ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1871, 3 October 1913, Page 9

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

OUR CRICKET. ' REVIEW OVER TWENTY YEARS. BY WELL-KNOWN PLAYER. Mr. D. Reesa, who is one of tlio best known of New Zealand. cricketers, • has just written a very interesting sketch of oricket in New Zealand, Ho considers that tho 1896 Australian team, captained by Trott, was tho greatest ' side wliich over visited New Zoaland., Writing to tho "Referee," lie s,ays jthat ' tho coming of professional coaches has had a very important bearing on the development of the game here, and he regards the Plunket Shield as ft stimulant. . . - ' Creat Sides In the "Nineties." , "In 1890 (ho states) Otago brought out A. E. Lawton; of Lancashire, under a fivo years' engagement, and .he did wonders during his stay. . Within a few years ho had lifted Otago to the best toam in the colony, and 1 have always thought that their side at that time _was | one .of the best; provincial 1 elevens" ever seen in the country. In Fisher, Downes, and Hope they had a famous trio of bowlers, but theirbat- . ting was not strong' enough i to,make them as a side equal to the present-day 'Auokland and Canterbury ' oloven,s. , Canterbury, in 1898, Jim' Phil- ' lips, and though , only for one year, with good results. ' Charles Bannerman, Harry Graham, Blacklock, S. P.' Jones,' .T. V. Saundors, E. Humphreys, W. Carlton, Pearson, F.. Ward,' and J. H. ' Board have all since been engaged for different periods by tho various associations, and it is patent to anybody today that they have all done a tremendous amount'of good to tho game. But, abive all these, tho most dominating figure among the imported professionals is A. E. Relf, tho Essex and English Tost Match player. .He is one of the most thorough cricketers I have ever mtt, and, in this respect, resembles some of the best Australians. He at oace made the Auckland Eleven tho best in'the Dominion, and enabled them for several seasons to retain possession of the much-coveted Plunkot Shield. : New Zealand Batting. "It is in batting that New Zealand has improved most, and the style of play has been remodelled somewhat/on the lines of the Australians. : In 1894 New Zealand batsmen were essentially forward players, a style fairly successful on hard, plum!) wickets, but quite fatal on slow wickets, or to a slow bowler getting a bit of spin on. When' S. W, Austin, of the 1894 New South Wales team, bowled the Nefr Zealand eleven out. for 60; odd runs, ho was : opposed to batsmen who never loft" their crease to hit, or played back, and the result made very sad reading for New Zealand, A. Fisher and A. Downes , used to rock out' Canterbury's ..best , batsmen in the same way, on tKo Dunedin'soft wickets. In 1890 the clever play of Gregory, Hill,, and Co. was fa great lesson, which was taken to heart, whilo a few' years later came Warner, Burriupj" and Taylor., But then came Trumper, Hill, Duff, and Noble, and Co., with quite |the most brilliant and versatile batting ever seenin New Zealand.: ■ ,/ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■' : ■- •, Debt to Australia,. - "Apart dfir gaged, it is to tho Australian touring teams' we owe most :for 'the improvement that has. been mado, 'Tho. English teams of recent, times ; have shown us some excellent oricket, but tliey did not teach the individuals as Australians do. Harry Trott, H. Trumble, M. A. Noble, and W. W. Armstrong are the players who have had most opportunities of imparting'knowledge to our younger players,'and New Zealand .appreciates the good they have done. Not only did they teach \ our , young players, but they taught many' of our groundsmen how to'improve the wickets and this hns moant a good deal. "But in .their play,' the Australians have always been the keener sides here. In'running the play--1 ors,of• the Commonwealth, to my'mind, .. lead the world, and'.we have seen Gregory and Graham, Hill and Trumper, .jDuir and Trumper," all famous in, this respect. ' ' Of all Englishmen I have : seen, Hobbs and Rhodes alone show » the' same judgment; and daring.' Match Temperament. "Apart from the actual wielding of the - willow, New Zealand batsmen have .developed that very necessary essential, match temperament. I remember Hugh Trumble once-, saying to me, in a jocii- • lar .manner, 'I would not like to play " New' Zealand at tho nets.' That just about sums up most of. the Now Zea--1 land batsmen of ten or fifteen years ago. ■ Whon Trumble toured New Zealand with the Melbourne C-C. team, his name was on all tlio advertisements for the match in as the world's greatest. bowler, . so that, although he stands 6ft. ■ 4in., he must have looked- almost Bft: to most of tho batamen. The result was very disastrous, and. Hughie told mo afterwards .that the advertisement got him many wickets. "But New Zealanders wore not alone In' the matter of being haunted out by a groat bowler.' I havo seon country sides in England fairly bustled out by tho name of Hirst, with most of tho Katsmen wanting to go in lato when the . swerve was off, but against' sides of that sort Hirst could swervo. to tho . eleventh hour, . , "Fry; and other great English Batsmen, wore on tho trot most of tho time against tho Australian XI 1899 famous ' / bowling'sidp, including E. Jones at his fastest: Tho • Victorians, used to bo scared of Giffen in tho early '90's, until Harry Graham came along and .sailed into 'old Giff.' l as he had never been . treated before. Giffen kept saying: • 'I'll get him; I'll'get him,' but the little dasher had 80 odd on before he did —so much for temperament. . "When you see Ho'mus, Patrick, and 6neddon in Australia you will realise New Zealand has commenced to turn out a now typo of batsman,, who will demonstrate moro than I can on paper the game has progressed. Lastly, thero is one department of tho game in which, to my mind. Now Zealand has ' held her own with all countries, that i 3 . wicket-kceping." THE WAREHOUSEMEN. OVERTURES TO AMALGAMATE. "If we amalgamate wo will lose our identity altogether," said Mr. Gallagher (representing tho Polico, Club) • when spealring on tho amalgamation question at the annual meeting of tho Warehousemen's - Cricket' Association last evening. There was a good attendance of delegates, and Mr, A. Simm pr«sided. The matter of amalgamation or affiliation with an outside association croppod up in conscquenc# of a deputation representing tlio Junior Cricket Association, which waited on the'meeting. TTie deputation consisted of Messrs. W. F. Ponder, and T. I. O'Sullivan. Mr. Ponder referred to tho good work wiTlch'his association was doing in the interests of cricket in Wellington, and said that his association thought that amalgamation with the Warehousemen's Association was worthy of consideration. Ho suggested thdt a committee should bo appointed to wait on tho Junior Association and discuss, the matter fully, as tho question was ono. that was 111 the interests

