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Otago Witness, Issue 2244, 4 March 1897, Page 21

NOTES BY SLIP.

*. • The gratitude of all lovers of cricket iv Otago is due to Messrs R»ttray, Baker, Fisher, Downes, Kinvig, Johnston, Bpraggon, Clarke, Hope, Liggins, and Haydon for the splendid battle, fortunately crowned with victory, which they fought in what will always be the memorable contest with Canterbury that was ended on' Saturday afternoon last iv Christchurcb. No such brilliant victory has ever before been gained by Otago, and the records of cricket in New Zealand will be searched in vain for another instance of an important match in which one side, after being left by the opening day's play in an apparently hopeless position, •rfeceeded after all, by dint of good batting, splendid bowling, and keen fielding, in achieving a signal viotory. The Otago representatives have imparted a lustre to Otago oricket such as perhaps it never before enjoyed. Worthily upholding the traditions of the race to whioh they belong and refusing to recognise defeat when ib Btared them in the face, they displayed a pluok and determination that proved quite irresistible and that reflected infinite credit upon them. ■* . ' One particularly gratifyiug feature of the play of the Otago team was the fact that each member of it vindicated his selection by the match committee of the local asscciation, and acquitted himself ably. Nine out of the eleven scored double figures in ona-or other of the innings — eight' of them doing so in thfe second innings — and of the other two Hope rendered such fine service with the ball in Canterbury's first innings, when Fisher, suffering from a bad cold contracted by him on the journey up on the miserably wet Wednesday of last week, was unable to do himself justice, that one shudder* to think what the Otago team would hava done without tbe assistance of the second Carisbrook bowler. As for R\ttray, although he neither scored doubles nor bowled — nor fielded for that matter, through no fault of his own, on the lecond and third days — he played a very serviceable invings on the first day, just stopping short of double figures, and by his cheer mess he inspired his men with that confidence the presence of whioh is a valuable commodity on the cricket field, and the absence of which is fatal, as witness the second innings of Canterbury. .* . * It is nearly always possible to trace a similarity between one cricket match nnd another, and to a certain point a dutinot eimi- I larity can be traced between the match at Lancaster Park last week and the match between Canterbury and Otago two yean ago, on almost precisely the same dates, on the same ground. In each "instance the match was commenced on a slow, drying wicket, but in 1895 Cuff, who then captained Canterbury, decided, with less acumen than Wheatley showed, to send his opponents into the field. They did not remain there long, for Fisher and Downes dismissed the home eleven for 46 — the same total, curiously enough, as that for which the same bowlers dismissed the Canterbury Eleven last Saturday, but the achievement on thit most recent occasion was a much more notable one, for it was accomplished on a batsman's wicket. Then in 1895 the Obago Eleven headed the Canterbury score in the first innings by 96 rum —the majority, by a remarkable coincidence, being exactly the same as that which the Canterbury Eleven secured last week over Otago's first innings total. In 1895 the Canterbury Eleven made a good recovery in the second innings, but here it is that the parallel fails, for the recovery was not nearly so complete as that made by Obago in 1897, and O ;ago did in 1895 what their opponents failed to do in 1897 —they scored in their second innings the number of runs they required to make in order to | win. j • . • The total of 290 which the Otago Eleven made in their second innings last week is, ib is interesting to note, the highest score which an Otago team has ever made against Canterbury. It just falls short, indeed, of being half as much again as the highest total previously scored by Otago in the long series of matches with our northern neighbours. That total' was 200 dead, and it was twice registered. The first occasion was at Christchurch in January 1889, when the score mentioned was made in the second innings, F. Harper being the chief contributor with 69 ; but the team had failed completely in the first hands, scoring 47 only, and they suffered an innings defeat. The s;cond ocoa■ion on which an Obago te%m scored 200 against Canterbury was at Carisbrook in February 1894, and it was then the first inniDg* total, the local team winning as a matter of fact by 10 wickets. On that occasion, as on the beforementioned one, the highest scorer was Harper, who subscribed 41, several others getting double j figures. •*. • The Otago cricketers, by the