CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 53

CRICKET.

It is reported that tho Now Zealand Cricket Council has received definite intimation that Lord Hawke will bring an amateur English team to tho colony no\.t summer. According to the rumour that i* current, the Cricket Council rc< cived a wire last week from Major Wardill, manager of the Australian team now in EnglanJ, stating that the Australians would vi%it New Zca'and in November n--i.fc and Lord Hawke's team in January, 1903, and thut to this the council, probably being doubtful as to its ability to finance two \ i-,its 111 0110 season, cabled back, '" Hawkc'n to.un only." It 15 strange that no official ; 11nounoement has yet been made by (lie council, for some days ha\e clap.-cd .»iinc these cables aic said to ha\ o pa.-3«'d uvr tho vnro?.

Kv-Hawke's Bay coach, Albert Trolt, i* f-poken of by an English authontj a-, one 01 the most formidable ali-rcund ciicketeis 111 tho -world.

Coincidence in connection with the. fomth fo-t: Ranjitainhji wa-» out to the swine howkr (Trumblc) in both first and second innings — r irst attempt resulted in llanji maki'ig 2. second 4. AI-o the Indian wa-> out in both inning* 111 tho sarr.e manner - Ibw. One Mould Jia^e thorp-hi tJu.t after putting-1-is foot in front to Trun:l)!f» in (ho first Millings of Eiig;li-.hsii<Mi llanjit-inliji would not have boe-n again gni'ty — not to Tuunble and not in tlio s-wiie. match.

Tail end of Ensjlf-h and Australian batting in '-ec-iit f m»rth t'^t mxtcli did not w us; to any great extent. An-tiali ui~' fir-t inning*, last h\c ba:s amazed 12: second 11111111141 same- luimber of baU knocked up 11. England—First innings, hist four bals 24 ; second inning*, la-t fi\o bats 15.

Publication of first-cljss cricket averagf-s in England in tho swond week 111 July showed that Au-'tialiau batsman Vn Trumper topped the jj>>H (4-5.24), with '■Ratiji" (44.25) 1 mine! -up In fir-t c-!a<-s bowling an Aut-traiiun al-a li<\-kl> the li-t 111 Hu^h Trumb!<\ with an .i\eni s .' c<«t of 825 ruin p?r wu kct. S. H:>ig'>, the Yorkshire bowler, comes ne\t with 975 nuis per v. lckct.

Advocates of playing tho lost matches to a fini-h have a strong argument 111 fa\our l>y \ irtuo of the focomc! test at Lords having suffered the fate of the first lest at Birmingham by being drawn through bad weather. Witting after the second test, an English authority stigested that the fifth test at Kennmgtun Ovnl, on August 11, be played to tho bitter cud. Any county contest, on which the c-lianipionship may be thought to depend, to be shifted to other dates if the enforced weakening of a team through county players being included in the test is considered likely to unfairly affect any particular county. The Australians have advocated the playmg-out of the games — Darling's remarks at the Surrey County dinner, — about the strongest ar guiuents against the innovation being the premium set upon dull cricket, the tendency to develop into a feat of endurance. How over, now that Australia has won the rubber it matter^ little whether the fifth tost i! played o\er the three days or not. Rumoured recently, m Auntialia that Hopkins, who is a member of the team nci 7 touring England, intends to turn professional, and play for Warwickshiie. Litley, the English wicketkeeper, is said to have been instrumental in securing the decision for Warwickshire. Mrs Hopkins (mother of the player), however, informs a Sydney uewߣaja>er man that she bad heard nothing

of the matter, and that it is hott believed that the rumour is groundless. There were two novel features in th© Marylobone Cricket. Club match against Notts, one being that the stumps were painted white, an experiment which did not meet with much approval. Ihe other novelty was that M.C.C. played a Jamaica native cricketer named Bryan. A cricketing policeman named Eastham, playing for Aecnngton and Church police again=t a strong side of gentlemen of Ac-cring-ton, recently performed the extraordinary feat of capturing six wickets with six successive balls; in all he took nine wickets for 7 runs. Eastbam often plays in Lancashire League matches, lepresenting the Church town club.

