CANTERBURY'S CRICKET

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7667, 28 March 1903, Page 4

CANTERBURY'S CRICKET

— = — «■ ITS BEGINNINGS AND ITS ENDINGS. HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. For the first time since the President's Cup competition was instituted in Christchurch, cricket, the Cup has been won by Christ's College. On more than one occasion the school eleven has been in a satisfactory and creditable position at the finish, -vbut never before has it been able to maintain a consistent record, of success. The past season' has been, particularly marked by a most business-like endeavour on the part of the boys to " play up " under any circumstances, and their earnestness has had its result. It is then but natural that cricketers should look for the cause which has produced the effect. To those who have watched the season's cricket at all closely, the cause is easily apparent. At the beginning of the season Christ's College became the possessor of a cricket coach, the efforts of a few enthusiasts having been sufiicient to raise funds for the engagement of the once-famous Australian batsman, Charles Bannennan. With a very shrewd idea of the possibilities of school boys, Mr Bannennan came, he saw, and happily he I concjuered. To his unsparing labour is to bs ascribed in a large measure the success attained by Christ's College, -though he would say that the boys have themselves to thank more than him for their excellent display. Now that the season is over, Mr tiannerman has; I alt for his home in Sydney. That hft -will return is more than likely, for the College is fully alive to the advantage of. a second year's coaching, and no stone will be left unturned in attempting to raise the funds necessary to a- re-engagement. Before he left Ciiristchurch, Mr Bannerman was " interviewed " by a representative of the "'Star," and in t'be course of a pleasant chat told a good deal of interesting history and made many suggestions that should be beneficial to cricket in Canterbury. , i* JRegarding' Olu-ist's College,. Banfl*rman's firafc remark was, "1 never saw boys improve as these boys did. In the wihole school 'the improvement was. wonderful, and that was just because they were all to eager to lea-rri. Of course, I have had to give most of my time to the first a.nd second elevens this year, and tho lower schoolboys got none: of it, but next year : che. first cloven will !>.•> able to do wiCh two days a week, and I intend to devote a great deal of thn© to the smaller boys. Warner w;is quite right about cai.cb.ing ' your ciicketorsi young." With regard to the possibility of ■his return, Mr Bannennan said that from wihat he could hear the College would bo very g!; t d to have him back, and nothing' would please him better than to come. Hothought lie could do much 'bettor work next, year among the- very .young -boys, and was anxious to spend another year with them. " They're the best lot of boys I ever came across,'' he added. " The firsb eleven," he continued. ".improved in all departments of the game. Mind you, they were a good lot of cricketers at the beginning cf the season, but they were very great deal better at the end." I don't think they were better in one depart me i;t of the game than in another, for the evenness of their play throughout the season was one of its best features. Three of their performances stand out above the <rihevs, and stamp them as really game cricketers'. In the' match against the OtagoHigh School they were, playing on a strange- ground, and, with nil ths worst of I the luck, they had 195 runs to get in the fourth innings of the match. They butted beautifully, and they got those runs for j eight wickets. It was a great performance. Then, against Lancaster Park, when there were four men away, they had 100 runs to get, and they mn.nagecl to win. By b?ati ing United hist week, they put n fine finish on the season's play. They had 268 runs to get — a very big score against the tea:m they had to meet, and they did their very best performance. That 365 was) a tremendous score. They could never have;' got it if they hadn't been thoroughly game- and absolutely confident." Asked as to how the Christ's College Eleven would compare with that of the Sydney Grammar School, Mr j Bannerman had no hesitation in replying that Christ's College could compete witli anything hehiul seen at any of the. Sydney schools. He would consider them equal to any colonial school teams. Going on to spe\ik of Canterbury cricket generally, Mr B^nnei'man emphasised the necessity for looking niter boys when they leave school. "It is a. great pity," said he, "that they arc not taken care of by competent judges. From such a school as Christ's College you get more promising cricket talent than is to be found anywhere el.«e, and that tu.kr.t ought to be distributed to the best advantage. I think ths hoys should not all join one club, for if they do they have to play in second and third elevens whore they can't learn 'much. 11 three ov four bays leave at once lot them ba distributed among the senior teams, where they oan learn something more than they already know, and where they will soon be valuable. I think r. proper distribution of well-trained boys would do as much for cricket hero as anything. You must push the youngsters on, and if you do so, you will soon reap the benefit. *' Tlure are not enough grounds in ChriKichurch for all tho cricket that is played. You have on a -Saturday, .sometimes, as many as seven teams playing on one ground, and they are getting in each other's way all the time". This is disastrous •to the fielding, for a captain- often can't get a chance of placing his men properly, even if he knows how. More grounds are urgently needed. Then, in Christchurch and Wellington, the players want proper coaching. I have heard a good deal of talk here about engaging professional bowlers, and I sincerely hope the Association will do nothing of the sort. Why, you have any number of bowlers here who, with a little coaching, would be as good 'as anyone you could import. .You don't want new bowlers when you already have so many good ones. What you want here is a coach, or two or three conches, to show the bowlers how to bowl and to teach men what a fir-Id is for, and then your cricket will improve very rapidly. Don't let 1 lie Association putsits money into a bowlers' fund, but let it tench its players. Tho Ndw Zealand team I saw here needed a lot of coaching in nome points. Richardson does not know nil there if? to know about placing the field, although he is a very good captain. The fielding of the team was certainly very good, and if only the men were always properly placed it would be as good'.' as fielding ' could be. 'me bowlers are ' good enough,' but they are still a long way behind the Englishmen. Caillaway is a good bowler, and seems to know more than the rest, but the others mcke the mistake of bowling too much for the wicket. Good coaching would sopn remedy that: The New Zealand -team "was a very good batting side, but the batsmen have still a lot to learn. I can't say anything more aibout them than that a first-class coach would improve them out of all knowledge. They did very well against the Englishmen, "a team good enough to play with the best of the counties at Home. They must be coached, "however, before they are good enough for the best. They won't get opportunities enough to -learn much from cricketers they meet, so they must ta&e the other means of learning/ I wish to be most emphatic about the distribution of young players among the senior teams. To my mind, that is ona of the best possible aids to improvement." . ' In conclusion, Mr Bannennan said that he had had a- very pleasant stay in Christclnirch, and his work had been thoroughly enjoyable. He . had made a , number of friends, whom lie -desired to thank for a i great deal a* help and kindness.