CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 60

CRICKET.

NOTES BY LONG SLIP. It is reported that Blaokham, one time the world's greatest wicket-keeper, has gone into the furnishing trade in Melbourne. Several members of the Melbourne cricket team suffered from seasicknes'3 on the voyage from the Bluff to Hobart. Mon-fries and Ferryman, of Melbourne, went across to Hobart to assist M.-C.C. in the matches in Tasmania. Ag-ainst Southern Tasmania M.C.C. scored 165 (Perrvman 48, Vaug"nan 40, Ransford 29) in the first innings. Jtady , took six wickets for 70. Southern Tasmania ; replied with 202. In the second innings M.C.C. made 165 (Armstrong 68) for seven ■wickets^ — innings closed. Southern Tasmania then lost one for 43, and the match was drawn. / . . . ' Mackay is a remarkably striking instance of the splendid results that accrue from studying the best model. H-s has undoubtedly copied Victor Trumper (6ays ""Felix"), and in that grand forcing stroke j to the on, which made Warwick Arm- ; strong's bowling at Christmas look like shelling peas, the pupil has, if such a thing be possible, surpassed his master. Warwick Armtrong did not get going in the first innings against Southern Ta mania, Eady beating him with a ball which broke back, taking his middle stump, when he had made 10. In the second innings, however-, the M.C.C. captain compiled 68. His contribution included nine 4*s. The differential scoring system adopted in New South Wales if very favourably commented on (says " Not Out " in the Referee). The new. method of sooiing- points in the First Grade competition, by which , an outright win is t^iven greater value than a win on the first" innings, is largely - responsible for all-round brilliancy of cricket j now being shown by ..some of the leading 1 clubs. ' Mr Ford, the old-time English cricketer, is, of opinion that Mr B. J. T- Bosanquet, ihe cricketer, undoubtedly acquired the peculiarities of his bowling from his father. "The father," says Mr Ford, "" bowled exactly in the same way as the «on, at', wnom he used to bowl from thetflnc that he was six years old. Once when I was keeping wicket for Enfield at Stratford, Essex, in a match against the Great Eastern Railway I had occasion " to stump three men from successive balls off the elder Bosanquet's bowling, and the last of the three batsmen on being given out, turned round and said, ' "Well, I'm blowed ! First chap said balls oame from leg, second ; said they" came from t'other way, and I'm hanged if this one didn't come straight !' " Village cricket is the real thing (says an English writer) — the native cricket; first- | class cricket is an exotic. Village cricket has j all the virtues of a University mateh — the last i stronghold of pure English amateurism— all the social charms of country house cricket, with an added touch of strenuousness ; amd the village club dinner is the place for a sound square meal, and alas ! beer. It is i when the table is cleared, and the organist- '' schoolmaster has drummed "The soldiers' j 1 chorus" out of a very dilapidated piano, t that the vicar of our little hamlet gives the royal toast. The vicar is the president, ! and subscribes the most largely to our funds. Isn't it surprising, too,' how ex- ■ penses run up even in a club of unsullied amateurism ! What with "bats that seem i made to break, balls which are batted to ! putty in no time, nets whieli refuse Jo hold fish, lawn-cutters whose teeth cannot cut,, new posts for the corners of the levelled wicket square, amd incidental odds and ends, | the cost of the upkeep of our village club runs to 25s or 30s per week throughout the summer. j Commenting on the enterprise shown by the Melbourne Cricket Club in sending a team to New Zealand and Tasmania (by tho way, wasn't it the New Zealand Cricket Cotrncil which showed the enterprise?), | Felix says : — The New Zealanders are very i keen on making headway in the manly game, and, beyond all doubt, the way to do it is to have visits from such splendid players as Warwick Armstrong, who has bpen at his best during the tour through New Zealand. In Australia we were once weaker than the Maorilanders are now, and we began to improve when first-rate English teams came out and showed us how to play. The great SuTrey player, W. Caffyn. remained in Australia, and that other fine English player, C. Lawrence, also stopped. Tha coaching by these able exponents of the game caused a marked improvement in j Australian batsmen, and, as the seasons rolled on. and further Enelish teams camo out, the advancement in all departments oC the game was so striking that, instead of putting eightecms and fifteens in the field against the Englishmen, we entered tho lists against tl-.^m on oven terms — eleven asido — and, to the delight of all lovers of the game in Australia, we actually helcl our own against them. What was done in Australia can. be a'so done in New Zealand, and I have no hesitation in predicting that the time will come when our friends in Maoriland will be able to raise an eleven strong enough in all branches of the game to "make a stout fight, not only against one of our interstate teams, but against the pick of Australia. What the New Zealanders want, in addition to frequent matches against players better than themselves, are tiD-top wickets for practice and for matches. These are essential to the development of first-class batsmen, for. no matter how efficient a coach may b«\ he cannot mould young playe.rs into high-class batsmen if wiokots be of the bare and bumpy kind on which "rearers-up" are common. As types of

