CRICKET

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10318, 29 January 1927, Page 9

CRICKET

DOMINION AND OVERSEAS NOTES AND NEWS. 1 (By “Willow.”) Sheffield Shield Positions. Victoria appears to have the best chance of winning the Sheffield Shield series which is contested annually among the leading Australian States. Two games remain to be played, Victoria v. N.S.W. now in progress at Sydney, and Victoria v. Queensat Sydney, and Victoria v. Queensland at Brisbane. South Australia has played live games, winning three; N.S.W. the same number with two wins; Queensland has won only one out of her four matches; and Victoria has lost only one game in four. Queensland and N.S.W. are right out of the running, so the premiership lies between S.A. and Victoria; and for the latter to have a chance, Victoria must lose her two remaining matches to the two weakest teams of the four. With Victoria and New South Wales each playing six matches, and South Australia and Queensland each five, the Shield goes to the State having the greatest proportion of wins to matches played, Avith batting and bowling averages deciding the question in the event of- a tie. By Avinning her last game against N.S.W., South Australia has secured a percentage of 60, Avhile if Victoria should lose to both N.S.W. and Queensland, she Avould have a percentage of only 50 and South Avould take the Shield. HoAvever, should Victoria win one of these games, her percentage will be 66 and she Avill occupy foremost place. All odds certainly appear to be on Ponsford, Hendry, Woodful] and company turning the trick again

Great Wicket-keeping. Gordon Inkster, South Australia’s new wicketkeeper, a man 6 feet 2 inches in height, has quickly won fame. In tlie recent match"against Victoria, lie secured nine wickets—three in the first innings, and six in the second—which is an Australian record. Five of his victims were stumped, and four caught. The previous Australian record was eight wickets by J. J. Kelly- for Australia against England at Sydney in 1901-2. All Kelly’s victims were caught—four in each innings. There are several instances of a ’keeper obtaining seven wickets in a match, A. H. Jarvis, J. M. Blackham, H. Carter, IV. Carkeek and J. L. Ellis gaining this honor. Inkster’s total of six wickets in the second innings equals the previous Australian record for an innings, and also equals the English record. For a match, however, there are several bigger feats in England. For instance, in a match between Surrey and Somerset in 1868, Pooley, the famous Surrey ’keeper, secured 12 victims, catching eight and stumping four, while there are five instances of. a wicketkeeper securing 10 in a match.

It- is worth noting that of Inkster's nine wickets six were obtained off the howling of Grimmett (four stumped and two caught), two off Williams (one stumped and one caught), and one off A. J. Richardson (caught). He has been accustomed to taking Williams, in the club games in Adelaide this season, so that slow bowlers should present few problems to him.

As a memento of the event, Joe Travers, the old South Australian bowler, had one of the balls used in the Victorians’, second innings mounted with a silver plate setting out his feat, and it was presented to InkInkster’s name has only this season come into prominence in Australian cricket, hut when a member of the A.T.'F. team he took part in a number of the military matches in England, and did very well. He did not play with the official A.I.F. team, but was prominent in other games. Up to this season he had been out of important cricket for several years, having been living in the country, therefore liis performance is all the more remarkable.

Helping New Zealand. The Sydney “Referee” has made a strong plea lor a greater effort being made by the Australian authorities to foster New Zealand cricket. It emphasises the point that cricket in the Dominion is oil the up-grade, and that in course of time will prove a useful adjunct to the game in the various States. Further, there is no doubt that with raising the standard of the game in New Zealand, the future tours of Various Australian teams will be fraught with much greater interest. They will aid materially in the developing of talent, and it has been pointed out before that more than one of the present-day Australian eleven came to light as the result of touring through New Zealand.

Certainly, with such a capital trying out ground so handy as New Zealand, it is worth while making as much use of it as possible. In a sense “familiarity breeds contempt,” and, with greater opportunities of meeting tho best Australian players, our men would overcome their stage fright, and get familiar with the atmosphere of big cricket. Their level would be raised at the same time, and one never knows when the public will suddenly take light, and patronise the game just as enthusiastically as it does rugby football.

Game Has Altered Little. The “Young Cricketers’ Tutor” is probably the classic book on the game and, as it was published about, one hundred years ago, it is interesting to note that the great essentials of the game have not altered very materially. Under “The Ball.-” Nyren thus advises the budding bowler :- “Ye bowlers take heed, to my preCepts attend, On you the whole fate of the game must depend, Spare your vigor at first, now exert all your strength, But measure each step, and be sure pitch a length.” “If his pace he moderately fast, lie should endeavour to pitch the hall about five yards and a half before the wicket; if he he slow somewhat nearer and in swift howling not further off than five yards. The young practitioner cannot do bettor than to place a mark upon the ground at the stated distance from the wicket according to the speed at which he intends to howl and to aim at that mark.” John Nyren, who wrote those words of wisdom, plover! the game liiinself from about 1770 down to 18C0, . * 1 The modern youngster generally thinks he knows more than his-father hut if he reads hack in cricket history ho will find that he is plaving 1 the game in much the same manner as it was .played over a century ago.