CRICKET

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 443, 19 January 1899, Page 7

CRICKET

[By

Stonewaller)

THE CUP MATCHES -

The fifth round of the Cricket Association matches came to a conclusion on Saturday, so far as four of the senior teams are concerned. The Auckland Eleven beat United by 59 runs on the first innings, while the Fifteen got rid of Parnell for 69, thus winning by 56 runs on the first innings. Dug Hay and Labatt continued batting for United, and playing steady cricket, put on a few runs before being separated. Laws dissolved the partnership with a trimmer that took Hay’s wicket. Labatt batted in good form for his 40 runs, and was unfortunate in being run out when well set.

Bob Yates (14), who was in some time for his runs, and P. Hay (11) were the only other double figure scorers. R. Neill was the most successful bowler for Auckland. In seven overs he took four wickets for 21 runs. Laws bowled very well. He sent down 14 overs, from which 29 runs were scored, and took three wickets, besides beating the batsmen time after time.

In their second venture Auckland made 136 for the loss of eight wickets. The fact that the match was won perhaps accounted for the lack of spirit in the game. Bob Neill (24 not out) was top scorer, but Lundon, Clayton, Nicholson, Thompson, Thomas, and Laws all got into double figures. , Stemson took f jur wickets, but at a cost of 68 runs, and Holder two for 24. Parnell, with five wickets down for 31, never looked like making a fight of it with the Auckland Fifteen. The remaining wickets went down very rapidly before A. M. Beale and Allen. Young (12) and Cromwell (11) were alone in their efforts to make a struggle. In the second innings ot the Fifteen, Hogan was again the chief run-getter By good, free cricket he put together 37. Selby (9) played his usual sound game, and was at the wickets for some time. Harrison, Colwill, and A. M. Beale each made 20 by hitting at rather stingless bowling. Ike Mills capture J seven wickets fpr 30 At the call of time the Fifteen bad made 141 for twelve wickets.

A fea’ure of the innings was the number of c and b dismissals. No less than six Aucklanders were got rid of in this manner The North Shors-Gordon match attracted a lot of visitors by reason of the fine innings played on the previous Saturday by George Mills. The only Aucklander in the New Zealand team t® visit Australia continued playing a sound game, and beforo he was caught by Kallender, off Ansenne, he had increased his score to 217, a record in Auckland cricket. In such a long innings one chance only, and that a difficult one t > point, could be urged against the North Shore batsman

His innings was a fine display of careful and correct cricket, though when the opnortunity offered Mills hit hard. Denby (36) was next highest scorer, and all but one of the ten players —Warren was an absentee —reached double figures. Nine bowlers were tried for Gordon, Ansenne, who went on last, getting Mills and Swanson at a cost of 20 runs. Kallender and Kissling, upon whom the bulk of the work fell, were not difficult. The former had 67 runs hit from 21 overs, and took no wickets, while Kissling bowled 27 overs for 79 runs, with two wickets to his credit. Going in against the big total of 390, Gordon responded with 100 for four wickets. Ansenne was rather quickly disposed of, but Williams and Kallender improved matters considerably. The big man hit out freely, and when stumps were drawn he was not out, with 45 to his credit. Williams made 20 by fair cricket, while Alexander, who is not out, shaped well for his 11. With Kissling, Seccombe, and Sawbiidge to help the not-outs, Gordon may yet make a respectable show against the formidable score against them.

