THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18165, 1 November 1930, Page 20 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

CRICKET. _ <* GAME IN HAMILTON. THE NEW SEASON. BRIGHT PROSPECTS FORECAST. THE CLUBS’ ACTIVITIES. (By “Long Stop.”) Once again the Waikato Cricket Association has attempted to make an early start in Hamilton, only to have its efforts frustrated by bad weather. The Labour Day week-end gives'a definite starting date, but seldom have the competiaions been able to begin then. Those responsible had done everything in their power to get the grounds in order for last Saturday, but before the end of the week it was apparent that cricket would be out of the question. The seriousness of losing a Saturday lies in the great number of teams in the Senior B and Junior grades.' Eight teams are competing in each of these grades, entailing so many matches that every Saturday up to the end of March is required. Even then, it has been necessary to cut short the Senior B 'competition by dividing the teams into two sections for the second round. The Junior grade teams play only one-day matches, so that their competition extends aver three rounds, the last also counting for the Howden Cup competition as well as the championship. Under these conditions no alternative could be found to counting every Saturday, irrespective of whether play took place. Such an arrangement is not ideal, for fortune will enter into the competition far more than under usual circumstances, but the scheme is worth trying, and certainly "promises a definite result at the end of the season that would not otherwise be possible.

The Senior A competition, with only four teams, is not so hard pressed for time, and can afford to ignore a few lost days.

Gratifying Outlook.

■ The outlook for the coming season is particularly bright; the achievements of the representative team in the few games played last season showed that there are many players of ability who could be welded into a very strong side. A serious effort to select and train the best eleven in the association is bound to mpet with success, and if the selector and coaches are backed up by the enthusiasm of the players, this season’s representative team should make their mark on any side they meet. ■ .. Fate has been kind, too, to' Waikato, for this association has been drawn to play Rangitikei, the holders of the Hawke Cup, in *the eliminating round of the minor associations’ competition. Such a stroke of fortune gives the local team the opportunity'to play Immediately for the Cup, without the necessity of playing any preliminary match. Needless to say, a challenge was immediately lodged, and it now remains for all concerned to get busy and make themselves ready, really ready, for the "contest. The winning of that match and the appearance of the Hawke Cup at Hamilton would undoubtedly create a big interest in the game here; the attendance at the M.C.C. match last season proved that there is a large number of Hamiltonians interested in cricket who are keen to watch good matches, and the visits of challengers for the Hawke Cup would provide them with excellent fare. We do not want to count our chickens before they are hatched, but the material is here for a team to match any minor association; the opportunity has come to make an early attempt to win . the Cup; a wholehearted attempt to send away our best team would be amply rewarded. Around the Clubs. The season sees all the old clubs back with colours flying. Y.M.C.A. has changed its name, but not its personnel to any extent, and Marist has entered a Junior team for its first season in the competitions. There has been an increase in the numbed of entries, and competition is bound to be very keen in all three grades.

Old Boys.

