from a strain last week, and who purposed "resting" from the bowling crease in view of the Otago team's northern tour, lias recovered somewhat, and trundled for his eloven against Duncdin on Saturday. 'Fisher bowled exceedingly well, and during Wilson's tenure at tho creaso had the ex-Mel-bourne batsman "thinking" on more than one occasion. , Ernest Howdcn—now Dr Howdcn,—wheso roturi\ from England, has long been looked forward to, arrived in the city last week, looking particularly well after his' two years' sojourn in London, where he was eminently successful in his. mcdical studies. While in England Howdcn played a deal of cricket, and. 110 returns to lis a prouder and better 'man for it. The ex-Carisbrook and Ulago representative could jiot have made hip re-entry at a belter time, for with the tour of the Otago team in quest of bho Plunket \ Shield next month a player of Hov.xlon's calibre in the eleven -is just what is. wanted. By the way, Howdcn' Mas , already received a hearty welcome back by hi 4 'numerous friends and admirers, not least so by the members of his old club, who " put him up" right away. "Long Slip" . joins tile multitude in welcoming the popular cricketer back to Dunedin. There is some doubt as to Alex. Downcs accompanying Otago on its northern tour, but there are few who would not like to sco the veteran bowler in the team. A recollcetio.ll of what happened hist year may influence tho Grange bowler towards coming t'o a decision in favour 'of making the'tour and giving Otago his best assistance to sccure the nuich-covetcd Plunket Shield, ( ■In connection with tho winning of the Plunket Shield there appears to me to be not sufficient importance attached to this by,local legislators. If Otago could secure the shield and bring ; t to this end of the island the 'good .that would accrue to ehicket ,liere would be incalculable. We would have teams from the various provinces down here playing in a sort of cricket tournament to wrest .the shield from us? The standard of play advance rapidly, and the zest that it would impart lo cur players to fight to retain tho shield would be something to ponder on. Then' the financial side would cease to trouble; gcod gates would be the rule, not the exception, and the petty worries and indignities a poverty-stricken association lias to submit to would be 110 more. By all means 'lei Otago solid away its strongest team to win the Plunket Shield. The players are doing this yf themselves.—ail honour to them,—and may their reward be great. Aylcs, the Victorian cricketer, who lias been engaged to act as (oaeli to the Otago Cricket Association, is email in stature,) but has a remarkably keen eye. While there is nothing to jngg'cst the cricketci- about him, there is suilicient evidence from records of his prowess with the bat for the Port Melbourne Club, for which sotr'or eleven Aylcs has won the batting average | on several occasions. | Wordsworth, the Sydney coach and fast | bowler, arrived from Sydney on Friday, and was,welcomed by one or two prominent members of the looal association. Words-i worth is an "express" bowler of the Cotter trpc, but with better length and. direction than the Australian Eleven artist. Wordsworth will supply a long-felt want in Otago cricket, for if there is one thing more than another that local cricketers arc in need of it is howler who can make them 11 fly " a bit. The exhibitions (save the mark!) given by Otago cricketers of recent years when opposed to fast bowling have been sights for the gods! After a deal of discussion, the question of dates for the Plunket Shield match Otago v. Auckland'-Jus been deeidod, and local legislators can ,jiow take a calmer and more reasonable view of things. At. one stage of the-'proceedings -tho visit of Ota.go to Auckland threatened to fal' through with the suggestion of a third, but Canterbury and Auckland, by coming generously to the' rescue, have saved the situation, anil Otago from being held up to the .laugh of the . The "glorious uncertainly" was again exemplified on Saturday Inst, when what suggested itself as a four-point win for Carisbrook B was reduced to a two-point Vi C L° ry - by tlw s l ),cndit ' ''Kht put up by Albion in tho second innings. That promising young crickrler M'Farlane, of the Albion Club, whom I have had occasion to refer in complimentary terms, gave another brilliant display of batting for his club against Carisbrook B on Saturday. It was a splendid innings, clean and good to look at, played with commendable confidence. Having watched M'Farlanc's career somewhat closely, I was nuieJi surprised that the selectors had omitted the young Albion player from thceo selected to practice in view of tho northern tour of the Otago team. It is r.ot too late to rectify what appears to have been an oversight on-the part of the selectors. Another player whom I think has been treated rather ungallantly in this connection is Maekersy, of Dunedin, This player on-present form may not be in the first flight, but ho is more than good enougli to seicct for. practice, and perhaps more worthy than one or two of those chosen. It may be that, the selectors overlooked Mackerey's claims too. . , There were'sovcral flashes of good fielding in tho Dunotlin v. Carisbrook A match on Saturday, and a catch or two worth seeing. Dunedin's bowling tos, on the whole, good,

