THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1681, 22 February 1913, Page 12

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

A WEEKLY RECORD OF SPORTS AND OTHER PASTIMES.

CRICKET. .:. -4 —.■■■■'.

[BY m.iJiIBAKER.] . ; i.;-.. 1 '■■■ ;j,. i' ■ Make or Mar tho Basin? ' !-It n3.;an..'httra'ctive-16bking plan .which nppears.iu -TEtE Dominion to-day showing - Mr; Morton's ; scheme for lead ing. tho cars through'; the Basin on a gentlo curve;flank-. ,cd by trees, and the lure of a new.pavi■.lion. is also held' out-to cricketers. • <-• iJ'l "Tie;:scheme, could be lieiivily_ assaulted" both from tho poinCpf .view of city fiuanco . liud from 'the. yiew-point-of- 1 cri'ckotr-for; . both. will - suffer—.but,, as -.the' been taken up with- approval by Mr.-Mar-'. .','; tin Ltickio and others, who havo'put;their, time, their energy, and, aliis, their, money, • into .furthering the interests' of . cricket, ■. : no. good -purposo '. would -' be served ;' by; ; thrashing ~ the matter- out' in a hostile ;.; way in a cricket column, "The Breaker"., '.'therefore merely ento|rg'his-strong'not© of doubt, and leaves it at that.- ■ If . .the scheme is taken in hand, cricketers and . athletes will, of course, have'to stand-off ;:tho Basin for a.year; or piaybe'niore', but' that-is only the smallest feature in ' the 1 wholo thing. :V i By^',the-way,-what, robin'will bo left for V V; A Correspondent on Cutting up the -.. Basin. . ii .correspondent has tho ■ following lo say fn reference to 4ho broposat to alter tho pasin Reserve in ordor-to improvo the tram routo' •' f-, - : I havo read with some interest ond noi little, amusement .thesscheme.'pro-,' ■; pounded , by'.'tho' City Engineer ,(ilr. ." Morton) for-"improving" the Basin . ■ Beservo. For. years past the idea of 'running, the. trams tnrqugh-.the,'.reserve has ■ ■ been uppormost in' the minds of quite - ~ ft''number of: people',;. but "; ttie sugges-. i - ti(}ii has ' always; been strenuously opi : posed by tho',sports.bodies, and -tho'Totmg strengthrof. tho latter dq- . ■ teried:anj-k-strnight-out movemont to ..spoil tho reserve." i . ... Itr. Morton has apparently fully re- : . :i cognised thb'vpower :of-fheisports, bod- ) ie3,»and -sportingf.-pubhc,-,.'and- he? Je'-> too;- astute. Si-* persoti' to run' -'directly :■/ /;counter .'to -tliis'rvotihgi-power Vana. L ...he,;solves the problem by proposing! • !. ' r ,;tq:oiit;.down "tie size.'of rthe Teseryq. ;. on the _ one hfljiid, ;'and to ,a", certain - degree?improve tho tram and. i'on;;the,other,-hand.',to -givo a- to'■ •' ::tho. 1 athleticj bodies'-.■ by,:;ia ~proposal .to' .erectJWSqw';grandstand."'.' ■/ ~ •<:■ Personally, -I'- can- see very little to ,'' / bo gained, J by,; tho -.proposedalteration, : , ~ except; ,that it i.is j ;in -'.official adtnis-.. : .: sion : that >Hie, Basin Keservo is sadly ■ v in ' r 'ofgonerali' re'riovation. The '■. • cribket,- j .atb|etic ..and ;■ sporting, public', •: .generally^ io .consider . this'. mafte^.^ost' oarefnlljr -;"befqre7 tboy": support'. the ; | City, Engineer,' and;the ( ■ . matter la really, in, their hands, y . ; •rffj Sincerely hope; that'-Mr- Morton; will; cot be able to bluft the schemo ■ -: jthrqughi-. until 1-t: has at : ,least - been',, • endorsed. by . tho athletic bodies.—l - ' OnC'ctc.,. ■/ WATCE THIS THINd. Laughter I 11 ' 1 - Much, laughter,'.has been causcd this ; '.wcekjby a: City Council advertisement, -'re- ■■ Eervinj thq -Basin Eeserve for three days.- , No 1 bile,;co.uld fathom' ' what >it oil meant n't .firstijbjit; that, . i th'd :*p6iicille(l' .'••for ', ket caicelled' 'months ago, but the,advertisement relating to it .was inserted 'last: week till tho tame! A' : .. ■ i ■ vyhat Crick'et Has' Spent on the Basin.; ■ . ■ At. last: Tuesday's:meetihg ; of. tho Wellington. iCrkket,.'As^ciatiqn,it:.i'wa3:,pro- : ,- l>bs6tl;th'ut''S,-iarther.;ett'o.rt should bo-made to. get a greater amount of. tho control of . t.tt'e 'iiisiu';Jlcserye 'ground.'handcd oyer to ; that peqplb , sometimes asked,' ' hab . 