THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1360, 10 February 1912, Page 12

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

A WEEKLY RECORD OF SPORTS AND OTHER PASTIMES,

CRICKET.

[Bγ tiie Breaker.]

Something Like Averages. What a fine club average young Baker, of East A, is now entrenched behind! Last Saturday ho was again not out with nearly half a century on the book—his fourth "not out" this serison. So far his scores have been:—l 2, 48 not out, 30, 01 not out, i not out, ami -11 not ont. itis club average now stands at no less a figure than 102.5. Ono wonders: if this, has ever been beaten in Wellington, and, if so, when mid by whom? "Consistency"—thy name is CSibbes! The redoubtable Buster got another 50 last week. His club scores this year have read:-63, 17, OL 28, 95, niid'so. The aggregate is 317, and the average 57.8. .'. East Players on Strike. O, sirs of the militant Tram Union, lay not the nattering unction to your souls, that ye be the only strikers on earth. Very good comrades have ye occasionally in East B. Let us unfold a little of the taie, as gently as may be. Two of the A players had previously given notice that they would not be available for the second day of the current match, as they had been called up for the defence of thei ,, distressful country, and must needs go into camp. Hickey 'also had a chance of being absent in Australia on the second day of the mutch, and was therefore inclined to stand down in the interests «f the A eleven. ' East's management look to the A team as their chief piece of Cup artillery, end naturally thoy did not wish to see it weakened'for want of powder and shot, to they called uu East B to lill the blanks. East IS retted! The proposition was made to call on the junbr eleven to lill up the gans, but this was fairly rough on the .juniors. The latter have some very fair cricketers in their ranks certainly, but feiv of them would have relished the ordeal of figuring in a match of this importance in presence of the critical crowd on the Bnsin. So the deal-lock remained, and tho handful of "bush lawyers" in the IS team liiid it I heir own way. That fine old sport "Stan" Hickson . m> rather disputed with tho attitude of the ii men, and stood out of the match. The whole thing is being thrash-ed-out by tho committee of the club but it is rather rcgrettaWo Hint such a step should be neesssary. Such little unpleasantnesses happen occasionally in all clubs, but they are rather foreign to what should be Iho genial spirit of ins summer game. It's Dash As Does It. One of the bright features of Saturday's match between the two Bast teams was the dashing display by C. Hickey, who always makes the most of his time at the wickets. His style may not he exactly orthodox, but, from the spectators' point of view, it is attractive. Hickey is a hard hitter, and the possessor of a pood eye, and on his record this yonr he is not an easy man to bowl. When he was caught in the long field on Saturday it \yas the first occasion on which lie had been dismissed this season. His rate of scoring is ; faster than that of «ny other player in Wellington, and, when he gets on to soft bowling, he may just as easily hit a ball out" of the ground as not. Wellington Association's Mistake. Kather an astonished body were East when thoy learned, through the press, that if amount due by them to the association were not met tit once, disqualification would follow. This must constitute one of the-swiftest passages on record between creditor and debtor. It seems that the association, or some member of its executive, blundered a little. They seem to have been under the impression that their account had been rendered early in January. If it had been, everything would have been in order, but, in . reality,, their "ultimatum" was only posted on Janunrv 2f>. and received by the secretary of the East Club on .Innui>ry i~. On Pebruary 2 the committee nf the association proceeded to pass a drastic resolution' with respect to East, ' and tivo other clubs. Short shrift indeed. It is understood that the association has since recognised (hat their resolution was a little premature. Nunn in the Limelight. Horace Ntinn, who compiled a century nnd ten not out for Petone a;minst North last week, is a budding cricketer whom the representative selectors are beginning to Keep :i watchful eye on. It would be finite safe to say that a r>rttor exhibition, of batting has not yet Wn seen on the Petnne oval. He was 12."> minutes nt the wickets, and gave ono chance, to Sheridan, when his score read i"«ir. Tt wns the orly one Hint he lifted. His drives reminded one of Brice at his Host, oiiil his cuttin;; compared very f'lv'mraljly villi batsmen of tho TuckcrJinhoMy calibie. iViinn, who was born in Brisbane is • twenty y?urs of ajfe, and began his cricket nt school m TVfone. under the tuition of Mr. .7. lynskey. In those dnvs he wi's a solid stone-waller, nnd lianllv sc'iiTd any runs, but as he posted o'i inl'n jMiiini- (Tje!,-Pl he bejran to hit out, with the r:-v,il( Unit his bast (allies were 78, •';•• and •Jβ not nut in one season. When J ('tune had a senior foam in 11103 and ISO!) Aunn was a member ol it, but did not ni-nievß nny tjrfi.it scores, until this s-i>s->ii. when he put up 53 against East A A, no. out against South, and his present i crntnry. (( lfe iins been associated with senior <octw football and. two seasons ago, !•'«■" """-'KH-'k ft"' the senior liiighy It. u to (he veteran Dalgleish that JMinn .-ays lie owes his growing sucess I hs a cricketer. In his opinion, there are not many coaches who can briii" "colts" on like the I'oronn skipper. Hardham, the Sport. llardham, who partnered Xnnii, nt one p.'ricd of the play, looked liko making nin». He was twenty-one on, and appeared comfortable when Niinu sent ono to the slips, llnrdhnm shouted "Slav" bill. .Niinn misunderstood, mu [ nin . When ? i ■ Vi ariln ' I,li ' !, l ' ll(1 had to go (the hall had been smartly returned< and s;> Hardlinni stepped out and gave his wiCKct up. That's the spirit in which to piny the game! "Stan" Brice Laid Up. The cricket fraternity will regret to learn.that "Stan" Urice is in tile Wellington Hospital, suffering from appendicitis. . Central's Sportsmanship. The sportsmanlike action of Central in declining to dismiss Ilntt for nn iinreaKHiabiy small score last Saturday was thoroughly appreciated by the suburbanites. It must have been gratifying to Central to pee their gifts so prized by tho recipients. Hutt hit up over half a dozen "catches" during their innings, but Cenrecognising that thesa strokes were purely unintentional, manfully abstained from taking advantage c-f a worthy opponent's mistakes and kid luck. "A Cal has Nine Lives: Aldcrsley—" Central's generosity to Aldeisley was exceptional. Before Aldersley had scored Patterson, tho wicket-keeper, missed him. The batsman was still in the "teens" when one of the best fieldsmen in His team (Bragge) let him off after actually getting the ball into- his hands. liroggu was fielding in the slips, Iho ball wns travelling low and hard, Jiragjc reached forward to gather it in, got il, lost his balance, and in falling dropped tho hall. Aldersley batted nicely from then on to 13, showing many good strokes, and treating all the bowling with scant respect. Then, in an endeavour to yM Blajiiires away for lour, he skied one to square-leg. Cook judged the thing

