CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21828, 15 December 1932, Page 4

CRICKET

By Slip. FIXTURES , PLUNKET SHIELD MATCHES. December 24. 26, 27 and 28.—Wellington v, Otago, at Wellington; Auckland v, Canterbury, at Christchurch. December 31, January 2,3, and 4.—Wellington v. Canterbury, at Christchurch;. Otago v, Auckland, at Dunedin, January 20, 21, 23 and 24—Wellington v. Auckland, at Auckland. February 3,4, 6 and 7.—Otago v. Canterbury, at Dunedin,

As a result of the wet weather experienced on Friday and Saturday morning of last week the Otago Cricket Association decided to postpone all matches. League games were, however, played, and a number of “house” matches. The Otago team to play against Wellington during the Christmas holidays has been selected. Dickinson, who captained Otago against Hawke’s Bay, was not available, and the tourists will miss the services of the fast bowler. The team is about the best that could be selected. It may be considered that there is a weakness in the bowling, but Badcoek (captain) should have plenty of_ variety of attack in Coupland, Dunning, Dimes, Moloney, and one or two others of the aide. Badcoek himself will, no doubt, bear the brunt of the attack. It is a sound combination, and followers of the game in Dunedin are justified in holding that it should give a good account of itself against the northerners. New Zealand bowlers do not often achieve the distinction of securing a hat trick against a visiting overseas side, but E. Kavanagh, one of the members of the Hawke’s Bay- team treasures the silvermounted ball that was presented to him when be took thrpe wickets with successive balls against the English team which toured New Zealand in the 1929-30 season. In that teands match at Napier, Kavanagh, a right-hand slow_ bowler, took eight wickets for 134 runs in a total of 611 —a good performance for a slow bowler on a perfect batting wicket. F. E. Woolley,’ G. F, Earle, and M. J. C. Allom were the batsmen in the hat trick, but the funny part of the whole thing was that no one noticed the feat until the next day, because the first two wickets were off the last two balls of one over and the third Was off the first ball of the next over.

