CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 814, 12 October 1905, Page 13

CRICKET.

(By

“ Yorker.”)

Another football season has come and gone, and with it close knickers and jerseys have been laid aside for the white flannels of the cricketer. During the past few weeks club meetings have been the* order of the day, and the increased amount of interest being shown encourages us to look forward to the day when the thousands of young athletes who play football in New Zealand will take their places as a matter of course in the cricket field. • • » • I am glad to say that the Association have at last taken the only step which can lead to such a consummation. Cricket is admittedly the most difficult outdoor game to learn, and the first stages must be overcome when we are young at school and have the time and the patience to try, and try, and try again, as the old adage exhorts us to do. I have never known a successful cricketer who has taken to the game after he had reached the age of 20. Not only is the task irksome, but the muscles require a special training, and one seems to lose “that faculty of imitation which the school boy rejoices in. * * * * This season the Association has decided to engage coaches who will visit as many schools as possible, and once a boy has played the game of cricket successfully, I have little fear of his leaving the game, -even for golf or tennis. ••* * * A special fund has been created for this purpose, and one gentleman who is well-known for his generosity in the public good has offered to donate the sum of £lOO. He is a great believer in healthy outdoor exercise, and I am convinced that if our local philanthropists really knew the game and realised the amount of good it is capable of doing in a great city such as Auckland is rapidly becoming, there would be many who would follow his lead. * * * * Last year one of our local clubs, imported Mr. S. P. Jones, an old Australian Eleven man, from Sydney, and the results of his coaching at the Grammar School and the five public schools under his charge are such as to leave little doubt that the boys can be taught to play cricket as well as any of our English or Australian cousins. Given proper coaching the time is not far distant when we should have cause to look upon our cricket team with the same pride that we have every right to feel for our football reps, now touring England. • • • • When I tell you that with but a few months’ coaching two of our Grammar School boys (Sisam and Alulgan), and one public school boy (Stillwell) made centuries in their matches, you will realise that you are not listening to the empty dreams of some poor cricket en- .< thusiast. • * » • The Cricket Association meeting was held on Friday, September 29. A very satisfactory balance-sheet was submitted by the treasurer (Mr. C. Hay). The profit on last season’s workings was £67, which, added to the amount brought forward (£108), gave a balance at credit of £175. Taking into consideration the fact that expenses amounting to £521 were incurred in connection with the Auckland-Australian Eleven match, the result was an eminently satisfactory one. The usual formalities of electing the Association officials for the ensuing season were gone through. Mr. Fred. Earl was re-elected president, and Messrs. C. S. H. McKinney and V. Rice were elected vice-presidents. These gentlemen are all old enthusiastic cricketers, and the association is fortunate in having their support. The only notable changes n the personnel of the committee are the inclusion of Messrs. Dennison and N. T. Williams. The former takes Mr. H. B Lusk’s place as secretary, and the latter replaces Mr. Miles as the Eden Club’s representative. The retiring secretary (Mr. H. B. Lusk) has proved a most energetic, and capable official, and it was with much regret that the meeting learned he was unable to fill the position again. During his speech the president paid many well-deserved compliments to the ladies who so kindly provided afternoon tea to the cricketers and visitors to the Domain on Saturday afternoons, and on his motion a special vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. I think it was Bosanquet, the English slow bowler, who once remarked

in returning thanks oil behalf of the ladies, “That playing ’ cricket without ladies is like lamb without mint sauce,” and I am sure that all Auckland cricketers will readily agree that, though there is no actual rule bearing on the point, this crime would be quite unpardonable.

It is early days yet -to think of the chances of one team or the other. Parnell, last year’s champions, must again be very strong. Mason, their crack batsman, will, I hear, be in the Ponsonby ranks, but on the other hand they have several new arrivals. W. Howell, from Christchurch, and Browning, lately from Hamilton, are in form, both Auckland rep. men. Howell has represented the South Island against the North. He got his place as a left-hander, but is not to be despised as a batsman of the punishing order. Mr. Browning is an old Yorkshire player who has the reputation of being a real good bat in other places besides the Waikato-.

Among other new arrivals is Mr. Cummings, an Otago rep. He has the reputation of being a good all-round man, and if he resides in Ponsonby, as I hear he may, he will be a strength to their team. .

As is usual at this season of the year, there are several English county cricketers in the town. I didn’t see many of them on the Domain on Saturday, and seem to recollect some talk of the same kind last year. Anyway, let’s hope it’s true.

On Saturday, though no actual matches were played, the ground was simply alive with teams practising. Between 400 and 500 were having a preliminary knock up, and considering the short time which has elapsed since hockey and football was stopped in the ground, one couldn’t grumble if the pitches were a trifle rough.

The following table shows the results of matches played by Australian teams against the counties: —

M. w. L. D. Yorkshire ... 28 13 5 10 Gloucestershire ... 22 12 2 8 Surrey ... 20 10 6 4 N otts ... 17 5 6 6 Lancashire ... 15 10 1 4 Sussex ... ... 12 6 1 5 Kent ... 12 7 5 0 Leicestershire ... 11 8 1 2 Middlesex ... 10 9 0 1 Wa r wickshi re 9 0 2 Hampshire 4 3 0 1 Essex y 1 2 4 Somerset ...’ 6 2 0 4 Northampton ... ... ' 2 2 0 0 Worcestershire ;.. 2 1 0 1