beautifully, but let what seemed a cei , - tain catch slip clean through his hands. ■ A few runs later Aldersley had a. "life" in tho out-field, and on another occasion, although it was not a "life," he deserved to lose hi, wicket for a' very .soft "(■levator." It was one of the luckiest innings ever played in Wellington. A cat has nine lives: Aldersley has nbout six. Tiio other aspect of the affair is that Central donated Unit o9 runs per medium of Alijersley. And Aldersley's "catches" were not the only ones they dropped. Balsmen Knocked About. fiy tho way, it is well that Aldersley is rather hard to kill, lie had a rather trying experience during his innings, mid stuck t» his post very pluckily. When lirngge was bowling to him he struck at a ball and fell over. These on the pavilion laughed, thinking he had swiped, missed, nnd lost his balance; but he did not rise immediately, aud it transpired that he had been struck on the side of the face by the ball. He resumed batting, groggily at first, bv.t after a while punished the bowling severely. Then several nasty knocks came his- way in quick succession. Towards the end of his innings he was struck on the knee, and he replied by banging the next delivery for four. Blamires was in his true form at the TTutt on Saturday. His strokes were clean and decided, well placed, and forceful. He went for the bowling all the time, and scored very rapidly. When stumps were drawn he wns 38, not out, a score vrhicb he hnd knocked up in lets than half an hour. Lost Balls at Hutt. The Hutt ground has many attractions, but the plantations are sometimes the cali.se of a little cricket—er—complaining. At ono time last Saturday the CentralIfutt seniors were beating"one corner of the shrubbery for a ball' that had gone ■for four, and the Catholic Club-llutt juniors were dragging one another under u hedge on the opposite side of the gronnd in a hasty endeavour to retrieve a ball that had been lifted for six. Incident of South-College Match. < There was one incident in tlw CollegeSouth match that may give those versed or interested in the 'rules of the game pause for reflection. A doubtful catch was appealed for, and the umpire, not seeing it, declared against the appeal. The catch was in fact genuine, as the batsman was well aware. So, at the end of the over, he declared against himself, nnd against the umpire, by. leaving the field, thus closing his own 'innings. Of course, ihis could hardly have happened in Test cricket. But wliiether to call tho batsman a sportsman or to gain (iy the umpire's inattention is a question for those who delight to voice opinions upon such matters. English Captain as Boxer. Something which tho barracking.crowds of the Australian grounds do not know about J. W. H. T. Douglas (nick-named because of his slow batting, "Johnny Won't Hit To-day") is told by Laurance Woodhouse in the "Daily Mail":— "Undoubtedly England's new captain owes much of his grit nnd courage to his experiences in (he ring, for lie is an exceptionally fine boxer nnd has won the amateur middle-weight championship of England, lie has had on the gioves in sparring matches with such redoubtable opponents as "Tommy" Burns, the ex-heavy-weight champion of the world, and Bombardier Wells, who is the heavyweight champion of England. "Tho bout between Mr. Douglas and Burns was a very brisk affair,- altogether different from those light-sparring matches one is accustomed to see when amateur and professional meet. Not in the least daunted by the facts that he was meeting a world's champion , , and that ho was giving away much weight, Mr. Douglas 'sailed into' his man briskly, and fairly astonished the champion. While the three rounds lasted the amateur gave as good as he got, and Bums found that he hnd to do all he knew to avoid heavy punishment. It Was no kid-glove affair, and no one was more delighted at the end of the bout than the ex-champion himself, who spoke in the highest terms of his opponent's pluck and skill." Australians—£492 in "Tips." •jjays the non-compromising "Bulletin": "The way the last. Australian eleven slung the money about is gradually becoming public knowledge, and the recent statement that "tips" swallowed up ,£M2 Bs. has cansed a raising of eyebrows. The balance-sheet of the 1806 team reveals that though England, America, Maoriland, and Tasmania were all visited, tips at grounds, hotels, railway stations and on the s.s. Cuzco ate up merely .