CRICKET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11028, 17 March 1914, Page 5

CRICKET.

NOBLE'S SUGGESTIONS. GOOD PRACTICE WICKETS. TEAMS TO TRAVEL EVERY TWO YEARS (By SQUARE LEG). The Canterbury public havo now seen the last of that' great combination of Australian cricketers brought over here by Mr Sims to show us in earnest bow tho game should bo played. Wo have seen great masters of tho bat and ball at doso quarters, havo observed their methods and listened to their counsels. 'I-ho budding aspirants for cricket honours in our midst must now assiduously put theso lessons into practice, and it is inevitable that great advancement to tho game will follow. In ono of'his excellent after luncheon speeches Mr Wilding spoko of tho names of several of. our visitors being hotisohold words -throughout the length and breadth of tho world wherever cricket is played. Such is quite tlw* case, and ho is a cold mortal indeed whoso heart has not warmed toward these, men.-when he lias'heard of their gigantic efforts on tho green cricket fields of tho old and. tho new lands. Many of us hayo renewed old acquaintances, some of us havo shaken hands with them for tho first timo (may it not bo the last), and Mr Sims, in his remarks at luncheon on Saturday last, voiced tho unspoken sentiment of' us all when ho said:—"lt is difficult to understand liolv any managing body could quarrel with such men." Unfortunately wo know that such differences havo arisen, but to us tho gentlemen, involved, as well as tlio other members. of the team, have proved themselves to be genial and kindhearted fellows, playing tho game in a lino sporting spirit, and showing themselves to bo real gentlemen in their private lives. Wo want nothing bettor in our visiting teams. But it is incumbent on tho management of cricket in Australia, when they, send us a team—which wo liopo will be soon —that they see that the standard set by this team is maintained. • . Practically all our visitors havo travelled widely with cricket teams, and havo seen cricket played under all kinds of conditions. Consequently, when any of them offer us advice* we should open our ears, our eyes and oven our mouths, and take it all in and follow the advice at all costs.

Mr M. A. Noble (who has probably had a'wider.experience than any other member of the team, and who? has a happy knack of dropping words of wisdom by the wayside), at _ Saturday's luncheon gave us a few hints about improving our cricket. He laid stress upon the fact that cricket could not advance without cricketers, and that every effort should be made to produce good cpckcters. And when you hate 'them keep them. PRACTICE WICKETS.

The first essential he laid..down was good practice wickets; without them, ho held, a cricketer could not attain his best. Here is a consideration for the Lancaster Park Board. The board depends for its existence on the gates. The better cricketers we produce the better the gates jvill be. Therefore the board should, in their own interests, see that good_ practice wickets are provided. 1 am"sorry to have to say that such has not been the case in the past. Practically'all the senior players have gravitated to Hagley Park to practice, which is certainly not in the interests either of the game -or Lancaster Park itself. During the winter the board might undertake to . lay down special practice wickets outside the oval, and see that a proper soil is obtained for same. In these remarks I intend no reflection on the ground man. No one can make good wickets on sand or refuse, and that is what he is asked to do at present. ' .

TEAMS TO TRAVEL. The second essential, in Mr Noble's opinion, is that teams should travel frequently, and lie laid it down that a team should visit Australia, or some other cricket centres, at least every two years: This opinion has been so unanimously expressed by all "whose opinion is worth anything, that it behoves our Council to at once set about arrangements for another visit to Australia, so that it could take place in about two years' time. The present season has been the best experienced in New Zealand cricket, though it has been a tax on many ot our players to travel Australia, and have so many home, matches to play. In the future it might be wise to avoid having a team her© from abroad the same year as our own team travels. I am aware that the difficulty is in ,the finance. lam of opinion, however, that that is a matter that can easily be surmounted. In,any ease, it would appear from our experience this year to be more costly to the Council to bring a team here than it is to send it abroad.

A Melbourne paper writes:—With twenty-two sundries in. Carlton's innings, one did not have to be present at the match, to know that M'Gregor was not the man behind the wickets for University. M'Gregor, who is one of the finest keepers wo have, is awav with Arthur Sims's team in New Zealand,