CRICKET.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 13, 20 February 1914, Page 3

CRICKET.

THE BRILLIANT AUSTRALIANS.

TOPICS OF THE TIMES. Canterbury cricket enthusiasts will have a rare feast of cricket at the end of next week, when the brilliant combination of Australian players organised by Mr Arthur Sims will play its fir*st match in Christchurch. • It should be the finest treat of batting that Canterbury people have seen for many a long day. Trumper, Noble, Eansford, Crawford, Armstrong—their names are "such household words where cricketers foregather that to dilate upon their excellences as batsmen would be equivalent to painting the lily. And with such men as Laver, Dolling, Collins,Cody, M'Kenzie, Waddy, Mailey, and company to help them, they cannot help but write a glowing page in the history of visits of overseas teams to these shores. Three days—Friday, Saturday, and Monday-—with such a team, and three more-days to follow later! There' is only one fly in the ointment, and that is that Christchurch people may become so enamoured of the sparkling batting of the Australians that they may have no time to spare for their own" local game for some time! ' v ' % . THE SENIOR COMPETITION.

The semi-final matches for the senior championship are to be concluded at Hagley Park to-morrow, and they should provide . interesting .finishes. East Christchurch have two wickets' down for 38—Beal 15, and Greenlees .7 ,-are the not-out men —in their first innings, against Sydenham's total of 273. . Against the West Christchurch men, who have yet to bait, the Kiccarton team has niade 438 for eight wickets, with A.: H. Guiney 25, and S. JT. Smith 31, the not-out men. The final match,, between the winners of the semi-finals, is set down for March 7, 2], and three days'-match. It, will be -interrupted —by the second match between Canterbury and the Australians. - ■ , DUNEDIN ?S HOSPITALITY.

Canterbury's representatives 'and veterans have-, had a right royal time in : Dunedin. They have returned voluble in their praise of their treatment an the city . a*' kirks. Particularly pleasant was the smoking, concert given by the generous (president of the Otago Cricket Association, Mr J. J.- Clark, to the competing teams in Otago's jubilee cricket week. Over 200-were present, and Mr Clark entertained them with lavish hospitality. The souvenir programme of the smoking concert, a copy of which has .been forwarded to me from Dunedin, is a fine little The actual programme of the concert evidently, was compiled by a humorist; the footnotes to the items are amusing. ;

SOME INTERESTING RECORDS. Incidentally, the souvenir programme gives some interesting facts in connection with Otago and Canterbury cricket. How,, many people remember that in 1884 F. H. Cooke captured nine Canterbury wickets in one innings? Or that in 1866 Canterbury made only 25 runs in one innings against Otago? Here are some more of the records given: The first match between Canterbury and Otago was played in Dunedin in January, 1864. Otago scored 78 and 74, and Canterbury 34 and 42, Up to date, Canterbury has won 32 matches to Otago's 23, and one has been drawn. Canterbury's highest score in the series is 381, made in 1880, and Otago's 302, in 1911. The first century scored in Otago .and Canterbury matches was made in 1881, by G. Watson (Canterbury), who scored 175.' The lowest score for an. innings in a representative match is Auckland's 13 against Canterbury in 1877. Otago's highest score in a representative match.is 593, made against Southland in 1910. -v A PROMISING COLT.

Another fine colt has '' come to light'' in; Australia. He is J. M. Taylor, a Newington College (Sydney) boy, who scored 83 for New South Wales against Tasmania a few days ago. A Sydney writer says that Taylor "is, without doubt, the most promising colt that has burst in on the cricket world for many days. Taylor is now at that age at which the famous Trumper started his career, and not a few are tipping that Taylor will follow in Trumper's footsteps. His methods are all in favour of his doing so. They are natural. His grip is natural, he meets the ball as though it costs him no effort, and though his largely orthodox, they are made with a confidence and power that be-speak the. born batsman. Taylor, as a general rule, gets the maximum of result from the minimum of effort.''

Taylor did so well in second grade cricket that he was tried as one of the New South Wales colts in their first match with the Victorian colts this season. He justified his inclusion by scoring 226 runs. REPRESENTATIVE AVERAGES.

