CRICKET IN CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 156, 8 January 1864, Page 2

CRICKET IN CANTERBURY.

J[From tho Canterbury Press , Dec. 23.] It may seem presumptuous on our parts again to force upon the attention of the public the subject of the cricket match ; but where the character of the settlement is at stake we are satisfied the public will agree with us that we have a right to express an opinion. If it were a simple game in which the character of the players only were concerned, it would be an impertinence to intrude our criticisms upon the conduct of the cricketers in the management of their amusements. We are-quite aware that some of the Club and of the public greatly disliked the plan of bringing the All England Eleven here as a speculation by Mr. Shadrach Jones. That is a matter of sentiment: but really when we consider that the visit of these first-class players will be of permanent service to the country, in stimulating tho love of our youth for one of the noblest games of agility apd skill which has ever been invented, and that had not that enterprising speculator taken the matter up, the All England Eleven would not in all probability, have visited us at all, we must say that it appears like an over-refinement of good taste to decline the permanent advantage because we do not like the way in which it is to be obtained, or to refuse to aid the work because it may incidently put some money into Mr. Shadrach Jones’s pocket. On the contrary, it seems to us rather a matter of congratulation that any successful speculator should have taken a fancy to a venture the success of which;is likely to confer so large a benefit on the community.

Tho matter however is settled; the Eleven are to come here, and the match is to be played within six weeks from the present time. No option is left ns now; we shall be posted in every newspaper in England either as a plucky set of fellows who in the midst of the bard struggles of a settler’s life, and the incessant grind of money grubing, have retained some of the manly tastes of our race and some of the honourable pride which English lads delight to carry even into their amusements ; or, on the other hand, we shall be charged with having fallen off as a community from tho high standard of tho old country, and with having exchanged pluck and activity for bounce and tall talk. There are in this province some very good players, amongst them one if not two captains of tha

Eugby eleven. What are they doing ? The match is to be playotejn little more than a month but the twenty-two is not yet selected. No captain is yet chosen. The Secretaries are engaged in their. ordinary business, and are not preparing themselves for the keen sight and quick hand required to make a good catch by pouring over ledgers auditing accounts. We would impress on these gentlemen that what is every body’s business is nobody’s business. The getting up of the match ought to be committed to some one man who should undertake the task of organising the party who are to play, of seeing that they attend on the ground at stated periods to practice constantly and regularly, and especially of providing that those who are up the country shall come up to town, and put themselves in active training. In our opinion the great chance of the twenty-two will lie in their fielding. They will not make long scores against the best bowlers in the world. Nor is it to be expected that our bowlers will effect much against ■the batting of the Eleven. Batting as an art seems by (he recent scores to have been gaining on the bowling. As in war the arts of attack and d defence vary from time to time with the .adaptation of scientific discovery to their respective objects, so in cricket at one time the short score made in the public school and other matches would seem to show that the art of defending the wickets is in advance of the art of attacking them. This will tell in favor of the Eleven, who will probably look with tolerable complacency upon any bowling we can bring against them. But with twenty-two in the field, however long they may stay at the wickets it ought to be very difficult to steal runs, and sooner or later the best player lifts a ball which ought to drop in some one’s hands where so many are on the ground. It seems to us that it is in fielding that our men are most defective, and it is in fielding that there is the least, we might almost say no practice Men never field properly except in regular games played side against side ; and whilst it is very easy to get a hour or two of bowling, or at the wicket, it is more difficult to got the chance of fielding as in a regular match. If twenty-two men are not well handled and disposed of on the ground and if they are not practised a few times together, they are likely to get in one another’s way and so do more harm then good. We do, therefore, earnestly beg our cricketing friends to lose no time in getting their picked men together for regular practice and training, so as to turn out a field which shall do credit to Canterbury.