CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 15 (Supplement)

CRICKET

'By

“Twelfth Man.")

There was some quite good scoring at the Show grounds on Saturday. Union’s first innings total of 283 is the biggest 're that has been registered in either 'Ctition so far. For this they were fiy indebted to good batting by Shaw, zier and Gordon. Shaw hit powerfully

his 65, and so effectively did he collar he bowling that when the first wicket fell for 69, he had scored 65 to Jack Lilley’s two. His total included three sixes and ten fours. Crosier followed this up with a good steady 48, but the best performance of the day’s play was a half century by Gordon. The ex-High School captain played beautiful cricket for his runs, his best shot being a crisp carpet drive between mid-off and cover. Maxwell hit hard for 31, and the innings closed for 283. Appleby had half a dozen bowlers on the go, of whom Poole and Richards were the most successful. Going in to bat late in the afternoon, Lilley and Haywood had put on 42 without loss when stumps were drawn. In I.C.C.’s first innings total of 184, nearly half the runs were secured by Goodsir, who batted very well for 71, at which stage Kavanagh got him leg before. The bowling honours fell to Kavanagh and Walsh, who also proved the side’s mainstay in batting. Both played excellent cricket for 47 and 42 respectively, and they will continue their innings to-day. The Bill Howell story that pleased me most w-hen I first heard it was of an occasion when he and the eccentric Coningham chummed for the first time at lunch, says an Australian writer. The Queenslander was curious about the ordinary occupation of his new friend. “Oh, I’m a bee-farmer,” said Bill. Conningham was impressed by the modesty of his language. “I’m a b chemist myself,” he said. Wednesday’s victory was not productive of anything in the nature of thrills, Invercargill and Union moving sedately along to three point and two point victories respectively. Union’s victory was particularly noteworthy, as to date the southern club would seem to have had “an Indian sign” on their old rivals of the Wednesday competition, who have not beaten Appleby for four seasons. When the Invercargill-Marist game resumed, a valuable partnership between Driscoll and Stokes added 34 runs to the score, Stokes stonewalling effectively for one run, while Driscoll opened out in fine style, hitting three sixers in successive scoring shot®, and also four fours. He was not out with 60 to his credit when the innings closed for 128, or 45 behind LC.C.’s first innings total. Foster and Taylor gave I.C.C. a good start in the second innings, putting on 63 before Foster was caught after a very good knock of 39. Taylor went soon after, with a useful 20 to his credit, and thereafter the innings was something in the nature of a procession. Jackson caused a short diversion by a very nice little innings which included four fours before he was run out when attempting an impossible run. Feeding up a well regulated supply of slow ones, Driscoll had most of the batsmen in trouble, and finished with the fine average of four for 16. Considering the lack of bowling talent on his seven men side, he handled his bowling particularly well, and all his changes were well timed and effective. Marist’s six wickets were disposed of for 51 about five or ten minutes before full time, only McDermott and Driscoll getting into double figures. Doig and Dr Brown collected the averages, the former totalling ten for the match. After a prolonged spell of batting that was largely of tht defensive variety, High School just got ahead of Appleby for a two point win in the junior competition on Wednesday last. Appleby totalled 91 in their first and only innings, Dunbar getting a useful 28 and Morrison and Cunningham double figures. Blue, Hamilton and Shireffs divided the trundling honours to the . tune of four for 27, three for 28 and three I for 18 respectively. High School got the required runs with a couple of minutes to , spare, losing five wickets in the process. Shireffs made a careful 36 not out after i ang missed very early. Kidd and Dunbar shared four wickets at fairly long The presence of Poole was expected to liven the Appleby eleven up on the second day’s play at the Show grounds against Union, the veteran having been absent on the first day. However, for once Appleby's skipper had a day off as regards his batting, and although he and Groves bowled particularly well in Union’s second innings, their inability to get. going early in the .-■econd innings with the bat left Union with a win on the first innings. Appleby's first innings closed rather sud- I denly for 94, Oughton. of Union, securing the last four wickets that fell at a cost of four runs apiece. Union’s second strike was not much better, thanks to the accurate bowling already mentioned, and the innings closed for 109, of which Hamilton made 41 by steady cricket. Groves has seldom bowled better. His length was greatly improved, and he kept on pegging away at the off stump with a consistency which brought ample reward. Poole took over the attack from the other r -nd and bowled with his usual good judgment. A cricket team was playing in Portland Park (N.S.W.) on a pitch close to a tennis court. One of the cricketers skied a ball which went over the netting of the tennis court. One of the tennis players made a rrific backhand swipe at it. His swipe eo.-t him £3 for a new racquet and £2 10s •.-pit al expenses for treatment to a sprainI forefinger. It was common knowledge among cricketrs last season that the members of the - sbrook senior eleven were not a happy ■iily, and the team work suffered in con- . rice says Slip in the Otago Daily Times, rtunately there was little likelihood of •rs being any better this season and as .it C. and A. W. Alloo have resigned the Club. They have been granted a r to the Grange Club, and next y the two brothers will probably be playing for the north-end team, already have a strong eleven, and lusion of the Alloos will probably it the most powerful team in the sen- ; competition. The first grade contests