brilliant victory obtained over Canterbury ou Saturday afternoon, have given this province, for the first time since 1876, the lead in point of victories in the series of interprovincial matches with Canterbury. In 1889 the Canterbury cricketers had 16 matches to their credit and Ota;o had only 10, but since that year the players re pro- - senting this province have won eight of the nine matches that have taken place, the result of last week's contest making Obsgo's total of victories 18 to Canterbury's 17. With the exception of Liggins, who returned by steamer on Sunday, the members of the Otago tevn arrived by the north express on Monday night, and were accorded a fitting reception, not only because they have won what was felt on both sides of the Waitaki to be an especially important match, bub also in recognition of the Splendid recovery they made after the first day's play, when they appeared to occupy a hopeless position, and of their having achieved a signal victory after the chances seemed to point to their being easily beaten. • * . ■ Each of the Christchurch papers on Monday morning generously congratulated the Otago team on the victory they had gained. The Press said :—": — " For years Otago has been playing an uphill game ia wiping off Canterbury's majority of wins on the cricket field, and she hat at last placed the odd game to her credit, after the most meritorious win, and certainly one of the most remarkable games ever played between the two provinces. The three days' play may be summed up thus : First Aot, Canterbury leads handsomely ; Second Act, Ofcago recovers the lost ground ; Third Aot, collapse and utter discomfiture of Canterbury. This would read like a bib of romance were it not that in cricket nothing should occasion surprise. However, those who •re fond of knotty problems will find ample food for reflection in their endeavours to account for the collapse. The spectators deserve the most sympathy. It is not the first time they have gone to Lancaster Park and, teen the home team fail in a task that should nob have been at all difficult. However, on Saturday they were spared much suspense, for Fisher gava them little time in which to enlarge Jbheir hopes; indeed, the procession was bo regular that ifc made the proceedings appear almoifc ludicrous, and while someone on the Stand gave expression to his feelings by whistlio« tbe Dead March. *n old sport at the back of

the reporters' gallery declared that Otago should be prosecuted for running stiff the first day. . . . Little need be said about Canterbury's batting in the second innings. Wheatley and De Maus raised the hopes of their supporters sat the start, although De Maus appeared completely at sea for some time, but on Fisher taking the ball from Hope the wickets fell almost as fast as the runs came, and the whole ten wiokets were captured within the space of a little over an hour. F.sher sent some of his very best balls down, and those who have played him know what that means. Most of his men were clean bowled and fairly beaten, and his performance will long be remembered by those who saw it. The fielding of the Otago men was again all that could be desired, and during the short time they were in the firld they threw no runs away. There were over 1000 spectators present during the afternoon, and, to their credit b3 ib said, they recognised Otago's fine play handsomely, and when the ! men returned to the pavilion three cheers for i Fisher and three cheers for Otago were enthusi- | astically given." i • . * The Lyttelton Times had the following j in its report of the matel : — ''The somewhat j heroic uphill fight of the Otago men was amply j rewarded oa Saturday afternoon with a highly creditable aud meritorious viccory, and the ' result of the play in the whole match goes to ! settle the previously somewhat involved point ' a« to which was th« better of the two teams, i Obago'i victory was a f*ir and square one, and ! was obtained- by superior all-round cricket. They beat Canterbury in batting, bowling, and fielding — in the list department especially, — and won without any assistance from Dime Fortune. In fact whatever luck was experienced fell to the share of the local team. Saturday's play placed a very dark stain upon Canterbury's escutcheoo, and was very disappointing to her supporters ; but all true sportsmen were enthusiastic in praise of the play of the southern men, and ib was gratifying to notice that they were heartily cheered by the spectators at the finish of the game. No team ever won a match more deservedly or worked harder without relaxing an effort after a bad start, and Mr Rattray and hi* plucky and determined men will be long remembered I in connection with the remarkable 1 897 match, i . . . No possible excuse can be advanced for the utter rout of Canterbury. Obago's bowling was good, but not utterly overpowering on a good