Cricket.

Southland Times, Issue 19388, 19 November 1921, Page 9

Cricket.

(By

Twelfth Man.)

It is expected that the Australian crict" keters now in South Africa will reach homi a few days before Christmas. Writing in the Badminton Magazine, Sir Horne. Gordon discussing the Australian tour says among other things:—Not ft>r a moment will I admit that the present Australian side is the best that has ever come over here. Their own members do not think so themselves; but they are a capital team, fielding superbly, always capable of doing what is demanded of them by a wonderfully wily captain, who has three great bats and rungetters all through, with two splendid fast bowlers as well as his own insidious slows, but supported by only moderate changes. J. M. Gregory, after the first test match at Nottingham, told me that there were not more than five other cricketers good enough to have come over here and then any eleven drawn from the rest could hardly have defeated one of our sec-ond-class counties.

South Africa has only once defeated Australia in a Test, that happy occasion for the men of the Springbok country being in Adelaide over ten years ago, when G. A. Faulkner, J. W. Zulch, and S. J. Snooke made centuries, and Victor Trumper rattled up 214 not out for Australia. All matches played in South Africa or in England have been either won by Australia or drawn. Toombul, winner of last year’s first grade competition in Brisbane, are leading again this season. Their strength lies in two fine bowlers, Hornibrook and Barstow, who a fortnight ago took five for 13 and five for 26 respectively. In beautiful weather and on a perfect wicket, batsmen in Wellington last Saturday reaped a plentiful harvest. No batting side scored less than 150. On the Basin Reserve the match was Midland v. Y.M.C.A. and an attractive afternoon’s cricket it provided. Y.M.C.A. went in first, and, by very consistent batting, amassed a total of 315. All but three batsmen reached double figures, Church, not out 60, being top scorer. Midland replied with 87 for one wicket. At Kelburn Park, Institute gave Wellington a surprise by knocking up 219 against the bowling of Hiddleston and Middleton. Bell gave a fine display of 109, about half the total. Wellington retaliated very effectively ' with -166 for two wickets. Tuckwell 58 and Burton 42 not out, and later Jennings 35 not out. All played vigorous, inspiriting ,

cricket. Old Boys came to light against Thorndon at Anderson Park with a compilation of 269, to which Lambert contributed exactly 100, Tucker 60, and Mclntosh 40. Thorndon in the fading light made an unlucky start, losing two good wickets for 22. The two old rivals, Hutt and Petone on their first day’s encounter, at Petone finished a very even break—Hutt 150 first innings; Petone 128 for seven wickets. The best bowling performances were Smyth (Petone) seven for 50, Corner (Petone) three for 18, Glennie (Huttl three for 15, Middleton (Wellington) six for 61, Hiddleston (Wellington) four for 51. New South Wales is not the only State with a fat bank balance. The Victorian Cricket Association has cash assets totalling over £lO,OOO, and this after declaring and paying a dividend of £2OO to each district club affiliated, £lOO to each sub-district club, £2OO to the country clubs, and sun-' dry other gifts. No club pays a subscription, merely an entrance fee of £5. What a happy position for those lucky clubs which are in the magic circle. The Auckland competitions were continued last Saturday in dull weather with intervals of sunshine and showers. Conditions generally favoured the batsmen. Grafton scored 226 for their first innings, at Remuera (Horspool 68). Despite lhe big score an Eden B bowler, Bennett managed to get a decent average—four for 31. With a lead of 121 Grafton went, on and outed their opponents for 80 runs( (Kilworth taking four wickets for 17), thus winning by an innings. University continued to outclass a strong Ponsonby side and rfre evidently pretty strong this year. With 138 runs behind University’s first innings, Ponsonby followed on and doubled their first innings’ score, getting 157 Sneddon in first and not out 79. Smith, the ex-English county player (39) stayed with him for a while, but no one else got into double figures. Don Hamilton headed these single figure scorers with 9 runs. Garrard was the destroying angel. He took six for 51—Dunning three for 52. With 20 runs to get, University completed their task with one wicket lost to Hamilton. Eden A beat Y.M.C.A. on the first innings on which they had a lead of 131 runs with a total of 252. Y.M.C.A. put on 195 for nine wickets and played out time, thus saving a three point win. Taylor (Eden) had the best average—four for 62. Another first innings victory wpnt to Parnell who scared 231. North Shore following with 195 after having one down for 98 the previous week. Parnell promptly collapsed next innings, finishing with 74 —McLeod 35. O.

