CRICKET.

Southland Times, Issue 19757, 3 February 1923, Page 12 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

(By

‘Twelfth Man").

Because an innings closes at ten minutes past six is no reason for assuming that the day’s play is over. The closing hour in Invercargill club competitions during January is half past six, and there was no excuse for the Appleby Club’s delay in sending men to the wickets on Saturday.

The Marylebone Cricket Club has author* iaed Mann to follow the English custom of playing the last test match to a finish if the first four end all square. Sid Trumper, a brother of the incompar* able Victor Trumper, played a fine innings in Sydney grade cricket a fortnight or ao ago.

Nowhere will the selection of Mcßeath be received with greater pleasure than in local cricket circles. Although the ex Wyndham player is now resident in Otago, his doings since he left Southland have always been followed with keen interest, for there have been few more popular players in thiS part of the world than Dan McBeath, who first represented New Zealand from Southland, and gave yeoman service to the province in many representative matches. First-class cricket in Christchurch wai robbed of some of its interest last Saturday owing to the fact that the representative players were away in Dunedin. East Christchurch had made 246 against West, but the total was not sufficient to win them the game. West having had three wickete down for 129 runs on the first day, declared its innings closed on Saturday with a total of 358. East Christchurch 6 wickete down for 97 when time was called, so West had to be content with a two-point win. St. Albans ihade a better showing against Sydenham than the position on the first day led one to expect. Replying to 190 by Sydenham, it had 5 wickets down for 38, but the tail “wagged” and raised the total to 139. Sydenham made 179 in the second innings and scored a two-pointer. Linwood gained a three point victory over Riccarton, making 130 for three wickete in the second innings. Rice ar ton in the second innings made 169. SATURDAY’S GAMES. The beneficial effects of the tour on Southland cricket were certainly not in evidence last Saturday. The games were spectacular in places, but anyone who went in hopes of seeing some of the finer pointe of the game would have been disappointed. In the first place the fielding waa worse than it has been for some considerable time, as many as four runs frequently being obtained from overthrows. I.C.C. were the chief offenders and had the appalling total of 35 extras against them, chiefly on account of faulty throwing in. Union tried arranging their field in novel positions, and left large gaps, which procedure is justifiable when both fielding and bowling are strong. This was far from the case, however, and the Appleby batsmen scored many singlet which they were not entitled to. The prevalent idea seems to be to crowd as many as possible into slips. I.C.C. were reduced to using boys in the field, from which cause they gave away an untold number of runs, white four of their ablest men were in the slips.

Most of the reliable batsmen were not prominent and many comparatively unknown quantities with the bat came to light with creditable scores. The most noticeable fault was that of playing back to the slow bowling, which besides making the balls more difficult, introduced a tendency to poke. Walsh played a fine innings for 58. His strokes were sound and he always endeavoured to keep his shots low. In fielding and bowling be was also a consistent performer, and, considering his youth he should be a valuable addition to Southland cricket when the older generation has passed away. Timpany was another of the surprises, but his 43 was compiled by the “slap dash” methods which were characteristic of the day’s play. Doig’s play was somewhat disappointing. He opened for I.C.C. and proceeded to drive the first ball but his confidence was misplaced and he succumbed to a ball suspiciously like a full toss. He also bowled 10 overs for 67 runs without taking a wicket. Although Driscoll contributed 29 to the score of his side his batting was not of a high standard. He was never at ease with the bowling and some of his shots should not have been seen in first class cricket. F. Holz is another young player worth notice and his 44 against I.C.C. was a fine performance. It is gratifying to note that he has been chosen to practise for the next representative team.

