CRICKET.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12474, 26 February 1909, Page 3

CRICKET.

THE AUSTRALIAN ELEVEN. ' The "Sydney Referee" of last week i contains some interesting .comments i on the Australian Eleven, which leaves ; next month for England. The coml ple-ted team consists of M. A. Noble, y. Trumper, W. Barsdley, S. E. Grcg- : ory, A. Cotter, H.. Carter, C. G ; Me- . Artney, A. J. Hopkins (New South i Wales), W. W. Armstrong, P. A. McAlister, , V : Ransf ord, W. Carkeek (Victoria), 'J. A. O'Connor.- W. Whitty (South Australia), and R. H.artigan (Queensland). JF. Layer who has represented Victoria in ; inter-State matches, is- mentioned as the prospective manager. • ■. . .-. . The surprise, says "Not Out" is-the inclusion of. Whitty, the left hand bowler. He is a tall youth who bowls a good natural ball, but he has had such limited experience in first class cricket that this tour, may, , in a sense,, be regarded in the light of. a training, or educational expedition for - him. ; ... As any left-hander of . average quality is a success in England, Whitty.- may be expected. to do-well, despite his com- ■ parative inexperience. With tho regular practice to be got on. the tour he will also probably develop into a very useful run getter as since, he has been playing regularly in club cricket at Adelaide he has made surprising progress in that direction. There are, in my opinion, other left-handers of wider experience and more entitled to selection than: Whitty. Nevertheless lone' does n<st regard his inclusion in . ,the. team is by no means open to ! criticism. • It is good to. know- that at. flast the selectors of an Australian team ; if or. England have, shown the requisite judgment in selecting two left hand s; bo wlers . In the matter of variety the 1 ■bowling of this team ;s • far superior to that of the 1905 team. O'Coninor being -a ; different type, from any iof his predecessors, and the two left- : hande'rs bringing in an elemen.t of at- 1 tack missed match, after match four ye'arsiagq.j. lf O'Connor were as lively | ; with "the " ball torday , as he was seven ■iyears . ago, one would predict 1 much fun'ior him. on, English, wickets. As it p is, he will do good work, but in 1902 he wbuid have been a great bowler ; with the Australians. < ■ Tne , selection of, the wicketkeeper j has been discussed on all- sides. ■ In ] Sydney the general feeling is that on the season's form the two wicketkeepers should be C. R, Gorry.and W. Carkeek', but Sydney, people have riot had an opportunity of seeing N. ■ Dpdds, the Tasmanian. • On looking into the niatter thoroughly one is not prepared' to say so i irresponsibly, but Carter's form- last " season was too good to be completely lost in a month or two. He is still a young man— . thoiagh there are streaks of grey, in his hair— and, if he is not worked too hai*d in England, he will do justice to • his 1 powers and credit to the team, both as batsman and wicket-keeper. Nevertheless, on this season' s f onu 'Gorry is the ablest wicket keeper; I t have seen. One supposes that he and N. - Dodds . will • receive their recogni- i Jipn when'Kth.e.itoaml is being sent to x?ew Zealand next summer. ..-_.- ] i The passing/. of G. Hazlitt, "the :young Victorian bowler, is to -be re- 7 gretted. He is only 2Q years of age', full of life and sting, and possesses < natural abilities of no ordinary na- ' ture.: 'He is already a good and resolute batsman, a splendid field, and a good bowler, who might easily become a deadly one on English wickets. In Adelaide there is great disappoint^ ment over the non-selection of D. Ti. A. Gehrs, whose form with- the bat has been so good this season, and whose fielding has been so brilliant. In 1902 it was reported that Gehrs 'did not .show the necessary keenness ; that is, he did riot appear to care much whether'he was playing or not. That was the report at the time.. His cricket in Australia does not, however, bear this out, as no one fields ' with greater keenness, and few compare with him in "that respect. The batsman who is strong in oii-sidc strokes is at no , loss on English wicketSj . and despite his moderate efforts in 1902, - everything pointed to , Gehrs doing well had he been selected this time. ; ■..