CRICKET. NOES BY SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 32

CRICKET.

NOES BY SLIP.

The play in the only Senior Cup match which was commenced last Saturday was distinctly dull. The wicket was certainly not fast, but it wag not so much in the bowlerß* favour as to excuse the Opoho team for being dismissed for 61 runs. M'Kenzie got the top score, but his cricket was by no means elegant, and Clark rattled up double figures, but the play of the others was slow and uninteresting, except on the part of Crawford, who shaped as if he were worth a good few.

The Dunedin started in a way which justified the belief that they might top the modest total realised by the Opoho. Though Clark was ab first unplayable by the batsmen, the firsb couple of overs from Wells, who varied long hops with full tosses, proved expensive. Philp scored off the latter with exceedingly vice leg glances, bub fell a victim to Clark. He has the makings of a good batsman, bub sadly wants patience. Fielden was unfortunate iv getting out to a mishit, Low lost his wicket through going for a hit, and Skitch threw his away. The others, with the exception of Kinvig, were very uncomfortable at the wickets and the innings closed for 42.

During the interval before the Opoho second innings was commenced, the spectators enjoyed the spectacle of four players in a match ou the second wickeb on the Cakdoiiian ground being dismissed in successive balls by the underhand grubbers of " Billy Hutcby," tho Albion veteran, whose success was as gratifying to himself as ib was amusing to the onlooker*. Upon the Opoho goiug in'a second time, White treated the bowlers to some nice, clean hitting, and Crawford ably seconded his efforts. The fielding on both sides was good — thab of the Dunedin team, for whom Skitchmade three good catches, particularly so — aud the smartness of the youug club's members between the wickets was noticeable.

The following cricket team has been chosen by Mr Ollivier to represent New Zealaud in the match against New South Wales at Lancaster Park on February 15 .— L. A. Cuff, H. De Maus, A. M. Labatt, J. D. Lawrence, W. Robertson (Canterbury), J. N. Fowke, I. Mills (Auckland), C. Gore, AT R. Holdship (Wellington), A. Downes, and J. C. Lawton (Obago). The Match Committee of the Otago Cricketers' Association have selected the following eleven torepres_nb Obago against New South Wales: — H Boddington, J.Baker, E. Currie, A. Clark, A. Downes, A. H. Fisher, F. Harper, J Hope, J. C. Lawton, H. MacNeil, W. Parker ; emergency — C. W. Rattray. The Hawke's Bay Cricket Association paid the New South Wales teacn £40 for playing at Napier. In the return match between New South Wales aud Victoria, played at Sydney, W. L. Murdoch scored 2 and 9.

The annual match between Melbourne and Sydney Universities, played at Sydney, was easily won by the visiting team. The Melbourne team scored 411 (Alsop 161, D. M'Leod 97, Philpobt 65) and Sydney 205 (Rolison 46, Rubber not out 34, White 33) and 167 (Terrey 98). The Tapanui cricketers are fairly holding their own on the Tapanui ground this season against other country clubs. They met Waikoikoi on Saturday week and won easily by 85 ruus on the first inning 3, the scores being :—: — Tapanui 135 (Hendtie 31, De Lautour 17, Menzies not out 17, Hassall 15, Mason 15, Topham 11, Rodger 11), Waikoikoi 50 (Nicol 17, Boosey 17) and 54 tor three wicketß (Boosey not out 36). The stand made by De Maus and Labatt for Canterbury against New South Wales realised 117 runs — exactly the number put on in the partnership of R. Blacklock and Holdship for Wellington on bhe preceding Saturday. J. Heap, who played for the Carisbrook Club in their two most recent Cup matches, left Dunedin by the Melbourne steamer on Thursday last en route for Great Britain. A Wellingbon cricketer sends me the following notes: — "The strength of the New South Wales team undoubtedly lies in its batting, as I am sure the bowling on the good wickets of Lancaster Park will be severely bandied " (this was written before the Canterbury match). " In my humble opinion the bowling of the last Sydney team was vastly superior to this, but I think the fielding of the present eleven is better:"