Now that Canterbury's interprovincial. engagements have been concluded, the batting and bowling averages of the re-l presentative players furnish some interesting reading. Thanks chiefly to his, Century against Otago, W, Patrick, w)ip,owing to his absence with the New Zealand team in Australia, has played for the province in only two matches this season, heads the list with an average,of 83.5 G. C. Wilson's four not-outs. in seven innings and his consistent scoring against Wellington, Otago, and Southland bring him into second place. A. W. Thomas has played only against Otago, but his scores of 26 and 77 give him third place. The scoring man of the season is undoubtedly H. B. Whitta, who has been r -„ n ~" A.- "-i.'uiwii' Lat !>' • '"

nings played by ; a C.'Uiterburj.eleven this season. Whitta comes out with the fine average of 45 for eight innings, and the honours of representative batting are his. For consistent batting H. A. Bishop, H. W. Monaghan, P. "VooOs, E. K. Caygill, and H. Watson rank next to Whitta, in that order. The brunt of the bowling for Canterbury has been borne by. G. C. Wilson and," 11. W. Monaghan; and right well have they borne it. -Joe-Bennett and E. Boulton "have the smallest averages of runs per wicket, but on actual performances Wilson wins firfet • place, with Monaghan second. Appended are the batting and bowling averages of Canterbury, men in,representative cricket played this season: —

AISTRALIAN CRICKET. In the course of a chat with me during his brief stay in Christchurch, Charles Kelleway, the well-known New. South Wales a : nd-Australian-representative; remarked that the best bowler playing in Australian cricket at the present time is R. J..A. (Jack) Massie, the giant of the Sydney university team. "Massie is a very tall young fellow, standing about 6ft 4inor-6ft sin, r ' said Kelleway, "so you will understand- that his deliveries, come .down- from- a great height; to the discomfort of the batsmen. He is a left-handed bowler, gets a'lot of 'work' on his deliveries, which' swing in the off, and he keeps the batsmen play-, ing all the time. . Massie is a 'sure thing' for the next Australian team. As a batsinan Massie is a hitter, but he may -steady down into a good bat. Against; Victoria, "in Melbourne, he hit a particularly fine six, driving a ball from Rjder, the fast bowler, right over mid-bff 's<head, a 'beautiful stroke. He can hit. Massie is ; built in proportion to his height, with very big limbs. '' The great lack "in Australian cricket to-day,'' continued Kelleway, ''is in bowling/ Very feW new bowlers of marked ability have come to the front in* the last few "years." ,i , «^-' - ■ "Can you account; for; thatf™ I asked. ..: • / ...•■ '■• '";'

. "Onfy that we, are passing through a lean period in bowling,'' was ; the reply. "I don't. think' the improvement in batting and in' the 1 has discouraged the young<fowlers -to; suchan extent as to account .for the lean 1 ness in our bowling. It; is isimpjy that .there is a-dearth of natnralibowlers. I think that a bowler is 'born> not iriade. He may improve his methods,, but. un> less he has a natural s .aptitude for 'bowling he cannot become a > great bowler. We are not- alone in ..this- scarcity of young, trundlers . of. great; promise.' You" are 'going through, a similar .periods in New Zealand, and it is the same' in England and: South Africa/' •>-:r.- '■ -

* "As for batsmen, we;;have, "a;lot 'of ' good colts ; coming ioiu atvany •• team in , Sydney,,. and : you: will * see half ; a dozen good batsmen< Probably the -;'. best of those colts who 'come to the front. in ■ Sydney before I left - are Andrews and Cranney;" •'■■• ; - '' I suppose, Mr Kelleway, you have had very little opportunity of seeing;; any cricket in New'; Zealand ,during your present' tour." '■■'■■ ;,!■''; "No, the only >cricket I have seen.: since I came over iwas that practice' ; : game at Hagley Parkoo s Saturday, in ■-■ ■> which I took part} but which was no*> thing to go upon. But there-were some -. fine young players in the - New Zealand team which visited Australia, and I am sure that if they were used to playing . in good company .they would develop very well indeed;' 1 ' ,; : ;-

Kelleway is on a business trip through the Dominion, and his arrangements will not permit of his, seeing much of New Zealand cricket during his tour. A Sydney writer suggested recently that Kellteway might be prevailed ; upon to strengthen one of the provincial teams against the Australian team which is now in the Dominion, but it happens that Kelleway's itinerary is so arranged that he will not even see the Australians at play on their tour.

