“DYING OUT”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19897, 27 March 1939, Page 11

“DYING OUT”

THE GAME OF CRICKET OVERSEAS OPINION Let South Africa speak, says the Manchester Sunday Chronicle. From Beaconsfield, Kimberley, comes a wail against the first two undecided games. “These test matches are fizzling out,” writes R. Bagge, from Beaconsfield, Kimberley. "In fact, it looks as if the good old game of cricket is dying out. “If the pitch trouble can’t be remedied, how about four instead of three stumps? Cricket, somehow, must give the 'bowler a better chance.” So South Africa is no happier about it than those of us in this country, who have hammered away at the overprepared pitch, and sought to restore the balance between bat and ball. Now the players are joining in. Yorkshire’s Bowes has made a pungent contribution, and Australia’s O’Reilly has protested, with reason, against the bowler being turned into a galleyslave. Meantime, Bradman goes on eating up all the records—equalling even C. B. Fry’s six centuries in successive innings—and the galley-slaves toil on. Says Joe Davis, world's snooker champion: • “Billiards is dead and buried. The 1000 break killed it. "It got too monotonous. “People nowadays will have nothing but snooker. They want to see both players. Snooker gives them action.” "That’s right,” says Horace Lindrum. What has this to do with cricket?— Plenty. For 1000 break read 100 innings. It is killing cricket. Too monotonous.