CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1920, Page 3

CRICKET.

ENGLISH TEAM'S STARS. The figures of the members of the coming English team up to last w«ek, as given below, t show them to be a wonderful lot on English form. If they live up to their reputations in Australia, we are on the eve of a wonderful season's cricket. The figures, as given by cable, are:— BATTING AVERAGES. „ . Runs, Average. Hendren 2235 68.84 Ht * bs .!.... 2180 56.05 Hearne 1793 56,03 Bussell 2189 46 57 Mea < l 1732 49.31 Makepeace (ninth) 1630 42 89 Woolley (eleventh) 1580 40 51 Douglas (fifteenth) 1214 33.'72 BOWLING AVERAGES. Wickets. Runs. Average. Rhodes (first) ... 144 1848 'l2 83 Woolley (second) . 169 2209 13'07 Parkin (sixth) .. 53 828 15.62 Howell (12th.) ... 154 2549 16 55 Waddington (14th) 140 2334 16 67 Hearne (15th.) .. 133 223.1 16 76 Douglas 128 2699 21,08 A GREAT ENGLISH BOWLER.

Of the magnificent performance of Parkin, who bagged'nine wickets for 85 in the annual fixture Gentlemen v. Players of England, at the Oval on Juiie.3o, Mr. Healey writes in the Daily Mail:— With two or three exceptions, the best of our batsmen and bowlers passed in review at the Oval, and nearly all the distinctions fell to the professionals. In batting, bowling, and TOldmg the amateurs were overshadowed. Parkin, so rarely seen in first-class cricket howled them out cheaply on a good wicket; Hobbs and Hearne made runs largely, though they treated the attack respectfully; and a missed catch, overthrows, and some leisurely pick-ups further marred the reputation of it Gentlemen's side which compared so badly in distinguished names with their elevens of prewar days. The result was that when stumps were drawn the Players had a lead of 31 with only three batsmen out. Parkin took nine of the Gentlemen's wickets for 85 runs, and he howled even better than when he was seen in representative matches last year. It was a delight to study his methods—to follow his artifice, Ills endless variety, his control- of pace change and break. He was several kinds of bowler in one. He was at once a fast bowler and a slow bowler, an off-breaker and a leg-breaker, a swerver and a length bowler. All these he could be in a single over. In four deliveries he dismissed three batsmen, each wilh a totally different, ball. Always there was the same long, eager run; always the same quickly swinging, easily flowing high action; but the ball that followed might be of any pace and character. As a rule subtle changes of pace, too slight for a batsman Immediately to detect them, pav the howler best in the long run. But that is not Parkin's way. His change of pace varies to extremes, and yet they were disguised. The siow ball was so well held back that batsmen were unprepared for it~rno change of action had hinted at Its coming; and his fast ball was so sudden and quick through the air that the batsmen were taken unawares, even though they knew that Parkin had such a delivery frequently. And with all his variety and experiment he never lost his accuracy. Considering how much he sets himself to do with the ball, the consistency of his length is tiie mnst remarkable quality of this *tmarkabl» bowler