There teems to be little doubfc but that Lord Hawke will take a team of amateur cricketers out to New Zealand at the close of our present season. To an interviewer his Lordship has stated that negotiations Jiave b?en in progress between the ' New Zealand Cricket Council and himself, but that nothing lias been definitely settled. If a team went out. it would be on similar lines to tho?e which ho took to the West Indies, the travelling expenses and hotel bills being guaranteed, but nothing more. It was proposed to play nine matches, of which two would be against the combined strength of the North and South Islands. A good deal of sight-seeing would ba indulged in so far as New Zealand is concerned, but Australia would not be Mr C. B. Fry, the famous Engli&h cricketer, writing in the Daily Express, after the abandonment of tho first test match: — "It sounds artificial, but, h.v Hercules, the idea of covering up the wicket with a big tarpaulin is not po very unreasonable. Here are li men who hive come thousands of miles to play us at cricket. It rains, and they might just as well ha\c stayed at home. Thi* tarpaulin would mean that play could go mi nearly all the time rain is not actually falling. Tiie outfielding would be wet and slippery, but that would not matter so very much. * The ball would be greasy, but a square foot of flannel could bo need to dry it: and with resin and eawdust wo might inan.u;e. Of ronise, all this sounds odd; but a <}<•!» of summers of the kind in vogue at present will accustom U3 to greater o-lditipn "

Nothing has be,-n settled as yet wifrh referenoj to the suggested \isit to America of the Australians (say« "Wanderoi," in London Sportsman), Which is always, by the way, .1 pretty expensive item. The Association 01 Philadelphia!! Club 3 duly replied to tlie inquiries by the Major, but the letter was inexplicably delayed in reaching him. Tho American authorities are desirous of tho tour being opened at Philadelphia on Saturday. September 20, but as the colonials do not finish at Hastings till Wednesday, September 10, I don't quite soe how this can be managed. The tour would not be a leas? one. under the month, and the pai-ty migl't return via New Zealand. On. tha other hand, they ha\e a pressing invitation fr>»;n Wc&tovn Australia for a brief \icr <'.ivir>rr l*re:«i # uitle and two or three other t.r.vnahips and there 13 x feeling tha! tru~ be accepted, if possible.

A k ! -> «•«* at the list of captains who hay© led English teams against the Australians in England repeals the astonishing fact that in (e=t matchc3 alone W. G. Grace has filled t.hp position 13 time 3 from 1830 to the first te*t match in 18&9. He has led the Gont'cnon of Eugiund in all the seven mat die-;. M.C.C. and Giound 11 time 6, Lori Sliofße'd's eleven fiva timps, Orleans Club onoe, South of England 10 times, Gloucus-t.-r-'i •••■' 16 time*!, one English ele\cn at S'( uho rough, and nino <-cratch elevens. Wli.'.t a marvi>r.ou« record!

K\idt'ndy the Indu-i Prince i* not as popular as ho mod to be In the first test match M.iclaren was run out, and it is -eaiil it \\a<- Itanji's fault. The latter ga\o a i<>i><f. rainbl.ng account, which, su mmed vp ii. a feu words, is ttiHD ho backed up too fai, and Maclaren did likewise. Hill rc»11111 111 ned to the lattei's end and a wicket Ml.

An English authority, writing about his inn out incident, «ays that Rnnji was altoguthiv too anxioui — perhaps a ride, from his hotel in a motor car had disturbed his equal. iiiuty — and hio fii&t fccore \>aj> ar» overthrow when ho should have heen run out. Tli«n came the Maclaren mciS. Jt wafl ecrtam'y not the cantam's rail, and if tha iSito"\ skipper did not rail, lie questionably fstarlPil to run, which is \c-ry much the same thins*. Also, ho told Ins partner to go back, th-m^'i possibly Maelaren. who hesitated, or he would have regained liis crease, did thf >.\,(i(> tiling Of course A.C.M. was b<i.md to foel annoyed a.t Ihu* losing his wicket, aut! he looked it: but there is no f- initiation for th-^ i'liiiiu.ition that he spoke. hl-.h 1 -. mind a-, he parcel his partner Ho li «q.-<l li in. liow<~-\cr, to br» more c-arohil, tl 1111411 once or twice* after thi« F. 8. J;« kMm b:i'l to hold u;> his L.uid as a f-tead\nii<? ii'flii'Mn ■• o\.r tiio ti o impetuous Indian l*i 11. < .".