CRICKET.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17502, 8 September 1928, Page 21 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

“SPARKES’ TEAM.” HOW IT WAS MUSTERED. Jimmancherla is a station near the frontier of India, and vvncn the incident about to be. related occurredwas the site »r a small military 03 Business taking me 10 the distriet I was making my way towards hotel when the unexpected sound_or ha! meeting ball struck my ea.. Be hind the station buildings 1 found an En“gllsl?man slanging ssrss™ Wfe wicket, while more natives pursued t flying balls in all directions. After I had watched the proceed ings for a while, the batsman hailed me i H i, Mister!" he cried. “Can you play cricket?" n here if look after things during ho v season- had a busy time, but it s busy season, u ~, _ KS never stirs easier now. Old Vv aggs ne out of his omcc, so lm going to some fun. You really play crickc . “Vnc ” i replied again. “Hurrah, well have a match now V °l'Blared 10 ’Under the circumstances, l told him so. . „,, T “How can you get up a match. I enquired. “How about your twenty tW “There are seven of us, including

you.” "Seven of who. “Us —Enlishmen.” :r;: the railway. Had to do a lot of chopping and pu ling players in place oi dulfers. “No one object?” , n _ “Only the shunting-engine drhcr, O’Leary, who is a good bowler. Ht refused to play, and I called him an ass, whereupon he became cheek., 1 suspended him-” „ “And Hie seven are to play a natiec eleven?”

The Opposition. “No. Look here —sec those tents? Some Tommies are camped there loi a few days. We’ll play them. Lome we’re only SC “Never mind,” said Sparkes. “WCll rout out lour more somehow, and it we don’t then we’ll play some natives We uuly interviewed Captains Blair and Morgan, in charge of the soldiers, and arranged the match for the next dd "Now,” said I, as we sat down to dinner, “how about completing our Mli “Comc over to the station after our smoke, and we'll try.” "Are vou hopeful of getting them. “No, worse luck! We’ll look small if we turn up short-handed?” •■Yes; then what's to lie done. i •Til hoard the <Jown mail, and sec if i can't rout out some of the passengers. Hanged if I don't!” “What to do?” 1 asked, mystified “Get out, play for us, and go on tomorrow night." . I gazed at him in silent astonishment. Here was a crank indeed. Fancy rousing up the passengers on a night train and inviting them to alight at a wavside station to play cricket! However, over we went to the station, and | the first man we saw was the loco, foreman. “Hullo, Dawson!” said Sparkes, “that beggar corne to his senses yet?” “No, sir; I asked him before I came across, and he said he wouldn t play. “More fool he. But, look here, wo want four yet, and we must find them. Who drives the mail?” “Stagg sir. Young Plackett’s stoker; and" now I think of it they're both cricketers. Pity we can't stop ’em.” “Hang it all, I mean to stop ’em. Look here, where’s the chap that takes the special goods to-morrow night?” “Bonifacio, sir? He’s asleep m the running shed —his mate too. We trooped across to the running shed, and there found Bonifacio and his fireman, fast asleep. “Wake up! said Sparkes, shaking them. “Would you fellows like a tip ?" “Yes, sir," they replied; only half awake- “ Well, here you are!” flinging them half a sovereign. “Get into your clothes, and prepare to take on the mail. Sharp She’ll be here in a jiffy. I want Stagg and Plackctt to play tomorrow; you fellows are duffers. Don’t he afraid, Dawson —I’m responsible. “Well, sir," said Dawson, “it’s not my place to say no to your yes. I only hope Mr Maggs doesn’t hear of it. “Oh, hang him! I’m responsible. I must get four men. Who are the guards of the down mail? “Cope, sir, and James. Cope plays.” “llow about replacing him?” “Guard Green’s asleep in the station, sir; ho goes down with the special goods to-morrow.” “Oh I we’ll send him in Cope’s place. Corne along!” And we all bundled back to the station, to waken Green and mollify him with a lip. We now had ten players, and I tried hard to perusuade Sparkes to take a native for the eleventh; but he would not have it“We must board the mail,” said he, “and see if we can’t And one chap a cricketer and willing to help us. I’ll do the first half of the train—you do the tail end.” In due course the train came lumbering in. Bonifacio and his mate sprang on to the locomotive, and Green boarded the mail van. r l he train halted, and there was only one passenger in my half, an elderly European. "Excuse me, sir,” I commenced. “Are you a cricketer?" “I am, sir.”

