The Globe. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,1879.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1555, 12 February 1879, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,1879.

The Canterbury and Otago match has now become almost as time-honoured as any institution is capablo of becoming in this new country. Canterbury cricketors date tho beginning of all tilings from the first match, much in the samo way as pious Mahommcdans date everything from tho Hojira. Both the cricketer and tho Mahommodan consider tho period before the respectivo dates which thoy have christened as tho alpha of all things, to havo boon, moro or loss, of a fearful blank. Canterbury could now no more

exist without its annual excitement, than Putney could exist without the Oxford and Cambridge boat-race. Travelling teams visit us—Australian and English—

and yot the match of tho year holds its own in public estimation. Favoured by oxceptionally fino weather—such weather as our par-boiled team in Australia must have longed for—the sixteenth of tho series of matches has now been played, and Canterbury adds another victory to her list. Tho number credited to her aro now nine, wliilo Otago lias proved successful in six. Up to 1870 tho Dnnediu teams had decidedly tho best of it. Any old resident in Cht'istchureh will well remember i lie description of despair that at that timo soi/.od upon tho Canterbury players, when year after yoar they wont into tho field only to bo beaten, and to fool a deadly sickness of spirit as they heard behind them their " sticks" rattling, laid low by Downos or somo other by-gone celebrity. But after that dato tho fickle goddess ceased to favour our adversaries, and Canterbury commoncod a run of luck, which has lasted, with fow exceptions, up to tho present day. This fact is no doubt partially tho result of our possessing an excollont ground, and with it a capital cricketing organisation, which focusos all availablo talent. Of courso tho want of a professional lias boon much folt, but our crickotors havo tried to make up tho doficioncy by an extra amount of zeal. Tho cricketing spirit now thoroughly porvados all classes of socioty. Tho factory boy turns out in his spare hour in tho middle of the day, bat in hand, to try conclusions with his comrades —tho country districts aro ful of clubs, and, as for the Association, it porforms its functions with a thoroughness and business like solomity which must impress all beholders. But, notwithstanding our recent successos, it will not do for us to slacken in our oxortions in the slightest, or we may reap tho reward of nogligonco in another run of bad luck. Above all must we bo caroful to keep up a proper supply of " colts," as a source from which to fill up our cricketing ranks when thinnod by tho calls of businoss, by tho gout, or by advancing years. With rogard to tho match which has just boon finished, wo must sincerely congratulato tho Otagonians on having played an uphill game with much spirit and good tompor. Wo boliovo that wo are not wrong in saying that tho Dunodiu public hardly oxpoctod their team to carry off tho laurels. They hoped that they would make a good fight of it, and that was all. For, taken all round, neither their batting or bowling is strong, and howovover good their fielding may be—and in tho match proper it was very good—it does not compensate for their weakness in tho other two departments of the game. Canterbury is comparatively very strong in both bowling and batting, and the result must have been more or loss forosoon. But there aro defeats which reflect no disgrace, and certainly our guests, if they havo not gained, have at least dosorved, succoss, and wo know that they will do their best to revenge themselves next year, when the Cantorbury players visit tho Edinburgh of tho South. No philosophical cricketer has, as yet, found out what tho crickotting cycle may happen to be. In Eugland and Franco trado cyclos aro professed to havo been discovered, and there are statisticians who declare that thoy know the exact intervals at which recurrent depressions aro certain to bo felt. It is possible that tho law of cyclos may apply to cricket, and, if nine years is that cycle, it will bo well to prepare for tho worst in 1880. With regard to future matches, it appears to us that the resolutions passed on Monday by tbe representativss of tho Canterbury and Otago Cricket Associations aro very sensible. The arrangement hitherto existing has limited the time within which tho match could be played to about a month. By the new regulation the match can bo played any time between the 15th of Docomber and the 15th of March, the visiting team to give ono month's notice of tho date on which thoy would like tho match to bo played. Canterbury has so often been unablo to sond down to Dunedin tho exact team that would suit her interests, merely because businoss engagements have prevontod tho best mon from going, that more latitude in tho direction of settling a dato was very desirable, and the same remark, no doubt, applies to Otago. Another resolution passed by the representatives from tho two Associations was to tho effect " that either Association may, during tho season in whicli it is visited in duo rotation, send an eleven for a return matcli and such match shall bo regarded as an interprovincial match. This return match shall not, however, entail any obligation on the Association thus visited to return tho match during the following season." We fancy that this permission will be but sparingly used—perhaps never, except in cases whore tho two teams aro so evenly matched that the beaten one is unprepared to " take its licking." It is unfortunato that tho other cricketing province—Auckland—is so far away, for otherwise arrangoments might bo made for our playing an annual match against it. Tho cricketing interest has now assumed such proportions in Canterbury that plonty of vents aro wantod for its surplus onorgy.