The Old Boys’ team has undergone more changes than any of the other senior teams. Allen has been transferred to Auckland, where he has joined the Grafton Club; Rolfe has taken up farming near- Te Aroha; Hawke is now at Morrinsville, and will probably be playing in their competitions; Wiison has unfortunately been laid up with a serious illness which will prevent his appearing for some time. Newcomers to the town are filling their places; Smith, late of Waipa, will give them a left-hand bowler of class, who is also a good bat. F. Lumsden is a fine bat, who did well for Christ’s College a few seasons ago. A. H. Malcolm and K. Barling, from southern towns, complete the eleven. / Hamilton East. Last year’s champions have made a few changes in their members. The lass of “Joe” Dufty will be felt not by the Hamilton East team alone, but by all, for his pranks and genial nature were greatly appreciated, while his prowess with bat and ball was of no mean order. Garrard intends playing with this club a little later in the season, and when he starts will add even more to their present strength. Mcßae has come up from the Senior B team, where he has shone for same seasons, and should soon settle down to big scoring in the higher grade. Bab Johnston has returned to the acaive, list, and his knowledge of the game, besides his ability with the ball, should bring the best out of the team. Hamilton. Hamilton’s most , serious loss is Hemus, now in Christchurch. His place will be filled by Eyre, from-last year’s Y.M.C.A. Senior B team, where he did so much to help them win that competition. Eyre needs no introduction to Hamilton cricketers, and the club may w'ell be pleased with their acquisition. For the rest, all their old stalwarts are again turning out, and if fortune smiles on them they should not be far behind the winners at the end of the season. Frankton, This club, played a great many players last season, and if they could rely on the best eleven of them for all their matches, they would be one of the hardest teams in the competition. They have no new members for the coming season, but will be able to give some of their most promising Senior B players a chance in better cricket to All any vacancies. Senior B Teams. Not much indication can be given of the strength of ‘ the teams in this grade, but it is unlikely that the leading teams of last season will be as strong as before. Cambridge have lost Garrard, which will weaken them materially, while United (late Y.M.C.A.) will have a much harder task without Eyre. Ngaruawahia and Hamilton East are much the same, though the latter will not have McRae. Higlr School have changed about half their team, and may take some time to settle down to anything like consistent play. Railway have ahvays suffered from inability to play some of their men on both days'of a match, owing to the call of duty. This year they have been granted a little latitude in this respect, in .that they can substitute two players to replace any who are not available on the second day of the match. By this arrangement they should be able to fight a match out to the finish with a full tearh. Old Boys failed to field a team after the first match 'last year, but this season have quite a strong Senior B team that should give a good account of itself. L _ Tho Juniors. ' The Junior competition contains four club teams, Hamilton, Cambridge, and two United teams, and four school teams, Hamilton High, Hamilton Technical, Marist, Cambridge District High. The teams were very evenly matched last season, and there was continual fluctuation in the positions, and* though there will be many alterations in the . players, the contests should be very keen. WILFRED RHODES. FINE ALL-ROUNDER. HIS GREAT DISPLAYS. RETIREMENT FROM GAME. When Wilfred Rhodes, of Yorkshire, retired recently from first-class cricket to content himself with a coaching engagement at one of England’s great public schools, there stepped out of public vision one of the finest allrounders the game has ever known. As an all-rounder In first-class cricket generally he stands with Dr. W. G. Grace and G. H. Hirst, but in international cricket only he stands alone. As bowler, batsman, and fieldsman,' Rhodes has given to England, against Australia, more valuable service than any other man, and he has given it over a longer period of years than any other player has served In Test cricket.

Figures alone cannot give an adequate idea of the' value of Wilfred Rhodes to England—his fielding, for one thing, cannot be assessed in figures—but they do indicate his worth in batting and bowling. A summary of his .principal' performances in Test cricket shows that this almost evergreen Yorkshireman has been a tremendous power in his country’s cricket.

Rhodes, who will be 53 years of age on the 29th of this month, has played in 41 Test matches between England and Australia—a record equalled only, but not surpassed, by jJ. B. Hobbs among English players, and surpassed only by S. E. Gregory (52 Tests) and Warwick Armstrong t (42 Tests) among Australians. Rhodes I first played for England in 1899, and ' ids last appearance in a Test match was 1 in 1926—a period which covers a little more than half of his life. When Test matches with South Africa are added, we find that Hobbs has played for England in 59 Tests with Australia and South Africa, and Rhodes in 54, and that Gregory has ! played for Australia in 58 Tests and j Armstrong in 50. I . Fine Start, Great Finish. Rhodes opened and ended his Test cricket with the capture of four wick-ets-in an innings. Against Australia, in the first Test of the 1899 series, lie took four for 58 and three for 60, the Australians batting first. In the fifth Test of the 1926 series the Australians batted last, so that Rhodes finished his Test cricket as he had opened it—at the bowling crease. In Australia’s first innings he had taken i two for 35. The fate of the Ashes

hung on the match, and Australia was 22 runs ahead on the first innings. But the Australians were all out for 125 runs in their second innings, leaving England the winner by 289 runs. Rhodes took four for 44 in that innings. Rhodes is the only Englishman who has taken 100 wickets and also scored 1000 runs against Australia.

His 109 wickets in these Tests cost 24 runs each on the average. In 69 innings (14 times not out) he scored 1706 runs, at an average of 31.01 runs.

For the best bowling performance in one innings of a Test match Rhodes and Australia’s great M. A. Noble share the honours, each having taken seven for 17 in an innings. Other bowlers have taken more wickets in an innings, but not at anything like such a low cost. Rhodes himself has taken eight wickets in a Test innings.

Rhodes is the only Englishman who has taken more than 13 wickets in one Test match with Australia. .In the Melbourne Test of the 1903-04 series he took 15 wickets for 124 runs. Australia’s nearest approach to that is the New Zealand-born F. R. Spofforth’s capture of 14 wickets for a total of 90 runs in one Test match, in England in 1882. Partnerships in which Rhodes was concerned are still records for Test matches between Australia and England.

