CRICKET

Otago Witness, Issue 2975, 22 March 1911, Page 60

CRICKET

NOTES BY LONG SLIP. The end of tho cricket season is ill sight, and the round oi matches on Saturday next will :.cu its conclusion, so far as Senior Grade matches are conconned. Opoho has definitely won iho premiership—an honour which is well doserved. This team has played good cricket throughout the* season, and, assisted by the ex-anterbury and New fcsoutll Wales representative, Syd Callaway, who has been the guide., philosopher and friend of the hill eleven, it has won all its matches by sheer merit. The young cricketers in the Opoho Eleven are very promising, and next season should go far lo making Opoh/.- a very powerful side. This is indeed a "century season" for local senior cricket. The sixteenth was hoisted on Saturday, when L. Chadvviek followed tho example of his brother and compiled a three-figure score. Jerry Austin is 70 not out, and it may be that the popuiW Carisbrook batsman will curry his score to the century mark before the season finally closes

Tarrant, the Middlesex player, speaking of the popularity of Victor Trumper, Bays": "There is one feature about him, whether winning or losing lie is fclio mine bright Jim of old, always anxious about everyone else, and laughing at hsi own failures. All his friends have a great liking for him, and I do not wonder at it. It is good to bear him say when a fellow-batsman walks back to the pavilion crestfallen after failing, ' Never mind, old man; we oan't always make runs, you know.' 'Why do they call you Jim?' someone asked' him once. ' I don't know, ho replied, laughing; 'I suppose it is because my name's Victor.'" The proposal that a New Zealand team should visit Australia received scant consideration, at the hands of the New Zealand Cricket Council at its last meeting. This may be due to a certain extent to the apathy .of the various associations in not having even suggested the tour; but nevertheless there is a very, keen feeling abroad that 'New Zeolajid should send a team next season to Australia. However, the subject was dismissed without reference to the individual associations for their opinion. The reason why the tour was relegated to this distant future was the fact of the'English team touring Australia next season and the likelihood of the . tour not being profitable. There is, however, the other side of the question, tJhat if the New Zealand team should arrive) in Australia a week or two prior to the Englishmen, there would be a, keenness on the part of the Australians to play against New Zealand as a good trial for the English matches. I have had occasion (remarks a Christchurch writer) to commend the council for being a progressive body, but I cannot help feeling that the idea of Waving an English team at all costs as against an Australian Eleven, o r a visit to Australia has prevented this proposal from being given the prominence it ought to have. Cricket has gone ahead by leaps and bounds, enthusiasm, is high, and now ia the time to send the team abroad. But it was deferred without even asking associations or players as to thteir ability to go. The coach question in Auckland is now being discussed widely by cricketers. The good work done by A. E. Relf is becoming more apparent each season, and the action of those who first moved to get him is justified. Relf is one of the finest coaches in the world, and naturally his services ware sought after. During his last season in Auckland his fees and expenses averaged about £IOOO a year. F. A. Pearson, who replaced him, has not struck form, but he made himself very popular. It is stated that he will not return to Auckland next season, having reoeived an offer to go to India at a very much enhanced fee. Should Pearson decide to accept the Indian offer it is probable that tho Auckland association will not engage a coach next season. This season Auckland has had a school of coaches. In addition to Pearson under engagement to the Cricket Association, F. Ward and F. Shaddock were also engaged by that body, while S. P. Jones devoted his time to coaching the King's College boys. Pearson was brought out from England, but Ward and Shacklock were engaged in New Zealand. The position with these professionals is that while they have done good service for the association, no arrangement has been made for their employment during the winter, or in regard to future engagement. It is only fair that provision should be made or some indication given regarding next season's policy of the association. The work of Shacklock has been especially good, and his pupils, with whom, he is very popular, have shown much improvement. Board, the English professional, who was in Aiickland with the Hawke's Bay team, is paid £5 a week while in Napier, £2 a week on the boat, and he gets second-class return fare from England. As a rule old cricketers are wedded to the champions of their day. Contemporaries of Spofforth _ place him before Turner; contemporaries of Turner place him before Spofforth. W. L. Murdoch was, and always will be, the champion batsman with a few. because time has idealised the past of fiom)t> men. Bwt while Pdackham had been universally acclaimed tihe erreatest wicket-keeper of all time by Sydney men. you find verv few who do not now admit that South Africa has produced in P. W. Sherwell at least his equal. There are a tew. who while . acknowledging: that Sherwell's wicket-keeping on this tour has been beyond criticism, yet would like to see him taking a bowler like- Cotter. Young Australians looking on at, the South African marches have hf»d a wicket-keep-ing standard put before them ; and if they have been observant the next few years of cricket in this country (savs Sydney Referee) mi<rht produce a few great wicket-keepers. At present there is a dearth.

The secretary oE the Canterbury Cricket Association wrote to the, Otago Cricket Association advising his association's acceptance <if the Otago Association's »hallengo for the Plunket Shield. The chairman reported that the dates fixed .on for the match were Christmas Day. Boxing Day, and the day following, and a letter was received from the New Zealand Cricket Council agreeing to those dates. E. Cameron, secretary of the Wednesday Cricket Association, wrote requesting that !>. match should be .nr ranged for Good Friday between a teaim of Wednesday players

and a team of second grade Saturday players. Such a match, in the opinion of the writer, would tend to create greater interest in Wednesday cricket. The proposal was agreed to, and it was left in the hands of the secretary to confer with the secretary of the Wednesday Association. The secretarv of the Union Cricket Club (Oamaru) wrote, stating that he would be able to get together a North Otagc cricket team to play a Dunedin junior eleven at Oamaru at Easter time.—lt was resolved that a Second Grade team be sent, the association to pay the team s second class train fares. It was also decided to send a team to Alexandra at Easter time to play a local eleven, and the arranging of this matter was left in tho hands of Messrs Wil son and Haiff.