CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 60

CRICKET.

ENGLISH CEICKET TEAM IN AUSTRALIA. November 10, 11, 13, and 14. —v. Smith Australia, at Adelaide. November 17, 18, 20, and 21. —v. Victoria, at Melbourne. November 24, 25, 27, 28.—v. New South Wales, at Sydney. December 1,2, and 4. —v. Queensland, at Brisbane. December 6 and 7. —v. Toowoomba, at Teawoo rh ha.. December 8,9, and 11. v. Australian Eleven, ■at Brisbane. December 15, 16, 18, and 19—v. AUSTRALIA (First Toil), at Sydney. Deoember 22 and 23. —v. Maitland, at West Maitland. December 26 and 27.—v. Bendigo, at Bendigo. December 30, January 1,2, and 3.—v. AUSTRALIA (Second Test), at Melbourne, January 5 avid 6. —v. Geelong, at- Geelong. January 12, 13, 15, and 16.—v. AUSTRALIA (Third Te3t), at Adelaide. January 19 and 20.—v. Ballarat, at Ballarat. January 23, 24, and 25. —v. Liauneoston, at Launceston. January 26, 27, and 29? v. Hobart, at Hobart. February 2,3, 5, and 6.—v. Victoria, at Melbourne. February 9, 10, 12, and 13.—v. AUSTRALIA (Fourth Test), at Melbourne. February 16, 17, 19, and 20.—v. New South Wales, ait Sydney. February 23, 24, 26, and 27—v. AUSTRALIA (Fifth Test), at Sydney. March 1 2,4, and 5. —v. South Australia., at Adelaide..

NOTES «Y LONG SLIP Up to the present the members of Carisbrook have been unable to use the ground for practice, but should the weather hold up anticipate having a strike at the nets this week; Mr Watson, the groundsman, has been putting a lot of work into the historic turf, and has it looking well. The spring showers have assisted vastly, and the young grass has come away nicely. The turf is further forward than it has been for some seasons past, and Mr Watson anticipates providing three good match wickets this season. * ■

So far as the prospects of the club are concerned, there will be little change from last year. The principal defections, as previously noted, are Rutherford and Godfrey. Save these two players the A and B Elevens will be practically composed of the players of the 1910-11 season. Huntly, the ex-Southland representative, who has taken up his residence in Dunedin, has joined Carisbrook this season, and if in form should prove an acquisition. I have heard, too, of a player from Masterton who took part in the match against the Englishmen having joined Carisbrook. L. Watson brother of Harold Watson, who made.a promising start for Carisbrook last season, and who subsequently went to Wellington, is back in Dunedin, and will be playing again for Carisbrook. Andrews, an ex-Sydney player, who was a member of Carisbrook last year, is reported bo have retired from the game.

Various rumours are afloat to the effect that Torrance and Eckhold! are about to join Carisbrook, but so far as can be ascertained there is no foundation for the gossip. In any case, I do not suppose Carisbrook would encourage players to leave their clubs.

Opoho had a good practice on Saturday, when 30 players put in an appearance for a strike at the nets. Last year's champions will be much the same as last season, though it is expected that at least two new players will be selected in the senior eleven. Davidson, a. promising lefthand batsman from Grange, will probably be one of these. The hill team badly requires a wicketkeeper. and it is possible that Wilson, of Port Chalmers, if he decides to play with Opoho, which he talks of doing, will fill the bill.. Several promising juniors have joined Opoho, and, with the material available, it is : proposed to play a Third Grade eleven.

There will be few alterations in the Grange team, practically the same players doing service for the north -end club a« last season, though places will -be found for Graham and Henderson, who have left the Dunedin Club to join the Grange. I cannot quite understand this desire for change on the part of players, particularly in this case, where two players come off good turf wickets on the Caledonian Ground.