The heavy rain which fell during last week — particularly on Friday— left its mark on the Cdrisbrook ground, portions of which were under water on Saturday. For this reason the Senior Cup matches between the Cariabrook A and Grange and the Carisbrook B and Albion teams could not be commenced. There seemed a prospect during the forenoon, when the sun was shining out brightly and a drying wind was blowing, that the ground might be just fib for play, bub the wicket would have given Downes a rare opport unity. '"It will be chucking the Cup at the Grange" if we play this afternoon," said a prominent member of the Carisbrook A team on Saturday morning, and he was unquestionably right. The Sydne.y Referee has set itself to correct the impression that the New South Wales team now in Maoriland is a representative second eleven of the colony. It quotes a New Zealand paper to this effecb : — " Ib is quite evident that the coming team will be practically the next cloven after the first of the sister colony, and those who know anything about representative teams are aware how slight a difference there generally is between the first eleven of a country and tLe next best team." The Referee then says :—": — " It is by no means the second eleven of N.S.W., and there is a very wide difference between it 3 strength aud that of our best team." J. Davies, the captain of the New South Wales players, asserts on the other hand that the supposition thah the team is a very secondrate one is altogether erroneous. "By all means," he said to »n interviewer in Christchurch, "di c abuse the publis of that idea. Our team is, in my opinion, strong enough to tackle the best tenni our colony could produce ; and would, I think, only suffer defeat in such case by a few wickets. Every man in the team is well up in firtt-class cricket in Sydney."

Commenting on the Australian Eleven troubles, the London Referee says :—": — " Our late Australian cricket visitor friends might have done better to wash their dirty linen at home instead of making newspaper copy out of bhe business. That the colonial team's composition was of a sorb like oil aud vinegar, wh'ch will never mix so as to bleud unless in the hands of a skilful salad makfr, was no st crefc. Nor was it that they did nob bring a gifted mixer with them, nor a man like some we recollect, who, right or wrong, would have his way. History tells ns that in most such teams it took all the manager's lime to accommodate matters among the players, because each thought his opinion entitled to quite as much respect; as the captains's or the executive committee's. Very likely the independent members were competent judges, but to run an eleven satisfactorily there must be deference to tome constituted authority, so that separa* c members will readily adopt the manager's instructions and back him

up. Wituout enlarging on the abories told at horne — their horne — by these cricketers, may I make use of the civil wars and rumours of civil wars so furnished to point out how much betber all these expeditions might be managed if run on the lines I so often suggested — viz., as the joiut enterprise of English clubs and colonial associations or clubs, who could invest one or more individuals with Dual power to command required obedience ? " The team chosen to represent Otago against New South Wales includes three players who did nob play against Auckland, these being Harper, Clark, and Currie. The places which they take were filled by Bell, Johnston, and Croxford in the match sgainsb the northern beam. Bell is not available on the present occasion, and Johnston is so obviously out of form that ib is not surprising to find that he has lost his place. The inclusion of Harper and Clark undoubtedly improves the team. The Aucklanders found the bowling in Otago better than that of any of the other teams they met, and in this department the local team is strengthened by the addition of Clark, while if the bowling is at all loose the ex-Sydneyite and Harper may both be expected to punish ib severely. The substitution of Carrie for Croxford in the team was fully expected. The Albion colt is Croxf ord's superior at the wickets at the present time, and takes the ball clearly on the leg as well as on the off side, whereas Croxford not only is content to stop a lot of the bowling with his pads, but is careless in receiving reburns from the field. He has the pull over Currie as a batsman, however, and keeps a cool head ab a pinch. Currie has his spurs to win, and if he should come off well in the approaching match, his success will be gratifying to me. I am afraid, however, that ho will be troubled with the nerves. At a meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association on Monday it was decided to communicate with Mr Davis re a return match with New South Wales. It was decided that the Wellington team should include country representatives, and the Selection Committee in picking the team was instructed to take iuto consideration the names of Lusk, Wolstenholme, aud Bruce of Napier, and M'Donough of Taranaki. The selection of the New Zealand team was discussed, and the following resolution passed :—: — " That this association regrets that Mr Ollivier in making his selection of Wellington representatives for the New Zealand team took the advice of irresponsible persons rather than that of this association's Selection Committee." The secretary was instructed to writo to the Canterbury Association asking them to fix the date of their match with Wellington ia Wellington either before Easter or on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Easter Monday.

The first New Zealand representative team has been picked, and by this time Mr Ollivier's selection has, I doubt not, been pulled to pieces all over the colony. And yet ib is only about the last two or three places that there can be any contention, for nearly every one who has picked a team for his own satisfaction — and ever so many teams have been so chosen — will be found to have given places to Mills, Fowke (Auckland), Holdship (Wellington), Cuff, Da Maus, Labatt (Canterbury), Lawton and Downes (Otago). The other three places, which Mr Ollivier has given to Gore (Wellington), Lawrence and Robertson (Canterbury), are the ones about which there will have been much difference of opinion. Neill (Auckland), R. Blacklock, Cross, Niven, W. Frith (Wellington), Wolstenholme (Hawke's Bay), and Stiles (Nelson) have all had places awarded to them by different amateur selectors.