Dacre and Coates between them took six For 27. North Shore got within 18 of the required total when time was called and lost the match. Frank Iredale. who is to get the "benefit'’ in N.S.W. cricket this season, has worked hard for cricket in recent years. Iredale had two trios with the Australian eleven in England— 1896 and 1899—but didn t show his best form. In Australia he has played for N.S.W. against Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. and Arae one of the five who made the first-class record of five centuries in an innings v. South Auetralia at Sydney in 1901. The record-smashers were Syd. Gregory (108*, M. A. Noble (153', Les. Poidevin (140>. Reg. Duff (119), and Tiedale (118 . The total score was 918, which is a first-class record and next to the all matches record of 1094 by Melbourne ’V argity v. Esscndon in 1898. Iredale is 54 years nf ace. The Tokio Photographic Times answering the query ‘What is cricket?” states: “It is a national game of England seven or eight years old. It only differs from baseball in using a ball of cork wrapped up in leather, having a three nillared gate called a wicket, and a bat resembling a battledore.”

How is this for a one-sided match ? Playing in the Southern District competi tion (Sydney i Chipping Norton made 4 runs. One batsman scored 2 and sundries the remainder. The bowlers, G. Painter and L. Randall, each took five for 1. Painter doing the hat trick. The second innings pro duced 12 runs. Painter taking six for 6 and Randall four for 6. Chipping Norton's opponents, Liverpool, made 240, five batsmen retiring. Says an exchange: “During a cricket match at Ashford, Kent, the ball was driven out of the ground. It passed through the window of a house and fell into a pudding which was being made on the kitchen table.” .

A weak story. A golfer would have spent some time looking for the ball, failed, and then gone home to tea. Over his plum pudding he would be telling the story of the ball when lo and behold ! 1 — “It was the irony of fate” (writes the English Field) .‘‘that the Australians, after making a remarkable record, should have been twice defeated in the closing matches of the season, but they have unquestionably been an exceedingly lucky team, nad everything combined-to make their tour a triumph until the last moment. Their victories were generally so easy that towards the end they seemed to have had a surfeit of success, with the result that almost all the dash and vigour which marked their play during the first three months of their tour had vanished.

In the course of aiftatch at Kingsthorpe (England) a short time ago, the ball was hit into the orchard of a lady who flatly refused to give it up. As the players had no other ball they were eventually obliged to abandon the game. A few days later one of the players appeared at the Northampton Police Court to answer a charge of using bad language on that occasion. The Mayor said that in the circumstances there was justification for a sharp retort, and dismissed the case on receiving a promise from the defendant that in future he would refrain from language unworthy of a gentleman. #

It does not look at present as if there will : be very many important changes in the 1 personnel of the different club teams this season. I.C.C. will have almost exactly the 1 same team as last year and Appleby are in very much the same position. The reappearance of Washer, however, should mat- . erially strengthen the team, since a bit more variety in their bowling was all they needed last year to make them a hot combination. Incidentally it is pleasing to see the latter I playing again after a nasty accident had | necessitated a temporary retirement last ’ year. Union seem to have made the most gains with such a trio as Handford, John Hamilton and Bogue. The ex-English zoujity player should be very valuable to the ieain, as one with his extensive experience of the game is just what is needed in a club of young players. Union have also been Lucky in getting a-wicket-keeper of Bogue's ability, while Hamilton represented his province before the war and is still a long way from the veteran stage. Marist Old Boys are new to the first grade competition and thus are something like “dark horses,” but there is reason to believe they will be quite a strong combination. On their performances last season, they had a clear cut right to seek admission to a higher grade and with ' that team strengthened by Kavanagh, James Hamilton and Driscoll, they should do well. 1 am sorry to hear, that through not enjoying the best of health, T. Battersby is unable to turn out with the rest of his com. I rades in the Appleby eleven at the opening of the season, to-day, although I understand that when the weather gets warmer he may be able to get into flannels once more. Bat- 1 tersby has always been a force to be reckoned with in the southern club’s eleven, while the value of the work he has done year after year for his club, has perhaps not yet been fully appreciated. In difficult periods, Battersby has been the life and soul of his club, while the work he has done in bringing on the younger players is deserving of the highest praise. The second round of the Christchurch competitions was commenced last Saturday. Riccarton did very well on.a bumpv wicket to amass 222 runs. Only two men failed i to break the ice, all the rest getting into i double figures. The last two wickets put i on 66 runs. Sandman, who kept a fine ' length monopolised the bowling honours with seven for 74. The rough wicket was apparently getting worse as the day wore on and at the call of time St. Albans had six wickets down and only 48 runs on the score sheet. They will have their work cut out to stave off a big defeat next week. Play in the Sydenham-East Christchurch match produced very similar results. Of the formers 225, ‘Billy” Patrick and McEwin made 164. Patrick got 105 and is reported to have given his brightest display for years. The Dominion representative was (says the Referee > run out early, but no one appealed Howell and Flow! with four wickets each, costing on an average a score of runta piece, did the bowling for East. The sun-ward suburb had six men out and had scored 85 when time was called—Cunningham made 44 not out. by sound cricket and ran two men out by failing to answer calls. Patrick’s exertions with the bat did not seeni to have affected his oowling and he finished one of his best day's with three wickets, Dan Mcßeath setting the other The third match, West. Christchurch v. Linwood, T out much the same as the other two. » *3 gening batsmen for West fluked their <ay towards the century, rotten fielding as-si-ting them considerably, and then Hayes nd Patterson put on 57 for the last their’? being the best display of the innings, fnc Linwood men assisted in the trundling, no one getting more than a brace Retribution overtook Linwood for their lost chances, Dame Fortune frowning terrifically on the first two batsmen who were run out. Hayes and McLachlan then took charge and completed th? mut. getting rid of Linwood’s nine men (the other two w'ere apparently away watching Winning Hit beat Amythas) for 69 runs. West must have been chortling gleefully at this stage, but their turn came with a vengeance. Going in at six o clock with a bad light and a delightfully erratic wicket to keep them company, five men made the return journey in 20 minutes, their united efforts producing 19 runs As in Invercargill, the Clerk of the weather refused to allow cricket to be played in Dunedin last Saturday. A familiar figure in the I.C.C. first eleven who will be missed this year is L. Bell, the veteran secretary of the club. Bell is this year playing in the second eleven and commenced the season with a good bowling I erformance a fortnight ago. As secretary of the club, he has done a very great deal th- financial side of the club’s activities. JUNIOR CRICKET (Notes by “Cover Point.”) All matches were postponed last Saturday, the same fixture-' being played off to-day. The question of a junior rep. match has not yet been finally settled as a decision will rot be made until it is known whether » senior team is to be sent on tour.