• . uid have been made more interesting had the services of these two players been . cured by the Dunedin Club, which has about the weakest team in the competition. All four senior teams would then have been about the same strength. Appleby’s second innings was a considerable improvement on their first, thanks largely to fine batting by the two colts, Geddes and Leek. The former, who is a good steady opening batsman, is always hard to dig out. Leek, who has good strokes in plenty, has not done as well as he should have so far, consequently his splendid innings on Wednesday murt have been very gratifying to Poole and Grooves, both of who take a great deal of interest in the doings of the club’s younger players. The little chap played beautiful, correct cricket, his best shot being a delightful carpet drive between mid off and cover. Washer also kept the flag flying at the other end, and scored a good twenty. The Union bowling was very steady, Austin and Shaw securing the best results. The fielding was very fair. Carisbrook and Grange defeated Albion aud Dunedin respectively m the couclud-

ing day’s play of the opening scores of the Dunedin competition on Saturday last. The weather was showery and cold, and the scoring small. Shepherd, Worker and Dickenson were the only players to reach the half century.

King George, although a versatile sportsman, has not pulled up trees, as the saying goes, when playing cricket, although as a midshipman he took part in many games. But his son, Prince Henry, has the reputation of being the best cricketer in the Royal Family. Upon one occasion when an impromptu match was being played at Windsor, the Prince acted as captain of one of the sides, and having just dismissed the Prince of Wales, he turned to a companion and said: “We shall win all right now; there ia only father to come in, and I can bowl him many time I like.” He was as good as his word, for the King was out neck and crop from the first ball he received.

Although now 47 years of age, H. Carter, the veteran Australian XI wicket-keeper struck form in the Australian trial match, securing a brilliant half centupr and keeping soundly. Oldfield, who is at present hors de combat through appendicitis, will have to look to his laurels later on, young and all as he is.

Clem Hill captained the Australians who played New South Wales on the Sydney Cricket Ground for Bill Howell’s benefit — which benefit is expected to yield £lOO0 — and helped his side with an admirable 40. He ran smartly between the wickets, and jumped out to slow bowling with considerably greater agility than was shown by some of the younger cricketers; yet the man has been years out of the game and will be 48 on March 18 (says Sydney Bulletin). Ratcliffe top-scored with a firstclass 161, made in 252 minutes, and kept wickets excellently. But the eleven would have got an awful doing has the match been plaj’ed to a finish; its scores were 310 and eight for 142 against 645. Collins (106), Taylor (Illi, Kippax (115), Kelleway (101) and Bardlsey (90) did most of the scoring for New South Wales, and nothing could have been prettier than the partnership of Kippax and Taylor; Bardsley, however, was badly missed by Hill before he had made 40. But the bowling, apart from Mailey’s—the googly took 10 for 169 —was only so-so. Gregory sent in fast, medium stuff for nine overs, but failed to take a wicket. If his leg stands, he will have to be included in the first Australian eleven to meet the Englishmen, but it is quite on the cards that he will be less useful this season than the Victorian Wallace. Taylor is batting so well, and is such a beautiful field, that the selectors will probably choose him in preference to the elderly and stodgy Bardsley. Macartney is in danger of being dropped. He has shown no form at all this season and form must count.

The allowance to each player in each Test match this season is to be £3O with railway fare and sleeper, and £1 a day when absent from his own State. Umpires will receive £lO a match, and railway fare and sleeper when absent from their own States. The Australian Eleven, to play in Brisbane, will embrace not more than seven players from outside Queensland, and these will receive £1 a day and travelling and hotel expenses. Trankey, that old-time New South Wales gold mining centre, was the scene of the biggest hit ever recorded in the annals of Australian cricket. During a match played there years ago and on which that had been a lot of wagering, a batsman drove the ball into the branches of a lofty tree, where it remained. But as it could be plainly discerned the umpire refused to call “lost ball.” Befre it was recovered, by means of a shot gun, 202 runs had been scored. The perspiring batsmen, spurred on by the wild shouts of their frenzied supporters, took nearly twenty minutes to register the double century (says an Australian writer), who must have forgotten that cricketers are not entitled to use shotguns to keep the runs down.