The annual meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council is set down to be held on Thursday, October 26. Desperate measures require desperate remedies evidently (believe the cricket legislators of Wellington, who, to remove the present financial indebtedness of the Wellington Cricket Association, propose that a levy of od per week be made on each and every member of the clubs playing under the association's jurisdiction. The work of Saunders, the ex-Australian cricketer, as groundsman in Wellington has made the playing of the game much more agreeable in the Empire City than it has been for some years past. Charlie Boxshall, the well-known Canterbury cricketer, speaking at a recent meeting of the association on the question of district cricket, stated that when the district scheme was first mooted he had been one of those who thought district cricket would not be a success. He now declared the scheme to be a failure. Who could say that the" position of oricket and the clubs was any better under the scheme than before, and who could denv that thev were worse off financially? The position of cricket in Christchurch was to-day unparalleled, and it had never been at so low an ebb. The scheme had brought in two weaklings—East and West Christchurch, —while at the same time the rest had been built up into strong positions. He did not think that any alterations in the boundaries would prove anything, but an expediency to get over the present difficulty. He thought that all boundaries should be eliminated, and 1 the people allowed to play where thev liked. It would not interfere with the district scheme. It was late to make boundaries, and any alterations would offend clubs and create confusion and discord 1 . By eliminating the boundaries the association would be getting

out of a difficulty in a very easy manner. " Warner will .make a real captain—better than Fry (writes Major Waidill concerning this coming English team). All the team will work with Warner. Warner is very popular here. Manager Tom Pawloy came to me to get some tips in re the management of the team. Pie has good ideas, I think, and will certainly be .popular out there, as he is in England. He wants the team to live at the same hotels, etc., and Warner agreed with him. Well, they will, I am sure, be fit, and, having had the advantage of a season's dry wickets and onlv an interval of a few weeks, while our fellows have the whole winter between their playing, thev should win all their matches in the first round." Some dashing batting was shown in England' during the week before the mail left. In the'" Worcestershire match against Somerset H. K. Foster bit up 105 in 70 minutes. For Gloucestershire against the Indians F. B. Roberts played a fine inninsrs of 154 (not out), made in two hours and a-half, including 20 boundary nits. In the SurreySussex match M. Bird knocked up by fine cricket 151 _in two and threc-nuarter hours, including nine drives for 6 each, and sixteen 4's. Another good innings was that of E. L. Kidd, for Middlesex against Hampshie, who ©cored 150 (not out) in two and a-half houra. A very fine draw was effected bv Leicestershire against Lancashire in the former side's concluding match of the season, for, after being 175 runs behind on the first innings, they ran un 400 for nine wickets and "declared." leaving the Lancpetrians still wanting 221 runs to win, with nine wickets in hand, when time was up. Knight (120) and King (103 not out) batted finely in Leicester's second innings, while in Lancashire's first essay K. Macleod put together 131 runs in two and a-quarter hours, among his best hits being two 6's and sixteen 4's.

Clem ■Hill";"who has been elected captain of the Australians in the forthcoming test matches against England, has been playing tennis to help in condition, and is said to be extremely fit. Clem Hill is now 34 years of age. Numerically the English team is st-onger than any of its 17 predecessors from the Old' Country. Commencing in the 1861-2 p-nr-the first four, captained respectively by Stephenson, Parr, Grace, N and Lilly white, numbered 12 each. Then, in succession, came Lord Harris's team, numbering 13, Shaw and" Ivo Bligh 12 each, and Shaw's second team 13. In 1886-7 a drop to the bare 11 looked bad for Shrewsbury, but the team won 10 matches, including the big ones, out of 29 pkved It also put up a record for England in Australia, which still stands, and which, it is to be hoped, will never be broken—the drawn frames totalled 17. The two visiting teams of 18878, led by M. B. Hawke and C. A. Smith, numbered 13 and 12 respectively, and from that date there has been a steadv uoward tendency in the reserves. Lord Sheffield's team (Grace, oa.otain) and both of Stoddarts hung on 13, but just 10 years ago MacLaren was one of 14. and the increase was maintained under Warner two vears later. A. O. Jones's team reached 15. when George Gunn (on a health trin) was taken into it at this end. Now, Warner goes one better, merit and influence combined' securing the addition of his county colleague and protege, young- J. W. Hearne. of whom he wrote several months ago the words, would do well in Australia."