CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 13

CRICKET.

[Br The Breakee.] Senior matches are to be played this afternoon at the Athletic Park, at the Peto.no Recreation Ground, ajid at the sni v. h £ UD ® om PJfltcd eighth round will be continued next Saturday, on tho Basin Reserve. The reason for tho interf? P A °t th ® matcll es 'is due to the fact that the.Basm Reserve has been granted for tho purpose of holding a sports meeting this afternoon. \ After an interval of over a. month, tho senior championship matches were resumed last Saturday. Before the interregrum the position of tho teams was as follows:— „ , . Played. "Won. Lost. Pts.' 7 6 l 16 !uL A ...::::::::: \ I \ « North 7 l 1 \* 7 2 5 6 7 2 5 6 retone 7 o 1 ? East B 7 15 3

As a Tesult of the current round, -it would not be surprising if East A should replace Central for principal honours, •bast A gained three points in the last round, as against two earned by Central, and this left the latter team with a lead of only one point. In what now promises to be the deciding game, East A have made a splendid start, thanks mainly to the fine batting of Midlanc and Mahoney. When play ended last Saturday, East A had not concluded their innings, having lost five wickets for the rcspectablo total of 258. Should South succced in defeating North ljy tlirco points, and East A pain only a two-point victory over Central, it will then remain for East A and South to fight out the championship. On the other hand, n win, whether small or great, by Central, or a three-point win by East A, will do away with the necessity of a further contest to decide as to which district shall hold the title.

Centuries in local club cricket have been all too rare, during the past couple of seasons. Last Saturday, however, two creditable throe-figure adores were compiled on the Basin Keserve. For East A, against Centra), Midlnne, who was ii> ti vigorous mood, was unbeaten at the end of the day, with 100 to his credit. His score, it is interesting to note, contained but few singles, being made up principally of threes, with an outstanding stroko which yielded five runs. When the game is resumed

to-day his many well-wishors will be overjoyed to see him mako the top 6core of the season. The other "centurian" turned up in Dickson, who has been a promising bat in the sister team, East B. He was fortunate, however, in reaching treble figures, for his last partner lost his wicket just after ho had gained tho coveted distinction. For Dickson, the compilation of so large a total entailed much hard work and a long and tiring spell at the wickets. In "Old English Cricketers" the following amusing anecdote is told of an earlier Yorkshire-man: "Peato, of course, played repeatedly against the Australians, Mention of tho fact recalled to him reminiscences of some of their famous players. Goorgo Griffin tells a story about au Australian batsman and his dislike of Peate's bowling. Tho Yorkshircman beat him with a slipping leg-break in one innings. The batsman determined that it should not happen again, got hold of a bat in his room at tho hotel, and began to mako strokes at imaginary balls. At one ho would play back and mutter, 'That's the way to play you, Peato!' Then he would play forward, remarking, 'Not this time, Peate, my boy.' At last he ventured on a big hit at a legball, and swinging round with a 'How do you like that, Peate?' sent the toilet sot, which he had forgotten all about, in fragments to the floor. Later in the day, confident that he would maio a score, he faced tho real Peate, and was clean bowled the first ball."

The proposal to pool gates will not come up before the Advisory Committee to tho English Counties ns an alternative to the new schmo to effect alterations in the county championship. The matter will probably bo discussed at the meeting of tho committea to bo held in March as quite as separate business. It is a foregone conclusion that the committee will rejcct it. At the most there are only five counties in favour of the proposal, which will consequently bo thrown out by a large majority. Lord Hawke is very much opposed to tho idea of pooling gates so far as county championship matches are concerned. He, however, is in favour of the net proceeds North v. South and Gentlemen v. Players matches being pooled, and apportioned as in the Test matches. He also thinks that the members of tho clubs upon whoso grounds these representative matches are played shall be asked to pay for admission to the ground, but should he admitted to the pavilion free on tho production of their members' tickets. Lord Hawko considers that considerable changes will be effected in tho payment of profesional umpires, and amateur expenses sW uld the committee decide to give the new scheme a trial in 1911. Ho further thinks that tho dates and venues of tho representative matches should be decided by the present Board of Control, as in the case of Tost matches.—"Sheffield Telegraph." As a result of tho three matches which the Australians have up to date played in New Zealand their averages are as follow:— „ Batting. W "rt $ ' bJ) q g bp ■■■ I i c |S ' WQ ' ° H A H; <J Warns 1 — > 51 51 54.0 Hopkins 2 — 2 3 1.5 Hayne .. 5 13G 312 G2.4 Simpson 5 — 51. 118 23.G Kelleway ......... i - 51 12 31.5 Smith ........',5. 1 .49 77 -19.2 JJodds .'. ; 5 — ■ 53 81 56.8 'Armstrong ...... 5 1 149' 224 56.0 Facey. 3 '1 149* 224 SG.G . VVhitty .. . 3 1 0» 13 G. 6 Gorry 2 — .1 3 1,5 Bardsley ......... 5 1 37® 75 18.7 Emery 4 2 50* 55 27.5 not out. Bowling. Overs, lldns. Runs. Wkts. Av. Whitty 90 >30 230 21 10.9 Emory 56 9 231 12 .19.2 Faqey _.. 25 5 79 3 26.4 Kelleway 29 8 73 5 14.G Simpson ....... 8 4 14 1 14.0 Armstrong ... C 8 13 250 12 20.8 Warne ......... 1 — 3 — — Hopkins 27 G 86 2 43.0