This should not affect the decision of the S.C.A. since a junior rep. match would be good policy in any case. There will probably be more ex-first graders playing in the second grade this year than was expected and with the many promising younger players coming on a strong team should be. available for selection. As I have said, the experience obtained would be of incalculable benefit to the younger players while the defeat of a junior team would not have the seme effect on Southland’s cricketing status as the defeat of a senior representative team would. If it is decided to play a second grade rep. match the best time for it would , be about the New Year holidays but before then a second grade rep. eleven should be ! selected to meet the second best rep. team | from the first grade. F. Holz, who was a member of the Southland Boys’ High School first eleven at the beginning of last year, and who bowled so well in the match against Otago Boys’ High Schooi, performed well for Institute against Petone in the “B” section of the second grade in Wellington last Saturday. Institute made 119, Holz, with 47 to his credit, batting soundly and being the highest scorer. Petone made 105, Holz taking 3 wickets for 22. Christa College, in the “B” section of the second grade last Saturday, made 381 against. Kaiapoi, the highest score of the season in Christchurch. Every player got into double figures. Bro. Anastasius showed that he is alive to the well-fare of the game when he suggested that the second grade should be subdivided into two sections, each containing six teams. The winners of the “A” and "B” sections are to meet to decide the second grade premiership, so this arrangement should suit everyone. However, it is to be hoped that in future seasons the S.C.A. will not allow as many as twelve teams in the second grade competitions. When the fact that there are only four senior teams is taken into consderaton, twelve second grade teams is too many. There are only four teams in the third grade this year and it would be a good plan for the S.C.A. to relegate the* four lowest second grade teams at the end of this season to the third grade next season. There would be some argument as to whether the four lowest teams were to be taken from the “A” or “B” sections but this difficulty is easily overcome. At the end of the first round, the three leading “B" teams might play off the final round constituting the “A” section from which the ultimate winner would be drawn. The remaining six teams could constitute the “B” section and the lowest four could be relegated to third grade. An argument for the twelve teams has been raised that the, Rugby Union’s second grade competition comprised twelve teams but it must be remembered that six of these teams were the second fifteens of senior clubs while five came from the country. In the cricket competition only one (excluding Bluff ) country team is entered so that ten teams are drawn from Invercargill which in the opinion.of the writer is too many. However, the matter is a difficult one to decide, but perhaps by the end of the season the Cricket Association will have arrived at some solution.

Apparently another injustice has been done to a country school. Makarewa school, situated only five miles from Invercargill applied for admission to one of the schools’ competitions but the School Sports Association refused admission and up to the present no reason has been vouchsafed. It is time the Cricket Association took a hand in this matter and had something to say i regarding what teams are eligible for admission to the schools’ competition. It seems as if the Schools’ Sports Association is becoming a band of despots and the sooner their autocratic rule (which applies to football as well as to cricket) is ended the j better it will be for the game. There seems j no reason why the Makarewa school sh»?uid ■ not be admitted and the Schools’ Sports Association should be called on for an explanation.