CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2692, 18 October 1905, Page 61

CRICKET.

NOTES BY LONG SLIP. I It is quite evident that all the enthusiasm i for the summer game is not confined to Australia. I know ot three members of , a senior club in town who turn out at 6 i a.m. each day for a strike. A rumour has been going the rounds to the effect that Carisbrook intend playing all the champion batsmen in one eleven. This is not correct. The old system of equalising the A and B teams will still prevail. Opoho will probably be the weakest team in the senior competition ihis season. This ; club has lost several of its most promising players since last year. So far I have not heard of any newcomers of note coming forward to fill the places of the departed. If there is one club in the competition more than another that could do with the assistance of some sterling cricketer it is this came Opoho Club. I understand that A. H. Fisher will not be available for Carisbrook until the end of Novembet, the golf stick being swung in the meantime in place of the cricket bat. When writing of the prospects of the ' Carisbrook last week I had forgotten ,to mention, amongst others 'who were lost to the club this season, W. Sparrow and Harry Graham. The list of prominent players who through force of circumstances have dropped out from the Carisbrook Club is rather formidable. The Grange Club is much the same as last season. The backbone of the team will again be the Downes brothers and the veteran Baker. Two players from the Port Club have' joined the northerners. One of these is, I understand, an ex-Grange player. A batsman Grange will miss very much this season, and one who would have accounted for any number of runs, is W. Johnstone, who is at present in England helping the New Zealand team of footballers to trounce the flower of Rugby in , the Old Country. The lusty footballercricketer showed a great deal of promise with the bat last season, and was respon- * sible for several decent scores. There is a probability of George Cummings, the ex-Albion cricketer, who has but recently been transferred to Auckland, playing for Ponsonby. Sarcastic .Auckland comment : As is usual at this season of the year, there are several English county cricketers in the town. I didn't see many of them on the Domain on Saturday, and seem to recollect some talk of the same kind last year. Anyway, let's hope it's true. The Wellington cricketer Dakin who was supposed to have taken up his residence in Dunedin is in Christchurch. He has been appointed Wellington delegate to the New Zealand Cricket Council. Wise in its generation the Auckland Cricket Association has decided to engage coaches who will coach the schoolboys at the various institutes of learning during the season. - A special fund has been created for the purpose, to which one gentleman has contributed £10.. With regard to the sending of a New Zealand team to Australia, the secretary of the Auckland Cricket Association at the ■ annual meeting said he had communicatedwith Sydney and had had a reply statingthat there would be no difficulty in arranging first-class matches, but there was little chance of a gocd gate to help the expenses. The Management Committee had considered that the funds of the association would not finance an Australian as well as a southern tour. ' The balance sheet submitted at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council showed that the receipts on the' general account had been £280 Is sd, inclusive of the balance of £227 15s 9d from the previous year, and the expenditure £144 2s 3d, leaving a credit balance of £135 19s 2d. There were outstanding subscriptions amounting to £6 6s. The expenditure on . the Australian tour had been £1714 16s 4d, and the receipts £250 from each of the fovir centres — Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago,— £3s9 from the first test match, £227 8s Id from the second test match, and £7 4s 6d from other sources. The loss of £120 15s 3d on the tour had been made out of the general fund. The report and balance sheet were adopted. The election of officers resulted as follows: — President, Dr C. E. Thomas (president of the South Canterbury Cricket Association) ; vice-pre-sidents, the presidents of all affiliated associations except South Canterbury; hon. treasurer, Mr R. Vincent; hon. secretary, Mr F. C. Raphael. The committee of the New Zealand Cricket Association appointed to consider the proposal to secure a visit from an English team during the season of the International Exhibition reported that the best time for the visit would be the season 1906-1907, and "the team should arrive not later than December, 1906. The team should be an amateur one, or as nearly so as possible Two matches should be played against Auckland at Auckland, two against Wellington at Wellington, two against Canterbury at Christchurch, two against Otago at Dunedin, one against the West Coast of the North