■--■ ■ • _ Members of the team who.: are, in the_ opinion of many, on their trial, so to' speak, on this tour, are V Trumper, H. Carter, S.E. Gregory" and P. A. McAlister. One has no doubt as to Trumper's subcess, judged by the ordinary and.not. the standardTrumperian, and very little as to Carter's, though- he, will not bs;able to stand theweaj" and tear of regular match play_ as J..J. Kelly did. S. E. Gregory is on his trial' more perhaps than' anyori'e else. His two last visits ' to England were. not marked by- tho ' cricket expected 'from' -such a master. His form :', in Australia in. the' last ; three or foiiii years has been superb . He has wonderful' skill and wonderful • pluck, and-isi. Highly skilled :: ..on, bowlers' wickets, arid it now remains to be seen how far these gifts will carry' him on his seventh . visit to England, ,. following two : "others in which 'he was a dissappointment. . S.:E.G. is still a good, but not the great.tfield he . was /"in .1890. '.'On form Sydney Greg6ry'.:cbuld.liardiy be omitted-- from the Australian team , for on form he is among- the greaiest' of players. .-" . '~-j . : P. A; vMcAlistier's -selection • has been strongly pbje.cte'd to. in certain quarters. He. lias:": been .a : . firstrclass batsman for'many.j'ears. a,nd : has pliayed the part of a sportsman all. through his career." On Australian wickets McAlister is -a- trifle sounder as batsman tha^t A. J. Hopkins of D. R. At Gehrsf-have^ yet shown theniselyes"to ba'. He has not the brilli- ■ ancy of either of the younger pair, : but there can be little doubt as to his. greater soundness on true Australian wickets. .The captain of Victoria may have to learn a few things of great use on English wickets, but therein he will be like every, other batsman who has . visited Enghvnd, 'not omitting the mighty : Noble himself > .who' came back from' his rfirsfe; tour polished in. . his back and on-side play. In Melbourne it is' claimed that; McAlister is one of Austrah'a's ; best: 'slips. He^ lias not lived up to that reputation, in Sydney, though on slower English wickets he :may~dp;'so.z-,. >■ ' .- : L Warren Bardsley's big innings^ a^ Melbourne, following two centuries im the Sydney gr6urid,-hav.e:brought him from the ruck into- the forefront of Australian batsmen almost with; pno huge' bound. . Tojudge fromwhat one hears here arid there, : Bardsley's higher powers as batsman were not known to. many prior to this season.: If so, it only terids.to show how many, who watch..cricket are, in a. sense, blind or devoid, of memory] This 261 at •Melbourne is his sixth century .in first-class crioket, each higher in point of number than its predecesr for viz.,; 107, 108, 119, 192, arid 264,7 The' left hander is to be cpngratulatecl on his brilliant achieveriient and on the : skill whicb lias, made these possi-. bles, for"he.hias;built up his scoring strokes : 6ri^;/Very';sturdy defence. All his 'cricket has been played with the Glebe District Club, his first hundred in grade i marches having ,- been ; compiled fpr the second ejeven in;1900rl, followed. by 102 not out in' the same season against Paddington at Hampden Pai-k, when M. A. Noble was a ' great : force,'as bowler^ an the best of wickets.. In first-class cricket ■'-,. W. Bardsley-'has had to field in the coun-: try, as.."a rule. For the club ho ' made a big reputation at point, and the contention of followers of the club that heThas no superior in that position. in-"New South Wales is not. 'by any means "stretching it." However, he is good anywhere in the field, 'with a very siire pair of hands, and a swift return...- He differs from some of his club "mates in the fact that he tries for catches thart; might seem impossible rather .than wait for the ball on the hop, 'and, as a result, he, brings off some surprising catches.