CRICKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 57

CRICKET.

NOTES BT I.OSO SLIP I had the pleasure of meeting Alex. Jones, the ex-Auckland representative cricketer, on Saturday evening, and learnt from him with extreme delight that he had come to take up his residence in Dunedin. Asked about cricket, Jones informed ,me that, after playing for Auckland against Otago, he came down to Christchurch, where he spent last season, but did not play much cricket. The ex-Aucklander is anxious to take up the game during his stay hero, and will probably play for Oarisbrook The news from New Zealand that the Dominion Cricket Council had decided to play South Australia and to cut out the suggested Ballarat and Bendigo matches js surprising, though good (says ‘‘Not Out’ I, insofar as the Adelaide match is concerned. From the cricket point of view it will undoubtedly bo better for the Now Zealanders to play South Australia as suggested, if the match can bo fitted in. The finances ought to be very satisfactory, more particularly if the council is guaranteeing £2OO toward the expenses and receives £l5O from New Zealand matches. Glen Inncs and Toowoomba, as well as the Melbourne C.C., have decided to give the guarantee of £SO, and Albury and Maitland scorn sure to do so, too. With the New South Wales and Queensland Associations guaranteeing £75 each, there is every reason to bc-lic-ve that our friends of the Dominion will not have anything financial to worry about on this trip. The New Zealanders are likely to play New South Wales on Boxing Day, and if so it will be a change for the Sydney men, who are usually called upon to cat their plum pudding in Melbourne.

To a cricket friend in Christchurch I am indebted for a copy of the Canterbury Cricket Souvenir, which, in addition to the records of Canterbury cricket for the last season and the hading averages, contains a record of Canterbury’s efforts in connection with the Plunkot Shield. The little souvenir is illustrated with a photograph of the Canterbury team which won the Plunkot Shield lust, season, and contains reproductions of the individual Canterbury players in characteristic cricket attitude. The departure of H. B. Lusk, the Canterbury representative cricketer, for England, whither ho lias gone to take up an appointment at Clifton College, London, will rob the Now Zealand team for Australia of one of its most brilliant batsmen. The Rev. E. F. Waddy has applied to the Board of Cont rol for sanction to take a team to Colombo in December. The members of the team will pay their own travelling expenses; hut will be entertained in Ceylon. The proposed tour has been taken un w’th some enthusiasm in Colombo.

The following dialogue was actually overheard at a recent country match:-—First Lady: “How can you tell which are amateurs and which professionals?” Second Lady: ‘‘ Why, you see, tho amateurs come out of one door and the professionals out of the other.” First Ladv: ‘‘Yes, I -know that. But how do vou tell them when they are on tho field?” Second Lady: “Oh, that is very easy; every, time they change over the professionals go on one side of the wicket and the amateurs on the other. You can see that there are three amateurs on the far side of the wicket and six mofessionals on this side. They never ;dlow the two to mix tin!” Tho South African Cricket Association has approved of the following guarantees for the M.C.C. tour£looo for two test matches at Johannesburg; £9OO for two test matches at Durban : £450 for one test match at Capetown; £450 for two Western Province matches at Capetown; £SOO for two Transvaal matches at Johannesburg; £295 for one Transvaal match at Pretoria; £l5O for a match at Kimberlev ; £1.50 for Bloemfontein ; £l5O for Port Flizaheth ; £l2O for Grahamstown: £l5O for Fast London; £l5O for King Williamstown: £l2O for Oudsthoorn; £SO for Mossel Bav; £225 for one Natal match at Durban ; £175 for one Natal match at Pietermaritzburg; £IOO for a match a+ Ladysmith: £IOO for Potehefstroom; £3OO for Bulawayo; and £3OO for Salisbury : —totah £5675. Tho _ heavy exnensee of travelling are responsible for the big guarantees asked of the two Rhodesian

towns. Thp estimate of expenses for a side consisting of six amateurs and eight professionals is £5517, which is £llO2 more than in 1909-10. The pros, are to have £250 each against £2OO then, and the amateurs more liberal out-of-pocket expenses—£7s each, which is not too much, one would say. Some of the other items of the estimate may be of interest : Steamer fares, £S4O; railway fares, £300; hotel accommodation and metals on trains, £1150; washing, £llO (six amateurs, £6O; eight professionals, £50); tips, £l5O. The side is expected to take out its own manager this time.

