Cricket.

Southland Times, Issue 18810, 1 May 1920, Page 9

Cricket.

(By “Short Leg.”)

Commenting upon the visit of an English eleven to Australia next year “Not. Out” in the Sydney Referee states; —

The announcement that the Englishmen arc to play the tests in Australia this year has quickened enthusiasm. 1 have heard finite a lot of talk on the subject of the Australian test loams and of the team to visit England immediately following the close of next, season. But. while interesting enough it leads to nowhere. Next season | the .Sheffield Shield matches will he contested by belter organised elevens, whose out-cricket will probably be much superior to that shown this season. One lias; only to take the recent Victoria v. New Smith Wales match in Sydney, to think of the Victorian fielding and compare it with the magnificent work done by Victorian elevens of years ago, elevens that flit! not always win. There will he a. very great improvement here, and it will be manifest in other directions. As I remarked recently (he big associations should organise (rial matches st) that the form of the ablest players in I each State will be known early and an effort made before they meet the English team to develop team combination. All this may Ivdone quite easily, and the State which docs it most thoroughly will probably reap the reward in results and in the selection of its best players for the test matches, and after them for the team to tour in England. For the Australian Eleven combination (he absolute best will be wanted, no matter where they come from. But they must earn their places. Brilliancy in the field should be set on a very elevated plane by the selectors of all representative teams. On Saturday wo hud an example of its value. 1 did not see very much of play in the InterState match, but in what I did see were two or three bits of delightful fielding. There was the running out of W. O. Brown by Roger Hartigan. Adams whacked the hall hard on the off drive in a dusky light. The striker did not move, but Brown, with the bounce of youth, was off the mark sharply, and when Hartigan gathered it iu he trrid to get back, but the return to the bowler beat him easily, Rowe being able to run a few yards to the sticks with the ball. If Hartigan had fumbled, a.s so many men do these days, Brown could have got home. Another case was the snapping up with the left hand wide at tine slip of Oxenham, by Hendry- If was a wMfy good catch of a kind wc so aften see mulled. Then there was the running out of Hartigan. I thought there was a run in it, but Hartigan’s mate failed to respond when Andrews, in intercepting the off shot, drove the ball some yards from him with his hands. The Queensland skipper had got right down the wicket, and Andrews’ quickness on to the ball a second time and his sharp and yet cool return to the right end left Hartigan stranded. Andrews made a few cover-point or extra mid-off pick-ups with the one hand at top speed, and followed with a sparkling return. These brought down the house. Fielding of that class must be expected in every position if Australia is to defeat England in the test matches. It is time that perfection in fielding should be aimer! at as it was in the great years. When Lord Sheffield’s magnificent team was defeated in the first two of their three test matches out here, I believe it was due largely to the brilliancy of the Australian out cricket, and especially of the catching. The fielding was marvellous. They seemed to be all champions with William Bruce and Alick Bannerman the stars. There are fieldsmen to-day just as great as any of that day, and perhaps an eleven is to be got together who arc greater if the selectors of teams give to fielding the attention it merits as a matchwinner on such wickets as we have One would sincerely like to see the match Colts v. English team replaced on the English team’s Sydney programme this year. It was a success in the 80’s and 90’s, and it would be as successful as ever, provided the Colts’ team be chosen wisely and well. If the Englishmen object to meeting more than eleven men in any match, and could not be convinced that thirteen are not too many to tackle, seeing the advantages in it to cricket, they could be met in the matter,

(provided that the Colts were allowed an 1 old head as skipper—Austin Diamond as a suggestion. M. A. Noble, Victor Trumper, L. O. S. Poidevin, L. W. Pye, and lots of j others who have left big marks in big i cricket were introduced to the Great Public jas colts against the Englishmen. There are I a few worthy youngsters coming along, and a match with the Englishmen is a fine incentive to them to hurry up the coming- ■ on moment. Cricket has lost one of its most famous players. G. T. Tyldesley recently warned the Lancashire County Club that he could not play during the coming season, and a cable message during the week stated definitely that he had retired. It is a physical disability which has caused him to retire after twenty-one years’ service. Last year he played with his legs heavily bendaged and often suffering acute pain, and. unfortunately, they are still weak. Tyldesley’s record is a remarkable one. Altogether he has scored 30,993 runs, and he has never failed to make 1000 in any summer since 1898, whilst his average has never dropped below 24, and it has been as high as 70. As many as 86 century innings stand to his credit, and 73 of these have been hit on behalf of Lancashire. A notable feature of Tyldesley’s long career is that he is finishing it as he began it—a,s a first-class batsman possessing notable talents. He never played a better innings than last year, when he made 272 against. Derbyshire. He was also responsible for another sparkling display in scoring 170 against Gloucestershire. His highest score was 295 not out against Kent in 1900, but seven years later he hit up 210 against Furfrcy at the Oval and 252 against Kent in his twentieth season. Truly has he retained his powers to the end in a | wonderful way. There have been few more attractive batsmen than Tyldesley. A small man, he had a powerful stroke on both sides of the wicket, though he favoured the oil, whilst his play through the slips was beautifully timed and accurate. He was very quick on his feet, and this, together with the fine use of his flexible wrists, was (he secret of his splendid success. The gap he has left in the Lancashire eleven will be hard to fill.