“The One fop the Gap.” “Well, will you help us? We’ve a match on here to-morrow, Railway against Soldiers, and we are one man short. Will you alight and play for our side? Mr Sparkes, the .railway officer here, will sec that you suffer no inconvenience through breaking your journey.” “With pleasure. Will you ask the stationmaster lo send a porter to remove my things?” Having arranged this, I rushed away in search of Sparkes, and found him palavering with a passenger. “Any luck,” I enquired. “No. Have you?” “Yes.” “Hurrah!” he said, jumping off the footboard. "Let's go to him.'”

WORLD OF SPORT |

' On the way we ran against the stationmaster. “Where is he?” asked Sparkes. “I sent him over to the hotel. He said he was tired and didn t want to be disturbed.” * * * * The soldiers were punctually on the ground, and all Sparkes’ team were there except the obliging passenger. We tossed-; the soldiers won; two came out to hat; and we spread out to field. “Where is your passenger?” said Sparkes. "Here he comes!” I replied, seeing a man emerge from the hotel, which was screened from the view of the other fieldsmen by the railway buildings. Presently he cleared the angle of the goods shed, halted, and coolly surveyed the scene. 1 expected Sparkes to comment on his lateness, but he did no such thing. There was a general movement towards the stranger; they all sneaked rather than walked up to him, Sparkes among them. I followed, and joined the semicircle that stood sheepishly round him. “Who is it?” i whispered to Sparkes. "Old Maggs.” Whew! the agent and manager of that particular company! the chief of every railway man there- No wonder they looked limp. “So,” said the great man, “this is how you amuse yourself, Mr Sparkes, when I send you up here for special duty!” “Look here, Mr Moggs, there's no harm in cricket. Better for the men than loafing round.” “How did you collect your team? 1 am certain that even at headquarters 1 could not lay my hands on eleven players all at the one 'time.” “I had to dodge about a bit,” said Sparkes. “So I should think. One man wired me a long complaint that you suspended him because lie would not join in with your dodgings.” “O'Leary, I’ll bet. i suspended him for cheek.” “Pardonable cheek, under the circumstances. But how did you make up your team?” “Well, there was the stationmaster, the foreman, Ihe inspector, two fitters from the sheds, Mr Harvey here, and myself. That made seven. No one else worth a rap was available. The other four I dodged in.” "How ?” "Well, the fellows on your engine are players, so 1 nabbed them.”“You mean to tell me you took them off the mail?” exclaimed Mr Moggs. “Yes!” said Sparkes. “And left the engine to take care of itself?” “No; I put two chaps in their places; those of a special goods go-ing on to-night; the men I detained can lake her on all right. Then Cope, Hie under-guard, plays, so 1 sent a chap named Green in his place.” “Well, and the eleventh?” “You are the eleventh, Mr 'Moggs, you are the only fellow we could find in the whole blessed train, and 1 m jolly glad we did.” "I see. Well, come on, and ,see if we can beat these soldiers. If we do, all right; if not., woe betide Hie lot of you. Give me the gloves; I’ll keep wicket.”

“How was it no one got wind of your coming, Mr Moggs?” asked Sparkes, as we sat at dinnei. “Aha! I stole a march on you, just to catch you ,at some of your confounded pranks. U’Leary’s wire made me smell a rat, so I telegraphed to the stationmaster to say 1 .was coming up, hut to say nothing to anyone about it, and to put no obstacles in your way. However, as we won the match, 1 m not going to make a fuss, hut don t dodge about in that way again 1”