CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 42, 18 February 1905, Page 12

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIAN TEAM IN NEW ZEALAND. February 30, 11, and 13—Play Auckland, at" Auckland February 17. 18, and 20—Play Wellington, at Wellington February 24, Ho, and 27—Play Canterbury, at Chrlstchurch March 3. 4, and fi-Play Otngo, at Duaedin March 10. 13. and V.i —Flay New Zealand, at Chrletcliurch March 15, Hi, and 18—Play New Zealand, at Wellington ilitrcu 20— Leave Auckland for England, Tla Vancouver Tlie Australians are now playing their match against Wellington. Local cricket suffered another interruption to-day, the Domain being engaged for the band contest. Three weeks after its commencement, the second scries- of matches in the second round will be concluded on Saturday next. The Australian match is over, and Auckland cannot in any measure be congratulated upon its showing, while the farce which wound up the second innings has left a nasty taste in the mouth of local followers of the game. Noble, the Australian skipper, commenced the attack in that innings with a change bowler and a batsman, putting on McLcod and Gehrs, his intention being to give Auckland every opportunity to score. The opportunity was not availed of, wickets fell quickly, and Noble, taking off the bowlers, put ■ on worse men. Gregory and Duff, players who would not be asked to bowl in club cricket, were put on, and as wickets continued to fall, Noble burlesqued the match by putting on J. J. Kelly, the wicket-keeper. His intention at* the outset was com- ! mendable, but its development will not do local cricket any good. Such an action as that of the Australians is calculated to bring the game here into contempt, and to gratuitously do that is not altogether sportsmanlike. The joke ; may have been a good one, but it had a nasty sting in its tail. The Australians have clone the same thing before in Scottish matches. The lirst innings of each side was j played on its strict merits, of that there can be no doubt, the second, unfortunately, was not. The showing of our men was not a. very satisfactory one, oven in the lirst innings. Take away Mason's 79 and the Iβ extras and there remain 77 rims made by fourteen men. That that is true Auckland form against the bowling of Cotter, Noble, Hopkins, or anybody else, 1 cannot believe, and to my mind lack of confidence in their own powers was the cause of the failure of more than o:if> of the side. Mason played the bowling with confidence all through, and never looked like going out. one or two of the others, including •Jones, OlifY and Hay, also played as if they meant to do their best, but the way some of the others poked about, no other word will express it, was pitiable. One cannot speak with much enthusiasm about the match after Monday's display, but Mason's first innings forms a redeeming feature. After playing carefully for an over or two ho got his eye in and played the bowling very well indeed. He picked the right ball to hit, and found the boundary with some clinking strokes, his off-driving being his best hit. It was a confident, well-played innings, and saved the province from disgrace. Sammy Jones and Oliff, who opened the innings, gave the rest of the side a good lead, staying at the crease well and keeping some very nasty deliveries away from the wicket. They only got thirteen runs apiece, but they nhowed that the batsmen could stay there, and rf they do that runs must come. Jones had the bad luck just to brush a fast one from Cotter, which flew back to Kelly. A little heavier touch, and it would have found the boundary over the heads of the .'slips. D. Hay played one or two nics strokes in his contribution of 15, and the spectators were hoping that he would get going when the tea adjournment : came, and before he got his eye in again lie was yorked by a fast one from Cotter. Stemson aud McNcill each made nine, but of the others the less said the better. Men who have rattling good strokes and know how and when to play them failed one after another, and though the bowling was undoubtedly good, it was not good enough to account for such a downfall. Cotter proved the most destructive bowler on the side. He has no length, and is very inaccurate at times, but h: can whip in a very fast yorker, and his pace is enough Ao make him dangerous all along. He may not be so fast as was Ernie Jones, but he is only 22, and has plenty of time to improve both in length and pace. Hopkins bowled with accuracy, and kept a fine length, while he made the ball turn a lot at timev He should finish the tour with a good average. Noble had the batsmen thinking all the time, his swerve in the air was there all right, and the ball came down and across with a very puzziing drop. Armstrong and McLeod both did good work. Of the second innings little can be said. None of the three best bowlers— Noble. Cotter, or Hopkins—were tried, and wicket after wicket fell to much inferior trundling. The first innings display was. with the exception of three or four bats, bad enough, but the second was demoralising. When men like Oregory. Hill, Duff, and Gehrs prove irresistible with the ball on a fair wicket there is something wrong somewhere. Neither Gregory nor Duff would get a bowl in club cricket. Hill and Gehrs do bowl a little—how little may be shown by the fact thst while ten bowlers have been tried by South Australia this year, Hill has howled two overs and Gehrs four. 25 runs being hit off Gehrs -without a wicket dropping. When Kelly was put on Auckland's humiliation was complete, and I think the batsman might well have been excused if, by way of protest he had knocked his wicket down. The Australians batted . well, and every man was a trier all through the innings. McLeod had a lot of luck in being let off by Hay before he had scored.' He played a quiet game all through, but occasionally opened out for a good drive. Victor Trumper made things really interesting while he was at the wickets, his free graceful style and the ease with which lie got the ball away