The fact that Canterbury supplies five representatives to the team will, of course, be severely commented upon in some quarters. Is it, however, unreasonable that Canterbury should contribute such a large proportion. The plain fact of the matter is that, so far as the batting element of the New Zealand team is concerned, we must, on this season's play, look to Canterbury. The Canterbury team is such a strong batting eleven that its own strength at the wickets does nob admit of much improvement, and it is only by the inclusion of batsmen of exceptional skill, such as Mills and Holdship, and players who combine batting powers with bowling proficieucy such as Lawton, that Mr Ollivier was justified in selecting from the other provinces. Fowke's claims for inclusion as wicketkeeper were incontestable. To* my mind the surprise of the selection is the inclusion in the batting department of Gore, of Wellington, whose play hardly warrants, I should fancy, his being chosen before Blacklock or others I could name.

If anything, the bowling of the New Zealand team has been sacrificed to the batting strength, and I am disappointed at nob finding the name of R. Neill, of Auckland, in the team. Mr Ollivier has probably passed over him because of his failure in the match between the Aucklanders and Canterbury, in which he only took one wicket for 82 runs, bub he came out with a good average for the Auckland tour, and since then he has bowled well against the New South Welshmen at Auckland, his six wickets costing about 12 runs apiece. lam sorry he has been passed over, because I cannot regard the New Zealand team as sufficiently strong in bowling. Robertson did so well both against Auckland and against New South Wr a l es — though I decline to believe that the wicket last Saturday on Lancaster Park did nob favour the bowler— that Mr Ollivior could not overlook him. He is a bowler pure and simple, and cannot be reckoned on for a single run. The other bowlerß are Downes and Lawton, with Labatt, DeMaus, Cuff, and Holdship to ring the changes on. Ib may be rank heresy to say so, but I consider Downea is not worth his place as a bowler on Lancaster Park. Mr Ollivier was probably impressed by Downes's recent performance against Auckland and by the declaration of the Auckland team that he is the best bowler in the colony, but experience has proved in the past that he is not deadly on the Christchutch wickets. He played at Lancaster Park for Otago in 1889, 1891, and 1893, and delivered in all 500 balls (35 maidens) for 195 runs and niLe wickets. An average of over 21 runs per wickeb is nob sufficionfcly good, I think. While lam more than doubtful as to the wisdom of including him, I am certain of this, that if the match were being played in Dunedin Downes should be absolutely the first player picked for a Now Zealand team, for, as a Christchurch writer has remarked, he is at times unplayable on southern wickets Having said this much, I only desire at present to add that I am very sorry Mr Olli vier's selection had to be made before Obago played New South Wales, as otherwise Clark might have got a place in the New Zealand team. The batting of De Maus for Canterbury last Friday is thus referred to iv the Press : — "His 113 was a performance to be proud of, for he met the bowling when at its best, and when the bowlers had just got rid of three of the best men for next to nothing. He gave a difficulb chance at the wickets when he had made 9, but after this he left no loophole for the Australians, His defence was very sound, the way he used bis height in smothering Austin's slow breaks being admirable. His hitting also was as good as ib always is, his off-driving and forward cutting frequently ' bringing down the house.' The only blemish oo his performance, except the.

