CRICKET

Southland Times, Issue 20615, 13 October 1928, Page 18 (Supplement)

CRICKET

(By

“Onlooker.”)

I.C.C. opens to-day. Appleby are due to play a match at Gore this afternoon. Weather conditions were anything but inviting for last Saturday’s opening. Appleby and Union got a start and held practices. Bluff and Invercargill open to-day. Two junior wickets have been granted the association on Rugby Park until December when the main area will probably be available to the Union Club. Four teams have been entered in the senior competition opening next Saturday —Union, 1.C.C., Appleby and Bluff. The Englishmen open their Australian tour in Western Australia this week. Southland requires putting on the cricket map of New Zealand. What about trying to lift the Hawke Cup this season? Wanganui is not so far away after all. Dunedin is to have six teams instead of four in the senior competition this year. Frank Woolley, of Kent, has scored 2000 runs for the eighth time in his career. Canterbury got going suddenly. Grade matches were commenced in Christchurch I last Saturday. Cox secured the first century for the season. In five seasons, Root, the Worcester bowler, has captured 752 wickets at an average of 18 runs each. His best season was 1925 when he got 196 batsmen out. Last Saturday’s weather upset calculations slightly, but those of the Appleby and Union clubs who turned out were undaunted and got a start. There is some new blood about after all. Harry Thomas, the well-known New Zealand Rugby League player, who hails from Otago, may turn out for Appleby, and George McGavin, who is an ex-Dunedin senior player, arrived in Invercargill during the week and is keen to get his flannels on again. McGavin is a good medium-paced left hand bowler, and should get a lot of wickets in Invercargill. Then there is Arthur (“Tubby”) Holden, the Otago and New Zealand Rugby halfback, who has received an appointment at Edendale. Holden possesses more than average ability as a cricketer, and while we will not have his services in Invercargill, he should be a useful man for the Southland team. Holden represented Otago a few years ago while he was still at the Boys’ High School, and displayed much promise. Last year he was playing for Carisbrook firsts and scored well. His strong forte is his batting. Mr B. B. Wilson, recently appointed cricket coach to the New Plymouth High School, arrived from England by the lonic. Mr Wilson is an old and well-known Yorkshire County professional player. My friend “Senex” (Riverton) writes again: "Dear Onlooker, —Have you noticed that the new selectors appointed for the Australian test teams by the Board of Control are Messrs W. Bardsley (N.S.W.), E. E. Bean (Vic.), J. S. Hutcheon (Q.) and Dr. C. E. Dolling (S.A.) ? Messrs J. Ryder and V. Richardson were unsuccessful candidates. I think the rejection of possible test players was right. There is not one surprise to me in the 22 men selected for the match Australia v. The Rest. Although the members of the A team are “probables” for the tests, their places are not secure. Even the captaincy is to be fixed temporarily. When the first test team has been selected, the captain for the first two tests is to be chosen by a subcommittee of the board and when those matches have been played the appointment will be furthej considered. Ido not think there is need yet for the Australians to

“whistle to keep their courage up” as suggested in a Home cable. Most of the players who took a prominent part in beating Gilligan’s team in four out of five tests are evidently still available, the chief absentees being Collins and Mailey. If Macartney can be induced to “come b,ack” like Taylor and Kelleway, the team should be about as good as before. To fill the places of any old hands out of form, there are good recruits in the B team. I am glad that those promising youths. Bradman, Nicholls. Jackson, a’Beckett and Harris are to be tried.” The season opens in Wellington next Saturday. Seventy-two teams have been entered in the various competitions as follows:—First grade 8, second grade A 11, second grade B 11, second grade C 14, second grade D 6, third grade A 12, and third grade B 10. A cricketer went home very disgruntled from a match. “How many did you make to-day, dear?” inquired his dutiful wife. “Oh,” said the player, savagely, “our damn fool of a skipper sent me in to bat right in the middle of a hat-trick.” and forming a nursery at headquarters has proved successful, remarks an English writer. It has unearthed a promising fast righthand bowler, W. E. Bowes, a Leeds lad, nineteen years of age, and reaching six feet two in height. He has been playing in a number of M.C.C. touring games, meeting good sides in two-day matches, and for the first time in the history of these games bagged over a hundred wickets. Mr P. F. Warner thinks a deal of him, and one thing in his favour is that he can get in a firstrate fast ball with only a ten yards run. I understand that his contract has been extended, with a substantial increase in wages. The M.C.C. are doing their best to encourage young bowlers. A writer in an English paper, All Sports Weekly, comments as follows on the time limit for cricket matches at Home—“ln a good many instances cricket matches are run on a time limit. One of these in Carlisle led to an unfortunate dispute. It was said that time was called when three minutes remained for play, the umpire ruling that another over could not be completed. The protest against the decision was lost, but a new’ system has resulted from it. In future matches in the competition are to be by overs. That is to say an innings is at an end when thirty have been sent down.” Cricket is growing in popularity all the world over. Every winter well-known professionals from England travel to various countries to act as coaches, and now the Argentine has entered the lists. North, the Middlesex professional, who spends most of his time on the ground staff at Lord’s, has been engaged to go to South America and pass on his knowledge of the game. Though he does not figure largely in county cricket, he is a sound player and well qualified for the job he has undertaken, says an English scribe. North was, of cojirse, a good footballer, and had a long spell with the Arsenal. Frank Woolley has a chance of once more going to Australia, says a writer in All Sports Weekly. He is being invited by the Queensland Cricket Association to go out there as coach. At the moment the Kent cricketer is undecided what to do in the matter. If he accepts, the appointment will be a lucrative one. Woolley has always been a great favourite down under, his dashing batting, combined with his beautiful style, making him welcome wherever he has played. I have seen it stated that his 123 in Sydney during the 1924-5 tour was one of the finest innings ever played on the ground. It was perfect! Willeeden school teachers have been complaining of children being unfitted for lessons by visiting greyhound tracks.