'cTickoc'-'done for' tho "Basin?-; ;Mr. M. ,F. Liickioi'ot'once. replied- that. since ; lffi2 be- ' . tween : it!7(K5Si : and lieio,ooo-;-liad been spent by tho.cricketcre on tho givund. 1 Mr. C. ■ Q.;,\Vilsbn irightly.' that' it' was 'no ■ uso saying 'that' in ' a' (jen^val-.'^ayThby l ■ .have;'chat fact set oflt': clearly, in . details f so; as to«bq ablo :to conrront tho . sceptical'with',jt.,'-' Mr. [ Wilson's . point ,was .itj-ivas, decided to ,obtain :a i'report-as to. all. mflneys. spent by tho asso- ■ ciation'oti j the' ..ground. : Tho report • is, not ayailable ; 'yot, ! but : it can bo. shown (as. hereunder) ithat : Mr.' :Liickie.,wa3 'not ; exaggerating.',';"' ;' : V' .A' '; One of tho present' City Counoil, who is, too, a member of fjhe Eeseryes C-ommittee ' of. the council—ani': ;tliat committee controls the .Basin—adred a - member of tho Cricket Associntioni recently what, crickot :had; done, to;iiliprqjyq,the„Basin,'rqmark-. wng at;thb same;tiiib thatvhe'did not 'be- , lieve- cricket' had, spent ':a -halfpenny on '' ' the ground.. •''For':'tho enlightenment of : ; that niunicipal direatqr,.'an'd of all'others 1 who see;;through,;th©,'same;spectacles,.we. : 'givo the following approximate sums. .'lt 1 . will be ..seen .that only the last, 18 years, 1 ;arß; : enibraced, arid-yet -woll over i£sooo'is : accounted for. ' :: '£ Groundsman (Mr. Twist), 18 years at •jeißo ' 3240 : Ditto (Mr. Saunders), 3 years at : .E2OO ■ 600 j Ploughing,.etc., to ground,'l9l2 . , 90 , Ditto on other occasions* (say) v'. 1 250 Casual labour ....'„ 1000 ; Fence 50 j Total 5230 In tho above tablo the cost 3 of the horso for all those years, horso feed, top-dress-lnff, soil, and turf havo not been included. The Sports Bodies' Omission. A point tho Cricket Association lo mak- ; ing just now is/that the Athletio Associa- ; tion ueo tbe Basin, and do not contribute , ; anything to the upkeep of the pound—do' ; not'help to. repair it. The'cricketers, do ,• not disputo, tho sports bodies' right to. nso \ the ground, but they Tesont the absence of •assistance. -They- admit that, the ptoplo are careful "with the ground, biit. point out that the cricketing tnrf,-inevi- | tably suffers during a sports meeting. .' Match With Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay have asked Wellington to . play them'at Napier on M,aroh 15 and 17. As tho Canterbur'y-'matcli is "off,"-Wei- ; lington will probably make the appoint; j went as'.suggested, and .tho deletion of the • southern fixture .-will result, also,'in a : stronger team going to Napior than would havo-been: got away if Wellington had ( ibeen allowed to, play with the lofty . southorners. '' - : . Wanganul Coming. . , Wanganui. wishes to play Wellington;. hero oh ;March 17' and 18; and it. has been decided-to meet 'tlieirl request/" A c'.iaigo' for admissionjUo'the'Basin will;l)o,modo . on the first day, and on the. following day • a collection will bo taken crl the, (,'iound. , ' . Wanganui are strong this year, and , tlicir team will probably includo Butter- ; worth (an English University player, who figured hero with the Nomads a while back),'Bernau, and Oston. A Scoring Junior. ■ IV B. Broad, the Victoria College'junior player," who hit up 135 against Ciwterbury : 'College a few weeks ago, inade 103 apninst College the other day. ' Broad may turn out a'rattling (;t,od bat of the ?tendV type. He plays verv pati- 1 'ontlj'j and for tho, right ball to . -h'f- II" is particularly punishing on tho off.' District 'or Club Schcme. The old controversy is l o lie.'-gone nil . Ctvfr njain i oii' Thursday a special oi' tin .Wellington. Cricket,-Asso- . c'a! ifli "• tf ill; t» ',|i'elili'. with tin; cbject of i-vnv'iiitj-i'.t Vo:i!!> policy regarding the 1 . t.:--i to 1,0, followed—club . or district Hth?i):e. " •' ■ '■' - : .■:-;r-w Xratnnd ! "Plant a tree n'i-i ih,'M p'i!l it up by the roots I;i i-ee wliv-ther it is growing -,il! i'iisiny as vaudcvillo. The

