CRICKET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8249, 23 February 1905, Page 1

CRICKET.

NOTES. (By SCORING BOARD.) Tlie sky was very overcast on Saturday, and during the afternoon the light was very bad. In fact, it was no unusual tiling to lose sight of the ball entirely at times. There was a fair attendance at Lancaster Park to see the finish of the two Senior games played there. The most open one was that between the United and Lancaster Park teams, and even there the former, with 86 runs to get, and three wickets to fail, had the worst of it. Harper and Ollivier, the two not out men, did not give a great deal of trouble, and when the last two men got together 60 runs were wanted. Both West and Williams rose to the occasion, and, profiting by chances missed, added 46 runs, their side thus being in a minority of 14 runs. When thoy went in again, the Lancastrians made a very poor show against the bowling of "Williams and Fisher. Orchard alone gave any trouble, and his 46 made a big hole in the 113' scored off the bat. His side got out just aftor five o'clock, and left United 139 to get in seventy minutes. The latter made a bold bid for the runs, but in getting 118 they lost every wicket by the time the last over of tho dav was being sent down. The fielding in this game was very in and out. During the last stand in United's first innings, more than one chance was missed, chances that sh»uld have been held. United, too, in their turn, failed to maintain tho form they generally show. Sims missed one at mid-on right into his hands, and other more difficult chances that came in reach were also dropped. When United went in again to force the pace, after the first wicket fell everything went well with the Park, and this probably enabled them to scrape home. There is little doubt that the light had a good deal to do with the patchy fielding. West came out as a batsman for United. He played stubbornly on a bad wicket. His main scoring stroke is to the on. Williams, too, played confidently for his runs, while he followed his innings up with a successful piece of bowling. The bumpy wicket suited him, and he got up nastily. Orchard gave a good display of hittiug. He made somo clinking drives, and got such power into his hits that the one or two catches that came in reach all fell out of the fieldsmen's hands. Frankish played a first-class innings, and his being run out probably cost his side the gamo. He was scorning at a great rate when he and Sims got mixed up. I blame the latter chieflv, as, although Frankish took it a little for granted 'that Sims was coming, they had got sharper runs before, and that was not the time to change tactics. As a matter of fact, Sims could have got in. Woodroffe and Harper shaped freely. The latter showed much improved form. He watched the ball well, and got it in the middle of the bat. Ollivier got out in a peculiar way in his second innings. Ha played the ball, and fearing it would go on to the wioket' trjed to stop it- again, but just turned it on to the wicket. Callaway \va& hardly as steady as usual. At any rate, runs came freely from him, as indeed they did from Read. The Sydenham-Midland wicket was m fine run-setting order, # but the same was far ftom being the case with the other one. Players are gotting accustomed to wickets at Lancaster Park, where plenty of work* can be got on the ball, but, in addition to this, the east one buniped in an uncalled-for manner, and was decidedly bad. The Sydenham team continued bat 7 ting against Midland until ten minutes to three, by which time they had 390 up for the loss of eight wickets. Kinvig was responsible for the increase in the total, and in half an hour he took his own .total from 39 to 95. Out of his last twelve strokes nine were boundaries, the result of first-class strokes. It was a pity he did not let himself reach the hundred. Naturally, the bowlers were heavily punished, and Lawrence alone secured a fair analysis. At one stage there seemed to be every prospect of Midland playing out time. Whitta and Wheatley put on 71 for tlie second wicket, and as both men played defensivlely the clock had crept round before a separation was effected. Then came over the gamo one of those changes inseparable from cricket. The board showed 80 for the loss of one wicket, and forty minutes later eight were out for 106. Barry was away, and it was left to Fuller and Barron to show how unaccountable was the collapse of a strong batting team like Midland. Both scored freely, and put on 80 runs beforo Sydenham brought off a win. To show tbe in and out naturo of the batting, out of 178 runs four men mada 162. Wigley came out as a bowler, and met with phenomenal success when Bennett was practically harmless. His six wickets at one timo had cost him only 17 runs, and he certainly deserves the credit of Sydenham defeating Midland. Barron started a little streakily, but after he settled down he drove in fine style. There is no mistake about his getting tho wood on. '*>. Whitta played soundly, first playing a lot of bowling and then making a clinking stroke. He has improved immensely in the field, and, whatever bis opponents may say about his style of batting, there is little doubt but that he will be a certainty for the Canterbury team in the near future. Wheatley played another solid and .confident innings, showing strokes all round. His score equalled that of Fuller, who, with Barron, alone shaped at Wigley's bowling. The Sydenham team had a further few minutes' batting, to which little interest was attached. At Hagley Park the Lancaster Park B team had no difficulty in beating the Midland Thirteen for the second time this year. Towards their total of 231 on Saturday Young was the highest contributor. His 44 was his best, as well as highest, contribution this year, and he made his runs in a workmanlike fashion. Maroney again hit vigorously, but hardly gave as good a display as did his partner, Willsteed. The latter has the makings of a good bat in him, and should see the first eleven next soason. The Midland attack, was very weak. It is never strong, and with O'Farrell and Weston away was of a very poor class last week. Once the Midland total was passed little interest attaohed to the Park's batting, and none at all to Midland's when they went in again. Horner was again topscorer, and until time was called he had no trouble in playing what bowling was opposed to him. Baker, the selector of the New Zealand team, was an interested spectator of the Australian game at Wellington. He will pick the team for the first game immediately after tue conclusion of the Canterbury match. Provided every player is able ta get the needful lfi^^e^.tli^ jtitfJ4^.iitil» difference

