CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1625, 17 December 1912, Page 3

CRICKET.

THE SOUTH MELBOURNE MEN. WHAT STRENGTH? NOTES ON THE PERSONNEL. The following appreciation of tho team of South Melbourne cricketers who arc visiting New Zealand, is from tho "Sydney Daily Telegraph." The journal in question states:— , ' • On December 11 the Melbourne express brought to Sydney'.a.team of South Melbourne cricketers, who left for New Zealand that (lay. • A few weeks ago 'Mr.' A. A. George,- of Wellington, was visiting Melbourne, when ho aslad the South Melbourne Club to organise a team to play a series of matches in New Zealand, the whole of tho expenses to be defrayed by his association. A good team was promptly organised. It will be absjnt from Victoria for eight weeks, and it contains no less than half a dozen either present or ex-inter-State players, viz., Messrs. Harry Trott, W. M'Cormack, J. I*'. Giller, J. Kyle, W. J. Scott, and A. Kenny. In Melbourne they reckon that this team compares favourably with many that have left Victoria to play in> interState matches. The Mayor of South Melbourne, Councillor Baragwanath, who is president of the South Melbourne Cricket .Club, accompanies tho team. Hie Victorian Cricket Association has so arranged the pennant; matches that South Melbourne 6hall not forfeit its chances. At present this club ranks third in the competition, having been defeated by University alone. The captain of the. team is the wellknown Hairy Trott, who formerly captained Australian teams in England. It is said that his driving and cutting powers are just as convincing as ever, but the ■growth of that "too, too, solid flesh" prevents him.doing justice to olf-fcalls. 'Jbis "adipose tissue" also' prevents the "old 'un" from bowling more than .three ot four overs, but whilst he. is on lio is just as dangerous as in his youthful days. J. F. Giller is a sound bat and bowls a right-hand medium-pace ball. , J. Kyle is looked upon as a >fine-length bowler. Ho is a medium-paced rignthander. , • W. J. Scott last year, headed the South .Melbourne'averages with 50.0, and scored no less than, 220 in one innings against ■East Melbourne. His right-hand bowling has more than medium pace, and he can swerve them 'occasionally. A. Kenny is a fine fre« bat, as tho Queenslanders ..knew when last year he scored lGl.and ICO not out against them for Victoria. . . ' R. Deas:is a hard hitter,, and. was for a couple of seasons the champion batsman of the .Sub-District Association. In tho lield he is a very sound cover point. T. Purvis was regarded by Jack Worrall us the best colt of last season; he is good all round the ■ picket, and- a good change bowler. A. Pentland is. the wicket-keeper of tho team.. • A. Gray is looked upon as>a good allround batsman and field. '. ' S. Sykes is: one of the most promising batsmen in Victoria. . Last year he.'scored 200 against East Melbourne) and followed this with Score's of 101 and 115. H. Kelly "W'as .the best bowler son in the sub-district team; he is lighthanded, and swerves deceptively. W. M'Corinack, secretary of'the South Melbourne Club, and manager of tie .team, is an old inter-State pla;'.-er, and even now plays with the first eleven. Strange to say, ho is the only lei't-hdaJer iii the team.' ;

;TO MEET-N'.S. WALES,TEACHERS. iTho following, players have been.chosen ''to::,r^pre'sent:'^eUington- : !agfi:inst. tho New South Wales - : Te'aoliers :,next Friday and 'Saturday; ..Depambcr -20- and 21. Play commences,'on Friday "at 2 p.m., and on' Saturday : .-at.,12'.; Blacklock,'..- Brioci ; .Culleh, .Gibbes, Grimmott, Pattern, Robinson,:-Saunders,.'- Southall, Wilson: . i-. ."■ ;•;.- .'. .'•''''..".'■.•'■' .. "'THE RETURNED. VICTORIANS. , ;The Victorian contingent of-the Australian Elev.en' have returned homo rich in expcriencei.Lut light in pocket, although the dividondviallittlo.under JI2OO per man, is hot.the smallest on record in connection'with English trips (says "Short Stop" in the Melbourne "Leader"). The American-tour was very enjoyable, but-did not-result ilia profit. Only at the ,ono plaoe,'.Bermuda, did the cricketers receive-a guarantee, but;, as travelling expenses, ■efb.,'3Jsdi , b?d abput. J2OO out of the : iE2SO guaranteed, the 'financial ■ result was nothing to brag about. "Jimmy." Matthews..is fully .a stone heavier, ■ and tho increased weight makes a decided improvement, in his appearance. At one. period in the trip he scaled list. 41b., which is 101b. : above his normal poundage. The trio "are glad to,get back to sunny Australia,-. and are-satisfied that no country can compare w-ith the Commonwealth. During the English tour the fine .days oould practically be counted on the ■fingers, and at one time, in Devon,;a day of prayer and-intercession was held with a' view to stop the Tain. To Australians, accustomed l to drought conditions, the purpose of the day of humiliation seems hardly credible. Matthew's says that hardly ono member of the team was free from cold during the entire trip, and if influenzawas not prevalent, whooping cough or some other troublesome ailment adequately filled the bill. In the last Test, when Gregory lost the toss to Fry, the captains agreed to play, straight away, and the ball cut through the soddened turf all the first day. Rain fell during the night, and the conditions on the second day of tho match were almost identically the same as on the . first, but Fry woidd. not agree to start at the appointed time, and the umpires upheld the English captain. The' commencement wtos delayed, and the Australians had their first innings on a wicket of tho stickiest nature. It will be remembered Hazlitt finished up tho English second innings in sensational fashion. If the ex-Victorian had not been in. such deadly form with the ball, the match would have resulted in a draw, as'directly tho Australians were dismissed rain came down in torrents and continued for three days without .intermission. . .

Another game would have,.been Accessary to decide tho rubber,',with appreciable benefit to tho AustralianVpockets. ■'• Tho three -travellers all.' say that .if Gregory had won the toss in tho final match, the Australians would have of a surety brought home the ashes. Gregory called "head" right through the trip when the coin was spun, and "tail" turned up 27 timos.in 38 matches. Carkeek says that tho running between wickets was the worst feature of tho Australian play, Jennings losing his wicket that way no fewer than 13 times during the tour. Often both batsmen would bo mixed up at ono ond, and tho judgment was woeful. "Jack" Hobbs is able to throw the wicket down from an angle about three times out of four, and some of the Australians would attempt to steal a mil on the Surrey crack, with disastrous results. They would often not run when the ball went to a slower man.