Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 141, 14 March 1903, Page 18

Cricket.

A REMARK a; as made on Saturday that if footballers were compelled to play their matches Saturday after Saturday on the Basm Reserve, with the turf in, its present state, there w ould be many an emphatic piotest entered. It is a shame to ask cricketers to play their game on the Reserve just now. Generally the wickets, are in fair order, but even, with them there is an occasional drou— the pitch is not true. On Saturday, the fall in the ground was at the northern end— the previous week it was at the southern, end. This remark refers to No. 1 wicket. Last weeik's wickets were very bad. Of course, the Groundmam had no opportunity of getting them, into decent order, because of the New Zealand match with the Englishmen taking possession of the Reserve for the best part of the week. But an occasional bad. wicket can be pardoned. The fielding area, though, is the main trouble. Hills and hollows abound, even right up to the wicket itself, and how on earth players can be expected to do justice to themselves m their ground work is beyond me. The Orioket Association will have to do something in the off season,, and to the end of getting the ground put into proper order they should approach the City Council and request that the whole of the Reserve be put under their control. The ground could carry six matches comfortably, and the labour spent on it would be reipaid by the improved appearance of the ground, both from an observer's as well as a, player's point of view. A former contention of mine, re al-

lowing the footballer to indulge in practice matches on the Reserve, at the opening of the football season, is withdrawn at its stage. With the Athletic Park and Miraanar grounds in such fine order, the players would not give a "thank you" for an invitation to play on the Basin Reserve in its present rough condition. The Midland-Wellington match was advanced another stage last week. The latter team have kept the advantage theiy secured on the opening day, and present appearances point to the Midlanders sustaining their first reverse of the season. At the end of Saturday's play, they uere only two runs to the good, with five wickets down. If they are to make a deoent fight of it, the remaining: batsmen will have to bat in their best form — in fact, a bit above themselves. The Wellinorton's first innings produced 190 runs — C. Gore carrying his total to 68. The other double-figure totals on Saturday were — Pery 28, Riohaidson2l, Latham 13, and Mahony 18. Holdsworth 26 (not out), J. Wevbourne 17 and Williams 12 made the major portion of the Midland's second innings totaL of 83 for five wickets. « • • C. Gore made a pretty stroke off the first, ball he received from Upham — a cut just forward of point, that travelled very fast right to the Fountain side of the Reserve. Just when, he was settling down a beautiful catch by Upham m, the slips sent, him pavilionwards. The best innings on Saturday was Frank Holdworth's. He played very freely, and put plenty of power behind his strokes,, without making any of those lofty ones. A couple of drives straight past the bowler were real beauties., and in his 1 innings' there was an exactly similar stroke to the "fiver" made by Gore and it produced the same number of runs. Frank hits' hard and often, and if he can repeat his last week's performance by keeping the ball on the ground the Wellington team may be asked a question in their second innings. Williams' slice' of luck the previous week w T as only a flash in the pan. He was batting neatly and confidently when a "bumpy" ball from Hales hit the handle of his bat, and he was caught in the slips. Strange to say, he emulated Gore's example, and gave a. lead to Holdsworth, by sending a ball from

Hales to the same place as Gore cut Uphain. J. Weybourne's innings was very solid, and Clarke held his end up, though suffering keenly from a sprained sinew . Claud Hickson threw his wioket away by following a stroke too far through, for he was lun out in attempting to get back. Mahony did not appear to be thoroughly at home during his stay at the wickets, the majority of his scoring strokes being apparent mishit®. He was dismissed by a beautiful ball from Upham, that broke from the off to the leg stump, just beating the bat. Richardson batted confidently, though in his usua.l steady style. He was splendidly caught low down in the slips by Quee. Latham discarded the pull stroke altogether, and played very attractive cricket for his contribution. Pci A' is a. veritable surprise with the bat. He crouches right down in front of his wickets to the straight ball, and seemingly allows the ball to hit the bat. Directly one comes along on the off side, Pery seems to spring into life and activity, and. without much fuss, he "bangs" the loose with a dashing stroke to the boundary. By the way, the Wellington second eleven suffered its first reverse on Saturday, the want of Pery's serviceable oipening of the innings being much missed. The Phcenix-Old Boys match seems, contrary to expectation, likely to result m the ex-Collegians being left in possession of the "wooden spoon." The Phoenicians batted in. much improved style on Saturday, so much so that their total reached the respectable figure of 193 before the last man was disposed of. In a minority of 10 runs on the first innings, the Old Boys have lost three w lckets for 61 runs in their second essay and have the steep contract in front of them of having to make 143 runs with the remaining seven, wickets to win the match. Naughton. 35, Brice 33, Waters 39, Da.v 18, and MoCardell 11 were the double-figure scorers for the Phoenix team Kirkcaldie 23, and Staples 14 (not out) doing likewise for the Old Boys. * * * Tucker did not relish the "bumpy" ones from Brice, and was disposed of

