NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 60

NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

Noble, the Australian captain, who ought to know, is of the opinion that the present steam is the strongest batting and best fielding side that has ever left Australia. The Australian cricketers made themselves particularly agreeable during their short stay in Dunedin last week, and more than one of us will retain pleasant memories of their visit. The writer was struck with their modesty of demeanour; there was no attempt to impress one that they were jneinbers of that world-famous combination —the Australian Eleven.

The three Otago representatives, Graham, Siedeberg, and Fisher, who have been chosen in the New Zealand team, leave for Christohurcli on Thursday. Much interest will be iaken in their appearance, especially after the poor form shown here against the Australians. All three know exactly th.c calibre of the men they will •be opposing, and we may take if for granted that they will do their best to bring back some of the cricket honour so recently refted from us by the Australians. It was, I understand, the intention of the local association to have sent a team iound the island next year if matters in connection with the Australian match had turned out satisfactorily, but the trip is not now likely to eventuate. The long arm of coincidence again. Mr Harry Musgrove, the manager of the last iA.ustra)ian team which toured New Zealand |n 1896, is at present in Dunedin. He Arrived on Saturday by the Moeraki, the while the Australian Eleven of 1905 was ?'doing things" to an Otago team on Caristrook's historic heath.

Out of consideration for the Otago Centre's »thleiio meeting on the Carisbrook Ground Saturday, all cricket matches have been postponed. Tho following Saturday will fee© the conclusion of the Senior Grade fixtures.

It was intended to have played off the imfinished match between Carisbrook A and |B teams on Anniversary Day, but I understand from the secretary that a prior engagement with a Waikouaiti eleven at parisbrook for March 23 will occupy the fett«ntion vi a Carisbrook eleven on tbat nata.

Amongst the visiting cricketers present in Dunedin last week to see the Australian match was Mr Wilson, the well-known Southland and ex- Victorian cricketer. The writer advocated strongly for Mr Wilson's inclusion in the Otago eleven to meet the Australians. The ex-Victorian, -with his knowledge and experience of the game, would have been just the type iequircd on the Otago side. It is possible, hoy. ever, that he. too, may have been dismissed for a small score, but there is just this to be said, that Wilson would have gone out with at least a firm bat. Noble, the Australian captain, interviewed, speaking of Australian bowlers, says : We rarely bowl at a man's stumps ; we try to •'drag" him out. We don't think auy thing of giving him three balls on the off to crack to the boundary so as to induce him to hit another which appears to be going to pitch in the same spot, but which fs deceptive, and drops a- bit short. Then if he hits at it, it pro 1 ably goes up. Another point is to leave your outfield bare to induoa a man to hit there, and then change the disposition of the field. Wherever they have been, the Australians have told the "village green" cricketers that what they want to improve their cricket is better wickets, and to get better wickets they should import Bulli soil. At present New Zealand cricketers, from Auckland to the Bluff, are talking "Bulli." It seems to me that if you tipped all the Bulli soil in Australia into New Zealand "t would not make cricketers. What we want is a season of Indian summer, extending from October to March, in which to play the game; and more interest taken in the practices than is at present the case. 1 feel sure that one of the principal reasons for the failure of our cricketers in the game is the execrable weather which is our portion during the season of the year devoted to the pastime

The receipts for the two days — Friday and Saturday— of the Ausfcralian-Otago match last wes'c amounted to £175 and £153 respectively. Tickets sold outside are exj-ected to realise anoiher £20, but it is feared there will be a loss over the match of something £50. For this unsatisfactory state of affairs the wretched cricket display of the local side is alone i esponsible. Had Otago succeeded on the first day in putting up 150, or thereabouts, against the visitors, with Trumper and Duff playing out time overnight, there would have been no cause for complaint at the attendance on Saturday. As matters turned out, Otago was spread-eagled in a trifle over the hour' on the first day, and six Australian wickets, including those of Trumper and Duff, were down at the drawing of stumps the same evening. The bottom having been knocked out of the match, it was surprising, when the opposition in the racing at Forbury is taken into consideration" that there were so many people pre&ant on the second day.

