The Timaru Herald MONDAY, JULY 13, 1903. REGRETTABLE DECISION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13645, 13 July 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, JULY 13, 1903. REGRETTABLE DECISION.

With the advent of the English cricketing season in May lash, our cable message* have since then made many references ti> a new 'departure in the cricket world,. relating 1p " triangular contests," in . which England, Australia, and South Africa were to take pa^'t.' It will be remembered' that such a ' contest was • first, mooted last, year,' when the tour of the South Africans in the. Old Land showed that yet of her .colonies -'provided fitting foemen for the best exponents of English cricket. w appears, therefore, from information to . hand, that the Enpljsh counties in -particular approved very much of triangular contests, and, so fai'*-. as we .call gather, were decidedly in favour of ,a, start being made with them this year-1 Though not quite 1 certain of our ground, we conclude that the proposal found, favour ..with South Afr.ca. In however, it did not.,..the* Board of. Control, there being strongly opposed to it, chiefly on the ground that, if the order of things that had governed such historical lours in past years to bo adhered 1o there was not time to make triangular contest!* the.tihorOugh test of supremacy they should, be.- In the controversy surrounding .fetie proposal a cfertain. amount of bitter feeling has creptin ; but so far as we can gather Australia has .shown that it : restjs With South Africans to pay a visit to her .States before any-,, contest for. triangular honours is put. on a workable basis. ..In briel this was. the state of affairs whjoli brings us down to the present time,'. when our ' cable messages this morning chow that. oMfctsrs' Kto??' reached,, a climax, the Marylebone. Club, th6.:cohirolling..authority of cricket in England, haying cabled to the Australian .Board of Control their regret" that they cannot offer J. a separate programme' for, next year, This means, we suppose,- lhati a, break, for a. year at leasrt will now tako place in the series of great contests which liave • alter-nately-taken place on the fields of lingland and Australia for nearly, half;;.-a century. . . For' this, tmly regrettable ending; as the Marylebone Club admits, I .'the blame; appears to : rest on ] .the English counties, without whose whole-hearted \cooperation, the controlling authorities at iiomo are of course powerless. We candidly -confess, however, a.s : one . among. those who wish to see - rivalry ; athotig English-speaking peoples as widely extended (is possible, that a triangular'contest in cricket, at say, three or five-year intervals, would extend interest in'atgame .that. ' is.' aV great.' favourite among the masses;- and we hope ,that though- the coming-year is likeh' fco.be a blank, soma tia'sis : -yvill be agreed, fft whereon- the .best -and - best of England and her, colonies will meet in friendly ToM-he. cricket crown of the world. . ■