Island at WangaiKii, one against Hawke's Bay at Napier, one against Southland at Invercargill, one against the- West Coast of the . South Island at Greymouth, and two test matches, England v. New Zealand. The ; estimated cost of the visit was £2250. If two matches each were played against Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago, each association should pay £500, or, if one match, £250. Each association should manage its own match or matches, and receive all gross proceeds and defray all local expenses. The gross proceeds of the New Zealand matches should be taken by the New Zealand Crcket Council, which , should defray the expenses of those matches. Arrangements should be made for ensuring fixed minimum gate takings for the council and for the associations. The best way to begin negotiations in England for the visit would be to communicate with the Marylebone Cricket Club, Mr Maclaren, or Lord Hawke. At the recent meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council a letter was received from tho Canterbury Association recommending that the council should arrange for a visit from an Australian State team during the current sea-son. Mr Raphael said that Mr F. Layer might be able, on his return from England, to arrange for a visit. It would do good, provided that the tour was not a money-making concern Mr Vincent said that one of the members of the Australian Eleven, Mr Hopkins, had suggested bringing a New South Wales team to the colony. 1 He. ftxnected to hear further from Mr Hop-

kins, who had expressed the opinion that a first-class team could be secured. It was agreed that the matter should be left m abeyance until the special meeting previously arranged. . , „„. In moving that an honorarium or t»M should be voted to the honorary secretary, the Chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council said that no one in New .^ealand had done more valuable service to criekefc than Mr Raphael. As secretary of the council, he had had an enormous amount of work to carry out, and the position of the association was a speaking testimonial to his inestimable services. It hac 1 been suggested fliat an honorarium of £20 should be voted to Mr Raphael, and though thafc could not possibly be compensation for hi^ services, it would serve to show him tha£ the council appreciated his work. Mr Wes^ ton seconded the motion, saying that the satisfactory position of the council and its surplus of funds wa3 entirely due to Mi Raphael. Mr Harman eulogised Mr Raphael's services, reminding members that in a little more thai* 10 years the council had" made enormjous progress. Its revenue in its first yeai had been little more than £13, and mow it had' reached considerably more than £2000. It _, was largely due to Mr Raphael's energetic administration that the work of the council' bad grown so rapidly. The motion vrz . carried amid applause. There was a truly exciting finish to the match between Lancashire and an England Eleven. One minute to time Lancashire were within one run of being successful bjj four wickets, but Cook, one of the batsmen,, was caught m endeavouring to make the winning hit, and the game was drawn. When the mail left. Essex, Kent, and Sussex .had finished their championship programmes. C. B. Fry has secxired for Sussex the phenomenal batting 'average of 86.90,, scoring nearly a couple of thousand runs, and this despite his absence from numerous - engagements. News is to hand that Jie famous oricketer, K. S. Rartgitsiuhji, has been ill with malarial fever and asthma f or some time, which, with other circumstances, has prevented his return ..to England for the latter part of the cricket season. He intends to rost for some time at hid home at Jamnagar, but expresses thm hope that he may be in England for the season of 1906. Previous to his illness he had travelled all over India, and had indulged in some big-game shooting. \ Proposed in England to inaugurate a testimonial to Mr A. C. Maclaren, captain of the Lancashire team. Already the scheme has taken definite shape by the grant of £250 by ihe Lancashire County Committee. The amateur cricketer ! At a meeting of the Victorian Cricke: Association it vius stated that the member recent Australian team divded ai. .em money amounting to £900 per i>Charles . Try's first "century'" in a iesr. encounter has been Jong delayed. But, b«latcd though it was, the innings was on* of the best, we have seen the old Oxonianplay (says the Athletic News), and distinguished by a delightful . versatility. . T> for years been argued that Fry was :» capable of scoring to any extent upon thi on-side and to leg. While it was admitted; that he could drive to the off.it was.Uigecl . that he could not cut. "In this 344_we saw Fry. triumph ov<?r his cities and detractors iv a remarkable mannei 1 . For a month he . had not been seen in his happiest vein, but at tho Oval ho drovo to the off magnify cently, and, deny it who cam — he did cut. The