Hobbs and Rhpdes hold the firstwicket record, 323 at Melbourne in the 1911-12 season. Rhodes scored 179 runs—his best score in a Test match—in that innings before he was caught at the wickets; Hobbs, also caught at the wiokets, scored 178. Curiously enough, Rhodes is also a joint-holder of the last-wicket partnership record, which is still the 130 which R. E. Foster and he had put up at Sydney in the 1903-04- season, Rhodes scoring 40 not out. Against South Africa Rhodes has played 22 innings (twice not out) for an average of 25.40 runs. , His best score in these games was 152. He has not bowded a great deal against South Africa, and his eight wickets cost 44.50 runs each. In all first-class cricket Rhodes has scored over a thousand runs and.taken over 100 wickets in a season 16 times —a record. He got the “double” seven seasons running, from 1903 to 1909, both years inclusive..

For three consecutive seasons he took over 200 wickets in a season of first-ciass cricket—26l in 1900, 251 in' 1901 and 213 in 1902. The average cost of the 725 wickets he took in those years was only a very small fraction over 14 runs. Twice he has scored more than 2000 runs in a season—226l in 1911, and 2094 in 1909. He has scored 58 centuries in firstclass cricket. Rhodes entered first-class cricket in 1898, for his native county. Yorkshire. In his first season he took 78 wickets for 17.40 runs each. This year, in his last season, 32 years after his entry, lie has been still good enough to rank ninth on the list of English bow’lers, with 73 wickets at 19.10 .runs apiece, his understudy for Yorkshire, H. Verity, ranking first, with 64 wickets at 12.42 runs each. Although no statistics about Rhodes’ fielding are available, it has been stated that there are very, few men, • wicketkeepers excepted, who have made so many catches. Yes, as a batsman and a fieldsman Rhodes has ranked very high. But as a bowler he has been one of the best England has produced—not only' one of her best left-hand slow-medium bowlers, but one of Hie most successful wicket-takers with any class of bowling that she has had. Worthy Tribute. One of the best studies of Rhodes’ bowling was written by Neville Cardus a decade ago. Cardus remarked that the marvellous fact about Rhodes’ method was that he announced his intentions for the whole field to heed. Thus Cardus: “‘That is your favourite stoke, is it?” he seems to say to the batsman. ‘Good! I challenge you on it; I’ll make you go to the w r ell once too often.’ Skill for skill in the light of open day, his motto may well be. No googlies for Rhodes, no “mystery’ bowling. Just the good old-fashioned length, variations, and spin stuff managed by a master.”

After noting the apparent simplicity of Rhodes’ bowling, and then referring to the Yorkshireman’s success even on wickets on which 7 the ball would not spin at all, Cardus pointed out that the core of the matter was variations of flight. As he said, great batsmen are not likely to be worried by break alone if they are in no doubt while the ball is in the air. "The great slow bowler gets his men out before the bail pitches; spin with him is simply an accessory after the fact,” lie added. Now we must quote. at greater length from Cardus’ study: “The problem facing the slow bowler is how to combine with his pace a length which the batsman cannot reach in comfortable time. Usually a slow ball asks for a wide curve in the air, and this the quick-footed batsman can jump to. Try for yourself to bowl a pace under medium without . overtossing. Try to combine, as Rhodes does, a pace which is slow enough to take any amount of spin, with a length short enough to keep you in that terrible mental state known as ‘between two minds’ try to do this, and you will understand right away what it is that makes Rhodes the greatest of slow bowlers on all wickets. Rhodes bowls a tantalisingly slow pace with the moder,ately low flight of a J. T. Ilearne. And so you get a spinning ball that forbids the quick-footed jump to the pitch—which is the best way of coping with a slow ball. And because his slow ball takes a low flight it is difficult to see his faster ball. The average bowler of Rhodes’ pace is compelled to toss his slow ball so high in the air that the lower flight of his fast one—and, of course, all fast bowling must come along with a tolerably low flight—gives ample warning of the change. “A deceptive flight, then, is the secret of Rhodes’ art. His spin—the accessory after the act—makes matters worse for the batsman, of course. A left-hander’s off-break is a horrid affair at any time. The ball is bowled from outside the line between wicket and wicket, and swings into the batsman. Then after pitching it whips away along a transverse diagonal. That is to say, the direction of the ball in the air is in contrast to the direction of the break. Now, supposing with this off-break you get a ball cunningly concealed which does not whip away but goes right through. How can you make up your mind whether to play ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ the line of flight? Rhodes mixes the ball that goes right through with the one that breaks away, and so skilfully does he conceal 't’other from which’ that he gets

most of his men out by slip catches, i.b.w., and -caught at the wicket. “His action is easy and rhythmic. ■\ short run—hay, it is just a walk — and the body goes back over the left leg. , , , “The batsman sees the bowler s side just before the arm comes over with a lovely sweep. It is surely the best-known action on the cricket field to-day, now that Hirst has done with his old hop, skip, and jump.