chance referred to, was his running between wickets. He ran Labatt out badly, for although the run was a sharp one, De Maus should have responded to Labatt's double call, especially as he had sent the ball to third man, and Labatt was himself taking the risk of a close run." A correspondent of the Evening Post ia Wellington, writing on Saturday with regard to the selection of the Wellington contingent for the proposed inter-colonial cricket match at Christchurch, thought everyone would admit that all difficulties had been removed since the New South Wales men had actually played Wellington. He went on to say : "It is quite apparent that we can only expect to get three men into the New Zealand team, and no one will hesitate in selecting for the first and second places Mr R. V. Blacklock and Mr A. R. Holdship, and, for my own part, I can see no just reason for denying the third place to Mr R. O. Niven, as the wicket-keeper for the New Zealand Eleven." The italics are mioe. The modesty of the writer ib too charming. He is desperately disingenuous, however, when, in order to bolster up Niven'a claims, he compares that player's batting powers with Fowke's, he says : "It will be seen that Mr Fowke against Wellington and New South Wales scored something like 11 runs in six innings, while in the same matches Mr Niven scored about 36 runs for only four innings, daring one of which, at Auckland, ha was partially disabled." He conveniently overlooks the fact that against Otago and Canterbury Fowke scored 74- runs in only one completed innings, and that in the urat innings against Canterbury he was almost totally disabled— so much disabled that he could not bat at all in the second innings. The conduct of tke New South Wales team in the field seems, to say the least of it, to be somewhat peculiar— judging from the Press, which thus caustically "goes for " them : " The older Australian colonies are with justice accustomed to regard us as their inferiors in cricket, and when they found the Canterbury team making such a good stand against them they apparently got somewhat demoralised. This demoralisation was made evideut not by any nervous and panic-stricken play, but by a certain amount of bickering and chattering in the field, which we aro glad to say is a novelty in New Zealand cricket. This was, of course, not very evident to the spectators, but we get our information from not a few of our batsman. Our men are accustomed to take their places in the field according to the directions of their captain without audible objections, and we contend that it is eminently unsportsmanlike to question the wisdum of the captain's directions, and even for a moment to appear to defy his authority. But some of our batsmen appear to have another grievance on the score of manners against the New South Wales team. They say that some of them were treated to a certain amount of chaff and barracking from the field when the latter considered the bitting unreasonably Blow and cautious or otherwise unsatisfactory to them. We are not disposed to make too much of this. In New Zealand we do not think such conduct to be good form, nor do we think it good form to raise a chorus of laughter when an opponent is dismissed from the field, or to question an umpire's decision, and put conundrums to him respecting it, especially if it be done in a would-be comic manner, with a desire to raise a laugh against him. But we do not think these complaints should bo made too much of. The conduct complained of did not harm our players. Possibly some of the young men on our side are not only too sensitive, but lack experience of the great world of cricket. Many of them are young, and have only got their experience in Canterbury, or perhaps in England in various amateur, university, and public school clubs, and lack the larger experience which as leading players of Australia our visitors must have had themselves, both perBonally and from contact with eminent and much travelled Australian cricketers. Possibly, also, our players lack sufficient of the sense of humour to enjoy as they should the subtleties of Australian wit." An elegant silver bowl (without handles) on an eboniied stand has been given to A. E. Stoddart by the Middlesex Club, in recognition of the fine form he displayed during last season, and of the valuable services ho thereby rendered to his county. Of Mr Stoddart it may be justly said that he not only deserves well of his county, but his country — ror has he not captained England both at cricket and football? On the stand which supports the bowl the following inscription appears : "Presented to Andrew Ernest Stoddart by the Middlesex County Cricket Club, in appreciation of his splendid cricket for the county in 1893 " ; on the bowl itself are recorded Mr Stoddarb's BcoreB — three figures, each of them— against Notts and Surrey, and his total runs and averages for Middlesex last season. The Northern defeated the Star by seven wickets and 1 run. Scores : Northern, 27 (C. Harris 8, F. Rowlatt 8) and 16 for three wickets (E. Rowlatt not out 7) ; Star, 27 (R. Bennett 15 not out) and 14 (J. Armstrong 5). E., F., and T. Rowlatt bowled well for the winners, as did A. Walker and R. Bennett for the losers. The Midland defeated the United by 2 runs. Scores : Midland, 20 and 45 (Fleming 18 not out and T. Cameron 11); United, 19 and 44 (Kerr 16, Hamilton 11). Brown (with six wickets for 8 runs) and Jackson (four for 8) bowled well for the winners, and Mullins (five wickets for 3 runs) bowled well for the losers. The Rosebuds defeated Carlton on the Exhibition ground by 65 runs. Scores : Rosebuds, 44- and 102 (J. Wright 20 and J. Wilkie 46 not out) ; Carlton, 34 and 47 (C. Reid 16). Clifton defeated Midland Second by eight wickets. In the match Dunedin Third v. Albion Third R. Crawford, playing for the Albion, scored 103 not out. The Albion declared their innings closed, but failed to get rid of their opponents before the call of time. It is reported that Robertson, the Canterbury bowler, will go to Sydney as a professional. He has lost nearly all his fingers on his left hand, but his right hand clearly has a certain amount of cunning. The Balfour Cricket Club paid their return visit to Mandeville on Saturday last, when they played the local club. The wicket was soft owing to the heavy rain which fell in the morning. The Mandeville team, captained by A. G. Bell, went first to the wickets, and were disposed of for 26 runs (G. Beecot 7). W. Gee (the Riversdale captain) secured five wickets for 6 runs, and W. Purdue, who has distinguished himself at Luimden this season, got two for 13. It was expected that Balfour would soon run up this total, as they were reckoned to be 6troog ia batting, but owing to the fiae bowling of C. M. and A. G. Bell, and the good fielding of the Mandeville team, they could only score 18 runs, W. Gee (5) and W. W. Thompson (5) being the top scorers. C. M. Bell captured seven wickets for 5 runs, and A. G. Bell three for 10. M>»ndeville in their second innings scored 48, J. Beecot making 13, D. Manson 9, and G. Beecot 8. W. Ree took two wickets for 18, W. Purdue three for 12, R. Makepeace two for 3. and D. Walker none for 9. The visitors, who weie captained by R. Makepeace, could only pub on 28 in their second venture, J. Hawke claiming 9 and T. Reidy 8. To C. M. Bell five wickets fell for 15 runs, A. G. Bell again taking three for IQ, Mandeville,

thus won by 28 runs. The visitors were entettained at Henderson's Hotel by tho local club.