CRICKET.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15048, 16 April 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

MEMORIES OF THE 'SEVENTIES.

(By Old Cricketer.)

(From "The Colonist," March 4th.)

Now that the war has ended I am pleased to see the good old game of cricket coming into its own again. Jn Australia they are forming a team for England to play this coming season and they have already played some fine cricket over there; in the second interState Victoria v. South Australia there ■was ■some fine cricket shown and again in the return match New South Wales v Victoria, the former matie a wonderful recovery, mostly quite young players coming to light, although those two fine old players, M. A. Noble and W. W. | Armstrong, easily hold their places. In fact I saw where one critic .said M. A. Noble was the best bowler on- the New South Wales side. He is indeed a wonuer. I think he is 46 years old. Then iig>iin, we hear! of fine cricket being shown here in New Zealand. Centuries are quite common in club matches and in the Plunket Shield matches first class form has been shown. Canterbury, after losing the shield to Wellington, went up there and took it back with them after a very plucky fight. Reading of these events took uoe back to early Nelson cricket, so I thought I would just, jot down some memories—they are enly memories, as I have no records of any sort. Should they be inaccurate I hope some older cricketer or one better informed will pu,t me right and perhaps give us some-thing-better. Well, the first match that I^am at all clear upon is the All Englana Eleven match in Victory Square, where all the matches were played, and I might say that in those days whsn an Interprojineiftl match was played nearly everyone went to see it, and although they did not y]l understand it they liked good bowling, and good hitting—they could understand that. Then there were so few other attractions, Tor instance, there were no motor boats or cars, no bowling greens, no swimming clubs and very little tennis. I think the English match was played in 1877 or 1878. One strange thing is that although I can remember a number of the English team 1 can only be sHre of one Nelson* man, and that because he was the actor in a little happening on the field. The Nelson men were batting .and no doubt most of them felt their hearts patter on such an occasion; but there was one man quite at home end that -was J. P. Firth. Tom Emmett was 'bowling at the other man and each time he delivered the ball Firth would follow down the pitch and wnen he saw there was no run he would call out loudly to the other man, "No, not flhis time," I think just with the idea of giving the other man confidence. Well, Emmett apparently thought that he left too soon, so when next delivering the ban he pretended to let it go, but h'eld it, waiting for Firth to run out; but he was too smart for Emmett as ie just stood with his bat behind the crease and laughed at him and everyone else laughed and clapped Firth. As I say, he is the only man I am sure of (he was a fine hitter and I have often seen him lift the bail out of the Square on to the hill over Vanguard street, but I thinU, perhaps, Harry and Chris Cross, Harry Halliday, Harvey Knapp, Kemp Knapp, one or two Edens, one or two Fowlers, perhaps A. Lines, Humphreys and Geo. Sileock played. I think there were more than eleven Nelson men.

One of the Crosses was a fine wicketkeeper, and Harry Halliday had no peer as a long stop (no team went on to the field without a long stop). Perhaps Humphreys, from Spring Grove, played in the match above mentioned, he was on© of the finest points we ever. had. The Englishmen I remember were Pooley, Jupp, Selby,; Emmett and perr haps Shrewsbury and Lilywhite. I especially remember Emmett as a fast left hand bowler with a fine easy delivery, and Pooley was the first man to show His how to take a ball off th&- middle stump and played between his legs. We were schoolboys then and tried to bat and bowl like them. I remember Jupp and Pooley played a long partnership innings here; and two of our schoolboys who'used to play well together took the names of Jupp and Pooley. These days they -are Harry Smallbone, bank manager "in! lAiickland, and Billy Tucker* watchmaker in Wellington, and these names stuck to them long after they left school.

I quite believe some of'tis learnt some cricket from the Englishmen, but unfortunately most of us at leaving school had no Saturday half-Widay, consequently we lost most of our cricket. 1 remember about a year after the big match had been played I was asked to play in a schoolboy country team against a team of men. "They made me captain and, boy-like, I put myself on to bowl. 1 had "bowled three or four when a man came out who soon showed he was a cricketer. He made some runs but I bowled him. He came to me after, and asked where I learned to bowl. "Oh," I said, "we just play {at school, and sometimes watch the men in the Square." "Well," he said, "you stick to it. Don't try to bowl too fast, an you will be a good bowler." He afterwards came to Nelson, and was chosen in the Nelson team. I think his name was White.