Rhodes’ Versatility. As has been noted, Rhodes had been bowling since 1898—for England since 1899. Something oyer 20 years ago he conceived an ambition to go in first for England as batsman; until then he had been No. 11 on the order of going in for Test matches. He applied himself diligently , to the business of making runs, and lived not only to go in first with Hobbs against Australia, but to help Hobbs to establish -the Test record for the first wicket. Meanwhile Rhodes allowed his bowling to rust. During the Great War, though, Yorkshire lost M. W. Booth and A. Drake, two fine bowlers, •and no youngsters came on to take their places. Yorkshire wanted wickets. Rhodes returned to the point where he had left his bowling some 10 years before, and picked it all up, as though he had never dropped it for a moment. And several times since the Great War he has taken over a hundred wickets and scored over a thousand runs in a season. A marvellous record, indeed! CRICKET JOTTINGS. C. G. IVIACARTNEY’S VIEWS SOME LEADING CONTEMPORARIES.

Here are some sentences chosen at random from C. G. Macartney’s book of cricket reminiscences:— Colin Blythe was the best lefthander on English wickets I have ever met-

In Braund I consider England had the best slip field I have ever seen. George Hirst created the swing, and had the honour of adding something to the game, but that same swing has something to do with the weakness ol bowling to-day. Barnes was the best bowler England produced in his time, and he is the best bowler I have met on all wickets, whether at home or abroad. Tate is a better bower in Australia than in England, and Foster was the same.

Archie MacLaren was the best opposing captain I have known.

R. H. Spooner was the most brilliant and attractive English batsman and stroke player of his time. Schofield Ilaigh, of Yorkshire, was one of the best right-hand spinners. I have never seen a batsman t-o equal Trumper in brilliance. E. A. McDonald has the deserved reputation of being the finest fast bowler in the world to-day. The patience of an English crowd is a thing to marvel atI am very pleased that England did not adopt the eight-ball over. Players in Australia did not want it. Constantine is the hardest hitter I have ever seen: England to-day has no batsman to equal the Hobbs of 1911. GRIMMETT AND BRADIVIAN. NOT YET AMONG TRULY GREAT. OPINIONS OF RANJITSINHJI. Not yet is cricket’s great Ranjitsinhji, nowadays his Highness the Jam of Nawanagar, prepared to rank Clarence Grimmctt among the great bowlers, or Don Bradman with Victor Trumper, Clem Hill, and Charlie Macartney, lie gives his reasons in a letter he has written to a friend at Rugby, commenting on this year s I’ests between Australia and England.

What strikes Ranji as a feature much to be lamented is the decay of bowling in England and in Australia. Ranji admits that Crimmett is the best bowler in the two international sides, but says that he is one who is dependent on the state of the wicket to a great extent. ! It was not thus, he says, in the heyday of Tom Richardson, Hugh Trumble, and George Lohmann, to name only three giants or old. They could never be ordinary, whatever the stale of the ground.

It is for this reason that the performances of Dan Bradman, in the opinion of Ranji, are not enough to raise him to the level of Trumper, Hill, and- Macartney, as they achieved greatness 'in spite of great bowlers. Looking ahead the Jam Sahib thinks and hopes that in a season or two Don Bradman will possibly beat Macartney, and he is fairly confident that his nephew, K. S. Duleepsinhji, though not till two or three years have elapsed, will reach the top class and rank with Hobbs, the only incontestable star among English batsmen. VISITORS INSULTED. GERMAN CRICKETERS REBUFFED. Germany has never been featured to any great extent as a cricket-play-ing nation, but a representative team from that country has been visiting England this season They were guests on. Bank Holiday, when Notts played Surrey at the Oval, but their request for permission to enter the pavilion was refused by the Surrey secretary and they were compelled to witness the match from the public terraces. This action provoked so much comment that a public apology was made for the insult and the following week they were entertained at Lord’s on behalf of the (M.C.G. by the president, Sir Kynaston Studd.