One of the most essential qualifications of a successful “slip” is the art of knowing the correct position to take up, and this knowledge can only be acquired by a careful study of the bowler’s action and methods, and also the state of the wicket (says H. L. Hendry, whose great slip fielding on the last English tour was the deciding factor in his inclusion in the Tests). For instance, to a bowler with a low delivery, the slip or slips, as the case may be, would naturally require to be yards closer up to the wicket than to a bowler of the high delivery, who makes the ball “fly” like Jack Gregory. Then, again, on a slow or soft wicket, the ball will not, of course, carry nearly as far as on a hard, fiery one. These I points are generally overlooked, with the result that often the ball falls a few feet short of the man and possible chances are therefore thrown away. Again, to a slow, leg-break bowler, the slip requires to play a little squarer or wider,- although from the “overapin” ball, that is, one that nips straight through, no break, and makes a lot of pace off the pitch, the “snick” will probably be very fine. YOUNG CRICKETERS. HINTS BY J. B. HOBBS. The advice of the greatest batsman in England, and said by Englishmen to be the greatest bastmen in the world, J. B. Hobbs, should be of interest to young cricketers, and a few useful hints are given below. Discipline and co-operation are the two keywords of cricket. Quick footwork is just as essential to circket as it is to boxing. Were I to be captain of a side I would not include a bad fieldsman, no matter how good a batsman he might be. Enthusiasm is the key-note of cricket, for without it there is not much in stopping and hitting a ball with a piece of wood. To train for cricket seems something, wonderful but training such as I suggest is nothing more or less than to live a clean life. Remember that it is only by very careful watching of the ball that you will be able to play it with the middle of your bat. The young bowler must use his brains, always endeavouring to find a batsman’s weakness, and, if possible, read his thoughts. Good length is an essential for without it you can do nothing. Let me tell you that a young cricketer’s first duty is absolute loyalty to his side. He is sent in to bat in order that runs shall be scored, and it is his duty to score when the opportunity presents itself. Cricket, like every other game, should always be regarded as an exervice and test of skill, for so soon as we make it a test of wits al sport and pleasure depart, - and it would be far better if we never took’ bat or ball in hand. The youngster who wants to take up wicket-keeping must possess an extraordinary amount of courage, because if he takes proper steps to become proficient he will have to stand up close to the stumps —an ordeal which savours of frightfulness when one looks at the rough lumps state of the wickets that most of our juniors have to play on. “ IT'S ALL WRONG.” ATTACK ON MODERN BATTING. A. C. MacLaren, who New Zealanders know as one of the greatest batsmen England has produced, in his new book, “Cricket Old and New,” delivers a trenchant attack on modern methods. “The great bulk of the batting to be seen in first-class cricket to-day is fundamentally wrong in method, and, what is more, exercises a bad influence upon the other departments of the game.” Taking Mr MacLaren’s words as his text, a writer in the Observer proceeds to substantiate them.

A great deal of loose thinking and loose talking ,he declares, has ranged round the catchwords of “The Two-eyed Stance.” In point of fact, almost every great batsman in history has stood “two-eyed.” The late R. E. Forter, for instance, was an extreme example, and no one could ever have accused him of weakness in attack or a lack of offside strokes. The stance itself may predispose towards, but cannot possibly be identified with the real trouble, the root

