CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 728, 29 January 1910, Page 9

CRICKET.

[Bi Tim Beeakek.]

' '.•; ■ ' » '' ' ■ - .'

The Australians are coming.'. It is gppd to be able to make tho annpuncement definitely. , While -the other, centres are relaxing after their days:of suspense an Q anxiety, and .the small.towns are 1 fretting because of their exclusion from the programme, the. Australian Eleven are Busily preparing to cross the water. ,-No doubt they will chuckle, when they i learn the fu 11 story pf the "preparations"-.' on this' ■ .'side! - '■':•-■■ /; ;'.'. ' ' . ; ' The Wellington". Association has., adhered to what jt considers a sound prin: ciple. _ -Past' experience has taught the association/that the "pooling" system is not a desirable thing, and: the associationheld out determinedly ngainst-'it. Every argument for. arid against had' been/discussed, and at the last.memorable meeting, the association decided; to say "No" once more, fully, alive, )to'tlio >.grave consideration, that .this .might: ; mean the. eud of.the tour. But there.seemed to.bo no alternative. .They,did riot.wish the tour cancelled,- but;., seeing that' tho .council had been - aware of their feelings three month? previously, they naturally. enough declined to back down at the last'moment. , Rather let the council .cut-.'-.Wel-lington out of the /tour. ■~'• ■/'/. Unfortunately it seems rather to hurt some other "centres: that Wellington is somowhat (and through no seeking of its own) the position, of "top-dog" over this: affair,, and the Wellington /.Association are /strongly ;-pf that tho council.have .had- a warning that theymust. proceoil:.cantipusly.;;. The association ,(so. itijappears to. them)-cannot bo done-without, or it; : would , have .been "dropped" very'quickiy; but.-there is'-iio intention :to i interfere - with .the .general management ef ■ crickot in -New Zealand: It. has .been asserted. ,that Wellington's attitude has been maintained with., a view, to changing, later ion, .'tho location, .' of,'the New. Zealand. Cricket Council. from Christchurch.,to Wellington. Nothing of the kind.. ./:':; ■ ■'.:. ....•,.-' ,;/;., :- ' The- Auckland "incident" .'is riot- ended, as' some would .have :cricketers believe. Discussions may be" taken in committee',, but the result must come, out .later and a number of old friends: of the game are determined that the. fullest inquiry shall be made into the/allegations of ■misconduct inado against members of tho WeU /lington. representative tearii, which, visit,.ed Auckland./ a,'few,-, weeks ago; If'the ,-allegations' are: false, '.this should"'be clearly stated,;in fairness ,to the team; /but, if -they, can;'be"substantiated.' only 'a thorough inyestiga-tipn will''.satisfy ; right-thinking cricketers. ' Surely' the association i.s/uot.'.goihgUto follow the'.-cx-ample of the New Zealand Rugby: Union which took proceedings in camera over a "gate" matter relating to ■ tho, profits and expenses "of ' a ; southern'' provincial union /in connection with tho {British .loiir- which storyj notwithstanding somewhat unwise. precautions,. has leaked out long ago in such exaggerated shapes that an; open inquiry would have .been infinitely better.: /' ';/' ,■■;.'-. ' ," Tho. New Sbiith ; Wiiles ■ Rugby Union: is going into,the .matter of. a visit to Australia from, the combined universities of California next season. /..Mr. ,-AV.. 3. Howe reports. very fayourably of /■' the quality of play at the/American, 'universities. .A tour of the .kind-would be .very attractive,, but as to whetlier/noxt/yeor will, bo 'pppbrtune is .a matter.: for/the union, seeing that' it. will, dispatch,.• a team-to. New Zealand next season../ '.; Tho London "Globe" discusses- cricket criticism as follows:—"It appears that certain justly popular : cricketers, whoso, riames. are household words, from one end' o'f /the earth' to tho, other, 1 have, felt liurt because the press, which for some, years past, has recorded. .their glowing and at' times." almost lyrical terms,,has seen reason to criticise them .during the past season.''' Tlio press should no doubt have •known, better. It may criticise great statesmen and .mere.politicians unmercifully. It may also maUo -or'mar th© ; reputation of a-dramatist, an author, or a/musician jit way exposo public; scandals, "and, assist ..in ./uprooting: abuses;':but fpr the. cricketer, 'it'.must ever preserve its .'most/dulcet' tones,;'it ; must bestow: ori this; idol'.of; the people, who in a.-'few ."short years at.most will-bo forgotten, nothing'but. the accents., of ful : some adulation. . The cricketer, in short,' must stand in;.tho;full,.lime-light all: the time, and nobody, must venture to'think that there is a flaw either in his playing or in his choice of a.'team.-.--: We own to some doubts whether thoj thing.'will:work. Thb public .are critical; of their favourites, and' : if they have expressed their criticisms of cricketers with unwonted'energy during the past season; they have had some right to do.so; . It.is an. old, and true proverb-that the onlooker sees most of the game; and he is often able to form a better'judgment than those who are.' in the'; mysterious../sanctum- of,-/tlib the Selection' Cpmimittee;' -He .has to judge by results; and Mr.-C; B. Fry, the protester in chief,'wiU;'a'dmit".that.the results of- the,. Test ('matches • '.were, unforr tiinate.'. And it -is,-ridiculous to 'put any part/of the blame upon;,cither .the p>iblip'or the press,- which .bnly.ivaiits to/seo a "good /game and good 'sportsmanship; all round.. Some of, ,our. cricketers seem to be, suffering from,an incipient swelling of the head; but wo canonly hope that the distressing complaint will wear off .'before the next' season begins."-'; "' "W. L. .Murdoch, tho ex-Australian Eleven' captain,. was asked by an "Argus" interviewer in M:elbourne whether it was correct/that the; decadence' of- English cricket is attributable to : the growing popularity of golf. In reply, ho said: ."That, may;be so,.but.l don't agree with that view, All i. the-, young .-fellows wlio have the ability and-tho taste' -' for 'firstclass: cricket who go. up' to-the-.universi-ties'would never give up cricket/for golf. All who have, the tastoand the time play -cricket still;/but England, is running through a bad period. ."/There sands playing the game, but' this", generation is not producing champions. Tho question of time, of course,.affects a lot of men. They cannot afford tho-timb for county cricket, but they. play, in the .Saturday afternoon games. Perhaps not so many can afford the time as formerly, i but it is tho lack of Teally high-class playors coming along;. The old ones are hanging on because there are uo young ones to. take .their places. : Ton seem to bo in thesamo position in Victoria. Your cracks, Armstrong and Rarisford, for instance, are out of form temporarily; and the young men playing /their first or second interstate. / match, cannot bo expected to fill their places straight away. I've, really, seen- so little since I returned ;from..England, that .1. cannot express an /opinion .as'to Australian, -cricket—it would -not be fair. I saw that' innings of /Clem Hill's, arid-1 do not-expect toseemanv: better. Ho seeriied to. mo : to get but only when he was tired.".':.".:' / ' / / "It.is a rare, thing to find a team.of cricketers belonging to ono -family,'/or bearing ,the same name . fsnys. a . correspDndent of the "Daily Telegraph")'.' Yet in a match the other day -one'-eleven' was mado up of the Horton family,'and; in .addition, the manager, umpire,' and scorer of tho. team-were also named Horton, although -they, did/not' belong to the one family. In an, age; when'everyono is on the : look-out for'', records, Yass claims that a cricket eleven, manager, scorer, and'umpire, all bearing tho one surname,-, is unparalloM. Tlio'i Hortou family; are. residents,"of ,Wargiela; and they are fine sportsmen."-,..