NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17734, 6 December 1919, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By "L.8.W.")

To-day's fixtures are (seniors, continued) :— ,

On Cook's Gardens. — Victoria (237). v. Imlay (66 and four for 85); Wanganui (2 for 29), v. College B. (244).

On College ground.—College A. (144) v. V.M.C.A. (50 and none for 25.)

The Junior Cup games will also be continued this afternoon.

Better wickets may be expected on Victoria Park as from next week.

The eight-ball over is already a popular improvement that seems to have come to stay.

The New Zealand Cricket Council, by the way, has ruled that in all in-ter-provincial and Shield games the over will consist of eight balls.

In view of the approach of the Hawke Cup match, the players selected will notify the selector to-day definitely whether they can make the trip or not.

Position of teams in the Senior Cup on completion of the third matches: —Victoria 7 points, Imlay 6, V.M.C.A. 6, College A. 5, Wanganui 2, College B. all.

One junior bowler has taken over fifty wickets for a little over a hundred runs. These remarkable figures just show what can be done up on Victoria Park.

The Association must be endowed with the gambling spirit when it decided to spend a large amount on the Rec. to lay down cricket pitches and to top-dress tho whole of the playing area of number two ground.

The immediate future of the Rec. is extremely doubtful, and in addition the writer is of the opinion that good wickets and a fair outfield will not be obtained for several seasons. This opinion with all due deference to the experts. It is really too much of a gamble.

It is quite time that here.in Wanganui was formed a Sports Association comprised of all outdoor sports in Wanganui, so that the steps taken last week are well in season. When it comes to catering for various fieid games our city fathers appear to be stangely apathetic; for so it seems to the onlooker.

The Council does not realise that the war was admittedly won on the playing fields, yet despite the fact that a big percentage of cricketers and footballers are returned soldiers, they make very little effort to provide them with grounds. When dealing with matters or this kind the Council should not seek to make money out of the reserves.

! The Poverty Bay Association were putting down a special turf wicket for the match with Wanganui at Gisborne this month, and everything in the paddock was lovely until a few draught horses got loose and they managed not only to chop up the pitch but also to dislodge the new sods of turf. Consequently the Association has had to make other arrangements, but it is hoped that the match will be played on a turf wicket and not on matting and concrete. It should be made compulsory for all Hawke Cup matches to be decided on turf wickets.

It has been decided to play one series of senior cup matches on Cook's Gardens on January 22nd (Anniversary Day), play commencing at 10 a.m. The senior fixtures, first round, will conclude on Saturday week, 20th, and will be resumed on January 10th. All junior matches will be played also up to and from the dates mentioned, although only those played to-day and on and after February 14th will be counted for the Cup.

Provided they are obtainable from the official statisticir.n,, the senior averages made up J;o and including to-day's play will be published on Monday. In view of ;;the selected representaive team and' the next fourteen, the publication of these figures should be of more than passing interest. '

The idea of playing a match, Reps v. The Rest, on Wednesday week, 17th inst., is undoubtedly a good one, and it is to be hoped that this will duly eventuate. The reps, certainly can do with an all-day match as part training in preparation for two days' play on end in Gisborne.

Final arrangements for trie Gisborne trip have been completed. The team will leave the Post Office corner in two cars at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 23rd inst., putting that night in at Napier, and going on to Gisborne on the Wednesday. This leaves a full day clear —all going well —before the match for the Cup starts.

The following list of probables, from which the eleven to represent Poverty Bay against Wanganui will be chosen, is taken from a Gisborne paper:—J. H. Miller, B. Morrison, T. Pere, J. H. Jones, J. S. Nugent, A. C. Cooke, Rev. W. T. Drake, H. Forster, R. Garthshore, W. McLoughlin, C. Temperton, M. Guthrie, W. J. Scholium. J. Moore, H. Ellis, W. Blair, O. R. Olsen, J. Grffiffths, W. G. Harwood, T. Ingham, B. Hundle'by, J. Mouat.