There are three sets of three or more brothers who have played in first-class ■cricket'/fori New South-Wales, viz,, -the Gregorys, Waddys, and Minnetts. Thus tho. Sydney "Keferce":—A. J. Hopkins may play little with the Australians in New' Zealand, owing primarily to an injury to his shoulder sustained before leaving Australia, and to a subsequent injury to his foot, which has necessitated an "operation. The ball used in Auckland's innings of 579 against Otago is to be inscribed and presented to Lord Plunket, donor of the shield the New' Zealand provinces compete for annually. Mr. P. C. Raphael, hon. secretary of the New Zealand Cricket Council, 6ays that tho welcome tendered to the Australians by the Wellington people was the warmest and most enthusiastic he has ever witnessed in New Zealand.

"Nemo," writing to the editor of "Tho .Sportsman," remarks:—"lf the Earth challenged Mars to a cricket match, would the. following team, in tho opinion of your readers, adequately represent the. Earth: J. E. Mason (captain), Eobbs; Rhodes, Lilley (England), .Armstrong, Ransford, Bardsley (Australia), Nourse, Faulkner, Yoglor (South Africa), and King (America) ?" Board, the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association professional- coach, is booked to leave Napier on his return to England on March 9 r Undoubtedly his work during the past . season has . (remarks the "Haivke's Bay Herald") mado for the improvement of Hawke's Bay cricket, and it is understood that a further engagement is likely to be arranged to : secure his services again for next season. By the departure of the Rev. Father Quinn from Hastings for Wellington, local cricket has lost a very keen supporter, and one to whom Wednesday cricket this season owes a . good deal. Father. Quinn was instrumental in forming the Heretaunga Old Boys' Cricket Club, which has developed into one of the strongest in the competition, and ho will be greatly missed by the members. His successor, ,Father Kerley, is also a keen cricketer,' and is reputed to bo a batsman of considerably above the ordinary calibre.—"Hawke's Bay Herald." According to J. N. Pentelow, a Homo cricket statistician, Australian teams in England havo played 433 matches, winning 200 games, losing 82, and drawing 151. English teams' in Australia have played 134 games, winning 73, losing 41, and drawing 20. The bowling average is held by "Terror" Turner, with 34,669 balls, 11,075 runs, 877 wickets; average 12.62. Spofl'orth comes second with 23,821 balls, 9.679 runs, 719 wickets; averago 13.6-1. R. O. Schwartz, the South African bowler, has bowled 7G91 balls for 3491 runs, 2G6 wickets; average 13.13. In the batting Clem. Hill leads, ivith 288 innings, 14 not outs, 8376 runs; average 39.14. Armstrong has played 177 innings, 32 not outs; 5578 runs; averago 38.53; while Trumpcr had 243 innings, 7 not outs, 8908 runs; average 37.74. On this season's form, says the "Referee," South Australia's best would be something like the following :—C. Hill, D. R. A. Gehrs, J. N. Crawford, E. R. Mayne, S. Hill, N. Claxton, W. A. Hewer, R. B.'Rees, W. J. Whitty, J. A. O'Connor, G. Campbell. And if C. E. Dolling were in practice ho would, of course, bo well worth a place. Victoria's best team would be something liko this:—AV. W. Armstrong, V. Ransford, P. M'Alistcr, F. Delves, A. Kenny, AV. .T. Scott, G. Hazlitt, D. Smith, 'I'. S. Wame or F. Laver, .T. V. Saunders, and AV. Carkeek, G. Healy must also bo a very good batsman, but we have not yet seen him in Sydney. Now South AVales' best on form would be something like this:—S. E. Gregory, A r . Trumpcr, W. Bardsley, E. L. AVaddy, C. Ivellcway, E. F. AVnddv, AV. J. Stack, A. Cotter, S. H. Emery, J. Scott, and C. R. Gorry.

In the match Essex v. Surrey in 190G Keevcs played on to a hall from Knox which sent the middle stump eleven yards away. In tho same year S. It. Harris, for Sydney University v. Combined Schools, was dismissed by n legbreak from Hunt which pitched on his foot and then bounced over his head on to the wicket. Duroy Adams, aged eleven, also in 190G, had his neck broken while playing at Longreach, Queensland, by a ball which struck him on the forehead. Death was instantaneous. At Fairfield, Victoria, on November 15 of the same year, George Lawler, while playing at St. Joseph's School, tried to make a run, but, seeing it hopeless, retracted his steps, and when in the act of throwing his back forward foil clown dead. Kicluirdson, a very fast bowler,' who cumo from Bathurst, and played against Victoria in the early sixties, once sent down a ball which struck Ned. Gregory on tho forehead and bounced back into f,l e bowler's hands.