Marylebone Cricket Club is appa* rently fighting rather shy of undertaking ta send a team, to" Australia in the winter cf 1906-7 (says a xecent English paper). Under these circumstances an emissary of the Melbourne Cricket Club is in England endon.. \ouring to persuade- indiyidual cricketers of note to get a teara together. Should this mission succeed it is obvious that none of the amateur and few of the professionals who went under P. F. Warner's captaincy would make the trip on this occasion. Ona of the county captains approached is ralfrc keen on ihe matter, and so far has mapout a possible team suited for the uude> ing in the following names: — A. G. 5 laren, R. H. Spooner, C. M'Gahey. A. Jones, P. Perrin, and H. Martyn or Hum phries. with Quaife, Kinneir, Jayes, Blythe, Braund, Vine-, G. and J. Gunn. Between w and Ihe autumn after the coming one is n- loner time, and others may run inlet form, but fai'ing the members of the M.C.C. team, it is not easy to pick a more suitable side. The system of awarding three points for a win in a completed match and only twa for a victory on the first innings, will have a beneficial effect on first-grade cricket (says a Sydney writer). In the past, little interest was, as a rule, taken in the game' after each side had completed an innings; in fact, the games generally became a farce. In the' future it will be different, as a team with an advantage at the end of one innings will strive to gain the extra point, while the opposing side will endea. your to prevent the gaining of that object, It must be remembered that a defeat meanl the taking off of points. . Says an English writer: Not since 1893 has any Australian team passed througha campaign in England without the consolation of even one victory in the test matches. That has been denied to tb«i combination captained by Joseph Darling. But clofs observers nevei ariioipated that the colonials would win one of these games. Indeed, had they defeated England even once, the visitors would have been the cause o' genuine surprise. Even in fielding th< Cornstalks have not compared favourably with their predecessors. They have laek«<j life and accuracy. In bowling they hay« bemoaned the want of variety. Look foi a moment at the record of the party in 1896 and that of this year. In 1896 K. Sl.S 1 . Ranjitsinhji, Abel, and C. J. Burmip, weixi the oiily batsmen who ever scored 100 against them in any match, but this summer w4 have seen twice as many centuries as tbi? in the five test matches. Indeed, tlit tussle at Lord's is the only fight in whiclt a "century" has not been secured off th<? Australians I Carpenter, the Essex professional, who has had an excellent season, ha 3 again accepted an engagement as co3ch at Mci« bourne, and he is due to sail shortly ta Australia. It is stated that Kermode, the? Lancashire-Australian bowler, is about tq return to Australia, and that he may nott be seen in the Lancashire team next season, C. B. Fry, Hirst, Quaife, Hayward, Den* ton. and Noble have now all scored ovetf 2000 runs this season. At the beginning" ' of this week (says Cricket of September 7)j Fry was within 223 o£ his third thousand.^ Noble is the second Australian who has •eve:.}'

,* made 2000 runs during a season in England, Trumper (with 2570) having accomplished .*■• the feat in 1902. On Monday Fry was ; ..leading in the average tables with 73.07, i *- laving of late left Hirst far behind. There : ' -Is likely to be a. race between Hirst, Quaife, - and Armstrong for second place, as Hirst 1_ ptood at 52.94, Quaife at 55.66, and Arm- "■ Strong at 59.19. Captain Greig, 50.25, was >, - Jhe only other batsman with an average of - more than 50. An appreciation of Cotter : The one ibowler who seems pregnant with future ■natch-winning possibilities is the young fast .. 3iowler who has- not merely been severely jjudged, but condemned as worthless by many. Cotter- bears in. many respects • a certain jaualogy' to Ernest Jones, and may develop (to like capacity. In' his earlier days, before " became his virtue, the South .'Australian was in the habit of securing the ' J>est of batsmen to snap-catches at the Jivicket. When his' length became, for a , fast bowler, more remarkable, to drive and : cut him was no simple matter, but his pace '. - jwas not quite what it was when his comimand of the ball was less. Cotter will be '?a better bowler when ' he is less dangerous ;ln the personal sense, when that wretched ; lishort-pitehed one which mercifully up to the , -((present has avoided the heads of players, ■ ]is -merely a memory. As a -batsman we are ,-jinot sure that he "was not worth a -place on jjtheside as constituted, and- with bat and ; -jan the field his vigorous "work is mindful ; 4w aof -that of his predecessor. If "he has "not ( -ilirealised expectations," that depends upon .