though Torrance showed 100 great an inclination to keep them short. This bowler lias, very little originality of attack, anil there is nothing deadly, in the incchanical catapult style if devoid of length. Hopkins got in some sweet drives, but T,an in too great a hurry to score. A fine, lively batsman to wnteh though, and may "Long Slip" be there when tlio Sydney player compiles a century. A sportsmanlike action was that of Blamires's in tihe Duncdin's eecond innings. Mackersy, 'in going for a short, run, failed to get home before the wickets went down, and the umpire signalled "out." Blamircs, however, called the batsman back and ex- | plained that the ball bad not been in his ! hand when he knocked the bails off. The umpire thereupon reversed his decision, and Mackersy continued his innings. A coincidence in the Carishrook A's first innings: J. Wilkie caught Rutherford brilliantly before he had eeorcd. To even matters Rutherford, in Duncdin's second strike, by a very-fino effort, caught Wilkie, also for a "blob." The ball was goiricr away,, and Rutherford, out in the country, had to run-side on to bring off the catch. It was a splendid effort, and well deserved the applause which greeted it. After capturing three for 5 in the first innings of Carishrook, Mackersy bowled with rather bad luck in the second. Leys was not ,at his best'behind the sticks 6n Satiirday, and let three chances , co. The Grange wicket, upon which the Second Grade match Dtinedin v. Grange was played, was in bad condition, especially at one end, and the fast, bowlcra—Popwell on the one side and Latham on the other—kept the batsmen busy dodging the flying bail, "which, more often than not, flew perilously near thoir oars. This state of affairs, coupled with the fact that deep slip and long field were continually getting mixed up with the Third GrjJe players on tho lower wicket, made matters anything, but • comfortable for batting or fielding side. Davidson bowled'well for Grange Second. He was on att.ho '-not'so bad" end, and at times swung across against tho wind with disastrous results to the batsmen.' According to the Marylebono, rules—, amended some two years ago—the Carisbrook B had no right . to. close their innings after 4.50 p.m. on the first day—a fact of which the umpires wero apparently unaware. T.he matter wais brought forward at the 0.0.A. Committee .Acoting on Friday last, but the Chairman nilod that there could be no discussion because no appeal had been lodged by the Albion Club. Perhaps tho Umpires' Association will not deem it beyond thoir province to discuss a question affecting the laws of cricket. , The match Albion v. Carishrook B was continued an Saturday- on\ a splendid wicket. Williams, tho 'veteran) only added 3 to his previous Saturday's total when he .was clean bowled by Austin for 55. Williams took 70 minutes to put -his runs together. • ; With, the advent of Crammond and Drake, the spectators were treated to something refreshing in the way of cricket, both 'batsmen' hitting aggressively. Drake gave a very clean display. ' His driving was crisp, and all liis strokes marked by excellent timing. Drake ;was at the crease 40 minutes for 39. Austin was bowling particularly well and keeping a good length, and having tho majority of tho Albion batsmen in trouble. Godfrey, , tho slow leg-break bowler, proved to be a veritable destroying angel. 1 Ho .was very tricky, and. had the batsmen "feeling" throughout tho innings. Williams and Cummings /opened up Albion's second innings. Cummings was tho first to go tack disconsolately to the pavilion, but not before, ho had compilod 15 in as many minutes!. Williams did not last long at the crease, being sent back after 25 minutes' play fpr 14. - - When M'Farlano joined Strang the hist partnership of the day eventuated. M'Farlano was at the crease 50 minutes for his 70 runs, in a, truly workmanlike style. His score included two bits for 5-y one out of tho ground. On returning to the pavilion the Albion colt was accorded a well-deserved ovation. ? ' . ■ . When- wore looking vnqno too brilliant for Albion Shelton happened along, and held up his wicket until such time as he had put 24 on. the sheet, and at the finish was undefeated. ■ How long ho might have , stayed had someone "kept up the other end" is problematical, for he did not look much liko getting out, ' , One must congratulato tho north end club on tho fight the eleven made when (.ho game was at a critical stage. As showing the consistency of the Albion scoring, no fewer than •10 batsmen got into doublo figures, Carishrook B made rather an indifferent ■mowing on , the second strike against Albion, , but they had Such a- lead on the first innings tha't probably " nothing mattered." The B's sent in Barron and Drumin "to wipe off the figures:. Barron was the first to go, being bowled by, Mills'for nil. Johnny DrUmtn put on 16 in 13 minutes, 'when hd too went, tinder. Godfrey came to put his "leg in front" to Cummings, and returned with the dreaded 0 against his name, Jerry Austin, Siedebcrg, and Adams pulled things along until 58 runs appeared on the sheet, when the umpires decided upon time., Carishrook winning on the first innings. ; . C. Wordsworth, of Ecdforn, who has been engaged by the Otago Cricket Assooiation as cricketer and coach,' is' a fastme<liuin to fast right-hand bowler and a left-hand batsman. Ho has been-a fair performer in Sydney First-Grade 'for two or three seasons. Last season, in; the return match with Queensland at Brisbane, 'he .capturod four for 72 and scored 12 not out and 4-, it being .his only appearance in cricket of any ncto other than club games. For Eodforn last year ho secured some fine bowling results, notably seven for 32 against Burwood and eight for 65 against University. A couple of years ago he registered 93 not out against Gordon when runs were badly wanted. Some mighty slogging was in evidence during a Wednesday cricket match, in Wellington recently. Playing for the Hospital Club, Dr Brown performed the unique featof sending every ball of one over for 6— making 3& to his credit in one over. This feat outrivals that of Clem Hill when ho so unmercifully pasted Ollivicr, of Christchurch, on the Basin Reserve a few seasons ago. Can any enthusiast produce a bel,tcr record l'or the second wicket in New Zealand? Tho Senior cricket match, Old Boys v. Nelson, i at the Park, Nelson, ,on a rccent Saturday, was the occasion of no less than five new local r-ecord-s being established liy the Old Boys' Club. When time was callcd the scoro was 412 for two wickets, comprised as under:— old boys.—First Innings. ' ' E. R. Bealc, not out ... .. ~ .. 209 G. Richmohd, c Cuimngham, b Louisaon 8 M'Kay. b Franklin 63 A. 1 Sundcl, not out 101 Total for two' wickets 412 Records were established as follows: — Total seoro, 412 (only two wickcts down). Previous be-st, 321, by College in 1890. Individual score, Bcale 209 (not oul). Second racket stand (M'Kay and Bcale), ' 132. Third wicket sland (Sandel and Bcale, both not out), 26*. Number of centuries in one innings, two. (Sandel and Beale). The total of 412 was-compiled in four horn's. Bealo's lino inning-; included six. 6's and eighteen Vs.