WHEN LORD HARRIS USED FISTS DURING SYDNEY TEST MATCH

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18014, 26 November 1926, Page 10

WHEN LORD HARRIS USED FISTS DURING SYDNEY TEST MATCH

Under the . title “When Lord Harris Was Struck,” the Sydney “News" reprinted, and acknowledged, the following story from “Anglo-Australian Cricket," one of the latest books of its kind published in London: : —•

The team that went to Australia in the winter of 1878-9 did not play the second Test match because of trouble on the Sydney ground in a game with New South Wales. An objection was raised to a decision by the English umpire, Couthard, and in the sequel a mob stormed the pitch, and the Englishmen had to defend themselves with fists and stumps. Lord Harris was struck by a larrikin with a whip or stick, and Mr Hornby—a very small man—“arrested” and bore his malefactor to the pavilion.

In reference to the above, a correspondent writes as follows:

I was a lad of fourteen at the time of the incident. The trouble arose when New South Wales was obliged to follow on, and Aleck Bannerman and Murdoch went to the wickets. They were doing well, when one of them was given run out. Doubting the decision, he hesitated, but eventually walked towards the pavilifeh. Dave Gregory, the captain, came out from the pavilion and motioned the batsman back to the crease. This started the turmoil. Everybody rushed the ground, and a controversy raged around the cricket pitch. An excited individual called out to Lord Harris that the man was not out. The noble Lord stifled further argument with a straight left. This action aggravated the excited crowd. Hornby also chipped in, and wrestled with the individual. After a sharp tussle the Englishman’s silk shirt was torn to shreds.

All this was only a prelude to the offensiveness of Ulvctt, a six-footer, who backed on to the stumps at the northern end, and, pulling one out, cried: “The first son of a convict who comes near I’ll brain! ” I was alongside during the incidents, and can vouch for all that occurred. That Mr Hornby was a small mantis absolute nonsense. He was about sft Tin, and fully thirteen stone.

The difference between learning to play golf and learning to drive a car is that in golf you hit nothing, and in motoring you hit everything.

There are queer places in which cricket is played, but surely none more so than at the Eveleigh railway workshops (says the Sydney “Sun”). Batsmen take" block on a strip of concrete with rail lines and engines all round. There are no sight boards. Engine smoke blows freely across the pitch—engines are coming in and going out ori lines alongside the batsmen —but the game goes on. Engines weighing 85 tons or more are a mere nothing. There is a regular competition at the shed? with five teams, and sets of trophies fox ih& winners. They arc not stodgy batsmen out there—they take risks in more ways than one. _ George Heaton dashed under an engine one day to field the ball. The enginedriver didn’t know, and moved on— Heaton was lucky to escape alive, but he got a bad doing, and now there is no ducking under the iron monsters. It is not done, but a ball hit under an engine counts a run. NORTHERN UNION ADVANCES. I notice an increasing tendency in the Press to refer to football played under Northern Union rules as “ Rugby,” or “ Rugby League ” football (says a writer in the London "Sporting and Dramatic”). The Northern Union was formed in 1895, when the great “ split ” came on the question of “ broken time ” professionalism, against which the Rugby Football Union has always set its face. Since then the two games have become very different. Under Northern Union rules, for instance, the sides are represented by thirteen instead of fifteen players. The scoring also differs —two points being awarded for a goal of any sort, whether from a place-kick, drop-kick, or penalty—and there are a considerable number of other alterations. It is particularly desirable that there should be no possibility of confusion this year when there is a Northern Union team from New Zealand meeting the professional teams of Lancashire and Yorkshire, while a team of Maori players from the same country is touring France and later coming to England under Rugby Union auspices. Northern Union rules were not introduced into New Zealand until 1907, after the return of a team which had come over in 1906 at the invitation of the Northern Union, who had been impressed with the success of the original “All Blacks” Rugby team in 1905. I am sorry to see that the Northern Union are now trying to get * foothold in Wales by purchasing the old Association football ground at Llanelly. The Northern Union has frequently recruited its ranks from among Welsh Rugby players by tempting prominent exponents of the game to become professionals. “ SOMETHING* NEW.” An Australian, a keen follower of Rugby football, saw the match be- 1 tween Richmond and London Welsh at Richmond (England) on October 2. Writing to a Sydney'- friend he says:—“lt was a very ordinary game though the teams are supposed to be top-notchers down south. The umpire was something new, because he turned out in a blue serge lounge suit, and never once in the afternoon did he trot or run. nor did he make great use of his whistle —only when there was a flagrant infraction of the rules or the scrum got so mixed up that at least ten men were hiding the ball did he intervene. “ A more competent umpire I do not think I have seen, and the game was as fast as anybody could wish it. It was not spectacular, but mainly hard bunlocking rushes, with that extraordinary paralysis which seems to grip teams at intervals, during which the flying three-quarter of one side or the other had a practically clear run to the goal. “If this southern play repesents the standard in Southern England to-day, then our Sydney teams would run right through them." RUGBY NEWS FROM HOME LAND. It will be recalled that there was some commotion in Rugby circles because the Welsh Rugby Union assembled their players at Porthcawl prior to their match against the New Zealanders in 1924 for the purpose of formulating a plan of campaign and completing the training. The International Board has passed the following resolution: —“That, in its opinion, it is contrary to the spirit of amateur Rugby football that teams shall be assembled at. a centre during a period prior to a match for the purpose’ of change of air and training.'’ This practice has often been adopted in New Zealand, notably on the eve of the third test against the South Africans in Wellington in 1921, when t,he All Blacks encamped at Day’s Bay for a week or so before the match. Some provincial teams on the eve of important matches have also been assembled several days ahead for the purpose of training and discussing team tactics.