•. • ■^tj/whafc was expected; of liis future one may \ jjfchink wifeh Clough, "If hopes were dupes — ' '/Seats may be liars." There have been -times ( _ "Other than this last teat when Cotter has . - 'approached greatness, and we think it pro- . ' ,i>able that he will yet attain to it. j \ Reviewing the Australian's English tour, to Sydney writer remarks : —Before the team ~, -left Sydney, many keen followers of cricket j .expressed the opinion that -the Australians ' j JKould have no chance in the matches against . Such proved to be the case, and, < ' "though defeat was bitter, it was welcomed, ' because -of the formation of the Australian - ; Board of Control. Had the 1905 team been < jl , successful, it was -quite on the cards that t jluture elevens would have been again s "'selected on the "same "mutual admiration ' leooiety's lines." Thai tour has, however t ■aot been the failure «any persons imagine, -ithe results comparing^ favourably with pre- * _'„vious tours. Then r again,, the -trip has j .ibeen about the best an Austraian team has j 'ever had from a iinanoial point of view, j 'and it is estimated that each member will j Teceive close upon £1000. - j ] ' Members of the Australian Eleven. wKo i ( have.iegistered the-double 1000 runs -and 100 1 ( in eleven aside matches in -England | j

, ; • Tfie only on© who" did not bowl "during 1 ithe-tour was Newland. '>■ < j < . . The records broken' during the campaign , j fu:e: — ' I i Highest individual score, 303 not but, by j Armstrong, against Somerset"; previous' best j 800 not. out, V. Trumper, against Sussex, ( 3.899. ' ' < j\ Best average. all matches, 48.82, by W.- 1 ' !(W. Armstrong; previous' Best, 48.49, V. t iiT-rumper, s in 1802. " ( f Best average .first-class matches, 50.05, W. s -iW. Armstrong; previous best, 48.49, V. t> . JFrumper, in 1902. ' - c . Three scores over 200. — 248 not out and " 603 iiofc out by Armstrong 1 , - 267 "By Jloble. x '. Averages over 40, two, Armstrong and j t Noble; previous record once, by Trumper, 1 5902, and Darling (41.29), 1889. ' t Commenting on the fact that Jackson 1 Juron. the toss in each of -the -five" test matches, t «n English paper opines that it is probbale 2 jfchat at.no distant date we shall again hear ( »f the suggestion that in .matches of such 6 importance the rival captains shall alter- t jnately have the choice of going in to bat i ifirst. j t The Opoho Cricket Club played a match, t "President v. Vieerpresident, on Labour Day. c _ President's team won by 2& runs, the p scores being 133 and 113 respectively. For y the winners, Kenny scored 55, and was 1 ably assisted by A. M'Lean (33). For the -a losers, Macdonald (25), Turnbull (22), Eck- t feoff ' (21), and Anderson <(16) "/batted , well, t iWebb .performed ±he hat trick for the win- i Tiers, showing come of -his old form, and . a •Eckhoff bowled well for the losers. j r Armost' enjoyable <game_ was .played at i 1 Seacliff on Lalmur iDay between .the Rangers c end- Seaeliff teams. Rangers in their, first a .innings — probably .-owing " to want of prac- t - jtice and the strange wicket — were all 'das- , r posed of for tKe meagre total of 20 runs. E "Seacliff responded; with 96. On Rangefs r Jbatfcing again they were not - disposed of i •until the score -had reached 112. Seaoliff i the necessary number of runs to j *- Jnritf with loss of two wickets, but, play- 'iJ ing on, had lost eight wickets for 64- when f. stumps were drawn. For Seacliff Sneeston •<44, and 32 not out), Dodgson (15 not out), •' DDr Brett (10), and Whiting (10) reached *■ Idouble figures, and for' Rangers Jones (34), , £ ' iAckroyd (25), Sutherland (20), ana Lock- T Jhaft (15) were most successful. Annan, * /Sneeston, and Barobury obtained the wickets £. for Seacliff, as did Ogg, Jones, and Ireland tfor the Rangers. Too much praise canMot -be given to the Asylum officials for r their hospitality to the visitors, which was x Sinstinted and much appreciated. # j A Christchurch telegram states that owing *o the heavy rain that .had fallen during the past few days none of the cricket grounds "were in fit order for the competition matches io start on Saturday, and the Postponement Committee Diet at noon and declared all the matches off. The city and suburban bowling v clubs, Chrisichnrch, Canterbury, and Sydenjham, have postponed the opening of the * Season arranged for Saturday owing to' the s: "had weather. The opening of the boating l ' Eeason took place on Saturday. The weather * ■was -fine, but a cold wind was blowing. The y programme included a long procession of jJj boats, some '. prettily decorated and some Is; manned by fancy dresa crews. Afterwards t -seyeral scratch events were rowed off. The t Canterbury Rowing Club won the prizes for a the best decorated boat and the most original I crew in the procession. fi

- KllO-JJAJW. gYear. Name. 1886 .. G. Giffen. f1.893 .. ■ G-. Giffen a 896 .. G. Gifien -.a 1.886 .. G. E. Palmei .., 1899 .. H. Trumble .. J905. .. W. W. Armstrong . Euns. Wkis. 7T 1543 .. 159 .. 1220" .. 142 .. 1208 .. 117 „ 1028 .. 106 .. 1183 . r 142 .. 2002 -.. 130 i i 1 i i i