between the teams to play here and at Wellington. If a player is good enough for the first game, unless something unusual happens, he ought to play in the second one. I know the last place or two would bo a matter of opinion, but I do not hold with the idea of playing, say, Jones for one game, and if he fails putting in Brown, who may be about as good, for tlie next. Even one new man in a team means that a certain amount of time is required to work it into shape again, and in any case any man may fail in one or even both games. To my mind it is better, after having chosen one out of a number of candidates for a place, to play him in both games, and let him know he i3 to hare a fair chance. The Australians do not leave Auckland until March 22, instead of March 20, as originally arranged. Consequently it has been decided to play the second New Zealand game on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, starting a day later than had been arranged. The Australians themselves volunteered the suggestion that the dates should be altered, as being more suitable from the gate point of. view. Our visitors, I believe, quite recognise that we have risked as much as possibly cbuld be done to ensure their visiting us, and are anxious we should not be losers. There is no doubt about Trumper being the "draw" of the Australian team. At Wellington a big crowd met the Australians at the station,/, and as Trumper climbed into the drag small boys and sedate old business men exclaimed with one voice, "There's Trumper." The ground at Lancaster Park will be roped off on Friday, so, that the boundary will be an 80yds one. Five hundred chairs will be placed in front of tho grandstand, and- generally tne big crowd expected at trie game will be well catered for. After the result of the Australians' first two games people wili say it Bavours very much of conceit for Canterbury to put only eleven men in tne field against our visitors. It would have to be an individual of very peculiar intellect who expects our men to give the Australians a close game. As a matter of fact, however, I tnink they will beat the eleven not much more badly than they would an eighteen or fifteen. In comparing the performances of the two teams at Lancaster Park this week, the public must be reasonable, and remember mat this team is as. much superior to the English team we had here two years ago as tho latter wa3 to our men. No better display can be j seen anywhere than this team is able to give. The critics, who are to be found everywhere, say it is weak in bowling. Well, in the opinion of three well-known selectors, it represents the bowling strength of Australia, and they hope it will be good enough to win the rubber at Home. In any case a great fielding side like theirs must always make run getting a matter of difficulty. As for their batting, right down to the bottom of the list they have men who have made England's best bowling look childishly easy. Now, look at cricket here. In our intorprovincial game we reached 300, a winning total, and with 250 on the board local players in our "rep" games can go to sleep in an easy frame of mind. Surely 200 against the visitors must then be a fair score, and it would be thought so did our opponents make, say, 800. Being one of the finest batting teams ever sent away from Australia, they will make many more, and the 200 will appear small in comparison. Yet this same team may make 500 runs in more than one test match. Clem Hill is stated to have married a bride worth £70,000. L. O. S. Poidevin, the New South Wales cricketer, left for England last week, to complete his medical studies. New' South Wales has won the Sheffield Shield four times in succession, and five times within the last six seasons. In the last four seasons only one defeat has been sustained, the other fifteen matches having been won. A resident of Sydney, who takes a keen interest in cricket, has received a letter from F. R. Spofforth, who writes concerning the Australians that unless the teams contains some new blood of exceptional quality^ it will, in his opinion, hare no chance whatever of defeating the present strength of England. He hoped that several colts would be SBnt .to England, as the experience gained would be a great help to Australian cricket, while the veterans could not learn anything new in playing ■ against England. In Ransford, Victoria has brought out a young one of special promise (writes " Not Out " in the Sydney '"Referee"), xie is rather light and small, yet trimly, built. He times' the ball so well that he makes it move faster than a big proportion of his bigfer comrades. In the matter of timing e is easily best among the eleven who played in the latest match against New South Wales. If Ransford develops greater driving power— in which, by the way, he is not by any means deficient—the run-getting value of his bating will Jb© materially strengthened against the best class of bowling and fielding, and in that case he ought to become an international representative. V ™ or *° his coming to Sydney for tho inter-State match, nothing had been heard here of Ransford's bowling. He is a left-hander o£ decidedly good style, with some command of pitch. There ought to be possibilities for him as an all-round player. An Engliah team left for a tour of the West Indies in December.. Two professionals, Hayes, of Surrey, and our old fnend Thompson, of Northaum-

tonshire, are members of the team, the remainder consisting of amateurs. It is rumoured in India that the chief object that brings Prince Banjitsinhji to his native country is oi » matrimonial character (writes the "Daily Express" Bombay correspondent). The Prince's mother is very desirous that her son should be married without delay. " Ranji," however, has not yet made up his mind, but the chance is that the nest time he appears on the cricket field in England among the distinguished onlookers of his feats will be his own princess.