being the theme of general admiration. Balls right to the off were pulled to leg with great effect, and he made all the bowling look pretty easy, though 'he did not take liberties with anything that was really good. His drive to the off boundary was very clean and neat, and altogether the innings was a fine one. Sufficient comment has already been made on the rest of the batsmen. Auckland's bowling was very fair indeed, and the score cannot he accounted a very large one in view of the batting strength of the team. The surprise of the attack was Dug Hay, who came out with the remarkably fine analysis of four for 56, and who bowled steadily and well all through, keeping a fine length" and breaking enough to beat the bat. so that the v Australians had to watch Idm pretty carefully. Stenison bowled without any luck, but he undoubtedly performed well, as did Oliff. McNeill was not given much chance. N. B. Lusk sent down some nice deliveries, but gave the batsmen a chance to hit him now and again. The fielding was not what it should have been, and the returning was rather poor. Mason was an exception, his fielding and returning being both very good, although he once or twke let a ball through his legs. M. A. Noble, during the course of a chat, was ready to admit that he had seen few grounds to compare with the cricket ground on ttie Auckland Domain from the point of view of the spectator. At the same time, he had little to say in favour of our wickets. Decent cutting was difficult, late cutting as the Australians understand it was an impossibility. The team was ' thus deprived of two of its most prolific strokes. No one who knows local wickets and local cricket will traverse Noble's statement, and if the visit of the Australians has no other effect but to improve the character of our wickets, the tour will be, to local cricket, an extremely advantageous one. The game played by Dick Mason in the first innings impressed the Australians more than a little, and members of the team expressed a good deal of admiration for the Aucklander. Oliff played a fine game throughout the Australian match. Hp batted very fairly, fielded more than well, and bowled as decently as any man on the side. Jf Auckland cricketers have learned anything from the visit of the Australians the} , have learned how to pick up a ball and how to return it. The number of singles stolen during the Australian innings should teach Auckland cricketers the value of the rapid single, when the batsmen know each other's game, and are prepared to back each other up. The work of Hill and Gregory between the wickets should be an object lesson to local batsmen. ' The necessity of having decent wickets on the Doina:n was never more apparent than at present, an.l it is to be hoped that something will be done to improve their character. The soil on the ground is too light to play truly, and is of too springy a nature to give tlie batsmen any help. The ball does not come off the pitch as sharply as it should, nor do any of the wickets play well after a few houre. That this is the fault of the groundsman nobody would for a moment contend, and the sincere wish or all enthusiasts with whom the present writer is acquainted is that no time will be lost in the provision of decent pitches. To provide fast and lasting wickets on the Domain should not be veTy costly. A supply of Bulli or Merry Creek >nj!, the first for piefereace. ought to ba available at ft comparatively io-.v cost, and in view of th? net.'e?«it3- of the case the freight across should be obtained at a reaeona'ole rate. At i- 1 ! events local batsmen should noi; rest until something better than the present state of affairs exists. The Hon. F. S- Jackson, in the course of a speech at a cricket club dinner recently in England, referred to the. question of tossing for choice of innings in next year's test matches, and remarked that he had considerable doubt whether the Australians would like to banish the very good fortune which had attended them in past years in the matter of tossing. A meeting of members of the Wellington Cricket Association resolved, after a lively discussion, to recommend the committee to reconsider its decision, and to play 15 men against the Australians. The Otago Cricket Association will play 11 players against the Australians. A Southern cricket match recently became quite amusing towards the end. Opoho had a long day iv the. field against Carisbroolc B, and towards the Hose were getting weary of chasing the ba.ll all over the turf. So evident was this "tired feeliDg" t'hafc when Mills hit a ball to square leg over the fence the majority of the Opobo players stretched themselves out at full length over the field while the Carisbroolc batsman scaled the fence after the missing ball! Tasmania, minus Eady, Windsor and a couple of other good players, was beaten by an innings and 137 runs by Victoria's second eleven. They had the bad luck to strike a wet wicket afteT thoir opponents had batted on a dry. J. R. Mackay, the New South Wales cricketer, made 111 runs in CO minutes for Burwood against Redfora in the Sydney cricket premiership on Saturday week. J. A. CufFe, the Sydney cricketer, is qualified for Worcestershire, and will probably take part in the County Championship this year. While climbing on to a roof after a cricket ball, James Champion, of Fullarfcon, S.A., recently, missed his hold, and fell on to a spike, which pierced his back and killed him. It is rumoured in. India that the chief object that brings Prince RanjitMnhji to his native country is of a matrimonial character, writes the '"'Daily Express" Bombay coiTespoiulcnt. The Prince's mother is very desirous tlni her son should be married without delay. "Eanji," however, has not yet made up his mind, but the chance is that the next time he appears on the cricket field in England among the distinguished onlookers of his feats will be his own princess. L. O. S. Poidevin left for England this week. He will again play for Lancashire, aiid will in all probability bat against the Australians this year.