One of the most interesting personages at the Otago-Australian match last week was that ancient of cricket days, Dick Nelmes, who played against the first English team which visited Otago in 1864. The veteran was one of the first on the ground on Saturday morning, and took his turn bowling at the nets to several of the Otago team before the game started. Nothing pleased the old fellow more than his introduction to Noble, and 1 when the Australian captain consented to bowj him down a few, his delight knew no bounds. Here, be it said, that for a veteran of 70 or thereabouts he shaped none too badly. By the way, the veteran will probably recall the arrival of that famous English team of "64, which included amongst others, Lockyer, Parr, Dr Grace, Hayward, Jackson, Caffyn, Carpenter, and Tarrant. Mr Caffyn thus describes the team which arrived^ at Port Chalmers on January 31 1864: "We landed off a small steadier called the Alhambra. and took the first opnorfcunity of inspecting a Maori settlement at Port Chalmers. We had some rare fun with George ?arr, whom we presented to the Maori chief as 'our king.' The Natives were delighted with our captain's appearance, especially the chief, who took a great fancy to him. He kept following George about wherever he went. 'Don't leave me, for goodtaess' sake !' George said to sev-aral of us. I don't half like the look of this fellow !' After George was presented with a mat and made a 'chief he had to go through the ceremony of kissing all the Maori women, which he did, but was afraid the native gentlemen might 'turn awkward' about it. The next day we started from Port Chalrr.crs for Dunedin in a coach an.-l six driven by a famous coachman called 'Cab-bage-tree. Ned I ,' arcompanicd by a large number of carriages and 1 horsemen by way of escort. The road was across mountains, and had b&en ruwly made. The see>nery was grand. We had a tremendous reception when we arrived. We commenced our match the following day. The wicket was a rough one. The Ofcago Twenty-two scored 71 and 83. We made 99 and 58 for one wicket, thus obtaining a victory by nine wickets. A second match was got up at the conclusion of the first on© against a combined twenty-two of Canterbury and Otago. This was drawn, the Twenty-two scoring 91 and' 66 and the English Eleven 73 >n their first innings. After journeying to Christchurch to play a Twenty -two of Canterbury we returned to Dtinedin, and once more we added a single innings' victory to our list. Here, at Dunedin, Dr Grace and Tarrant played an eleven composed of local players at single wicket. The two English players scored $ and 16. The eleven only had one innings, in which they made 7, Tarrant bowling them all out. Some sports were got up at the conclusion of the match, in which we all took part. Before leaving Dunediu we each planted a memorial tree on the cricket ground, as in the case of the first English team in Melbourne two years before." Where are those poplars now? When the Australian cricketers arrived in Christchurch last week they were chideJ by a local newspaper,for paying more attention to their luggage than, to the friendly greetings that were being extended to them. Small matter this to take the \isitors to task about. A team making a seven months' tour of England dees not want to take any chances with its luggage, morn especially when a valet is not carried to look after it. No amount of hand-shaking will restore a mis3ing portmanteau, as Clem Hill knoTvs to his cost. Having already written so much anent tha doings of the Australians in their match against Otago, little remains to be said, but a line about Tiumper and Duff may not be unint-n-^ting. Prido of place must bo given +o that player who lifts been called the wov<V« s>i-Co'.^=t baUman— Victor Tnimpwr. If fclic -l-jceiaiors had &ecu nothing

else, they would have had their moneys worth out of that masterly innings up to 60, as played by tho famous cricketer. I say up to bO, or, to be precise, 61, when he gave his first chance, Trumper appeared to go in for "scientific" slogging. It has this season in Australia been said of Tiumpor that he is a bad starter. Well, he certainly did miss me first ball from Fibher, bjt it wa # s one ol the few the batsman made, and thereafter he never looked back. His timing was perfect, and hig strokes aU round the wicket were wonderful in their execution. It was the ease and grace with which Trumper played the bowling that was the theme of admiration. It was the manner of doing more than the doing itself which appealed to the heart of the enthusiastic cricketer.

What has been said of Trumper must also, in a milder degree, perhaps, be said of his fellow partner Duff. An English authority once wrote : "To see Trumper and Duff going- is a sight of a life time." Well, we have seen tho famous pair going, and going pretty strong, too, as the rate of scoring on Friday would indicate. While Trumper' s .innings was the more masterly, that of Difff was only a trifle less so, and in the pull stroke the little man showed himself to be superioi to the champion. To my way of thinking, there is little to choose between the two, and while one man may say "Trumper for nic !" and another "Duff for me!" "Long-slip" would nat mind which he drew out of ilie hat to play for Otago.

Otago's cricket honour — what there w.is left of it after the Canterbury mateh — has been humbled in the dust. The Australians buried it in tho turf at Carisbrook on Friday and Saturday last. Never was seen such a deplorable display as that given by the Ofcago Eleven in both innings in zh& big match last week. No one will contend for a moment that it represented their true form, but all will agree that it wag one kpf the worst exhibitions given by the proVince within recent years, and this even with the Canterbury match still fresh in memory. No need to go into the details of the game, which have already been fully dealt with. Let the dead past bury its dead, and let us cast around for some means of improving our cricket so that when the next Australian Eleven tours the colony, we shall be able to meet them again on level terms, and with less chance of such a trouncing as that administered last week. Trumper, Victor of that ilk, is modsst and retiring to a degree. Few people were aware, until quite recently that the world's champion batsman had taken to himself a wife, said <fc> be endowed with worldly goods. Even the members of the Australian Eleven were entirely in the dark concerning matters matrimonial with the one and only Victor. Speaking of this, Mrs Trumper sailed by the Stievic for England, where she will join her husband, who travels with tho Australian Eleven by the Vancouver route.

