SERIOUS CRICKET

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1931, Page 1 (Supplement)

SERIOUS CRICKET

A SINGLE WICKET EPIC

(By

“Tainui.”)

The present generation is frequently accused of taking its sport .too seriously. Indeed it is affirmed by some that the slogan of many to-day is ‘‘lf business interferes with sport, let business go.” Certain it is, however, that she youth of Taranaki at any rate do not take their cricket as seriously as did their forebears in England nearly a century ago, judging from reading an editorial and also a report of a cricket match that appeared in the Pictorial Times of June 27, 1846. The -editorial concludes by urging the encouragement of manly pastimes which-are the germs of sound morality and permanent happiness, of natural prosperity and of national honour. The report, which is given below exactly as printed, states: The grand single wicket cricket match between those celebrated players, N. Felix Esqr. and A. Mynn Esqr., for the championship of England came off in Lords cricket ground, St. John’s Wood, Marylebone, on Thursday, ISth. inst., before one of the most brilliant and influential, if not one of the largest, as-semblages-of spectators ever seen there; for, though not equal to the gathering to the honour of Mr. Felix, yet there could not be less than 2000 present, among whom we observed many of the nobility, a strong muster of the members of various cricketing clubs, and a host of admirers of cricket from all parte of England, among whom we particularly noticed the veterans and celebrated cricketers of olden times, I. Osbaldstone and J. Willes Esqrs. After some discussion as to preliminaries, which were amicably adjusted, precisely at one o’clock Mr. Felix, having won the toss, appeared at the wickeds, being on his way thither warmly cheered by the surrounding spectators.' Mr. Mynn (assisted by his friends E. Banks and E. Swann Esqrs. as fieldsmen) speedily took his station, ready for. the fray. At this moment all was breathless silence, everyone watching, with intense anxiety, the first move between these two celebrated men. Mr. Mynn’s first ball, delivered in hie terrific style, and with wonderful precision, was in itself sufficient to give confidence to his backers, and during the eight minutes his highly talented and cool opponent stood before him he never varied in his delivery or effect. At the fifteenth ball, one of Mr. Wynn’s best, the timbers were seen flying in mid air, and Mr. Felix retired without scoring. It was admitted, on all sides, that the bowling was splendid in the extreme, and such as, not withstanding the beautiful stops and hits made by Mr. Felix, could not be denied, and it was no disgrace to be bowled by such a ball as finished this innings.

Mr. Mynn, in due course, took his station at the wickets, and he was also warmly greeted on his way to the arena. Mr. Felix had the honour to be attended by C. Taylor and Bouffier Esqrs., as his coadjutors. This innings lasted precisely the same time as Mr. Felixfe, viz., eight minutes. At the sixteenth ball, after- making sixteen hits and scoring 5 runs, Mr. Mynn, in- driving a ball .forward with intended great force, broke his bat, which destroyed the impetus, and Mr. Felix, in good style, caught him out; The. odds, which at starting were ‘5 and 6 to 4 in favour of Mr. Mynn, now rose, 10 to 3 being freely offered. Mr. Felix, in his second innings, which lasted upwards of two hours, displayed great tact, and exhibited some, of the finest skill -bver witnessed, stopping and playing, in the most beautiful style, bowling never surpassed. In fact it seemed to be his determination not to give a shadow of a chance away, but to try by delay to tire his opponent and to wear him out, and then to get runs as rapidly as possible. But fate decreed otherwise, for he had no common man to contend with, as the sequel will prove. But of 247 balls delivered by Mr. Mynn in this innings, 17'5 hits were made; and when it is considered that nearly all these balls would have hit the wicket, it is wonderful Mr. Felix could have kept his ground so long as he did. It is due Mr. Mynn to say, during the two hours it took him to dispose of his wary scientific opponent, with an almost tropical sun pouring its burning rays upon him, his courage never forsook him, nor did he evince the least want of stamina. On the contrary, the more Mr. Felix foiled him, the -more determined he seemed to try his best to maintain his previous high character as a cricketer, and to uphold the fame of his native county,. It was nothing but the evenness of his temper that could have saved him from giving wide and loose balls during his arduous task of bowling, and so endangering the game. It is truly wonderful that he gave only one wide ball out of 262 balls delivered in both innings. At the 247th ball it was the fate of Mr. Felix to lose his wicket and the game by one run and one innings.

It is but justice to the loser to say that, though beaten, he has lost' none of hie previous fame, and that he bore his defeat with perfect .good feeling and magnanimity; and that it is to be hoped that the friendship of no common time, and not of a few years standing, will not be for one moment interrupted. Amidst the excitement caused by the result of the game, or during its progress, it is due to all parties to say there was little or no partisanship shown, each only applauding as their favourite exhibited some marked skill. As a proof of the great interest taken in the match, and feelings of esteem shown to Mr. Mynn by his neighbours, it is only necessary to state that among others the sturdy yeomen living around him were on the ground and on the termination of the match warmly congratulated him upon his success. When this match was made, it was considered by many that Mr. Mynn had given a chance away in allowing fieldsmen, whilst others argued that . Mr. Felix, being a dark horse, as. a single wicket player, and his bowling a la Clarke (“not C.G.”), almost unknown, he (Mr. Mynn) might easily get beaten even without them; but those who knew the powers of Mr. Mynn never wavered in their opinion, and backed him, because they prognosticated that his bowling could not be hit forward. The result proved the correctness of their fewe, Mr. Felix making no less than 70 no hits. The following is the score: — Mr. Felix’s first innings.—Balls, 15; -hits, 11; runs, 0. 'Second innings: Balls, 247; hits, 175; no hits, 70; runs, 3; wide balls, 1. Total, 4. Mr. Mynn’s first innings.—Balls, 16; hits, 16; runs, 5.