CRICKET

Wairarapa Daily Times, 8 December 1937, Page 8

CRICKET

COUNTY PROBLEMS. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS. LONDON, Tuesday. Important recommendations dealing with various problems of county cricket have been made by a Marylebone commission. The report-states that intercounty cricket from 1934 to 1936 showed a loss of £26,873 a year. The receipts of county cricket; in 1935 declined by £2600 compared with 1934, while 1936 showed a further decrease of £I6OO. The recommendations include a reduction of the number of first-class counties from seventeen to fifteen, which would allow extra representative matches, permitting the best players to play together in preparation for Tests and thus raising the standard of English cricket. The report recommends different championship scoring' to produce more finished games. The commission contends that much dull play is due to the bowlers rather than to the batsmen. It condemns fast bowlers bowling persistently short, with only two fielders in front of the wicket, and says it is believed it would be beneficial if captains agreed to discourage negative bowling. If there is no improvement, it may be necessary to' resort to a line or lines across the wicket beycnd which bowlers will be required under penalty to pitch the ball. The commission suggests that county authorities instruct groundsmen to provide wicket conditions more equal for batsmen and bowlers, without being dangerous. BUSH COMPETITION. EKETAHUNA IN LEAD. A battle royal between the two leading teams, Pahiatua and Eketahuna, -was played on Saturday last. This game, played at Eketahuna, was won by the home side, who played an unsatisfactory draw with Pahiatua in the first round at Pahiatua, the game being stopped on account of bad light when Eketahuna had a decided advantage. Mauriceville gained another threepoint win at the expense of Mangamaire; the game being played on the Mauriceville ground.