£213 19s. 3d. \ Tho last eleven did things' on a scale of grandeur which will make the way of the next eleven somewhat hard to travel." Trial Balls by New Bowlers. N.S.W. Cricket Association missed a chance to do some good work last week. A special meeting had been called to discuss the advisability of recommending the Hoard of Control to abolish trial hails at the change of bowlers in Test matches. Ihis practice irritates the public, which has already shown its resentment,' and it sliouid Ije abolished. Unfortunately the party who conceived the very sensible idea was not. present to propel his motion through the special meeting, am! it just fell down dead.—"Bulletin." Umpires—How they are Fooled. One of the English batsmen in the second Test in .Melbourne was caught at the wick'ts, but there was no appeal by eitlv.'i , the wicket-keeper or tho bowler, and, therefore, nc decision was given. Ono of the umpires being satisfied in his mind that the lxitsnnui had touched the ball, allowed the incident to pnss until the following day, when he quietly said to the batsman, "Didn't you tcvcii that ball .yesterday?" "Of cours-e I did," was the reply, "but don't put me awav. Didn't you s;c me rub niv le? when tlio ball passed? I thought that was my only chance." Luck still enters into tliis national game of ours. A Contrast Indeed! The "Sporting Life" gives a personal sketch in coloured phraseology ot Victor Trumpsr and \V. W. Armstrong in the course of its notes on the first Test niakh.: "A strangely contrasted pair are Trump:-r and Armstrong—contrasted in phjaiquc, in temperament, and in style. The une lean, light, as neat on his feet as a premier dunseusiv with wrists as supple as fencing foils. The other masrivc, heavy, ({ft. -tin., and growing stout at (lie age of three-and-thirty, lumbering —about as graceful as ii Newfoundland dog. The one primed with nervous energy, bubbling with vivacity, effervescently eager—glowing with tho joy of life. The other phlegmatic, unemotional, unimaginative—pursuing heavily a. sober course. Th? one graceful, elegant, gloriously unorthodox, with an exhilarating wind blowing through his whole game, with his strokes set to dance music. Tlio other laborious, sternly correct, strictly disciplined, butting with the brake on. A contrast, indeed! Selection for Fourth Test. Discussing the selection of the Australian team for the fourth Test, the "I!e----feree" had the following to say:—"The batting of the elevens which have already played can be strengthened very little, even though it fell fiat in two'innings on good wickets. The fielding can be strengthened, but it is doubtful if the bowling can be made any more striking. In the other mutches the fielding has boon comparatively weak, there being too nianv slow-moving men to place. The slips, and tho o'f-side are weak. Tho slips cannot be strengthened without weakening the bowling or general fielding. The off-side may be strengthened by the sdlpc. tion of C. CI. Macartney and S. E. firogory, bill this would weaken the bowling. The only bowler whoso incliisiim is generally coii'-idercd likely to be a success is .1. W. M'Laron, the Qiiein.l'.inil fii-t bowler, who is on tlio injured list, and apparently not available. (!. R. llnzliU's bowling' in the inter-State mutches has been successful, yet net, nine bo than C. Kellcway's, aiirt, like the latter, he bus not fielded souutL ly in the slips. Kelloway bowled splen