only trouble is that the tree-which is oncket—may (if it. is pulled up by the firoota too :often) sadly, out sternly refuse to grow at all. Closing, of the Season. ,I'ho City Council authorities propose to close.the Basin lieserve, the chief of the city cricket grounds, on March 31;-but the'.Cricket Association "proposes to' ask' tho council to extend the timo for/ ordering up tho shutters to.,- April 12, and so givo cricket an extra two weeks in which to oomplote tho season's championships. '■It is understood that a decision will be coiliotonext week on tho question of how tho drawings from now on to the end of the seasonare to be. mado.. . The Junior Championship. , •".'The, Wellington .junior' championship K-es (practically). between St.-Mark's and Victoria College. Complete returns by club secretaries have not been made, so details cannot be.given,at present ■ vStiMark's and College havo each been beatenonce." St. '.Mark's have won all thoir matches, but College have two more fixtures 'to complete. College's matches are with North and Central. Against ■North" they are "leading on 'the first'innings. , ' Central will probably be third in the competition. , The returns' have not been forwarded by , the club secretaries to the junior Championship Committee, and therefore it'is impossible for the committee to get out a complete table of'results. 'Secretaries who take so lyhole-hbarted .aii, interest in' the .game as the secretaries for Wellington's junior teams clearly do will certainly live for pver, in the memory of : a grateful'community. ' Morton Minor—Coming Bowler. ■ Wellington College has d bowler of consulerablo. promise. Tho youngster poes by. tho liame. of. Morton Minor. ■ .He is a midget of about ,1G yearsi and is a sou of Wellington city's;. Engineer., (Tho boy bowls n slow leg-break" ball, and keeps an excellent length. . ' ■ s '■ If he is "carefully trained and not overworked on the cricket field he will probably become, one of Wellington's best bowlers cf the near future. Ave! Trumper i ■ ' Details of the Trumper benefit match are to hand by the 'mail; and it appears .t'Jj-a't:'-."Victor" will receive, the .biggest Imd to b'; suspended by a'cheerless spell tho .two days. •', On one of tho days, play had to be suspended by .a cheerless spell of heavy raiii, bitf,l3,ooo enthusiasts stood' round and waited, and steadfastly refused to go home.' Trumper himself was cheered to' tho echo when he went in to bat, and aftenverds cheered for every ran lio made.. There's; enthusiasm; if you like! - When the Australian public warm to a player tliey, certainly don't, do things by halves. Macartnoy. 1 - ' Little C. G. Macartney's last half-dozen appearances; at, the wickets in first-class matches lmvo resulted in his.scoring 125, DC, 31, 76 notVmt, 91, and. 10.■ : Frontal Attack on Wellington's- Morals. Woes of Otago and perfidy of Wellington, voiced by-"Long Slip" in the "Wit-' ness," amount to this;— ' ' < '.. "If Otago's challenge for the Plunket Shield' was unsatisfactory,' Wellington's challenge, after • 'all the shuffling of the northern asso'ciatipn, amounted to sheer impertinence,.. It is noted now that in view of the suggested date (Easter) for''; : Wellington's challenge for the Plunket Shield., being unsatisfactory ' 1 to the 0dI?U; Vb ,I ry.C r i cket Association, Welling-. not to challengo again this season! - "Wellington is now .being paid'back in its bwii "mint.- . 'Tho northern association ; ignored the work of the conference of delegates, turned down ' Canterbury to play, Auckland for tho shield, sacrificed Otago at the same shrine, upset> .tho whole scheme of representativoi.cricket and theri'uirtly returns to the worship of t'h® golden calf by chal-. . lenging--Canterbury, for the shield -at Easter.' This, too, •on top of-tlio resolii- . tion "passed" by Canterbury—'That :no match bo played'. with I 'Wellington, this 'season.'..';• .what has. been condemned",in .Otago amounts to an oli'encq in' Wellington. '■ ' I',.' "'.'''.V