wicket and in a good light, and there is hardly any doubt that a funk set in when Fisher bowled Wheatley and Reese in two successive balls, and that it continued and extended until the fini»h." - . * The same piper devoted au editorial to the result of the match, in which the following remarks were made :—": — " The first thing to be done in connection with the cricket match which came to such an abrupt conclusion at Lancaster Park on Saturday afternoon is to congratulate the Obago players upon^jtheir splendid performance. With all the worst of the luck, they gave an exhibition of dogged determination and sterling crioket which will make their victory long remembered by every local lover of the game. Each man showed himself worthy of the occasion, and Otago may well be proud of a team that has established her supremacy in Ihe cricket field beyond a shadow of doubt. As for Canterbury, oue is tempted to wish that she could hide her diminished head ; bub ib will be better, perhaps, to frankly admit that her cricket has been living for some years on the reputation it won a couple of decades ago. We have had during that time individual players who have by their exceptional skill assisted in ksoping up the delusion that ib was only the old fogies, who did not understand the method! of the now school, that suspected the decadence of Canterbury cricket. Bub the representative exponents of the game have gone from bad to worse, -until they have at last reached a degree of inferiority that is evident to every observer. Their exhibition ou Friday and Saturday was simply deplorable. They could, with one or two conspicuous exceptions, neither make runs nor take wicknts nor hold catohes. Aud the worst of it is that their apologists attribute all ! this to sheer funk. Any other defect mighb be repaired ; this one is hopeless. Three-fourths of the team were seized with a fright which prevented them doing anything they were •elected to do. "They could play a splendid gaqpe to long as they were winning, but directly they were seriously challenged they collapsed like a lob of timid schoolgirls." * . * Here we are in what should bs the last month of the cricket season, with the second Canterbury match gloriously over, and no date has yet been fixed for the Southland match, which falls to b9 played in Dunediu this season. Let me remind the Otago Cricket Association that there is no racing this year in Dunedin on Anniversary Day, the 23rd March. That day, being a'holiday, surely suggest! itself as a suitable date for one of the days of the match. * . * Let me also impress upon the local association the ab olute necessity for sending the Otago team north nexb season. Visits from Otago cricketers are due to Auckland, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington, and the first of nexb season's home-and-home m itches with . Canterbury will have to be played iv Christchurch. These four matches would form a sufficiently extensive programme. I would suggest that ib is desirable even ab this early period to determine that such a trip should be made duriog the Christmas and New Year holidays of next season. If timely intimation of the intention to send a team north were 'given cricketers with a chance of being selected would be careful nob to spoil their prospects of going by applying for ho'idays in the interval between now and then. * . ' H. H. Massie seems to have regained much of the form which made him such a terror to bowlers in the early eighties. In two matches played within a recent fortnight the veteran has twice passed the csntur?. • . • The death is announced at Coolgardie — 1 the burial placs of so many athletes from the j East — of J. T. Cottam, who was iv 1890 a I member of the first N.S.W. team in New Zealand, with which he compiled the highest individual innings and also the greatest aggregate. ! ' . • The Marylebone C.C. played 178 matches last season, no fewer than 100 being won, whilst only 39 were lost and the remaining 39 drawn. A. E. Trofcb made .more runs than anyone for the clvb — viz., 1350, at an average of 29 16. • . • For an illustration of what a cricketer should aot be commend me to the example of F. Walters, formerly of Melbourne and now of Sydney. At the beginning of this season he captained South Sydney, but in two matches withdrew his team from the field immediately their tobal was passed. For the South Sydney Club's lasb match the team chose Harry Donnan as fcheii: captain in place of \Valters, who thereupon left the ground and Took no part in the play. * . " The testimonial by Englishmen to the veteran cricketer, C. Absoloa, amounted to £126. and w*» presented to him at a dinner at the Holbora Restaurant on December 16. The recipienc is sometimes confounded in the colonies with the C. A. Absoloin who was a member of Lord Harris's team in Australia iv 1888-9. Me C, Absolon, who it au uncle of Me W.

