CRICKET

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 401, 31 March 1898, Page 7

CRICKET

[By

Stonewaller.

A. E. Trott, formerly of the East Melbourne Cricket Cricket Club, but latterly professonal howler at Lord’s, where he is qualifying to play for Middlesex, has been on a visit to South Africa during the winter recess in England, and there he has been treating Africanders to some sensational performances, which, according to the Johannesburg Star, have quite astonished them. Trott played at Johannesburg for the Pretoria Club against the Wanderers, and as a set-off against the presence qf the Australian in the Pretoria team, the Wanderers had with them the fine English professional, George Lohmann, who vyas a great favorite in Melbourne when he visited Australia. The Pretorians went in first, and out of a total of 165 A. E. Trott made 59. In this innings Lohmann came out with the fine bowling average of four wickets for 43. The Englishman’s howling, however, fairly faded out of sight before the conclusion of the first innings of the Wanderers. As the racing men would say, Trott simply made donkeys of the batsmen, for he took all ten wickets—six cleaned bowled—and out of a. total of 82 for the innings only. 22 were scored off him. Ten wickets for 22 in one innings reads something like a record. In his first over Trott took two wickets, one being Lohmann’s. Playing against the Pirates a fortnight previously, he took eight wickets for 8 runs in one innings.

I The Association Cup fixtures will be resumed I on Saturday next when United v. Parnell play off for the senior championship. ' From the Bulletin'.— One superstition that I received severe punishment in the closing testmatch is the idea that the Britisher dies hard. Nothing could have been much softer than the English acceptance of approaching defeat. Bad temper, bad discipline, and bad morale were all conspicuous. During the last 20min they pulled up a little, and went to a certain death with something like decency but up to that point their fielding was in wretched contrast to their own former efforts. The failure was general and comprehensive. McLaren and Briggs were bowled for ducks. Ranji failed each time. Hearne kept a very poor length for him, and only got two wickets. Richardson lost his length, his temper, and his head. Druce and the two Yorkshiremen collapsed in the second innings/ Mason in both. Catches were missed all round’ even by Briggs and Ranji. Hayward and.:: Storer alone played up gamely, stopping the rot in each innings, and doing fairly reliable work in the field. They too, each missed critical chances once, and they were the best of a bad bunch.

“Combo’ writes:—“ In view of recent utterances of English cricketers I suggest that the following new rules for the conduct of the game of cricket be got ready in time for next season:— ,

1. The members of the public who are not English barrackers must preserve the strictest silence during the progress of the game 2. Any person, not an English barracker, wishing to speak must first obtain a written permit signed by all the members of the English team. . .

3. The band will play ‘ God Save the Queen ’ whenever (a) An Australian gets out (b) An Englishman makes a run (c) An Englishman stops a fourer. The public will thereupon rise and take off his hat, standing reverently until the band stops. It can then sit down. 4. At the conclusion of the day’s play, if it has been in favour of the Englishmen, the public will take off its hat and sing “ God Save the Queen” ' and “ Rule Brittania. ’ ’ . 7 . ~

5. If it has not been in favor of the Englishmen the band will play “The Dead March in Saul,” and the public will proceed at slow march (and in silence) out of the ground. Special Notice.—No flies admitted ; all flies found on the ground will be shot, and their owners prosecuted.

George Round, an American cyclist, recently performed a most daring and fool-hardy feat in ‘ Williamstown, America. Across the Hopsac River, close to the Vermont State, line, swings and sways a bridge that makes a person with nerves shudder when he walks across .it. The bridge is 180 ft long, and one looks down from it 200 ft. to the river beneath, and was across this structure that Round rode at a very fast rate, accomplishing a feat that those who watched him seemed sure to result in the rider’s death. The only pathway across the structure was a single line of ten-inch planking.