CRICKET

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 479, 28 September 1899, Page 8

CRICKET

[By

Stonewaller .]

In another column will be found the advertisement of Mess’s H. E. Partridge and Co., D.S.C. Buildings, and opposite the Union Bank, Queen Street. This firm who have so successfully catered for cricketers, tennis players, and all other patrons of in and out-door games, are again to the fore with another large, new, and wellassorted and selected stock of sporting goods, comprising cricket, tennis, golf, polo, croquet, lawn bowls, trout and sea fishing tackle, etc., etc , all of which have been carefully selected by their buyer in England. Special attention is called to “ Ayres’ ” “ champion gold strung ” tennis racquets ; also, “ Cobbetts’ ” 11 Above All cricket bats, both of which are used by leading players in England and the colonies. Intending purchasers are invited to inspect the abovementioned goods before purchasing elsewhere. The Auckland Cricket Club are entering a team for each championship grade, and should get good juniors now that the fifteen are not in the first grade championship. Mr R. Niell has been appointed sole selector of all the teams. It is rumoured that Mr Labatt, the well-known member of United, may play for Ponsonby. Mr E. Clayton, who has represented Otago on several occasions and who is also an old member of United, will this year play for Parnell. All entries for the in-coming season’s cup matches closed with the hon. secretary, Mr A. E. Dunningham, on Tuesday evening last. The Auckland Club have two new men from the Old Country; one is said to be a good bat and the other a very fair bowler. Whilst going through the Domain on Saturday I noticed that Mr R. Yates had it looking quite up to its usual degree of excellence. I hear that Messrs J. Arneil, Lundon and Nicholson, who played for Auckland last season, will play this year for the Ponsonby Club, should the Club be granted permission to play in the first grade matches A bowler took nine wickets for nine runs in Australia recently. During the recent tour of the Australian Eleven laver beat Iredale in the batting list. I think that all first grade matches should be extended to three days, instead of limiting them to two Saturdays as formerly. The Y.M.O.A. Club has three new men playing this season —Kinnear, of Melbourne, who is a very fast bowler and a good bat; also Mcßae, of Wellington, and Severn, a Napier man. Mr C. S. McKinney, an old member of the Auckland Cricket Association, has been made the Auckland vice-president of the New Zealand Cricket Council.

It has been suggested that an effort should be made to raise subscriptions with a view to sending an Auckland team down South this coming season. I think that if shilling subscription lists were got up, sufficient money would soon be forthcoming. Mr F. J. Ohlson, at the annual meeting of the Auckland Cricket Association, stated that the reason why the schoolboys could not play their matches on Saturday mornings was because they were wanted by their mothers at home to help in the house and attend to the garden. Last Saturday the Domain was alive with cricketers practising for the coming season, and balls were going in all directions. The date for the commencement of Cup matches has not yet been fixed, but Saturday week will probably be the date. If the management committee of the Auckland Cricket Association can arrange to start the first grade matches on October 7 it would allow the first series of matches to be played off without a break, the Auckland Cycling Club holding its meeting on October 28. The second series could then be played before November 25, on which date the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club will hold its meeting. Mr Mason, of Giles’ C jllege, won the bat presented' by Mr R. Yates for the best batting average in the second juniors during last season. The Auckland cricket representatives will not go away this season. Two or three of the sister provinces owe them a visit. Yesterday (Wednesday) Messrs Ohurton and Co. sold a lot of cricketing gear, inclu i ing a good line of bats made and selected by Frank Sugg, the Lancashire County player. The bats, pads, and cricket bags realised very fair prices. The new regulation for payment of N.S.W. professionals in representative cricket provides for their receiving £lO per match away from Sydney, in addition to hotel and travelling expenses. They are not to receive any allowance per day for other expenses, such as amateur players receive. We all knew (says the Sydney Referee) that Worrall was a stout hearted player, but to perform as he has done with a bad knee, that prevented him running about with his customary agility, stamps him as a veritable cricketing bull dog. He has played his best cricket in the biggest matches. His form has been quite up to what he had exhibited out here during the last two or three years. He did hot played m eleven of the matches, so that his aggregate of 1202 is splendid. Englishmen who remembered him only as the cricketer of 1888 were vastly surprised by the brilliancy and soundness of his cricket. Some of his big innings evoked very high praise from the critics. He differs from the earlier hitters, inasmuch as his defence is sounder, he plays less rashly as a rule, and picks his ball with more certainty. It follows from this that he is more consistent as a run-getter. ■ His scores in

England are : 28, 22, 12, 3, 53, 28, 52*, 8, 53*. 7, 104, 18, 11*, 9, 17, 100*, 9, 76, 16, 14, 53, 25, 8, 128, 0, 45*, 3,6, 1, 19, 36, 10, 55, 75, 34, 17, 0, 33, and 14. They are excellent. The annual meeting of the St. Albans Cricket Club (Auckland), was held on Friday night, when Mr R. A. Miles occupied the chair. Mr W. E. Smithyman, the secretary —who was presented with a handsome silver-mounted stick —iead the report and balance-sheet, which showed a satisfactory state of affairs. Several trophies were presented to successful batsmen and bowlers. The report showed that the A team played nine games, winning seven and losing two. The B team also had a successful season. Mr A. J. Thompson was elected captain, and Mr Smithyman was re-elected as secretary and treasurer.