' Absolon Smith, of Dunedin, will be 80 years of age next May, and is identified with Middlesex. Mr C. A. Absolom, who was associated with Kent, died in 1889 at the age of 43 year*. ' .'. ' With reference to the expected visit of • the Indian Prince to Australia next se\son, the , following paragraph from the London Sports- , man is interesting :—": — " Although I understand that Prince Ranjit-inbji's visit to Australia nexb autumn may be regarded (in the absence of unforeseen circumstances) as a certainty, the use that hai been made with equal sign of authority of the name of F. S Jackson has been dove without such ' hall mark.' Nor are the remarks as to the other likely members of the party more than mere guesswork, while Mr Sboddart asserts -that he never invited J. T. Hearne to form one of his Ksb team, so that it is a bib difficult; to sje hew the famous young Middlesex bowler could have * declined.' " • . • A hit of 133 yds lfb from hit to pitch was made by Lyons at Adelaide on the other Saturday when playing for Norwood against North Adolaide. This bib has, "Pjint" rennrks, raisad the question of record hit*. Lyous's authenticated reoord U 143 yd« 2fo for * hit he made ab Lord's against Middlesex in 1893. but at practice he h«8 Henb the b*ll much farther. The record, so far as one o»n ascertain, is held by C. I. Thornton, the greatest of English hibters, who, saya W. J. Ford, "once drove a ball 163yd8 and a few beggarly fees and inches. " Thornton, by the way, once in au innings of 109 ab Scarborough scored more sixes th»n singles. Iv another match Thornton had nine balls. Off eight of them he scored seven 4'« and a 6, the ninth disposing of him. ■ . * "Felix," of tho Australasian, encountered Syd. Donahoo in Melbourne as the latter was on his way back with tbe Queensland team. H*i Fays: — "One New Zealander who took Syd.'a fancy very much is Cuff, who is a batsman of th»» vigorous typ? aud an all-rouud athlete of distinction. Syd has a high opinion of a young batsman named Sims, who has a pretty style and cubs both square and late in the neatest manuer. All round the wicket Sims has good strokes, and Syd. would like to see him in Melbourne against strong teams for a season or two. De Ma'tf, too, is a sound and takiug batsman, bub Fisher, the bowler of wham the Aintraliau warn spoke mo highly, did not perform in a way to win glowing commendation from the Queenslanders." If Donahoo had seen Fisher bowling against the Auitralians, or lasb Saturday against Canterbury, instead of in a match in which he was shockingly supported both at the opposite end and in the field, he might have expressed a different opinion. • . •At a recent mesbing of the New South Wales Cricket Association the treasurer moved that a sum of lOgs be voted to each member of ! the successful intercolonial ,team of 1896 97. The idea, as expressed by the seconder of the resolution, was to give the men " something to wear on their watchchains." After some disoussion, the motion was rejected en the c&sting vote of the chairman. Thereupon the mover rose and formulated a rtfjolution instructing the press not to report the matter. Mr J. M. Gibson, however, proved a sufficiently strong chairman, and he refused to accept the resolution. In this he was supported by Mr E. J. Bciecse and several others. Mr Briscoe said the association ought not to be aahamed of having its doings reported, and ceally, uuder the circumstances, ib looked as if bha treasurer were ashamed of having proposed the vote. This is (the Daily Telegraph says) nob the fitsb time that this sorb of thing has occurred. At the previous meeting the press were asked nob to record some discu*sion whioh ensued over a pecuniary claim made by a prominsnt player, and out of consideration to the player concerned the request was complied with. This seems to have been taken an a precedent. The treasurer evidently forgot that the association is a public body, drawing ifcs revenue from the public shilling. However, the officers of the association apparently make a point of withholding information from any section of the press that does not indincriminately flatter their efforts. But this policy of searesy cannot fail to acb in the end to their own detriment. • . • A. E. Stoddart's cricket team are expected to leave England by the P. and O. steamer that sails from London on September 9.->