hitting cai elessly to one on the leg side after he had made' o. Staples steadied the bowling, and protected his wicket, mainly with his crouching forward stroke. Kirkealdie kept up his reputation as a consistent run-getter, and I venture the opinion that the batting average of the Old Boys' Club will be his when the figures are made up. Naughton, Bnce, and Waters all put plenty of vigour into their strokes, Waters on one occasion being well held by Stan Hickson just under the clock. McCardell is another promoted Phoenix junior, and justified his inclusion by getting a two>-figure score. Day kept his improved form in evidence by gathering together two short of a score. « « » Both matches will be resumed next Saturday, and interesting finishes may be expected. • • • The tour of the English cricketers through New Zealand, which concluded last week, has been a series of uninterrupted successes. The visitors were not asked to answer a serious question in any of their matches, and many incline to the opinion that very seldom were they trying their hardest. For example, take the two matches played in Wellington. In the game witH the Wellington eleven, the third day s play promised to be exceedingly interesting, and enthusiasts were confident that "our boys" would make a decent finish of the game. But, directly lunch was over the Englishmen got to work, and a win by tern wickets was the result. Then, the New Zealand match, after the first innings of the local team was over, was predicted as likely to extend the visitors. But, the cheap way in which the colonial team was dismissed in the second innings would seem to point the conclusion that the Englishmen w ere not all out in endeavouring to dispose of the New Zealand team in their first journey to the wickets. These thoughts are ever present with me, and if the Englishmen make decent fights of their matches with New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, I will be stall more convinced that they are not far from the truth. The visit of the Englishmen will do good to the game in the colony — of that there is very little doubt. Generally, the visitors were more of the solid order

of batsmen than the dashing \ ariety, and their avoidance of anything on the oft -side of the wicket w ith a. bit of nusclnef in it w as very marked. He:e is where local batsmen could learn a lesson. There are innumerable cases happening, week by week, in which our batsmen sacrifice their wickets by going for the ball just outside the off stump that is working away from them, and they are invariably caught in the slips. The w ay in which Mr. Warner w orked his field was an object lesson to local captains. The pet strokes of each batsman were soon learnt, and, generally, there was a player in the spot to meet the stroke when it was made. A big mistake was made in meeting the visitors on level terms. New Zealand cricket may have improved of recent years, but of that I hay© my doubt's. Even if it has, it has not improved sufficiently for representative teams of the city associations to meet a team of the calibre of the Englishmen w ith an equal number of 'players. The matches would have been better contests if the visitors had to play against odds m their bigger engagements, and the sipeotators generally would have been more pleased with the matches. # * • The finest batting in the New Zealand match on either side, was that of Dan Reeses in the first innings ' The recklessness w Inch was a prominent feature of his play when last in Wellington was altogether absent from his batting, and during his long stay at the wickets he gave a splendid display his strokes all round the wicket being well executed. And, he had a variety of strokes, too — considerably more than Warner, who top scored for the Englishmen. Reeses sojourn in Victoria appears to have done him a lot of good, and it seems a pity that he should have left thai/ State just when he was beginning to show the form that had brought him to the forefront in Chnstchurch. Reese leaves shortly for Glasgow, and it is hoped that betw centimes he may get a fair ohaaice of making a few runs with the bat. He will carry with him. when he goes, the sincere good wishes of the lovers of the summer pastime in this country . A good match between Mr. Warner's 1 team of English cricketers: and a representative New Zealand team was absolutely spoiled by "oronk" umpiring. The abnormal number of batsmen on the local side given out leg before wicket by Mr. Ambridge, the umpire selected bv Mr. Warner, was truly appahng, and it seemed that if the ball hit a batsman on the leg, and. an appeal was made to the umpire, the decision was given against the batsman and he had to retire. In the maiority of instances, the bowlers were bowling round the wicket, too. In my opinion, it is almost an impossibility for a batsman to get leg before wicket to a bowler bowling round the wicket — if the rule is carried out in its entirety. It is not necessary to mention many instances', but there is no question whatever but that wrong decisions were given bv the umpire when Reese, Williams, and Richardson were compelled to return to the pavilion. I know not whether the New Zealand Cricket Council acquainted themselves with the fact as to whether Mr. Ambridge was qualified to stand as an umpire, and methinks if they did their information was not first class. By the wav I hoar that the gentleman in ciuestm- ha& "billed" the Council with three riavs' professional services as umpire', leaving to them the amount of the remuneration. ♦ ♦ • Some of the Wellington cricket writers get right astray. For instance a leport of the match with Mr. Warner's team of English cricketers has the following — "Reese sent Bosanquet to the fence foi 1." [The fence was the boundary, and counted 4 if the ball hit it.] ''Mahony made three splendidly-judg-ed leg-cuts into the slids each of them reaching the boundary." ''Three leg-byes. . fell to Reese " "Stanning was clean bowled bv McCarthy. . McCarthy's average was then 1 w-icket for 4 runs. . . Burnup drove McCarthy's first ball to the boundary for 4. He took a pair of fours off the same bowler. . . McCarthy had been bowling with considerable effect, sending down five overs for four runs and one wicket." ■x * * Mahony. in his short stay at the wickets on Saturday, survived no less than four confident appeals for leg-be-fore-wicket. Reputation, perhaps. Astonishing wasn't it, to read of the great successes achieved by the veteran, George Giffen in the latest South Aus-tralia-Victoria; match? His battme figures were— Bl and 97 (not out) and with the ball he secured eight wackets for 110, and seven for 70. The news was veir oleasing to many of us in Wellington.