athletic men. well built, strong, and active, the New Zealanders are unsurpassed in tho ■world, and there is notlrng, co far as I can see, to prevent them from acquiring cricket skill of a high class, provided they employ the means I have indicated. A combined team from the Albion and Opoho, Clubs played a match against a team from the Manictoto County at Wicpiata on Good Friday, the former winning by 128 runs o-.i the first innings. The scores were- Albion and Opcho, 173 ; Maniototo, *-5 and 80 for seven wickets. On the following day Albion defeated Naseby by 106 runs on the first innings, the scores being- Albion, 208, Naseby, 102 and 114 lor five wickets. The Opoho Club journeyed to Patearoa at Easter, and met the local club in an enjoyable gems last Saturday, defeating it by_ eight wickets. Opoho, 106 runs (Kilgour 33, not ouf, M'Lsan 15, Cha-dwick 15, Anderson 14) and 28 for two wickets. Patearoa. 72 runs (Carr 13, Wikon 11) and 59 runs (Keely 18, W. Johnston 11. Pearce 11, not out). For the winners. Eckhoff. Al'Donald, Anderson, and M'Lean divided the wickets, as- did Johnston, Churnside and Carr for the losers. , The folloviing table siows the batting and I bowling averages of the First Giade team of j the Dunedin Club for the season ju;_t closed : —

I BATTING. HighIn- est Not Ay r. Name ings. Runs. Score, out. 1 age. Torrance E. C. .. 11 163 31* 3 20.3 Eckhold A. ..8 130 78 — 16.2 Hamann A. W. .. 11 161 53 1 16.1 Latham W 12 165 43* 1 15.0 Ackroyd E. ..3 27 25 1 13.5 Grabiun J 13 153 48 1 127 Mackersy W. 11 123 29 1 12.6 Wyeher.y G. . . 8 56 18* 3 11.2 Collio B 10 94 34* 1 10.4 Drumm J. J. .. 8 76 21 — 9.5 Watkins P. -.11 62 23* 1 6.2 Courtis P 8 17 8* 1 2.4 BOUTLKfG. Name. Bis. Mds. Rns. Wkls Av'g. Torrance E C. .. 1170 56 374 41 9 1 Mackersy W. -.. 612 20 302 23 13.1 Cotiriis P 636 26 276 20 13.8 Latham W. 388 15 157 10 15.7 The following table shows the batting and bowling averages of the First Grade team of the Albion Club for the season just closed : — BATTIXG. HighIn- est Not Av'r. Name. ings. Runs. Score, out. age. H. Graham .. .. 12 215 33 — 17.9 G. Keardon .. 12 160 29* 2 16.0 A Adams .. .. 11 143 41* 2 15.8 A E. 'Geddes .. 10 122 33 1 13.5 C. Corbett .... 8 63 19* 3 12.6 P. Williams ..11 138 41 — 12.5 J. Peake .... 4 25 11 2 12.5 D. Cramond ..10 77 36 3 11.0 R. Shepherd ..2 21 18 — 10.5 G. Wilson .... 8 81 36 — 10.1 D. Geddes .... 10 96 34 — 9.6 R. Dry 11 72 18 — 6.5 R. Moen .... 2 4 4* — 4.0 E. dimming? ..4 10 6 — 2.5 The following also batted.— J. Spence 0, W. SheUon 0, R. Burke o*. *Not out. BOWLING. Name. "Wickets. Runs. Average. G. Wilson ....... 13 130 lO.t) A. Geddes 14 ' 1 144 ' 10.2 " C. Corbett 20 268 13.4 G. Reardon . . .. '29 414 14.2 H. Graham 11 162 14.7 R. Moerr .-.-.... 7 107 15.2 E. .Cummings ... 8 130 16.2