The members of the English cricket team were entertained at a luncheon at David Jones’s by the Millions Club on the eve of the .first test match, when some amusing speeches were delivered. The president of the club (Sir Arthur Eickard) related the story of the occasion when the Australian soldiers first distinguished themselves on the western front. The ex-Kaiser was curious to know about them. “ Who are these Australians? ” he asked one of the German officers. . “Well, your Majesty,” the officer 1 replied,. “ I have heard that 11 them once beat all England.’ (Laughter.) . The captain of the visiting team (Mr D. R. Jardine) said that if, in these'trying and anxious times, they could come together and forget their Anmediate selves and their worries, then it was a good thing. Someone had observed that about the .only wages that had not been reduced were the wages of sin. (Laughter.) Mr Jardine expressed warm appreciation of Australia’s hospitality, and remarked, in conclusion, “ If we offend anyone in this country then I would ask you to be very charitable, because. I am quite certain that it is not intentional. Mr R. C. N. Palairet said a great many things'had struck him as strange on his first visit to Australia. “I have been impressed by'the beauty of your gardens, he added. “ Their beauty is most striking.” He oaid, affiid laughter, that his conclusion that “ barracking ” was part ot Australia’s national life appeared to him to have been founded on good premises, when, the other day, he bad come across Barrack street. The argument of the hour, apart from the test selection, is whether the last bowling of Gregory and M Donald was as dangerous to English batsman as are the deliveries of Larwood, Allen, Voce, and Bowers to ours (writes J. Worrall in the Australasian of December 3). ine objection is not that fast bowlers bounce the ball—that is their specialty—but whether the bouncing has an ulterior motive. Never in my long experience have I known, an Australian express bowl at a man, except when Spofforth bowled at W.G. for about an hour.at Lords in 1882, the reason for, the acting being tne manner in which Grace ran out Sam Jones in Australia’s second innings. ihe oiu man” complained bitterly to me of th incident 17 years after the event, ami it the action was wrong on that occas o , even if the Australian fast bowler was annoyed at what he considered an unsportsmanlike action, two wrongs never yet righting a fault, it is just as blameworthy T.oW: No Australian fast bowler, irreroedtive of the state of the wicket, has ever packed an on-field before delivering * One of the surprises of the season so far is the failure of C. C. Dacre, the Auckland player-coach, to reveal his form. Better scores are expected from him in the ; representative matches (states an Auckland writer). , , , .. Referring to the match between the English team and New South Wales, J. Worrall has this to say in the Australasian -.-Easily the most disappointing feature was the inglorious showing made by Bradman. The champion was never at home, and Voce’s head-high deliveries kept him ducking in an endeavour to escape injury. Once Bradman actually iat on the ground, rather an undignified position for a player whose deeds have made him a menace to bowlers in all parts of the cricketing world. Against the other bowlers who do not apparently try -to intimidate the batsmen Bradman shaped much more confidently, although Tate beat him on at least two occasions. gtilL-it was not the Bradman we know, and his exhibition sent onlookers home in a very puzzled frame of mind. With three wickets down for 00 the position was not very reassuring for New South Wales. Fingleton, however, was still defiant, despite numerous bruises he had received as the result of Voce’s attack, allegedly on leg stump, though most of the balls swung across the body to be accepted by Ames well outeide the leg stump in the short stop position. Fingleton got a rare gruelling, and, although he must have suffered agony, he stuck manfully to his task, and had the satisfaction of carrying his bat through the innings for 119. The Railway cricket team, which plays league, is a very enthusiastic - combina tion. A practice wicket has been secured on a piece of ground behind the Railway Station, and nets have been erected and other conveniences. The team finds the pitch very handy, and the members seize every opportunity to make use of it. DEFENDED IN VERSE BY MR OSCAR ASCHK. Indignant because a section of the British public persists in regarding Bradman as a fallen idol, Mr Oscar Asche, the actor-manager, to whom cricket is almost as vital an interest as acting, has published fiery verse in defence of Australia s great batsman. lie denounces “ envious scribes” who “indite envenomed headlines,” and usee strong words to express his contempt for those erstwhile admirers who now vie with one another in ‘ gloating like ghouls” over Bradman’s run of bad luck. The last two lines of the verse read as follow: — Come, Bradman, rise, strike out, belittlers stun; • By fresh deeds prove you are still Don ,—not done. ENGLISHMEN AT PLAY There is no Phil Mead with his. bow and salute to the square leg umpire—there is no Patsy Hendren cutting capers in the field —but if you watch closely you •will find many mannerisms among the members of the M.C.C. team (observes Jack Fingleton in the Sunday Sun). . For instance, take the Englishmen in the field. As Les Ames squats behind th e wickets he places both hands, fingers down, on the ground just preparatory to the delivery of the ball by the bowler. It is’just a mannerism— just a superstition, perhaps, as with Jack Hobbs, who would always put his right pad on first.

Perhaps Ames is not aware that he even does it. If he does there is no doubt that he could not advance the slightest reason for it. Then there is burly Bill Voce, Watch Vose closely as he bowls and as he walks back each time you’ll tee him pluck a blade of grass. Goodness knows why he does it, for he no sooner plucks it than he casts it away. Another grass devotee is the JMawab ot Pataudi. “Pat” looks very serious in the field as he meditatively chews grass all the afternoon.

It is in the batting creases, however, that mannerisms are mostly revealed. Watch Sutcliffe as lie settles down at the crease. He is, perhaps, unique among first-class cricketers in that the blade of bis bat faces point as he goes to take strike, and then, as he slaps his bat on the block hole, he makes several snappy movements with his feet. There are a number of mannerisms that are essentially Sutcliffian. As he plays a non-productive forward shot he throws his right leg forward and crosses the bat across his shoulder with a graceful sweep. Watch Sutcliffe also as he runs leisurely between the wickets and you’ll notice that he carries his cherished blade fondly with two hands. . , , . „ Pataudi derived Ins nickname Pat from his name, and not from his antics at the wicket. Just as the bowler advances to the wicket the Nawab gives three sharp pats with his bat on the popping crease. There is another mannerism of I ataudi’s —a mannerism which Jack Hobbs possessed. As he waits for the ball to be delivered he instinctively cocks his right tOGS Hammond wriggles his bat a little as the bowler advances, but the most outstanding mannerism about the Gloucester man is the manner in which he screws and twists his right foot as he waits at the crease. Nearly all cricketers have some kind of mannerism or other. Most would probably laugh if they were accused of being superstitious, but, for the life of them, they wouldn’t fail to go through the manifold evolutions which become part and parcel of their cricketing makeup. They do it subconsciously.