CRICKET CURIOSITIES

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1929, Page 1

CRICKET CURIOSITIES

On one occasion Otago was playing Southland (Invercargill), and it was during the progress of this game that . 1. witnessed an incident of a surprising nature (writes C. G. -Macartney in the Sydney “Sunday News”). Syd Callaway (an old New South Wales player) was batting at the time for Otago, and he very forcibly straight-drove a hall back to the howler. It was a catch, and the bowler went for it, but tlu* ball was either too fast or else he made a bad error of judgment; at any rate the ball struck him on the forehead and hounded about 30 feet in the air. 'falling into the hands of the fieldsman at mid-oil. Callaway was of course out, and so was the bowler, but only for a few seconds, when he was up on his feet again, and went on with the game as if nothing had happened. , Surprising as- this was, I saw the same thing happen again. Gordon was playing Balmain at the Sydney • Cricket Ground, and Austin Diamond, who was skipper of the former team, was fielding at short mid-on to one of ’ our slow "howlers, find Folkard was batting. The bowler sent down a short: ball which Folkard forced very lianl. and Diamond must have lost sight of ! lie hall filter-it left the hat. as lie was usually very clever in f’e close-up positions in the field. The ball struck him on the side of the head, and to give some idea of the force, it. came to me at mid-off on the full. I caught, the ball, and Folkard was out, but, unlike the Invercargill player, Diamond, just turned round once and the game went on. There must be some spots about a person’s bead which are invulnerable, because the force of the hull in both, these cases was sufficient to fell an ox. There was another incident which occurred in New Zealand that season, unique in its way, but it could easily happen in Moore Park. It was in the Domain, at Auckland. On this big recreation area the wickets for Saturday afternoon cricket are very close together, and it was during one of those congested days that a ball was hit by a batsman from one wicket to the onside, while at the same moment a ball was bit by a batsmen on the next wicket to the off-side, with the result that both balls colKJeu in mid air. Til the ease of ibo ball bit to the off-side a fieldsman was waiting underneath to malie the catch.