Marist created a surprise by the excellence of their showing against 1.C.C., and that in spite of the absence of their best player, E. Kavanagh. The I.C.C. trundlers seemed to be right off form. The opening batsmen, Walsh and Timpany, gave their side confidence by trouncing the bowling in great style, and the first four men made 170 bo tween them. I.C.C. have lost four of their men for 85, and the rest require to get 162 to put their team ahead on the first innings, so that Marist have a good chance of getting their first victory of the season, provided the bowling is maintained. The tactics of the Union captain were somewhat hard to fathom. He placed the field in a decidedly curious manner and changed his two best bowlers just when they were beginning to take wickets, with the result that the last four Appleby men put on over a hundred runs. It is true that Appleby are leading by a mere matter of twenty runs, but it is hardly likely that they will again be dismissed so cheaply. Dr Brown and Fogo were outstanding in the bowling, the former’s 8 wickets for 55 being a remarkably good performance considering the atrocious fielding of his side. Fogo was in fairly good form but did not have much control over his length. He must stop pitching the ball up too far if he wants to get anywhere in representative cricket. Holz took 3 wickete for 27 and his Jength was consistent, but play stopped before he had a proper chance to demonstrate his ability. Saturday’s play raises no undue hopes ai to the. strength of the next representative t team, and if such a team were selected from the results of last day’s play some well known figures would be missing. The fielding is fast becoming a joke, evidently from lack of practice, for the outfield is now in splendid condition. Groundwork and catching are alike poor, and the placing of the field is frequently bad. FRAGMENTS. Going on the land after the return of the last Australian side in England, J. Gregory and C. E. Pellew both found it necccsary to retire from big cricket. Gregory, however, still finds time for a little cricket on the concrete and dirt wickets out west at Warren. He played the leading part in Trangie’s victory against Warren. Though bowling half his “big cricket” pace, he made the ball fly on the matting, and in six overs captured four wickete for 22. With the bat he knocked up 58. including six fours and three sixes, before being caught on the boundary. Fifty-three runs in two overs! This performance was recorded by C. 48. Gibbs in his first game on Saturday last for St. Albans second ,vade team, says the Christchurch Sun. Gibbs has just left St. Andrew’s College, and he played in the first eleven of this school in 1920, 1921 and 1922. He is a left-hander. Gibbs had been batting for some time for St. Albans against East Christchurch, before he started to hit out in the remarkable manner indicated. Then in one over he hit 21 runs. In the succeeding over, bowled by Bestey, he pulled the ball for two successive sixers. Still patronising the leg side he followed with five fours, missing one ball in the over. Four of these boundary strokes just missed being sixers. When Gibbs, a few minutes later, had 93 runs to his credit, he walked out of his crease after making a stroke, and was stumped. His score included 15 fours, four sixers, two twos and five singles. Although Gibbs took risks, his batting was by no means marked by wild slogging. His timing was perfect, and although his strokes were powerful, ‘here appeared to be little

effort behind them. Some of his driving was wristy, but he did not seem to have any great strokes behind the wicket. Gibbs is also a good bowler. Collins, captain of the New South Wales eleven, has been appointed assistant stipendiary steward, at £5OO a year, to three of the Sydney pony clubs. His employers do most of their racing on Wednesdays, but sometimes they will require Collins’s services on a Saturday and it looks as if his cricket will suffer. When Clem Hill got a similar job in South Australia, he withdrew from the game. All the same Collins would be a severe loss to New South Wales cricket in its present uncertain condition, and the pony people will be earnestly entreated to stretch a point in his favour, more especially as Collins is at the height of his powers. He will be 34 on January 21.—Exchange.

The New Zealand Cricket Council has been criticised for the non-selection of B: J. Kortlang in the Test teams against the M.C.C. combination. He was rejected on the score that he was not eligible to play, even though he had figured in a Plunket Shield match. The view of the council ■trikes me as correct, writes “Not Out.” of Sydney Referee, as there is nothing to show that the Australian is a New Zealapd resident. He flits from country to country on business. The representation of a country in Test sport is an important matter.

