NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 61

NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

Owing to the execrable weather experienced of late very little progress has been made with the preparation of wickets on the various grounds. In this connection I am pleased to note that the Otago Cricket Association has wisely decided to open the season on October 21, instead of October 14, as decided at the annual meeting. Mr George Cummings, who left for Auckland on Tuesday week, was entertained by a number of the Albion Cricket Club members on Monday evening, and was the recipient of a travelling bag, suitably inscribed. Mr L. J. Joel made the presentation on behalf of the members, and congratulated Mr Cummings on his promotion. Ho also expressed the regret of the club on losing s>o promising a young cricketer from their midst, and wished him every success in (he northern city. Mr J. J. Clark and Mr F. Williams spoke in high praise of the recipient as a true and enthusiastic sport. Reported that a cricketer named Dakin, who played for the senior eleven of the disbanded Austril team in Wellington, I'as been transferred to Dunedin.

Acknowledged with thanks copy of the annual report and balance sheet of the Wellington Cricket Association, submitted at a meeting of that association on Wednesday last. The report states amongst other things that the association is in a sound financial position. The match with the Australian Eleven produced a profit of close on £270, which added to the £270 on fixed deposit, brought the cash balance up to £540.

The following rather interesting item appeared recently in a Southland paper : " At the opening of the Appleby Cricket Club's season Mr L. Jordan will give an exhibition of swerve bowling ; afternoon tea will be served." Could not some of our local enthusiasts give an exhibition of swerve bowling at which afternoon tea might be served ? Mr C. S. Monson has retired from the secretaryship of the Wellington Cricket Association — a position which he has filled with credit for the past four years. Can h be that all his services merited was a " vote of thanks."

The Essex cricker and coach, H. Carpenter, has been re-engaged by the Melbourne Cricket Club for the approaching season.

Apropos of bowlers : All sorts of bowlers I've seen and I know — Bowlers who bump And give batsmen the hump] And 'oosvlers who keep very low. Bowlers who "twist" with a turn of the wrist, And make observations when, catches are

missed, Meteor bowlers who make batsmen cough, Stingers on fingers, • Nailers and bailers, Bowlers who break from the leg and the off. Lunatic bowlers who bowl tne most "rummuck" — Long hops and yorkers, Half volleys and "corkers," And now a full toss in the stomach.

During the progress of the match M.C.C. anS Ground v. Littlehampton recently, a retired elderly gentleman named Le,p, sitting in the front row of the pavilion, had an eye knocked out and literally smashed by a sharp rising ball cut by F. H. Gresson, a Sussex amateur playing for. M.C.C. The ball bounced only once before -reaching the unfortunate gentleman. We nave kept the ashes, but let, us wear them with sackcloth, says tihe London Star in its leader columns, for while the advantage remains with England the glory of cricket has departed. Of five test matches England has won two and drawn three. It were almost better we had lost three, for there would then have been something to regain, something to wipe off the scoringboard. As matters stand, Anglo-Australian cricket has fallen to the level of America Cup contests— all start and no finish. Brilliant individual performances we have seen, and masterful expositions of stonewalling, but it is as little satisfactory that the flower of the cricket field should be unable to finish a match in three days as that a pugilist should be constantly " down to avoid."' In the next test matches— if other test matches be worth while— let us hope to see a more sporting display, though all be lost— save cricket. This yarn is going the rounds: — "An Australian iournalist sent to interview J. Darling, the great cricketer (who was arriving by steamer), got mixed up in a game of "billiards on the way. He forgot about the interview till too late, rushed to a book of cricket anecdotes, and wrote it up from that. In the rooming he handed his 'copy' to his editor. The latter gloomily pointed to the morning paper, which stated that a fog had detained tho steamer, and that Darling had not yet arrived." , •• ___, „ „ In a humorous book by • M.UO..' entitled "Cricket on the Brain," Cotter is satirised thus : — " Acei-Dental Surgeonstumps removed— painlessly or otherwise^ according to whether the subject gets in the way or not." " Reviewing the book, " Cricket •' =ays:— "A plan of the field is arranged for Cotcer's bowling, which is certainly no more dangerous than that or any other fast bowler. It shows dots tor fieldsmen, six of them placed in couples behind stretchers, and four in couples by the side of stretchers. Outside the area of play are two hospitals, two ambulance stations, a pavilion dispensary, special stand reserved for surgical and medical students, and a private nursing home tor gentlemen— players not admitted. C. B. Fry declares that a good Australian batsman requires an English tour, with its almost contimiou? cricket, to put him xip to his best form. That is probably true (says "Boondi"). and oeriainly an English cricketing tour is not the picnic now that it used to be. Big dinners are off, and boozing round with the "boys" is voted to be as dangerous as flying round with fche sn-K so the Australian cricketer nowadays has to lead the life of a Trappist monk almost if he wishes to keep himself in form and out of mischief. Furthermore, tine Hon. Mr Lyttelton says that, broadly speaking, every player who is a good and successful batsman on all wickets mu=bhavoa good style; but that does not mean a pretty slvle. When a batsman is seen to play every ball in the middle of Ms baS, nofc to be uneasy about the bowling, does not look as though he had a ne«t of soldier ants in one leg o<f his flannel breeches and a lively young hedgehog in the other, to score with consistency and rapidity, and to hit the ball along the ground, so as to cut the daisy roots, then you can set his style down as a good one ; the style tihat wins matches, no matter whether it is graceful or not. Grace

does not add to the score (unless it has "W.G." before it), but" a good slog to the boundary piles in the figxires, and that is the main thing after all. A C. Maclaren, in his capacity as cricket journalist, writes in an English contemporary: "An episode occurred in the second innings of Gloucestershire which has caused a good deal of comment, and which I should have no wish to discuss but 'for the fact that the Gloucestershire papers have given a, very one-sided version of what took place.

