CRICKET.

Evening Star, Issue 3125, 24 February 1873, Page 2

CRICKET.

By “Looker on.” Sd the groat event of our cricketing year is over, the consequent excitement has sub* shied ; we make a virtue of necessity, submit to fate with as good a grace as possible, and settle down to wind up the season with the usual modicum of local matches. Otago, as was all along foreseen, was nowhere $n the contest, and Canterbury is credited with yet another easily-won victory. .No one begrudges her her triumph, but still it is a matter of very general regret, that there should have been eiich a walk over to chronic.e. If this disgraceful defe it—for we c m apply to it no milder term —rouses Otago cricketers to a sense of the humiliating position into which they are allowing themselves to drift, and stimulates them to strain every nerve to prevent the recurrence of a similar misfortune next year, then swe-t to them will have been the uses of adversity. It seems to have at last dawned upon our cricketers that their ground is not quite up to the mark. Those who hare just returned from Christchurch, and who Lad there the pleasure of flaying upon a first-class wicket, and splendid ground, are loud in their ex presaions of disgust and dissatisfaction at the state of their own ground, and with the wickets which are prepared (?) for them to practise upon, i'erhaps it is too much to expect to get a really good wicket with the ground in its present state. Nothing satisfactory will ever be accomplished in this direction until the centre portion of the reserve is fenced in, and exclusively devoted to . ricket A neat picket fence would be quite sufficient. Wa?er could then be laid on, and a handsome and commodious pavilion erected, wi .hj house accommodation for the custodian of the ground. The outside portions of the reserve would, no doubt, soon be tastefully laid out with trees, shrubs, and plants, by the (,’orpo ation, and a carriage-drive formed round the cricket enclosure. In this way the i>servo, which now presents a somewhat dreary and desolate appearance, would be rendered attractive, and become a favorite place of resort on Saturday afternoons. It was proposed at the beginning of the season to erect a pavilion for the use of the joint clubs—the Dunedin and the Citizens’, these two clubs have many interests in common, They practise together on the same ground, and many gentlemen are paying and playing members of both. This seems to be Bather an anomalous state of matters; and one is n.tmallyJed to ask the question,— “Could not an amalgamation be brought about ?” A strong and healthy club might thus be formed, a new ground made, and a snbstmtial pavilion erected. Cricketers would soon come to take a pride iu their ground and its adjuncts, There would then be some prospect of seeing good cricket; and we feel sure that iu that case there would be no lack of public support. On the cricket field class and social distinctions do not exist. There perhaps, if nowhere else, the republican ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity might be successfully carried out. Every man who conducts himsc f respectably meets and takes part in the game on terms of the most perfect equality with his neighbors, no matter who he may be. There ought to be a fraternity of feeling and an unanimity of purpose among all lovers of the game, and were this the case no occasion Would be given for prognostications of decay. We think the amalgamation of the two clubs very desirable and quite practicable. The event might b j celeb ated by a monster concert or sonie other entertainniint, at the Queen’s Theatre, half the proceeds to go to the charities, acd the remainder to ihe funds of the new club ; subscriptions to be payable in advance to enable the dub to undertake the nece-sary improvements to the ground during the homing winter. It is sometimes profitable and instructive t* look abroad and note bow our contemporaries manage their affairs ; how they act iu particular circumstances ; what results they achieve, and what means they adopt to attain them. In the Launceston Examiner of the 2Sth of last month will be found an account of the large and expensive improvements effected on the Launceston ground during the last winter. Launceston is a small town containing about half the population of Dunedin, and not by any means so go-ahead or well-to-do a place. The following is the account of the improvements as furnished by the Examiner :

First on the list is the Visitors’ Pavilion, erected at a cost Of Ll3O, and having sufficient accsinniodation to seat 250 persons comfortably. In the centre is a space petitioned off for his Excellency the Co vein or of Tasmania and suite. There are three flagpoles, and on Saturday the bunting showed to advantage, and when the pavilion was full of ladies and gentlemen it presented a very Heat and ornamental appearance. The erection of this pavilion is a great boon to visitors, as from it a splendid view of the game is obtained, and protection from the sun and weather in every part. Next wo come to the refreshment-room' erected for the general public. It adjoins the dining-room, and enables the caterer, to keep that room private and select for mouthers of the club. Then wo come to the verandah erected in front of the club-rooms specially for honorary members ; it is capable of sitting GO persons with ease, and takes off the former unsightly appearance of the tenant’s house a}}d club rooms —indeed it gives quite a pretty appearance to the whole building. An ornamental fence encloses a portion pf the ground in front, which is laid out as a flower garden, giving a finish to the whole. The old pavilion erected for ladies has- been removed bodily to the back of the tenant’s house, and converted into a store. The tenant’s house has been re-shingled, and the club rooms papered and painted, and the outside of all the buildings coloied and painted, and lastly a shower-bath has been erected off the inner club room for the use of members. Notwithstanding the large and expensive improvements referred to, the match ground has not been.- lost sight oL 200 loads of carefully-selected soil were used for dressing the match and, practice grounds, and new grass seed sown, but unfortunately the early and continuous wet season prevented muchi of tjjc peed (tom wd injured % old turf )