didly in the first innings of Victoria, but not so in the second innings, and his fielding wns not nearly so sound as it was last season." Roy Minnett—Average of 199, K. B. Minnett's 210 is the ninth innings of 2(10 or more played for New South Wales ngain.-t Victoria. It is (he most brilliant innings exceeding 150 ever nlayed in those matches (says the "Hcterce"). He was at the wickets only '.1 hours 17 minutes. P. S. Jl\Donneirs"23!l in Melbourne took 4 hours lo compile; J. 1!. -M. Jlackay's lill, :l hours 10 minutes; S. E. Gregory's 201, Ij hours; F. A. Tarrant's 201, 7', hours; A. .Diamond's 210. 5} hums; M. A. Noble's 281, li hours » minutes; W. L. .Murdoch's 321, 13 hours; 11. .Moses's 207, 10 hours; V. 'J'nimper's 230, 4 hours 53 minutes. It will be seen that Jtoy lliuncU's was even .more brilliant than that of Victor Trumper. It is a rare pleasure t» sec a straightdriving, square-cutting, cover-liiiting batsman piling on the runs. H.li. is having a great season. With the experience of an English season he will probably develop into a greater player (linn fi. A. Duff, whose big innings of 271 against South Australia was about the most brilliant exceeding 200 seen in Sydney, prior to the latest. Duff batted IJ hours, and hit 10 fours. Hoy Minnett closes the season with an average of 109 per innings in the Shcllield Shield. Moreover, in first-class cricket he heads the Australian averages, having scored 211:', 00, 87, S7", CO, 57. 52 s , .')8, 31, 17, 0, 2, and 0, or 75S runs in 10 completed innings, averaging 75 runs per innings.