A CURIOUS MATCH. Sir, Edward; Chandos Leigh, a; wellknown criciieter, in his time, has just published his reminiscences under the title { fßar, Bai, and Bit.'' 'Here is a description of a,single-wicket match between the. Hon, Robert Grimston and Mr Fred Mickle.thwaite:, ,". Micklethwaite went in first, and 'got 17. He. was a portly, middle-aged man, weighing nearly 16 stone, and trundled a medium-paced ball, underhand., He kept coming over the crease, and when Bob had got 14 runs he ran up to within three yards of the wicket and bowled him clean out. Naturally Bob was furious, but the* great Mr Warde, who was referee and sat in a bath chair, on being appealed to, answered: 'Grimston was put, but it wasn't cricket on the part of Micklethwaite!" So a return match took place. I should add that in the first match, each of these veterans was allowed a ground boy to field for him, but in the return match the boys were barred. Bob went in first, and when he made a hit Micklethwaite would say: 'You needn't run, Bob; I give you one for that!' Presently Bob made a much bigger hit. 'I give you one for that/ said Micklethwaite. 'No, you don't,' said Bob, 'it's worth more!' and started to run. One of the boy» who had fielded in the first match happened to be sitting on a bench, and Mickle.thwaite sang out to him to rim after the The boy did so, and Bob, seeing this, ran after the boy, who dropped the ball. Micklethwaite picked it up and ran Bob out! Again furious, he appealed to Mr Warde, who again replied: 'Grimston was out, but it wasn't cricket on the part of Micklethwaite!' Whereupon Bob said: 'lf I'm out, I'll kill that boy!' Now, in the old days behind, the old pavilion there were some deep holes for rubbish. All present joined in the chase. The boy jumped into one of these holes, where Bob kept vainly prodding at him with his bat. At last he was pulled off, and after his rage had subsided, with his usual generosity gave tlie boy half a crown." HAMBLEDON.

"Gently does it." That's our guiding principle w-hen we move furniture. We are careful and conscientious, and aim to save the furniture injury of. any kind. A move done by us is always a good move. The N 7.. fS.. Ltd.

BATTING. In. N.O. U.S. Tl. . Avg. W . Patrick 3 1 118 167 83.5 G. C. Wilson .' .' 7 - 4 61 177 59. A. W. Thomas . . 2 0 77 103 51.5 H. B. Wlittta . . 8 0 147 360 45. H. A. Bishop . . G 0 90 226 37.0 H. W. Monaghan 5 2 4ii 112 37.3 J. H. Bennett . . 2 0 58 61 30.5 P. Woods . . 0 0 52 164 27.3 C. E. Beal . . 9 '2 105 191 27.22 E. R. Caygill . . 8 0 47 185 23.12 H. Watson . . 7 0 45 159 22.71 J. L. Pater.son . . 6 1 71 112 22.4 E. Boulton . . 1 0 17 17 17. C. Boxshall . . 2 1 G* 8 8. W. . Hayes '. . 8 0 29 58 7.25 L. R. Brunton . . 5 0 21 35 7. * Signifies not out. BOWLING, 0. M. R. W. Avg. J. H. Bennett 92.3 >• 26 192 16 12.0 E. Boulrtn .. . "- .,&: , a 1-2 'J 12.0. G. C. Wilson 235.5 30 692 14.37 C. E. Beal . . : 16 = 5 47 &' 15.fi H. Monaghan , 129.1' 38 251 14 17.9 H. ' Watson 58 9 173 ' 8 21.62 J. L. Paterson 67 ~ ..•18.. 142 6 23.66 A. W. Thomas 20 3 62 0 62.0