CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 775, 26 March 1910, Page 10

CRICKET.

a SECOND "TEST" TO-DAY. \ The weather promises to bo fine for I the second Test match between Ausi tralia arid Now Zeaalrid, which comi monces on the Basin Reserve to-day. As regards tho wicket, it is stated that it is in very fair order. Both teams arrived yesterday. There are no changes in connection with tho Nov Zealand team. Upon inquiry last night it was learned that the Australian team would be selected this morning. The New Zealand team is'to' he called together'this morning for tho purposo of appointing tho captain. An adjournment will be taken between 1.15 and 2.15 p.m., when tho teams will unch at the. Grand Hotel. All the arlunch at tho Grand Hotel. All tho armodation of visitors were well in hand last night. :For tho convenience of spectators as much information as is possible will bo shown on tho board on' tho eastern side of the ground. Messrs. M'Kenzio and Varnham will act as umpires, and Messrs. Clementson and Hood as scorers for New Zealand arid Australia respectively. THE TEST TEAM. [To the Editor.] Sir, —"Blown the Gaff" should blush witb shame at his. undignified attitude and violent language in reply to my calmly-,worded remarks in connection with Wellington cricket. He leaves the main portion of my letter for someone with leisure to defend, and immediately takes exception to my' remark that, ."although Midlane has proved hiinseii the only, first-class batsman in Wellington, he is not in tile same class as Hemus or Sale." With; Midlane's admittedly strong claims for inclusion I only wish to say that figures, as "Blown" admits, "do not prove everything," especially cricket averages for a short period. In stating that Midlano was not in the same class as Hemus or Sale, I am guided by personal observation, of their form at the nets and in representative cricket; In local cricket 1 notice Midlane has a splendid average, but even hero .figures are not a reliable index upon which to be guided in the selection of a. New Zealand eleven, for tho simplo reason that Wellington batsmen aro not matched against bowling such as Relf, Bennett, Macartney, etc. Tho selector is a well-known cricketer of undoubted probity and good judgment, and doubtless niade an exhaustive, examination of the qualifications of each candidate. He had a good precedent to go upon in excluding Tdidlane, : ■as he was not chosen to play for Weir ■ lington against Auckland, and only got : a gamo against Canterbury in place of an absentee. In the first test match ■

I saw Reese run Out from a very bad call;of Midlane's, and an act of truer sportsmanship on the part of Reese it would be hard to imagine. A run out of Midlane seemed inevitable, but Reese deliberately sacrificed his wicket. Your correspondent endeavours to establish the- position that there wore two opinions regarding, tho episode. That is on a par with the rest of his letter. There were no two opinions on tho ground at tho time —tho unanimous opinion was that Reese carried sportsmanship- to excess and penalised his side, and in ■no -light of this we are asked to believe that Reese used undue influence with tho selector. ' , I don't know why if should be ansiimed that Reese had any influence at all in the'selection. Thero were three Auckland members in the team, and I met several Auckland enthusiasts amongst'-the spectators whom tho selector, might havo consulted. '

Under these circumstances, to say that Midlane's exclusion is the greatest scandal that has occurred in Now Zealand cricket, is to write oneself down as a perfervid, biased, angry man, devoid of any sporting instinct or sense of the fitness of things, and Midlane and indeed local cricketers may' well say, "Save me from my friends!"—l am, etc.,. March 20.