CRICKET

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18832, 21 March 1931, Page 16 (Supplement)

CRICKET

In recognition of his great services to the Middlesex County Club, Patsy Hendren is to nave a record benefit next season, the match between Middlesex and Sussex at Lord’s on May 23 to 26 being set aside for that purpose. This is an unusual compliment to pay a professional cricketer, very few being given mofe than one benefit. Hendren has beefi playing for Middlesex for more than twenty years, and had his previous benefit in 1923.

and then R. Mason joined his brother. S. Mason, apparently did not consider his brother competent to play the bowling, and refused to run an easy single off the last ball of an over. In the succeeding over he himself played a shot to extra cover, ran a safe one, and then attempted the return, only to be run out, the fieldsman throwing down the wicket from well out. R. Mason proved that he was better than he was thought to be, and topped his brother’s score by one. He and Sullivan put on 40 for the fifth wicket. Celtic were disposed of for 107 half an hour before time.

After going to a cricket match, Mr. Ken. Alexander wrote about it as follows in the “New Zealand Railways Magazine”: “The umpire is an unbiassed spectator, and wears a motorcoat to prove it. Although next to the horse he is the most perfect exponent of vertical slumber extant, he is rarely caught napping, and when appealed to immediately reacts vocally against popular public opinion. The Crease is called a crease because it is uncreased, and at batsman always come out to go in, and after goes in to go out. Every cricket eleven is a band of hope. . .

(By “STUMP”)

The suggestion that larger wickets, as used in county cricket in England, be introduced in its matches, was discussed at the last meeting of the Auckland City and Suburban Association. It was decided to use larger wickets in club competition next season.

We are inclined to think that Barnett was in Oldfield’s class in the first innings (states Arthur Mailey in the “Sydney Sun.” commenting on the New South Wales-Victoria match), but the Victorian, promising as he is, has yet to be seen against all classes of bowling. Jack Ellis was probably the best ’keeper in the world against medium and fast bowling, but against slow r “bosey” bowling he was not so good. I saw him in Scotland put his hands on his hips and laugh outright when beaten by a “wrong ’un.” I might add that that incident did not provide much amusement for the bowler. Speaking of incidents, I asked a regular patron of the cricket ground if he saw the Kippax incident. “Which one?” he said. In the Victorian match he was caught very close to the ground, and, without waiting for the umpire’s decision, walked off ; the catch was so close that he was entitled to stand his ground, but he must be sick and tired of incidents by this time.

One day matches only were played in the first-grade competition last

week, a day having been lost owing to rain the previous week. One match only was completed, that between Timaru and Geraldine, the full points’ win placing Timaru well ahead in the championship.

When the staleness has worn off some of the present Australian eleven batsmen the test sides against South Africa next season promise to be of exceptional strength (says an Australian writer). This will be particularly so if one or two of the bowlers can develop punishing powers by straight hard driving when the opposing bowling has lost its sheen. By that time W. M. Woodfull will have recovered his zest for keen test play, and A. Jackson will probably have got back into his best Australian stride. Though South Africa is not likely to be so troublesome with the bat as England a year later, Australian bowling may be found by no means dangerous on good wickets in the tests, despite the fact that in all kinds of first-class cricket this season bowlers have done better than usual.

Star secured an easy first innings win over High School last week. School in the first innings made 76, three batsmen only reaching double figures. Seaton was in good form with the ball, taking six wickets for 17 runs. Star replied with 183, Bums giving a fine display for 81. He is showing fine form at present, having topped the 80 mark in his last two appearances.

A new record has been established in Australian cricket by the complete abandonment of the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Queensland without a ball being bowled, on account of rain (says the “Sporting Globe”). It is the first occasion on which a shield match has had to be abandoned in this way, and the first occasion on which any four-day firstclass match has suffered so. The only other instance of a match being abandoned without a ball being bowled was a game between New South Wales and Queensland at Sydney in December, 1921. That was before the days of Queensland’s participation in the shield competitions, and it was only a threeday match. When Victoria and New South Wales met in Sydney last season the first three days were blank on account of rain. That is the nearest approach to last week’s Brisbane experience in a shield game. Away back in the early days, however, there was a match between Victoria and New South Wales iri which there was a break of nearly a week between the early part and the latter part of the game. The experience recently, it will be seen, is a most unusual one in Australia. Even in England, where there is much more rain than in Australia during the cricket season, and the games are limited to three days, it is very seldom indeed that the complete abandonment of a game is necessary.

Celtic and Old Boys had an interesting contest last week, the former winning in the last over of the day. Celtic batted for over three hours for 128. Old Boys had to reach this total in a little over an hour to win, and they made a bold bid for victory, being 17 runs short of their goal when the last wicket fell. I. M. Hamilton was the chief contributor with 57. Right from the start he attacked the bowling, giving a most spirited display.