During the visit of the Australian cricketers to Dunedin last week, Messrs Layer, Duff, Kelly, Hopkins. Noble, and Armstrong were presented by the Cricketers' Carnival Committee with handsome goldmounted greenstone sleeve-links as a recognition* of their kindness in forwarding fcr sale to the Cricketers' Carnival autographed photographs of themselves. Very general satisfaction has been expiessed in Christchurch (says a local paper) at the selection of Graham (Otago) an.d Bennett (Canterbury) to fill the vacancies iv the New Zealand team caused by the inability of Austin, and Downes to play Graham has been showing excellent form with the bat. and in view of his previous experience of Australian cricket, he may be relied on to give a gcod display. Bennett's bowling performance in the CanterburyAustralia match is still fresh in the memories of those who saw the game. He had a-ssi»tanc<> from the wicket in the first innings of the visitors, but that could not detract from the merit of his work, which undoubtedly earned him his place in the team.

The omission of Oliff from the New Zealand cricket team to meet' the Australians proved (wires my correspondent) a keen disappointment to Auckland enthusiasts. He played sound crioket against the visitors in both innings of the Auckland match, and being also a bowler above the average, experts regarded his claims as superioi to those of Mason, despite the latter' s fine score of 79 against the Australian team. The fact .that C. Hickpon has been left out of the New Zealand representative team is causing- Wellington followers of the game to say many wrathful' things about Selector Baker. In a Wellington writer's opinion the Midland man should certainly have be<en in. before Ollivier, of Canterbury, and probably before several others. He js a real hard man to put out when he has started, and in addition is a splendid field. Ollivier is also a. brilliant field, and it is almost certain that it was his fielding that got him a place in the team. The following are the batting and bowling averages of the Australian team tip to the conclusion of the match against Otago on Saturday last : — BATTING.

F Layer played in. one innmgs, and scored 9. BOWLING. Balls. Mdue. Runs.Wkts.

Howell .... 108 12 23 0 The following have also bowled.—Kelly, one wicket for no runs; Hill, one for 1; and Gregory, one for 25. N.B.—jST>o balls counted 1 as runs—Cotter bowled 6, Armstrong 3, and Noble 2. Graham and Bennett have been selected by Mr J. Baker to take the places of Austin and Downes in the New Zealand team. A Christchurch telegram states that .'h<^ wickets wcio heavy on Saturday, and p. lav

was generally sow. At Sydonhnm tlio home team made 228 (Bennett 5-1. Kinvig i-d Fowko 34 net out, Hun-loy 28). Midln ul B ha\e lost two wickets for 14. Playi ig against Lancaster Park A at HagW Pavk Midland A Tared badly against Callawav (who took six wickets for 26), and maje only 78 (Whitta 31). Lancaster Park ha-.© lost se^en wickets for 84 (H. C. Ridley 31, Barrett 20) Playing on the ground of then- opponents, Lancaster Park Thirteen made 163 aeain«t United (Tabart 62 not oivt, Willstecd 30). United have lost two wickets for 53 (Sims not out 25). A Wellington telegram that tho results of Saturday's games practically settle tho Senior cricket championship, tho Midland Club -winning. Tho matrh between the Midland and Old Boys ended in th" defeat of the latter by 92 runs The Old Boys in their second innings scored 152 (Tucker 69). Wellington defeated Austril by six wickets. Austral in then- second in nings scored 156 (Honey 25). Wellington in their second innings put up 107 for four wickets (Hickson 42, Weybourne 25).

» 4 1 1 •§ -s C. M'Leod ..2 1 104 V. Trumper ..5 1 282 R. A. Duff ..5 0 240 0. Hill .... 5 1 166 W. Armstrong . . 4 1 114 J. J. K&lly ..4 0 150 A. Cotter .... 3 0 88 S. K. Gregory.. 4 0 111 D. B .A. Gehas 4 1 67 M. A. Noble ..5 1 54 A. J. Hopkins ..4 0 31 \V. HWell ..2 0 0 * Signifies not out P- m g'3 s^ 84 92 74 95 49 58 52 85 45" IS 13 6 5 *l 104 70.5 48 41.5 38 37.5 29.33 27.75 22.33 13.5 7.75 0

Noble „ Cotter Duff Layer . . Armstrong M'Leod .. G ehrs ,-n Hopkins *• 710 438 138 169 456 18G 156 164 108 33 23 10 10 19 7 3 11 12 250 135 49 90 193 70 79 186 23 29 15 4 7 12 4 3 7 0 8.62 9 12.25 12.35 16.0S 17.5 26.33 26.53