The completed averages of the Australian Eleven in Sheffield Shield" matches are given in this week's "Referee" as follows:

New South Wales has won the Sheffield Shield four times in succession, and five times within the last six seasons. In the last four seasons only one defeat has been sustained, the other 15 matches- having been won. ' Following are some peculiar figures in connection with inter-State cricket this year: Xew South Wales scored 465 against South Australia, whose two innings totalled 345. Victoria in the successive innings against New South Wales scored 345, the second innings at Melbourne and the first at Sydney, and in the first and the last innings of the same matches Victoria obtained 213 and 132. New South Wales and Victoria tied first innings at Melbourne with 213. Scores obtained in successive innings by South Australia and New South Wales against Victoria are 420 and 421. The Victorian scores in the two matches against New South Wales were the same figures, though in one case, not in the same order, 213, 345, and 345, 132. The Victorian scores against South Australia at Melbourne arc the same figures, though not in the same order,, 129 and 219. North Shore is Showing a commendable amount of activity in its somewhat disheartening search for crir-kct-talent. Tlie club has to face a big difficulty in that respect, and 1 feel a little diffident in criticising it. I think. however, that more harm than good will be done if they select very young players for the senior team. Ralfe, who batted for then recently, i.s only 14 years of age, and to allow him to face senior bowling before he has sufficient confidence is likely to ruin any chance he has of acquiring that valuable asset to a batsman. I know how hard it. i.-> to find good players, but, however big is the difficulty, I hope the club will not spoil the confidence of promising colts by pushing them into a place they feel quite unable to fill.

BATTING. In. N.O. H.S. Runs. Avg. M. A. Noble.... G 0 112 373 G2.1C TV. P. Howell.. 7 1 128 333 55.50 V. Trirmper 4 (> SI 19S 49.50 C. Hill S 1 111* 2S9 48.1G D. R. A. Oc-hrs 7 0 170 3<H 43.42 AV.W.iArmstrong 7 0 S"> 2a , ! 'Hi 57 R. A. Duff 7 (I SO 253 M.U J. J. Kelly 5 O ~M ]7S .".5.20 F. Lavcr 7 f> 1U4 2oi! 33.14 S. H. Gregory-. «> 0 4!1 179 1^.83 C. E. McLeod.. 7 0 GT> 372 24.07 A. Cotter t» -2 T.ti* 07 24.25 A. .7. Hopkins.. 47 0 i!7 itiS 24 00 J. Uarling 7 0 67 ]".i> 22.71 P. M. NeTTland 7 1 37 S3 14.10 BOWLING. O. M. Rds. W. Arg. M. A. Noble 6fi 1C 162 10 16.20 A. ,7. Hopkins 113 84 27'J 17 36.41 A. Cotter 140 22 427 IS 13.72 W. V\ r . Armstrong 142 84 312 12 23.00 F. Larer S8 16 292 J X 26.51 W. T. Uowell 100 27 328 10 :i2.S0 C. E. McLeod 98 13 857 10 iio.70