OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume XXXII, Issue 21, 3 February 1912, Page 10

OUT DOOR SPORTS

By Harrier.

ANOTHER round of the Auckland Cricket Association * Championship was concluded on Saturday last. The weather was perfect, and the wickets and outfields played very true. » * • The match between Graf ton and Parnell proved very interesting. Parnell, in their innings on the previous Saturday, made 208. Grafton started badly, some of their best wickets falling cheaply. Some good partnerships, however, carried the score along and the innings closed for 294, being 86 runs ahead of Parnell's. • ■ • Ponsonby beat University rather easily on the Domain. Some good batting performances were registered by the Poasonby team, especially that of N. C. Sneddon, who knocked up 116 in good style, before he was caught by Taylor off Graham. * ■ ■ North Shore continued batting at Eden Park against the local team, and won by 71 runs on the first innings— a two-point win, Sale (96) and Dacre (43) being top scorers. m. 9. ■ On Monday (Anniversary Day) a match was played between the Auckland rep. team which is to tour the South, and a team of thirteen. After an interesting game, the Reps, were beaten by four wickets and 30 runs. For the Auckland team, Hemus, Horspool and Sneddon played well, Sneddon being top-scorer with 37 runs to his credit. Bowling for the thirteen, Mason took five wickets for 69. CSV Ellis, the Auckland wicket-keeper, was in fine form on Monday, catching three men and stumping one. The third Test match prodaced a gross gate of £1803, about the average for a Test match at Adelaide. Woods played well for his 37, and» after N. C. Snedden, gave the best display for Ponsonby. Horspool and McCormick batted well for Grafton on Satnrday. Horspool made 73, and McCormick was unbeaten with 69 to his credit. Wright batted nicely for his 50 runs against the Auckland team on Monday. He was well set when Jones took a good catch from him off BrookeSmith. Sale was unlucky in being caught by Alexander when he had made 96. He - batted splendidly, and never gave a chance until he was within four of the coveted century. It has been said, and is being said daily, that the Australian bowlers have lost the matches (remarks Sydney « Referee.") It is true they have not accomplished as much as might have been expected. There is no doubt on that score. But the bowlers .did not lose the two Test matches. The batsmen and the fieldsmen did that. I have never seen an Australian representative team- field so weakly, show such poor team work, and pick ont the strokes of new batsmen with such lack of discernment as was the case in the first Test match. And observant men who know the game, and good players, tell me it was so again at Melbourne and Adelaide. This might be deemed a seve criticism of the Australian out-cricket.

Farquharson added 11 to bis previous score of 17 for Shore, when be fell a victim to Hay. The best of Eden's bowlers on Saturday were Hay and Mills. Hay took three wickets for 55 runs, and Mills three for 13. The failure of the leading Australian batsmen in the first innings of the Melbourne and Adelaide matches has been the primary cause of the defeats (says Sydney "Referee.") And the credit of those failures must be given to the English bowlers, S. F. Barnes and F. R. Foster in particular, with J. W. H. T. Douglas playing his strong part in support.

To win the remaining Test matches Australia will need to improve all round, but most in form with the bat and in fielding (says an Exchange). They will need, perhaps, to bring in another bowler of the emery Type. The Englishmen have played very finely in these last two matches; but one questions if they have yet bean seen at their best as a team. Some of the players have aeached their highest form ; but others have not yet done so. And it is well to remember that if Australia is likely to improve, so are the Englishmen. In that case the next two should be really great cricket matches.

Howden batted nicely for 29 runs for North Shore. Dacre also did well, and knocked up 48 before he was bowled by Taylor. There did not appear to be much sting abont the Reps.' bowling on Mondays, only two of the colts failing to reach double figures. BrookeSmith did best with three for 38. Englishman Hobbs has dropped in for a lot of criticism as a result of his doleful animad-versions on the Australian barracker (says Melbourne "Punch.") It should not be overlooked at this juncture that the barracker is not a purely Australian product, like the kangaro oor the duck-

bill. In point of fact, they have barrackens everywhere where there is a popular sport. The name alone is peculiar to Australia. American baseball barrackers could whoop the head off an Australian push, and in England the howling at a big football match is suggestive of the war-whoopg of half-a-million drunken Indians. English cricket crowds barrack, too, and Australian players have had some trying experiences of it. In fact,the're is always noise where there is public enthusiasm, and sportsmen should have grit enough to recognise that barracking is.to be borne wtih equanimity as the price of success.