I cannot remember the result of the match, but I think the Englishmen yon easily. Two or three years after this tbe first Australian team came to Nelson, but being at work (the masters of those days were not much at cricket or any other sport, I think) most* of us got very little chance to see much. I got there between 12 .and 1 and after o p.m. so saw very little, but read it ail m the papers and talked it with the other boys. I remember the Nelson team better in this match and think the following played -: Sam Fowler, Geo Fowler, Aught Lines,, Dave Barnett, Have Burns, Jim Wigzell, Harvey Knapp, Jim Eden, Tom Eden, and I think, W. Eden, Baylor, Firth, Humphreys and Geo. SilcoekY I "think Nelson batted 22 and fielded 11. Perhaps someone can tell us the full team in both these matches. Those of the Australians I remember were Murdoch and Spofforth, they are the only two I am sure of. -Murdoch, a little short man, was captain, and Dave Burns clean bowled him. It was said that it was the first time he had been bowled in New Zealand. Burns had a peculiar delivery, and Spofforth said it was a ■throw. Murdoch said, "If he throws, you throw." Spofforth, the demon! bowler, was a tall dark man and very fast. I think he used to .bowl some short one?, and with his great pace he reared some of the botsmen. Naylor, of Stoke, played against him. He 'wag }•• very happy man, and quite confident at the wicket. He was standiug tip to the fast balls, and joking with Spofforth. and it was said that the latter said, "I'll break tl?at black man's legs.' ('Naylor was very dark.) Here again i am not sure of the result of the match, but I think the Australians won easily. I do not remember anything partieufar happening on the field, but I can still s^e some of our' Nelson men playing. Ham Fowler, a beautiful left hand bat, fist right bowler, and a splendid field; bis brother George, the beautiful length bowler, perhaps the hest bowler we ever nad.- Never mind wbit was happening, neor,2e always kept his len.irfcli and was tii-ploss. Aught Lines, fast right hand bowler with a peculiar skip in his run. was another man that could bowl ail day. Ido remember one small incident. Ft. is .Teninst the laws of criclcet to try «rrl l>s»ii!Jr r man. Weil - of the

Australians hit a ball very high towards long off, and either Harvey or Kemp

Knapp ran in to take it. The bafsmafl ran one run and yelled out loud just aa Jjg gut to it; but much to our delight lie took like a book. Jim Eden was another fine .bowler that no batsman could take liberties with, and Geo.1 Silcock, a fine left' hand hatsman that used to " score many runs to leg. I think-1 remember, how most of them played. Some years later the Auckland team, was touring New Zealand, and came to Aelson. 1 think they had only been beaten once, but they nearJy lost here. A big man, Bob Malcolm," was chosen last man or emergency; anyhow, he played, and there was a good deal of exception taken to his being chosen. However, as ctten happened, he came to light with the bat. ]f I remember right (but here again 1 was at work and saw very little of the matca) the Nelson men were bating last, and with Geo. Silcock and Bob Malcolm batting they wanted 4 to win, and had been hitting the bowling- &fl over .the field. I do not remlmber which it was made the mighty Hit and everyone thought Nelson had -won but it was caught on the (boundary, so Auckland "won. ■■"■"■■■

fhere were a good many matches played between-Wellington and Nelson in those days, and I think the records if ihere are any, would show that Nelson was generally the better team. We roula always bowl them out, but perhaps were not so good with the bat.' Nelson has always been handicapped by poor grounds--Trafa]gar Park always was very rough, with grass a foot high m the outfield;, which meant that our men must lift the ball to boundary instead of beating the first fieldsman and then going to the boundary like it does at C^ns^rch, Wellington, Auckland. .Napier, Wanganui and other like towns Use consequence is they are often caught on the boundary. The College pitch plays all .right, l-ut the boundaries are too small; m fact, I think 60 on the Park is worth 100 on the College grounds, and many, of- the grounds of j the bigger towns. ! I feel sure with ordinary advantages ! .Nelson can turn out just as good men as I any other.town. I will just mention a iiew men who have played here, say, lor i.tfie last ten years:—E. R, Neale, now of Blenheim, has made many centuries on \t be Park and elsewhere, and I think holds the record score for the Park of lover 200 not out. K. Saxon, just back from the front, who had an average 1 think of a <bout 80 in championship matches m one season just before the war. Then m bowlers we had two fine men in Allco^of the Moutere, and Geo. Fairey who used to play for the Kamuras—these two bowlers put m> some wonderful figures in the North Island towns about six or eight years ago and Thomas, from the country, 1 have seen keep the Wellington bats very quiet on our Park. Then as to wicket keeping in my humble opinion, had Bob Males played his cricket in one of the larger towns he would have been a •New Zealand representative. Now these memories go back to when I was a boy or 12 or 13, and no doubt they are not all correct; but I thought they might please cricketers of to-day and make pleasant reading for some of the old players, who I am pleased to say are still with us, and let them see their cJeeds are not forgotten. My best wishes for the "ame which C. B. Fry, the great all-vound athlete, sayij. is the Game of i>ames. . .

I, a *i tj™?' formerly of Nelson, heads the; batting list in Marlborough tor the season in inter-club' matehos with an average of, 75 runs for 4 innings, once not out. His aggregate was 225, ■ and his highest score 1.18 He was third in the bowling averages' v/nh 6-wickets for 56 runs, an average or 9.2 runs per wicket. In representative matches Ncale played three in"fnfis, with an aggregate of 85" runs, obtaining an average of 28.3 runs. His highest score was 59. Neale also obtained the highest batting average for all matches, with 51.6 runs per inmgns. • . ■