Tile reappearance of C. E. de Trafford in the Leicestershire team, after an absence of about seven years, wias an event in ittolf (says the Field). For a man who is in his fiftieth year he played a surprisingly good game, giving nothing away in the field, and during a long innings running many tivos and threes with the activity of a much youger player. In his first innings he showed his old impetuosity, and, picking out the wrong ball to hit—a length ball with much curl on it, —skied it in the slips and retired without scoring. His heart must have been in his mouth when, before he had scored in the second innings, he heard a loud appeal for a catch at the wicket, but afterwards he played a gicat game. For a long time he made none of his old daring hits, but, showing a piudence which would have been worth many runs to him formerly, picked out the best places for his strokes with unerr'ng judgment. Later he made some brilliant drives, and when he reached his 50 the applause was most enthusiastic. It was noticed that he batted without gloves, and, although the ball, more osneciallv when howled by Cook, often rose high, he never seemed to have any difficulty in dealing with it. It. was also noticed that ho played with as crooked a bat as that of Robert Abel, so that his eye must be ns true ns it ever was. De Trafford visited Now Zealand with the M.C.C. team.

NEW ZEALAND TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA. AUCKLAND, August 23. The committee of the Auckland Cricket Association has decided to guarantee the £75 required by the New Zealand Council towards sending a team to Australia. SYDNEY, August 19. The Cricket Association has fixed the dates of the New South Wales-New Zealand match at Sydney for December 26, 27, and 29. TEAM FOR SOUTH AFRICA. ' LONDON, August 14. W. E. Rhodes (Yorkshire), J. W. Hearne (Middlesex), F. E. Woolley (Kent), J. B. Hobbs (Surrey), C. P Mead (Hants), F. L. Fane (Essex), Booth and H. Strudwick (Surrey) have accepted offers to accompany the M.C.G. team to South Africa. A programme has been arranged for .22 matches, including five tests. August 15; Albert Relf has accepted the M.C.C. invitation for South Africa. P. F. Warner has recovered from his indisposition.. P. F. WARNER ILL. LONDON, August J 4. P. F. Warner, while playing for Middlesex against Lancashire, at Liverpool, was seized with sudden illness. THE AUSTRALIANS’ TOUR. OTTAWA, August 14. The Australian cricketers defeated the Eastern Canadian Eleven in a one-day match by 209 against 51. In a second match the. Australians defeated Eastern Canada. The Canadians made 90 runs and Australia 284. Cody took nine wickets for 44 runs. August 23. Heavy rain interrupted the match between Australia and All America. The Australians have made 83 runs for the loss of two wickets. MONTREAL, August 16. The Australians defeated an AllMontreal sixteen The Australians scored 239 and Montreal 154. August 19. The Australians defeated a M‘Gill University Seventeen, scoring 233 runs against 119. August 20. The Australians defeated M'Gill University in a second match. 'The former made 287 runs for nine wickets against 111 runs. TORONTO, August 25. The Australians made 402 runs in their first innings against All America, Macartney contributing 186. All America have lost seven wickets for 149 runs. ENGLISH COUNTY MATCHES. LONDON, August 11. Against Kent Hitch (for Surrey) securer] eight wickets for 48 runs. F. A. Tarrant (Middlesex and exVictorian) has completed his thousand runs, and has also taken a hundred wickets for the season. August 12. For Surrey Hobbs scored 115 against Kent. 'The latter require to make 378 rune to avoid an innings defeat. Notts, playing Ireicester, declared their innings closed with 507 runs for the loss of three wickets. Lee scored 200 (notout) and Carr 169, the partnership adding 333 for the second wicket. August 13. Surrey beat Kent by an innings and 40 runs. L. W. Dillon, in Kent’s second venture, scored 136. August 13. Against Norfolk S F. Barnes, for Staffordshire, after 21 rune had been scored off him without securing a wicket, took nine wickets for 10 runs, of which five batsmen were dismissed without scoring.

August!?. The margin between Kent and York ehire for the championship is now seven points, attributable chiefly to bad weather having interfered with the Kent matches. Kent has still four games to play and Yorkshire three. August 20. Yorkshire beat Essex by an innings and 48 runs. Kent beat Leicester by 264 runs. Hardinge, not out, made 154. Blythe took 13 wickete for 94 runs, including four at on« period for five runs. August 21. There was extraordinary scoring in county cricket throughout the country today. Seven centuries were compiled in first-class matches. In the Surrey-Worcester match Hayward (146) and Hobbs (184) made a first-wicket partnership of 313. Hobbs has completed his 2000 runs for the season. August 22. Against Warwick F. A. Tarrant (Middlesex) scored 136. Since the sth inst. he has scored 644 in nine innings. August 24. Kent defeated Hampshire by 158 runs. Hardinge made 117 and 105 not out.