"The Gloucestershire skipper was not pleased with Brearley, who, in an exuberance of spirits, smacked to the boundary a ball which was being lobbed slowly up to a bowler after an over had just been completed. No offence was meant by Brearley, who felt hurt with Jessop 's remark to him about his conduct, which he certainly would not have be*en had his opponent only said what the Gloucester papers have credited him with saying.

"Jessop, coming in to bat, gradually played himself in, and then commenced running down tho wicket to our fast bowler, who commenced bowling full pitches to keep him in his ground, which has beera doneto me frequently by fast bowlers when I have adopted the same tactics, and which, in my opinion, a bowler is perfectly justified in doing, for why should a bowler's campaign bo entirely upseit by a batsman making good-length balls half volleys? "The moment Brearley had given Jessop to understand that he> was not going to have him running out to him he bowled his natural length, and at once got him ■to pull a half volley into his wicket. If a batsman runs out to- a full toss it is his own look-out. Brearley told me if Jessop oon+inued to run out h& should bowl fast •Pull pitches, and he supposed ib was all right, to which I replied, ' Perfectly,' and I told Jessop in our dressing room and disagreed with him in his views, and I must continue to do so.

"I am sorry that I have been made to refer to the incident owing to the Gloucestershire skipper having 1 given his views to the press. Brearley never tried to hit the batsman, and even Jessop asked fche umpire if some were not wides, since they were co high over his head."

OTAGO CRICKET ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the committee of the Otago Cricket Association was held in Grace and Wilson's office on Friday afternoon, when there were present— Messrs 0. W. Rattray (in the chair), J. L. Jamieson, J. Melville, G. Eestieaux, J. J. Clark, A. Maclean. W. H. Skitch, F. H. Campbell, and E. S. Wilson.

Messrs D. H. Thompson and T. W. Recce were appointed delegates to the New Zealand Cricket Council.

The following Grade Committees were then appointed — viz. : First and Second Grade — Messrs Skitch, Kilgour, and G. G. Austin : Third and Fourth Grade — Messrs J. J. Park, J. L. Jamieson, and Coventry. It was decided to open the season on the 21st October, instead of the 14th as decided at the annual meeting. Entries close oil Monday, October 11.

A sub-committee consisting of Messrs Clark, Restieaux,- and Skitoh was appointed to draw up rules and suggestions re Wednesday cricket, and report to the nexl meeting. The following were appointed the Selection Committee for representative matches : Messrs J. Hope, W. Parker, and W. H. Skitch.

Mr Clark stated that a supporter of the game .had promised to donate a trophy. valued three guineas, to be given for fielding in the First Grade Championship. The offer was accepted and the matter referred to the First Grade Committee to consider the best means of allotting this trophy, and report.

OTAGO UMPIRES' ASSOCIATION,

The annual meeting of the Ctago Umpires' Association was held on Friday evening at Messrs Grace and Wilson's rooms. Mr R. E. Taylor (president) occupied the chair. The annual report, which has been published, was read by the secretary (Mr R. F. Foster, jun.). The balance sheet showed a credit balance of £1 15s 2d. The adoption of these documents was moved by Mr. Hope, seconded by Mr J. West, and carried. In a conversational discussion that followed it was urged that members should meet together as often as < possible to discuss doubtful points that might crop up so as to .secure uniformity in rulings. The necessity of First and Second Grade players having efficient umpires was pointed out, because it was from the young players that future .representative cricketers would come, and they should therefore be prevented playing in a loose, shipshod manner. In this way the association had already done a gieat deal of good in the interests of cricket. They were recognised by the Otago Cricket Association? and should^ fcsrome a strong body in the future, buE to this end the membership of the association should be greatly increased, and if, was hoped the new committee would work to that end. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows: — President. Mr James West ; vice-president, Mr D. Smyth; secretary, Mr R. F. Foster, iun. ; committee — Messrs J. J. Clark. A. Hunter, R. E. Taylor. G. Nelson; auditor, Mr E. S. Wilson. Votes c-f thanks were carried to retiring office-bearers for their services ; to Messrs Grace and Wilson for use of their offices for meetings ; and a 'special vole of thanks was passed to Mr E. S. Wilson, who had been instrumental in starting the Umpires' Association, and was its first secietary. CANTERBURY CRICKET ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, September 26. At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Cricket Association to-night the receipts were stated at £677 10s 9d, and the overdraft at £12 15s 3d. The Chairman said the year had been most successful from both plajing and financial points of view. Mr A. E. G. Rhddej was appointed vice-president to the New Zealand Ciicket Council, and Mr J. C. Clarkson and J. N. Fowke delegates. Messrs F. C. Raphael and O. Caygill were appointed directors on the board of control, and Mr J. Wheatley selector. In. accordance with notice a motion was carried that the resolution passed on February 6, 1905, re registering the association under " The Unclassified Societies Registration Act, 1895," and alterations to the rules amended in accordance with tile requirements of act be rescinded. The Registrar had informed the association that it was not eligible for registration. A motion that tlie out-and-out district scheme adopted by the association be given three seasons' trial was negatived on the ground that it was not, desirable for tEe association to suggest that Jhe scheme was not likely to be a success.