Fied. Hack has staited m business in Adelaide, as a coaohbuikler, so that his contemplated trip to New Zealand is definitely "off" now . Great crowds are following Victor Trumper round the different grounds in Sydney, Saturday after Saturday, but latterly have been disappointed, because the "record-breaker" has been making small scoies. I notice, in a Northern paper, the report of a cricket match, played on a Sunday. Isn't this going a little too far ? If matches are pkyed on Sunday, the reports of them, at any rate, ought to be kept out of the papers. Jones, the South Australian express bow ler, has secured a billet in West Australia, and it is probable that he will be seen no more in the former's teams. The "Critic" says Jonah is far from a baok number yet, and the Perth Club who has secured his services, should benefit considerably thereby. A bowler turned up in Adelaide recontlv in A. S. Day, who dismissed six batsmen with successive balls, all clean bowled. A chance unaccepted lost him a wicket oft his seventh ball, and one run was made off the eierhth. Next ball took the last man's stumps — seven wickets, one run. Truly, a great performance. Fred. Midlane appears to have retired from playing in Sydney — at least, there is no mention lately of his name among double-figure soorers in Second Grade cricket there. Perhaps, the work in w Inch he is engaged occupies too much of his time to give full attention to cricket. Let us hope it is this — not that he is going backward in his play. Sydney tallies — R. A. Duff 49, R. Hartigan 31 (not out), J. O'Connor 45 A Marshall 87, D. Gee 59 (not out). W. S. Duff 81, W. E. Pite 46 W. Young 43, A. C. K. Mackenzie 126 T H. Howard 59 (not out), W. Bell 32, J. W. Woodburn 59. H. M. Stephen 53. H. Harris 50, E J. Gregson 49, D. C. Close 82, J. R. Maokav 73, H Dorman 41. G. Garnsey 86, L. P. Deane 35. Durino- the match in Brisbane, between Victoria and Queensland, Graham drove a ball at a tremendous pace' into the grandstand, where some ladies were seated. The ball was travelling straight for one of them, when S. McMichael, the manager of the Victorian team, saw the danger, and, springing ing in front, caught the ball within a few inches of the lady's face. The third-class cricketers' social gathering to wind up the season, is assuming definite shape. Arrangements have been made for a dinner, to be held m the Insurance Institute Rooms, on Wednesday, the Ist April, at which a bumper attendance of third-class players is anticipated. This is the first attempt the third-class 1 cricketers have made for a "wind-up" of the season, and my best wishes are theirs for a successful evening. An umpire, whose kindness of heart triumphed over his sense of the duties of his position, officiated at the match betw een officers of the fleet and a local team on the Domain on Tuesday last. A batsman of the visiting side stepped out to knock the cover off a slow ball, but missed it, and the wicket-keeper whipped the bails off when he w as a full yard outside his crease. "How 's that ?" "Not out!" said the umpire. "Hard luck for you," said the batsman to the w leketkeeper. "I wasn't going to o-ive him out," said the umpire later on to his confrere "his girl is up there on the pavilion . I must give the man a chance."— 'Actseon," in the "Auckland Star."