but now many good wickets can be obtained, and the turf is improving daily, and will be in magnificent order next season. In addition, one of liansoiue’s Automaton Lawn Mowers has just been received from England, and will keep the grass cut short, cause it to grow much closer, and make the turf wear better. Of course these improvements have not been completed without a large outlay, and wo are informed the Launceston Club is now iu debt L 260. The improvements were effected at the request of the English Cricketers’ Committee, iu Melbourne, so as to favorably impress tho gentlemen players of England with the Colony. And in order to raise money to pay the debt, the Committee have decided to hold a Bruce and Produce Auction early in March next. Agents have been appointed throughout tho Northern districts (see our advertising columns) for the receipt and collection of contributions, and the treasurer (Mr W. A. Collins) will shortly issue a circular to all persons in Lumceston and throughout the Northern districts, who are iu a position to subscribe, asking aid; and we trust his application will be met in a liberal spirit. For the time and energy he devotes to the noble game of cricket, and the large responsibilities he has, during his ten years of office as treasurer. peisonally undertaken for the purpose of effecting improvements, should command the support of all lovers of cricket and the public generally. We most sincerely wish the Committee every success in their efforts to raise money to pay for the improvements effected ; for we are informed upon reliable authority that the Launceston Cricket Ground is now the most complete in all respects of any in'the Australian Colonies. We had almost forgotten to mention that the 300 English trees of different kinds that form a belt round the ground are now growing rapidly, and in a few years the Launceston Cricket Ground will be one of the prettiest spots in the north of Tasmania. There is no reason why the Dunedin cricketers should not endeavor to emulate the (-sample of their Launceston conferee, and make the South Dun din Recreation round one of the prettiest spots in Otago. “ Outsider’s ” suggestion toe-tablish challenge cup matches is undoubtedly a good one; but we think Dunedin is hardly ripe for cai rving out such a proposal. 11 may answer very well in a place like Melbourne, with a population five or six times that of our City, and with large and influential clubs in all its numerous suburbs ; bui wiili US are afraid that such matches would prove very tame and mi; k-and-water affairs No doubt in lime wc shall be in a position to estabish so desirable a means of exciting additioi a' interest in the national pastime. The match on Saturday afternoon—Banks v. Citizens—r» suited in favor of the latter by 49 runs. The Banks made the ridiculously rtnall total of 33, and the Citizens scored 82. The marked feature in the afternoon’s play was certainly the unique and almost unparallelled display of fielding on the part of the Banking team Time after time an accommodating Citizen would favor an ornate Banker with an easy catch, plump into his delicate fingers; but a miss invariably followed, and gracefully stooping to the inevitable consequences of undue familiarity with such a hot missile, the recipient, in melancholy mood, duly returned the ball to the wickets. This delightful and truly exhilarating state of things prevailed throughout the Citizens’ innings ; Allen, their highest scorer, who played rery flukily and shakily, being missed no less than five times. The Bankers could nt muster an eleven, and had to play two substitutes, who kipdly volunteered to assist. Those who absented themselves after promt.ing to play deserve sev rest censure. The following are

the scores :— BANK!?. Tait, l.b.w., b Shepherd - - 8 Thom sou, c Allen, b Shepherd - 9 Hellicar, b Glen - 3 Witchell, c Allen, b Glen - 1 Cairns, b Glen - 0 W inter, b Glen - 0 Yickorman, b Glen - - 2 Fulton, J., b Shepherd ■ • 1 Begg (substitute), c and b Shepherd, 2 Jobson, b Glen - 0 Andrew (substitute), not out • • 5 Extras • - 2 33 BOWLING ANALYSIS. Wide Balls Runs Mdns Wkts Glen 0 58 15 1 6 Shepherd 0 57 15 2 4 Kettle 15 0 0 0 CITIZENS. Pledger, b Cairns - 7 Kettle, b Tait Allen, c Hellicar, b Thompson - 3$ Cole, b Cairns - • ■ - 2 Clarke, b Tait - 0 Aris, c Cairns, b Tait - 2 Shepherd, b Thomson . 4 Fergusson, not out - - 16 Geddes, c Tait, b Thomson - 0 Mills, run out - . 0 Morrison, b Tait 1 - 2 Extras - - 12 82 BOWLING ANALYSIS. Wide. Balls. Kuns.Mdns.Wkts, Tait - 1 86 41 0 4 Cairns • 0 48 21 0 2 Thomson- 0 36 7 3 3