W. G. Ingleton, who passed away in Melbourne the other day, got a game or two with the Victorian XI in the days of Harry Trott, Bruce, Graham and the two McLeods. But he was better known as a basebailer (says the Sydney Bulletin). He was the finest second base this country has ■een. The outstanding success of the only Australian team of ’bailers that has visited America, he was hailed as “a marvel” by a leading critic of the game, and the Giants or Red Sox were recommended to snap him up. But Ingleton did not like the U.S .A. or the methods of its professional ’ball players, and- returned home with the team, whose principal achievement, apart from Ingleton’s fielding, was the discovery of mixed-bathing. AFTER A LONG CAREER. There have been few better known figures on Southland cricket fields than J. A. Doig, who has announced his retirement from representative cricket after a long and successful career. Although past the half century, the veteran Southlander ■till ranks as a very potent factor in club cricket, and his masterly changes in pace and length of his bowling, while all the time preserving an immaculate length, have for years been an object lesson to cricketers. Doig has been so long in cricket that he cannot exactly remember how long he has been playing, but it is at least 33 years, as he was in the Opoho (Otago I seconds when that club started in the eighties. He soon got into the first eleven, so that he has been playing senior cricket for over 30 years. He has a remarkable unbroken record of 28 years in representative cricket, 23 of them in the Southland team and five in the North Otago team. Unfortunately, from a statistical point of view, the veteran has not kept any records of his performances with bat and ball, but it can be imagined that if it could be found how many balls Doig has bowled in the years he has been playing cricket it would be a huge total, and hundreds of wickets have been credited to him.

He has performed the feat of taking all ten wickets in an innings on three occasions—once last season when he took ten wicket? for 40 in a club match. Against Wyndham seven years ago he took ten for 11, and against Bluff ten years ago he took ten for 36. Hat-tricks have been common with him, not a season passing without his performing that feat. His average at the end of his seasons in North Otago was 1.2 per wicket. During that season he took six for 0, eight for 6, and •even for 9.

Though not such a big performer with /he bat, he has some good scores to his name. One match stands out in his memory. It was some years ago when he played for Gore against Mandeville, and scored 39 out of the completed innings’s total of 42, the last man in making 1, and there being two byes. Nine men registered “ducks.” LOOKING AHEAD. HOW CANTERBURY CRICKET PRESTIGE. IS BEING RESTORED. A few years ago Canterbury’ was supreme in cricket so far as the Dominion was concerned. With six or seven representative cricketers absent in Australia, the province could still defend the Plunket Shield with ease. The strength of the representative teams was demonstrated over and over again, but this glory passed away and in the post-war period Canterbury was weak. The war and the adherence to veterans told its tale. But Canterbury has learnt the lesson and is now setting about the task of recovering its lost prestige with a thoroughness and sportsmanship which should impress other provinces which have fallen into her faults. The other day Talbot made 105 in Dunedin. He was a junior grade player and stepped righto into representative ranks, repeating the feat of the late R. G. Hickmott. Talbot’s instantaneous success wilf settle his place beyond doubt. But he is not alone, or will not be alone. Schoolboys are being given sound foundations by Shacklock, and they will soon be entering the club competitions. There are droves of them coming on and some good cricketers must develop from them. So much for the kiddies. At the other end the Association is making places for colts in the representative teams and hopes to be able to try at least six each season. It is argued that if one of the six shows promise and can justify his place in the team, the province will have a great collection of young players in about four or five years, and all of them will have had big cricket experience. Talbot, they hope, is merely the first.

Further, Patrick, the Canterbury captain, is an enthusiastic supporter of the scheme. He is getting up in years, but he is a great general, and handles young players in the best way. If they are batsmen they go in early so that they get a chance; if they are bowlers they appear early in the attack. How often is the colt relegated to the other end of the batting or bowling list? Canterbury cricket is being governed and played in the proper spirit. • Here is a true story for the edification of all cricketers. The best wicket-keeper was up in years but by no means done, but there was a youngster coming on. He knew it was not right just to “decline to play” and he knew he would be picked, so he bound a finger up for two or three days and told the selectors he was sorry he could not play and suggested giving the youngster a trial. That was surely the proper veteran spirit ! It is noticeable that Canterbury is not picking a team of colts for slaughter while the veterans go playing holiday games, but is putting these young players in the regular elevens among the old hands. Another feature of Canterbury cricket to-day is that the older hands are going to practice to help the young players, bowling to them and giving them help by precept and example. Canterbury cricket is going to come back, because selfishness has been eliminated and the spirit is for the game.