Cricket.

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 274, 30 September 1905, Page 20

Cricket.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association was held on Wednesday night — too late for a notuce thereon in these pages. The recent wet weather has kept things back a bit on the Basan Reserve, and the groundsmen have not been able to put their full time in on the preparation of the grounds. To the pa&serby the Reserve looks in good order, the grass being nace and green, and seemingly with plenty of body in it. It is more than probable that championship matches in Wellington will not commence before the last weeik of October. The caretaker of the Athletic Park is hard at work putting down two Builli soil wickets, which he hopes to have in order for the commencement of matches. The wicket allotted: senior matches at the Park last season was a very poor one, but Mr. Murphy hopes to be able to satisfy the sen.ors, this season. It won't be for the want of trying, at any rate. The probable strength of the various teams I wall discourse upon later on. It is sufficient to state ait this stage probable movements of players. Barnon, who last season made the biggest tally for Canterbury against the Australian Eleven, has joined Midfland, and should strengthen the batting of last year's champions. I hear Ooborort has joined Phoenix, and McKay, who had a reputation as a fast bowler in the Dunedin Club before he came to Wellington, has joined the Gasworks team. Conangham will again be playing for Newtown, and Staples has left the Old Boys' team, and thrown in his lot with the Midlanders. The Austral team has given up the ghost, the absence from town of such players as Dakin, Bartlett, and Vivian accounting for their retirement. Dakin has been transferredi to Christ church, and Bartlett to Palmerston North. I hear Mahony has re-joined the Wellington Club, and Tucker has decided to give the Old Boys the benefit of his services for another season. The cricket season is likely to open in Ohristchurch to-morrow (Safcurdlay). The matches there thisi season will assume a new phase, as all the old clubs are defunct, and a district scheme has taken their places. The shield presented by Messrs. Simmonds and Osborne for competition among the Wednesday cricketers, is a beautiful piece of work, and should cause a good competition for the honour of winning it "for the first time. As it is not to be expected that I can be in too many places at the one time, club secretaries are invited to send to me any items of interest that may come under their notice in connection with their clubs during the incoming season. Mr. Hanlon, the president of the Otago Cricket Association, is complaining of the deterioration) of fielding in connection with cricket in Dunedm. He says, owing to net practice, the art of fielding has gone out, and l the sooniier this form of practice is done away with the better. _ And theire are many who will agree with him. The tour of the Australian cricketers at Home has been a disastrous one from the view-point of many enthusiastic supporters of the team in Wellington. The only hope we have now is that youngeT blood will be given a show m future Australian teams, and that thereby the "ashes" will once again find a lodging-place in Australia. "Short-slip," in a chatty article in the "Sydney Mail," on the Australian team's tour of England, says- — "The tour just closed emphasises that which we already knew before the Australians started for England. We must improve our bowling and our fielding, we must unearth a short-slip born to the position, and we must look round for another Jack Blackham, the prince of wioket-keepors. " Members of Australian Elevens who have registered the double 1000 runs and 100 wickets in eleven-a-side matches in England are now: — Year 1886, G. Giffen, 1543 runs, 159 wickets; 1893, G. Giffen, 1220 runs, 142 wickets; 1896, G. Giffen, 1208 runs, 117 wickets ; 1886, G. E. Palmer, 1028 runs, 106 wickets ; 1899, H. Trumble, 1183 runs, 142 wickets; 1905, W. W. Armstrong, 2002 runs, 130 wickets. A quaint cricket story is goinc the rounds of the English newspapers. It is to the effect that a Major Barker was playing in a match at Hook, in Hants, and found his team one short. He wired to a Lieutenant Hall, at Reading, "Come and play." But, as the telegram was addressed simply to "Hall," it was handed to the band Imaster of the regiment, his name being Hall. The bandmaster promptly called out the members of his band, and went to the cricket ground at Hook, where the major dropped his bat in sheer amazement when he saw the band approaching. It may be concluded

that the band did not turn up by lunchtame, for it is a somewhat roundabout journey from Beading to Hook. W. Fritih, whio has represented Canterbury, Otago, and 1 WeUnngiton, and was a member of the Canterbury team which visited Australia and Tasmania in 1878, has ireturtned to Ohristohurch, and will probably play for the St. Albans District Club there. Of late years. Frith has done most of his cricket in the Wairarapa district, but is still remembered in Wellington as ome of the finest points we have ever had here.