I see that at Wellington recently there was some little display of feeling against Ashbolt’s inclusion in the New Zealand team. The paper reports of the play at the Basin Reserve say that “Ashbolt was the recipient of facetious remarks, while Upham was cheered by the spectators.” Well, Upham is of course a very fair fast bowler, but he is no bat, and not a very brilliant field. Ashbolt is a slow bowler, with a break both ways; he is a very fair bat, and is a good field, and as there are other good fast bowlers in the team besides Upham, I don’t see why Wellingtonians should resent Ashbolt’s inclusion. When the Newton and Belmont teams got to the Domain on Saturday it was found that their pitch had been dug up and ruined by some blackguards. Bob Yates would give the miscreants a warm time if he could manage to get hold of them. I see that Frankish, the United (Christchurch) player, has been chosen as thirteenth man in the New Zealand team. Jim Phillips has a good opinion of this cricketer, who, in addition to his undeniable bowling ability, can bat wiih considerable vigor. Playing against the Midland team on Saturday week he was not out at the call of time, with 77 to his credit as the result of fine aggressive cricket. So far as is at present known, the team will be composed of the following players:—G. Mills, Auckland ; Lusk, Hawke’s Bay ; Holdship, Ashbolt, and Upham, Wellington; Cobcroft, Reece, Sims, Boxshall, and Frankish, Canterbury; and Baker, Fisher, and Downes, Otago. The team is strong in batting, not weak in bowling, and as I have lately seen most of the members playing I can safely say that the fielding is individually safe. With a little practice together, the team will not disgrace the colony in that department of the game. The best score prior to George Mills’ 217 was A. Barton’s 197 not out, made on the Domain when playing for Auckland against United. Playing for Ellerslie against Mennie!and Dey’s team, on Saturday, C. H. S. McKinney and Frank Macmanemin accomplished something like a record. They ran sixteen byes before either hit a ball. Then Macmanemin made a hit for two. When it came to McKinney’s turn he was too “ puffed ” to put much vigor into his stroke, consequently he was caught off the first ball he had touched. When it came to bowling, however, he had his revenge by taking three wickets for 13. On the subject of the New Zealand team our

Canterbury correspondent wires:—“Nothwith standing the recommendation of the Wellington Cricket Association that the visit of the New Zearand team to Australia should be abandoned, the New Zealand Council has decided to adhere to its former decision and the team will leave. Mr Ashbolt’s selection has been under review by the Council during the past fortnight, and several of the men originally selected will not be able to go on account of not being able to get the necessary leave of absence. This is to be regretted, as New Zealand will require to have its strongest team if it wishes to meet with success. The team now chosen is, I think, as representative of the cricketing strength of the colony as it it possible to send away. The inclusion of Frankish, Sims, and Boxshall has increased the strength of the team. These are all Canterbury players who have been showing remarkably good form lately. Boxshall is quite • a top-notcher at wicketkeeping. He is undoubtedly a better man behind the wickets than Williams, of Wellington, in present form. It is difficult to know why Ashbolt has been given a place while Holdship’s inclusion has also come in for same adverse criticism. A. E. Ridley, Christchurch, has been mentioned as good enough for a place, but he has not done anything this season to warrant the selectors to pick him. Like many more newspaper men, I am at a loss to understand why Clarke, of Dunedin, has not been given a place in the team. Clarke has the reputation of being an accomplished batsman, without a superior in New Zealand, and no team that leaves New Zealand for other lands is complete without him. If the Council has any objection to Clarke being included in the team, it should make that objection public, and not let the selector of the team be blamed for excluding Clarke, After all, the necessary leave has been granted to Fisher and J >ownes, so the two Dunedin bowlers will be members of the New Zealand team, which is off at the end of this month to Australia. The cable informs us that in the Intercolonial match between New South Wales and South Australia last week the mother colony won by three wickets. It must certainly have been an up-hill contest for South Australia, and they deserve every credit for the good showing in the second innings. Hill, certainly, appears to have been the hei o of the ma ch, and if he maintains his form in the English trip, I certainly expect to see him come out very near the top in the batting averages.

Victoria is now an easy first in Australian Intercolonial matches played, and although her representatives have to play one more match, she cannot he beaten for the Sheffield Shield. Victoria this season has twice beaten South Australia and New South Wales once. She meets New South Wales once more in February, but win or lose, the Victorians must win the shield, Victoria having three wins to their credit, while South Australia has one win and two losses, and New South Wales one win and two losses.