of which lies in the prevailing method of dealing with straightforward length bowling. That method consists in a diagonal shuffle of both feet toward second slip, and leave® the batsman facing down the pitch, covering his wicket, committed to a stab in place of a back-stroke, and prohibited from every form of scoring stroke except the hook, and something that can be called at pleasure a glide or a scuffle to leg. Now, the very essence of all straight bat strokes in cricket, if they are to be played with scoring intent, lies in the proper use of the left shoulder, elbow, and wrist, all of which are immediately immobilised by the initial movement aforesaid. HELPS THE BOWLER. To a batsman so committed the bowler may offer up with absolute impunity a succession of the most succulent half-volleys, or drop the ball consistently short for length outside the off stump; the drive and the cut, the two strokes above all others that make up the glory of the game, are simply ruled out of court, and the bowler is presented at the start with the moral ascendancy of attack, which he should only be able to claim after a strenuous tussle. How, then, is it natural to ask, can so perverted a doctrine have ever attained so widespread an acquaintance? Mr MacLaren finds the answer in the googly bowling which, starting with Mr Bosanquet in 1903, culminated in the wonderful array of South African bowlers in 1907, and has ever since exercised an influence out of all proportion to its deserts. Every new development in batting or bowling reacts upon the sister art, and though Hobbs, the best living player of the googly, makes no change in his normal methods in dealing with it, the vast majority of his less-gifted fellows found themselves forced to get back upon their wicket to wait for the break to declare itself. This reply was successful, and the googly will never again be anything so effective as it once was; but as a matter of fact it is for other reasons a more or less spent force in English cricket. Very few men can bowl it well, still few can do so for more than a few years, and the indifferent googly bowler is altogether too expensive. Is there, then, no defence to be made out of the “new model” batting? Well, in the first place, I suppose, its supporters would counter-attack by saying that the general level of defence in first-class cricket is materially higher than at the beginning of the present century, and, secondly, that it is the natural and proper corollary of the modern bowler’s predilection for bowling at the leg-stump with an on-side field. TOO MUCH DEFENCE. With regard to the second point, we may retort that it cannot be so completely successful if the bow’lers persist in their present policy, and that, in point of fact, it is not the method adopted in dealing with the same type of bowling by any of the great batsmen of the past or by the very few men of the same class playing to-day. With regard to the first, it is perfectly true that defence has improved, particularly against right-hand off-spin bowlers on sticky wickets, but improved at the expense of much that is vital to the best of the game. As a spectacle, modern batting is not comparable with the golden era of batsmanship 25 years ago, and in thfc last resort county cricket depends for its veiy existence upon its power to attract. If it is harder to bowl men out it is much easier to keep them quiet; and, after all, it is the capacity to make runs —and often, in our ; changeable climate, to make them quickly—that wins matches. The sins of our batsmen are indirectly visited even upon the heads of our bowlers and fielders, of whom the former are seduced into second-rate tactics, the latter lulled into apathy in default of stirring works. AN ENGLISH SENSATION. WHY M. D. LYON RETIRED FROM FIRST-CLASS CRICKET. The cables told us at first that M. D. Lyon, the Cambridge University cricketer, was coming to Australia. Then they were silent, and finally he was not among the chosen. The sequel is unfolded below. Mr. M. D. Lyon, the Somerset wicketkeeper has decided to retire from first-class cricket as a protest against the methods of the M.C.C. (says the Daily Express of September 3rd. “My decision,” said Mr Lyon, “has been reached because of the treatment I received from the M.C.C. after the Gentlemen and Players’ match at Lord’s, when I injured my hand severely in the first hour of the game. UNGENEROUS. “On July 26th I wrote to the M.C.C. to protest against what I considered to be ungenerous treatment. Coupled with this protest I felt bound to offer my resignation from the M.C.C. “I subsequently exchanged several notes with the M.C.C., but no effort was made by them to deal with my protests. “On August 23rd, Mr F. E. Lacey, the secretary of the M.C.C., informed me that neither my protests nor my offered resignation had been placed before the committee, and that no meeting of the committee was likely to be held until October. “My reason for offering my resignation in the first place, was that I felt a member of the M.C.C. could not rightly protest against the club’s methods without taking such a step. After their subsequent treatment to me, however, I felt my resignation could serve no useful purpose and so I withdrew it. “It is with deep regret that I feel myself forced to abandon all first-class cricket, but 1 feel that this is the only course for me to take in order to give the utmost weight to my protests.” BASIS OF COMPLAINT. The “Daily Express” understands that the basis for Mr Lyon’s grievance is this: “He injured his hand severely while keeping wicket for the Gentlemen against the Players, at Lord’s and in consequence as unable to do himself justice. “A few days later it was officially announced that the M.C.C. had selected Strudwick of Surrey to go to Australia as wicketkeeper during the coming tour. “Mr Lyon had reason to believe that he would receive an invitation to join the team, and he feels that the fact that an injury prevented him from displaying his best form at Lord’s should not have been sufficient to turn the decision of the M.C.C. against him.” A BRILLIANT BATSMAN. Mr M. D. Lyon is both a briliant batsman and a wicket-keeper of great skill. He was at Rugby, and secured his “blue” at Cambridge. He has played fairly regularly for Somerset since 1920, and two years ago he scored a century for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord’s. There were many good judges of the game who thought he ought to have been selected for the England team which is about to sail for Australia. While at Cambridge Mr Lyon wrote and produced a farce, “The Bedder’s Opera,” which evoked much favourable comment. In June, 1922, much amusement was caused by his “cricketal appendicitis operation” letter from hospital, in which he described the onslaught of the doctors in terms of cricket. Mr Lyon, who is twenty-six years old, is now reading for the Bar.