, "I liave; already said great 'deal "con?" ;corning.;the attitudo of; tho. Wellington Crickfct .As-ociation 1 tqiyards. Qtago and its_ Gilbertian replies' in re tho 'l'lunket Shield and other distresses, but Wellington has out-Gilberted Gilbert in its latest 'roply '.to 'Otago. : Eogretting ? its inability to send a , too m to Otago this year, the secretary states that ('"lie .Wellington Association had not received any: advico until- quito recently that it was expected to send a team to Dunedin this season!"' Then "Long Slip" takes oft' ,his coat, hangs: it, oyor ~U}® back of . the nearest chair, and Svades in thus"Wellington ignored the(conferenco of,.last yearj turned down Canterbury Vto .play .Auckland for the. Pluiiket Shield'match at Now Year; -'sacrificed Otngo in pursuit of tho' bauble in Auckland; upset tho whole of tho work of tho , conference' which 'brought -in ' a scheme of representative matches for tho good of' Now Zealand cricket generally; and now. calmly denies receipt of advico from Otago requesting the visit of a Wellington team this'season. Even if Otago had not written Wellington to that effect in November last, there were the resolutions passed at the conference -in Wellington ; last, season, bringing into operation tho scheme of representative cricket this year; and, if this were not enough, there was the moral obligation that Wellington' was under to Otago for visits unpaid and long seasons overdue. , Wellington.appears to bo purposely impossible."On "An" Easy Wickot. The crioketera . seemed to delight in their task of rattling the collection-box or selling photographs at tho Trumper benefit match (says,an-exchange). M. A. Noble sold:out his stock early in tho afternoon, and though it was frequently replenished, ho foundvno difficulty in disposing of the .photos \'of. the champion. / With the col-lection-box' he'was equally successful., ;; Tho' other-players were happy in their onslaught on the public. C. Cx. Macartney .must. ;havo, been jealous of the fun-'hu ' comrades '.were having, for. immediately after he i was disposed of, he donned his green and gold blazer, and the hand that had been wielding the bat to some purposg was soon gripping a box with profitable result, though exploiting ' a claim his colleagues had previously worked. On the top floor of. the members' stand, Henson Carter gathered in the coin. ' "Sit down in' front," jocnlarly remarked an occupant, as the wicket-keeper obstructed his view. "Not to-day" was the Waverley man's reply as a coin dropped in. -, Many of tho members contributed each day. One old Australian Elevon player w J ho has represented both Victoria and New South Wales, was a. cheerful giver each tamo ho was asked, arid, ,in addition, induced his friends to do likewise.- '. ; A'.Pro'mlslnfl Victorian. Tho all-round performanoo of Ryder ires the best in the match (saya the Sydney. "Arrow" in its comments on tho Trumper benefit match). Ho scored 38 and 71, and secured five for CO and three for 22, besides fielding skilfully. lie is the best all-rounder Victoria has unearthed for many a day. As'batsman he is quite first-class, and successfully oa ho has performed this season! one has little doubt that he will do still better. In first-class cricket in this his first season hehas. scored 74, 57, 110, 0, 14, 40 jiot out. IG, 2, 53, 21, 25. 38, and 71. Ryder watches the ball closely, is good in hie back play, is likely to further improvo, and is sound on each side ofthe wiclcet. His bowling is not as fast ns that of & few others, but ho has a big advantage over most of his rivals, by reason of his keeping a good length',. In n few cases tho ball swung nway to tho off nfter pitching on tho Wednesday. He is a good bowler, and a far hotter one than bowlers of his pace usually are on Australian wickets. He .scorns to' have a knack of coining faster off tho pitch at times than tho striker expects. If an Australian team were to bo cKosen to-day the athletic Victorian would beyond question be entitled to a place.