At a provincial cricket match in the old country a tremendously stout man came in to bat. The bowler remarked to the umpire, “ Look here, I’ve played against this fat fellow before, and when he takes his stand at the wicket I can’t see it. Now, if I hit him, what are you going to give it ? ” “ Hold on till I give him guard,” replied the umpire, and after taking careful stock of the batesman’s proportions while doing so he continued, “ Well, I’ll tell yer what I shall do. If you hit him on the front part of his waist-coat, I shall give it out lbw, but if you hit him on the back part of his pants I shall call it a wide.” The Times of India, referring to the proposed visit of the Indian cricket team to England, say s : —“ Since we recently referred to the suggested visit of an Indian cricket team to England in the summer of 1900, considerable progress has been made by Mr J. M. Framjee Patel in arranging some of the preliminaries of the tour. Mr Patel is already in correspondence with some of the leading cricketers at Home on the subject, and it is now definitely settled that a team, composed of the leading Parsee and Indian players, will visit England, it is hoped, under the patronage of Lord Harris, who continues to show as much keen interest in Indian cricket as during his term of office here. Lord Sandhurst has expressed his entire approval of the tour, and has promised Mr Patel his warmest support in furthering his plans. The visit has a double object, which must commend itself to the general 1 public, viz., to improve Indian cricket, and to establish a firm friendship between Indian and English cricketers. To K. S. Ranjitsinhji will be delegated the duties of captaining the team, provided he is willing to throw in his lot with it, which, in the interests of the game and his own country, it may confidently be anticipated he will do. An Indian team without the famous player would be like the play of ‘ Hamlet ’ without the | chief character, and Ranjitsiuhji’s sporting educa- i tion has been such as to leave very little doubt | as to his desire to do all in his power to encourage ! and foster the game out here. There will be critics, no doubt, who will decry the visit, and question the ability of an Indian team to hold its own in English first-class cricket; but we have the opinion of one of the best judges the game has ever seen—Lord Harris to wit —to guide us on this point, for His Lordship has stated the Parsee to be equal to the Philadelphians, and the latter, as we know, acquitted themselves very creditably against some first-class counties two years ago. Mr Patel’s team, including, as we hope it will, some of the best Hindoo, Sikh, and Mahometan players, in addition to the pick of Parsee players, will be a much stronger combination than a Parsee representative team would be.”

. Concerning the intercolonial cricket match played between New South Wales and Victoria in 1880 “ Short Slip,” in the Sydney Mail, recently wrote : —“ There were eight gone for 80, and those to follow were the last that anyone would have thought capable of dragging a match out of the fire, viz., F. Allan, W. 11. Cooper, and E Flliott. Allan and Elliott, the little wicketkeeper, playing all they knew and with splendid pluck, at length remained together till the winning hit was made, and a two wicket victory recorded for Victoria. The finish was a most exciting one, and when it was all over the crowd rushed the ground, and the bowler of a century' collapsed, and was carried to the building that then did service for a pavilion in a fainting condition.” This is what “ the bowler of a century ” had to say in reply : —“ Melbourne, 28th Decern ber, 1898. While thanking you for your kindly reference to me in your notes in the Mail of 17th instant, I would like to put you right in your statement that I collapsed from excitement at the finish and was carried into the pavilion in a fainting condition. The fainting was from a far different cause, which I will explain to you. When the crowd rushed Elliott and myself before

we could get into the pavilion, the people were, of course, in a state of intense excitement, they individually fairly fought with one another to get hold of us. Instead of carrying us in a rational manner we were borne along horizontally, as if we were dead men —feet first. One man got his arm round my throat and hung on like grim death, fairly choking me. My arms were in the grip of enthusiastic admirers, my attempt at calling out was faint and useless, and my friend (sic) hung on till I lost consciousness, and I remembered nothing more until I found myself lying in the dressing room. A very little longer distance, I fancy, would have about finished me altogether. So you see it was not my excitement that made me faint, but that of other people. In this connection I may mention that next day, while lunching at the Victoria Coffee Palace, a stranger fell into conversation with me anent the cricket match, and presently asked me how I liked being carried in. I said I hoped I’d never have another, as some fellow had hung on to my Adam’s apple and nearly choked me. ‘ Ah,’ said my interrogator, swelling visibly with pride, ‘ that was me ! I had hold of you by the head.’ I told him he had probably never been nearer to manslaughter in his life, and strongly advised him next time he helped to carry a man in to get hold of him a little nearer his other end. Sorry your fellows went down so badly. Hope they get nearer next time. Of course I cannot, say that I want them to win, but hope they will have a closer game in the return match.—Yours, &c., F. E. Allan.”