CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1563, 5 October 1912, Page 12

CRICKET.

U.S.A. BEATS AUSTRALIA. MR. KOETLANG'S IDEA. Only a fortnight ago Mr. Bert. Kort long.. the newest add'tion to our stai cricketers, gave expression to somo ideai en American oncket which wore veij bright and new to us in Nc-./ Zealand and which were received with a certaii amount of scepticism in certain quar ters. In « word, Mr. Kortlane; £aid tha tho best American team were not fai short of the best English or beat Aus tralian team, and that there were soiw r cricketers in tha United States as good ni 5 any in the world. In the course of tin . interview published in Tub Dominion j. Mr. Kortlaug said:— 3 "American cricket shoull not be t umkr-iatoil—thou',''i I would not Eay that America has won as ninny games as England, in matches played in tha States, there 16 not much between them—they're on tho same break, I guess, Hordcrn, you know, learned his cricket in America, and they have such men as J. B. King (one of tho nnest cricketers in the world), Cregnr, bcattergoods, of Philadelphia (second ] wicket-keeper in tho world to Percy 1 bherwell), and Phil O'Neil. They've I £u "tt 11 , qultc as S<x»i. if not better thanHordeinandmyself in the States who could give them a good game. .lnlSi f^BkW^t" 8 hi e h(!Sl standard in Philadelphia, is good in New lork, fair in Chicago, pooT in Den- , \er, n«t there are some good men on the Pacific Mope. Tho Australians can rely on being treated like king*, as the American cannot do enough in the way of hospitality." fr Slr ) 'h„ Kortl; i n , lr now <lraws ottentior ™ i u.- abl ° message which ;.p. peared this week chronicling tfbc defeat of tho Australians by the Gen ,1? n Pres " mftb Jj- made in a iwo-innings luatch)-and contends that if the Gentlemen 0 f Philadelphia can beat Australia, ■\rli t TC \ "?' t0 des P'sed among the cricket-playing nations of the world , Of course/* said Mr. Kortlang, "as I said before, you know very little about American cricket in New Zealand, and even when an American team visits Eng-land-wery, third year-there is little- or nothing.said about it in the colonial papers. As a matter of fact, knowing American cricket as I do (Mr. Kortlaflg played cricket all over America for a number of years), and having played against the South Africans and Englishmen in Australia, I would place America before Africa. What I would Jjke.to see would be some arrangement that would include America in a world series of matches with focr countries in tho held—England, Australia, South Africa, and America. A better arrangement could be made, perhaps, lhan the triangular arrangement,' as tho draws could bo made more easily, and the winners of each semi-final could play a grand decidplay their games in the following season." leaving the other two losing counties to play their games in the following season. It was suggested that that arrangement would disturb the "within-the-Empire" idea at present: given effect to, and Mr. Kortlang was asked if Canada ci.-i.ld not raise a team. He said that all the decent cricketers in Canada would be told off on ono hand, and that it could not bo feasible to admit Canada as a competitor in big cricket. But why should r.ct cricket be as open as the Olympio Games (athletics), the Mpton Cup (yachting), or tho Davis Cup (tennis)? Why, indeed? Well Done, Hutt Valley. An interesting note comes this week from, Mr. "Stan" Brice.' Ho states:—"lt has been suggested to Mr. A. A. Georgo that they should give us a chance for a Hutt Valley representative v. Melbourne game in Petono. Wo had a meeting of Petone ' cricketers, and they are taking the thing up. We propose to guarantee dE3S for a match, and we will have no difficulty in getting the guarantee; in fact, we have got most of it now. A match out here;would 'shake things up,' and we could get a 6plendid wicket on the Oval in Petone.