CRICKET.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 December 1929, Page 4

CRICKET.

SHEFFIELD SHIELD. ( VICTORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES. (Australian Press Association) MELBOURNE, Dec. 26. In the Sheffield Shield cricket match between Victoria and New South Wales, the start was delayed by rain. The crowd became impatr nt and hooted the skippers, Ryder and Kippax. Scores were: — j Yicloria—First Innings 229 (Ryder y 0, Ponsford 65, Ellis 25, Hendry 43 \ and Bigg 44). Everett took five wickets for 57, Hooker three for 48, and AlcCabei one for-39. Ryder went out in the first over, touching 'the 'ball into Davidson’s! hands. Hendry was run out. At stumps New South- ’Wales had scored eight without loss (Phillips 6, Fairfax 2). * QUEENST,' NT> V. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ADELAIDE, Dee. 26. Light rain was falling when South Australia began their first innings against Queensland, and it- caused, an interruption after lunch. The score at stumps was five wickets for 338 runs (Hone 24, Harris 78, Pritchard 62, and Richardson, not out, 124). THE DEMPSTER INCIDENT. (The Dominion.) “Interested” writes from Wanganui :—“The Press Association report of the dismissal, of Dempster in the first innings of the Wellington v. Af.C.C. cricket match on Saturday gives the impression that Duleepsinjlii was guilty of a .breach of the unwritten laws of sportsmanship in making the appeal for the dismissal of this batsman when lie was, apparently not out. I expected that your erb'ket contributor would have dealt with the incident in his column on Wednesday, but no mention is made of the matter.

“In view of the importance of the match and the visit of the Englishmen, would your contributor kindly state how Dempster was out if, • in fact, the ball struck the wicket and the bails were not dislodged—although disturbed. It has always been my impression that it .was necessary, before a batsman being given out, ' bowled, for the bail to be completely removed. Tt appears on the face of it to have been a very technical point of appeal.”

“Interested,’’ it is dear, is unaware of the fact that the laws of cricket were recently altered in such a way that it is now not' necessary for a" bail to fall to the ground before a batsman is bowled. The law was altered on account of a case where the middle pin was knocked back while the bails remained intact. The new rule states that a batsman is bowled if the bail’ is dislodged out of the. groove on the top of the stumps. This’ is what happened in Dempster’s case. He chopped a ball from. Nichols 1 on to his sticks, and a bail became slightly displaced. The umpire at the square-leg (Air S. A. Smith) came up to the wickets to set the bail back in its place, and when an appeal was made to him he had no option, but to give Dempster out. Duleepsinjhi, in appealing, commit* ted no breach of either the unwritten or the written laws of sportsmanship. He had noticed that Nichols had got a wicket by bowling Dempster according to the new laws of the game, and considered that, the Essex man was entitled to get the wicket. There is no question but that Dempster was out, and Air Smith had no hesitation in giving him out. AI.C.C. AT TIAIARU. TIAIARU, December 27. The M.C.C. team opened the fourth match of their tour against South Canterbury this afternoon. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat. They occupied the wickets the whole afternoon, having 252 on for nine wickets at stumps. The start was disastrous, two wickets being down for seventeen. AA’oolley and Turnbull stopped the rot and Nichols improved the position, scoring seventy-five. Legge gave a good all round display for fortv-one. Barratt compiled 39 in short time, hitting out freely. The fielding of the home side was good, and the bowling in the early part of the match was very accurate, the bowlers being assisted by the wind aiul the wicket.