The South African Cricket Board of Control has appointed H. B. Cameron as captain of the South African team which is to tour Australian next

season. Cameron seems to be the type of cricketer who will make himself popular with Australians. He will not be 26 years of age until July 5. He is the youngest man who has ever led a test side, just beating A. P. F. Chapman; who had charge of England's eleven which won the rubber at the Oval in August 1926, three weeks before his twenty-sixth birthday. Cameron established himself as a high-class wicket-keeper and plucky batsman when touring England with the South African team in 1929. His batting average in the tests was 42, and for the whole tour 31.70 for 35 innings, five of them not out. In the second test, at Lord’s, he was struck on the head by a ball from Larwood, and was earned off the field unconscious. He did not regain consciousness for several

days, and was out of several matches. He had to miss the third test, but in the next one he played a great sound innings for 83 (top score), when his side was in bad trouble, and lost the match. He hit a six and 10 fours, which gives aiTldea of the plucky character of his batting.

D. Mcßeath was in splendid form against Geraldine last week, taking six Wickets for six runs in the first innings, and four for 35 in the second. In the first innings Mcßeath was practically unplayable, and he was mainly responsible for the dismissal of the country eleven for the small total of 14. Timaru declared with four -wickets down for 81, and disposed of Geraldine for 79. Cockroft also trundled exceptionally well, taking three for 1 and five for 25.

The Auckland Cricket Association’s season is drawing to a close, the senior grade championship being in a very interesting stage at present, says the “New Zealand Herald.” Prospects for the honours favour Edfen, which has a one-point lead over Grafton. On recent form Eden appears to have the easiest match against University. Although Grafton defeated Ponsonby in the previous round, chiefly on account of fine innings by Cowie and Allcott, it is doubtful if such will prove the case on this occasion, as Ponsonby is showing much better form in bowling, which should counter-balance a slight falling-off in batting. W. H. Ponsford’s bat in the third

test match between Australia and the West Indies was found to be too wide by the umpire, Mr. W. G. French. The matter was put right by the bat being trimmed down. W. G .Grace’s bat was once found to be the same, much to the batsman’s concern and amusement to others. Umpire French is no mere perfunctory in his work. It was he who took action in the case of D. M. Blackie and lifting the seam of the ball.

Don Bradman, blazing at the ball, was hitting the West Indies’ bowling in all directions for New South Wales, yet not placing it with the Bradman care and finish, says a Sydney critic. Stroke after stroke the ball flashed from his bat and was picked up by a finely disposed, active Efiid accurate set of fielders. Don was iSL a blazing mood. “This chap is the best batsman the world ha? seen,” said H. L. Collins, lost in admiration of the scintillating strokes, and Collins has played with Victor Trumper and has seen C. G. Macartney in his most daring and inspired moods. And he is a very shrewd judge.

Some criticism was made recently upon the action of the New Zealand Cricket Council in calling upon certain members of the New Zealand team to carry out executive as well as playing duties on the coming tour. The remarks were quite justified. This tour, during which a Test match is to be played, gives New Zealand its greatest opportunity to date of winning recognition as a cricket nation, and one woUlfi have thought that those controlling the game in this country would have done their utmost to see that the team was not handicapped in any way in carrying out a far more important mission than that of the 1927 New Zealand team to England. The team, as has been pointed out, is now being called upon to leave under a great handicap, in that two members are saddled with executive duties, one of them, T. C. Lowry, having to captain as well as manage the team. These duties have been accepted by those to whom they have been allotted, but, while the players are prepared to carry them out, the council’s action is not helping the team from the point of view of performance in matches. The burden of executive duties is heavy enough to be carried by officials attached to the team for that work alone without throwing it upon the shoulders of two of the players whose duties as players are likely to be heavy. Lowry has a very important position as captain, and much will also be expected of him as a batsman. Will he be able to give of his best with managerial worries also requiring his attention? Allcott is being relied upon as a stock bowler, and with the team weak in bowiing his task is likely to be a formidable one. There is no doubt about his ability as a player, but on the preveious tour he was unable to stand the strain. Will

he be up to it on a more strenuous tour, with the additional work of dealing with financial matters connected with the tour? Far better would it have been to have made Allcott the manager and taken at least one more player, who, of course, w r ould be a bowler. The team, in fact, could do with two or three more bowlers in the side, players who have specialised in bowling. The team is in for a strenuous time and, while it could have been made a much better combination, one hopes that all the members will be able to stand up to their hard work. It will be surprising to the writer, however, if the team does not feel the absence of those of the Dominion’s best players who have “missed the ’bus.” The New Zealand Cricket Council has not seen fit to order the touring team to assemble in Wellington in time to play a special match here before leaving for England. The writer was informed that the players were to be written to asking if they were available to take part in the match, but so far as can be ascertained this was not done in at least some cases. Surely there was no thought of the touring team making an inauspicious start against a team with M‘Girr, Massey, Lambert, Blundell, and Newman included among others! The match, indeed, would have been an excellent try-out for the New Zealand team, especially as some of the bowlers against the tourists would have been of the type likely to be met frequently on the tour. Moreover, the game would have been a fine contribution by cricket to the Earthquake Relief Fund.