Cricket in New Zealand.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 15, 14 July 1887, Page 3

Cricket in New Zealand.

The following remarks on cricket in New Zealand are from a letter written by W. J. Ford, the well-known Middlesex cricketer, who is now principal of the Nelson College:—Cricket is as noble a game here as it at home, but we poor folk in Nelson have to snuggle with abominable grounds, and we shall never make runs till the new one, now making, is finished. We always reckon to play a match out in a day, and always de —in fact, 8o or 90 is a winning score! If you saw the shooters, you would not be surprised. At the big places there are splendid grounds, several of which I have sampled, though only in the way of practice and anything better human beings can’t want and won’t get. Here in Nelson is the bowler’s paradise, and I’ve had a better time among the wickets than at the wickets, hut with an average of 20 one can’t grumble, considering how scores run. You know I can’t reach a shooter, and it’s either been that or “ off h : s legadd to which that they never dropped me, however hard or

high. I can see that there is lots 01 good cricket jn New Zealand if met had time to play, but we’ve no idle met so that matches are few and far between, Next year, however, we hope to make a trip to Tasmania and perhaps Australia with an united eleven, which would be very strong. What they want here is to see good cricket, and learn how to do strokes; there are lots of good eyes and strong arms, but very little style, but they seetn to think that no man ought to hit: consequently when I got oh to a half-volley, they opened their mouths, and were like Nebuchadnezzar, astonished. How you would laugh at the umpires here I No professionals, of course, and no qualifications as far as I can see. The batsman generally calls leg-byes, and the number of balls in an over varies hugely; but the difficulty is to get any one at all. One point they loOli Upon as all important, that is to carry a bat, without they are not properly equipped. Some of the fielding is wonderfully good, especially among the country fellows, who are as active as cats, and know no fear, however rough the ground is, and isn’t it rough sometime 1 One of the beauties of the small scoring is the closeness of the matches; you have to back up in the field, as every run is of horrible importance, when you only win by a dozen or fifteen runs, If you put in a side to get 50, as we did yesterday, you father expect to beat them. What would you expect at Home?