CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 967, 17 September 1908, Page 12

CRICKET.

THE EDEN CRICKET CLUB. Mr. H. A. Marriner was in the chair at the fifth annual meeting of the Eden District Cricket Club, at the Eden Terrace Hall, on Tuesday evening, and there was an excellent attendance. The report stated that in connection with the competitions under the Auckland Cricket Association, the club entered five teams, as follows: — One in the first grade, and two in each of the second and third grades. The first eleven easily accounted for the first-grade championship, their record for the season reading: — Matches played, 10; won, 10; points, 23. The club’s second grade A team made a very good showing, and were bracketed winners of the championship with Parnell and Grafton. The other teams, and more particularly the third grade B team, although they were not successful as regards championships, also held satisfactory positions. Mention was made in the report of the success in negotiating with A. E. Relf for a further term. The coaching system now in vogue had greatly improved the standard of Auckland cricket. As in season 1906-7, Relf again headed both the batting and bowling averages in the first grade eleven, his aggregate in batting for the past season being 440 runs for four completed innings (twice not out), whilst in bowling Relf’s figures were 192.1 overs, 67 maidens, 41 wickets, for 397 runs, at a cost of 9.6 runs per wicket. W. B. Smith was second in the batting, with the average of 41.3 for nine completed innings. W. I. Stemson was second in the bowling averages. In the second grade the A eleven had a very good record, and out of ten matches played eight went down to their credit, for a total of twentythree points. V. C. Kavanagh headed the batting averages, and R. Gilmore the bowling. In the third grade the A team made a very poor showing, but the B team fared much better. The committee has been caused very great trouble and annoyance owing to the state of the club accounts, there being many unpaid subscriptions, totalling £99 for the five years. The committee consider the time has arrived when a paid secretary and treasurer should be appointed. The balance-sheet was also submitted, the ground accounts showing a balance of £347 Is. of assets over liabilities, the assets being £4324 65., against liabilities £3887 ss. The receipts and expenditure in the club account showed the former to be £6O 14s. Bd., and the latter £57 18s. A credit balance of £2 16s. sd. was in hand, but against this there were liabilities of £49 9s. 4d. Assets, such as club material, outstanding subscriptions, etc., amounted to £67 10s. sd. A collection taken up in the room reduced the liabilities by £l9. The election of officers resulted as follows: — Patron, Lord Plunket; vicet-pat-rons, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds and Mr. J. Bollard, M.P.; president, Mr. O. Nicholson; vice-presidents, last season’s re-elected, and in addition Messrs. J. W. Bailey, Thos. Foley, W. Warnock, and Murdoch McLean; hon. secretary, Mr. J. H. Buckland, reelected; hon. treasurer, Mr. A. Jenkin, re-elected; assistant secretary, Mr. W. Brooke-Smith; assistant treasurer, Mr. D. O. Bridges, re-elected;

delegates to the Auckland Cricket Association, Messrs. E. C. Beale, N. T. Williams, and A. Jenkin, re-elect-ed; hon. auditors, Messrs. J. B. Lusk and W. A. Knight, re-elected; management committee, Messrs. E. C. Beale, N. T. Williams, A. E. Clark, A. Murdoch, T. F. Buckley, C. Robinson, and W. A. Somervell.

It is really surprising, considering the dry season we have had in England, and the consequent hard wickets, how low the figures in the batting' averages are (says “ The Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette), only one man figuring in the fifties, and that one R. H. Fry. It is indeed pleasant, and recalls many memories, to see Mr. Fry and Ranji heading the list. Not only for consistent scoring, but also for huge scoring, they have rivals only in each other; for by common consent we exempt Mr. W. G. Grace from all cricket comparisons. Each man has made no less than fourteen scores of more than 200 runs, and the mere century is to both as the proverbial blackberry. Following Fry and Ranji are four other amateurs before one strikes a pro., but with the bowling averages, of course the position is altered, two Yorkshire professionals, Haigh and Hirst, leading, followed by Tarrant, of Middlesex. The bowling figures are wonderfully good considering the little aid which the bowlers have gained from the weather. The percentage of matches finished this season has been much better than for some years past. * * * * At . the Sydney Grammar School sports at the Sydney Cricket Ground the other day, J. C. Lamrock threw the cricket ball 118 yards Ift., and R. M. Bull 105 yards. It is the biggest throw ever made for the school by one of the boys, but the N.S.W. All-Schools’ record is a few inches better—viz., 118 yards l%ft., by A. H. Brown, of the Newington College. I wonder what the Auckland record is. Does anyone know? S; # a: . s When Harrow beat Eton at Lord’s recently, James Douglas (in the “ Morning Leader ”) wrote: —“ The Harrovians were mad with victory. The din was ear-splitting, for it was continuous and it was shrill. Sometimes the howl was varied by a long-drawn shout of “ We-l-l-play-ayed, Har-ar-ow-ow! ” The Eton boys though soundly beaten were not cowed into silence. They formed a silk-hat phalanx of their own, over which fluttered prettily a crowd of pale blue silk handkerchiefs. They howled against Harrow, and Harrow howled against them. Neither army of bowlers would yield, and neither Id howl the other 4own.” ♦ * 1 * A. E. Relf, the Eden District Club’s coach, is leaving England to-day, bound for Auckland. His success as a coach has been very pronounced, and it was sound policy on the part of the club securing his services again. Humphreys, the new coach for the Canterbury Cricket Association, leaves England to-day, coming out to the Dominion in company with Relf. ♦ ♦ • The old Wakefield Cricket Club has been revived. Mr. R. S. Mackay is secretary, and Mr. T. Kerr treasurer. * * ♦ * A cable states that a match took place last week between an Australian eleven, composed of Australianborn cricketers playing for the counties, and Lord Londesborough’s English eleven. Batting first, Lord Londesborough’s team scored 408, and then declared their innings closed. His Highness the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar (Ranjitsinhji) having scored 101 and B. J. T. Bosanquet 82. The Australian eleven replied with 238 in their first innings, and following on, had scored 106 for the loss of four wickets when time was called, the match thus resulting in a draw, greatly in favour of the English eleven.