[of tho sport. His association represented some tlirco hundred membors, and tho finances were in a most satisfactory position. Ho said that thero were some vory strong reasons why the Junior Association of this city should bo joined by tho Warehousemen's Association. Tho question of suitablo grounds interested both associations. "If we had a strong united committee," ho said, "wo would bo nblo to go to tho grounds oommitteo and get grounds which wo" at prosent aro not able to get. Wo do not know how much tho Wellington Association caters for this class ol cricket but wo know that there is not a strong attotnpt to help this particular class." Mr.' O'Sullivan also addressed the delegates, and spoko in favour of tho two-dnys-a-match question. » Tho chairman said that Lis association would givo tho matter consideration. When tho deputation withdrew, Mr. Gallagher said that on the wholo mattor he felt very strongly. ' "This is an attempt to get in the thin edge of the wedgH," lie said. First, it was suggested that the amalgamation would bring about better grounds, and then the second speaker of tho deputation brought up the two-days-a-match question. ;Ho considered that tlio .association 1 would lose its identity if it amalgamated with any outside association. _ "We have our one-day matches, and it is a sort of .free-and-easy cricket. If we amalgamate with any other association they will swallow us —we won't swallow them—and then wo will cease to exist. A year ago tho secretary of tho Junior Association was at ma every day asking mo to amalgamate, and offered all sorts of inducements. Personally," he concluded, '1 .am antagonistic to any amalgamation or affiliation whatever." ' Others present spoke , against the question of amalgamation, and after somo further discussion, the following were appointed to meet the Junior Association for tho purpose of .hearing their proposals-Messrs. Leddy, Simm, and Watson. , Several other matters came up for 'discussion, but as the hour was late it was decided to adjourn the meeting until Thursday noxt at tho Railway Social Hall. Tho annual report,, which was adopted, stated that the Kernot Cup and tha association's championship was won oy Levin and Co.'s Club. The report also mentioned that application had been made for seven wickets on tho council's reserves for the coming -season. The balance-sheet showed an excess of assets over ■ liabilities of £31 17s. lOd. ;• ; The following officers were elocted for the ensuing season President, Mr. A. E. Kempt; vico-presidents, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., , Inspector i Ellison, and Messrs. Dalzielt, F. Sanders, C. B. Mann, S. Richardson, 'J. Orcnison, H. D. Whitcombe, R. G. Reod, H. N. Liardet, R. W. M'Viliy, A. E. Pearce, F.. G. Page, R. A. Wright, P. J. Griffon; secretary, Mr. J. Leddy; chairman, Mr. A. Simm; management committee, Messrs. MacGei, Gully, Watson, Goddard, , and Castle. 1 \: _ .