CRICKET GOSSIP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4897, 1 December 1876, Page 3

CRICKET GOSSIP.

[by TOM BROWN], There don’t appear to have been much work done on the Basin Reserve during the past fortnight in the way of scarifying the bare spots and sowing with grass seed. If this work is not done at once, the Association will find when too late that it cannot be done at all before the visit of the English Eleven. There is barely two months in which to get the ground in condition, and yet everything appears to be put off until the last moment. I cannot understand what the Association officers are thinking about in allowing this most important matter to stand in abeyance. The fielding ground is not haying the attention it should have. A good commencement was made with this, but things have been allowed to drift into the old groove again, and little or nothing is being done. Perhaps, after reading these few remarks another spurt will be made—-at least I hope so. Since my last, there has been a meeting of the Cricketers’ Association, but, like the former meeting, there was considerably more talk than business done. It seems to me, after attending both meetings, that the representatives of one club, which aspires to a leading position, attend solely for the purpose of obstructing any business brought before the meeting, which does not emanate from one of themselves. This was more noticeable at the last meeting, and because this “ little game ” would not be tolerated by , the other representatives, these worthy- delegates tried to break up the meeting by leaving the room, but they were foiled in their charitable intention, as it was found there was a sufficient number left to form a quorum, and so the business was concluded without them. Included in the business was the election of a match committee —the said committee to consist of one representative from each club. In Victoria and Hew South Wales the match committee comprise only three members; a greater number was found to be useless; yet, with this knowledge before them, the association must needs elect one from each club. An effort was made to have the number reduced to three, but as it did not proceed from the delegates before-mentioned the motion was lost by a majority of one -vote. ‘-Probably by next season the error of having so many on the match committee will'be apparent to those who appear to be wilfully blind. The All England Eleven have won their first match in Australia, against eighteen South Australians, at Adelaide, at which I am not surprised—the Eleven should have played twenty-two. East year Victoria sent an indifferent eleven-to play a like number. They were beaten, however ; but most of the team were unwell at the time. I see by a telegram from Sydney, that the Eleven arrived there on the 29th November. The Englishmen will find “ foes worthy of their steel” in the New South Welshmen ; and I fancy the match will be a close one. New South Wales will be represented either by fifteen or sixteen players, and Victoria by the same number. “ Incog,” in Land and Water, writes as follows: i But for the’ departure, of the English twelve for Australia, cricket gossip would have been fully exhausted before this. Such an event as the speculative trip, undertaken by James Lillywhite and. the eleven professionals under his command, does not occur every year, so that some allowance may be made for, the laudable amount of gush which has marked the communications of writers, self-elevated to the dignified title of “ special correspondents.” Rumour had been busy for so many months with vague' statements of another Australian cricket tour that' one had begun to treat the affair as a base invention. At first Mr, G, E. ■ Grace was said to be- the principal in the negotiations on the English side; and it is certam that arrangements were definitely made on his behalf with sundry Northern professionals. Then report assigned to J ames Billy white, the secretary of the Dnited South of England Eleven, the collection of a team, and gradually, under his charge, the projected tour began to assume a definite shape. An amateur, well known in cricket circles at Chichester, was at hand with the money, and ready and willing to bear the risk of the trip, so that matters went on smoothly enough. The inducements offered to the English professionals were judiciously of a liberal kind, and Alfred Shaw, who would not venture with the team under Mr. W. G. Grace’s, charge, was one of the first to promise his support. Lockwood was deterred by the prospects of the long sea voyage, as well as by the extreme heat of the Australian climate, and nothing could shake. his determination to remain in England. Daft’s business ,waa too profitable to allow him to leave England, I presume, and Arthur Shrewsbury, as far as I understand, had not the opportunity of deciding whether he conld go or not. Otherwise, with the exception that three of the best professional batsmen of England were either unable or unwilling, or were not asked to go, the twelve was about as strong a team as conld well have been selected. Daft, Shrewsbury, and Lockwood in the places of Southerton, Selby, and Armitage, and there would have been about as fine a professional twelve as England could well have produced. Lillywhite was determined to be well provided with bowling, as he secured Hill, Emmett, Alfred Shaw, and Southerton, in addition to Armitage, the “lob” bowler of Yorkshire. Yorkshire has furnished five members of the twelve— Emmett, Hill, Greenwood, Ulyett, and Armi-' tage ; Surrey three—-Southerton, Jupp, and Pooley ;. Notts two—Shaw and Selby ; and Sussex two—Lillywhite and Charlwood. Of the twelve Charlwood and Jupp are the only ones who have done anything at all notable during the season just finished, and as a batting side the team might have been materially improved, though possibly their wonderful strength in fielding as well as in bowling' may compensate for their weakness with the bat. As a specimen of the bowlers that our players will have to meet in the Englishmen, the following analyses are culled , from the last matches they played. Shaw, m the last match, Notts v. Yorkshire, bowled in the first innings 42 overs, 25 maidens, 30 runs, 1 wicket. In the second, 22 overs, 11 maidens, 20 runs, 2 wickets. Not much run getting there ! The Yorkshire team in their second innings only made 32, and with their first innings (87) a total of 119. In the match Yorkshire against Lancashire, Hill “ reigned supreme.” Lancashire had 89 runs to win, and they got 42 for 3 Iwicketsq but Hill got among them and secured s;wicketsfor 3 runs, his analysis for the second innings being—2o overs, 10 maidens, ■2B runs, 6 wickets. Pretty, “tall” bowling

this ! Southerton, again, against Notts, in the first innings appeared After this fashion—;6l, overs, 43 maidens, 40 runs," 5 wickets j while Shaw excelled that 1 quoted above by 27 overs, 19- maidens, 15 runs, 5 wickets. Morley got the other 5 wickets for 10 runs, Notts winning by an innings and 24 runs. In the match Gloucestershire v. _ Surrey, Southerton bowled 35 overs, 16 maidens, 42 runs, 4 wickets. In the same match Pooley scored 63, and Jupp 9 and 11 not out, and in the match Kent v. Surrey, Jupp and Pooley were to the fore again, the former scoring 73 not out, and the latter (run out), 38. In the return match between Notts and Middlesex, Shaw again distinguished himself in the bowling in the first innings. He bowled 52 overs, 38 maidens, 47 runs, 5 wickets, .and in. the second 70 overs, 48 maidens, 56 runs, 5 wickets. In the contest between Surrey and Yorkshire, the feature of the match was the especially fine bowling of Hill and Emmett. On the 18th instant the match of the season was played between the Wellington C.C. and the Star 0.0., but ended unsatisfactorily, the rain materially interfering and ultimately stopping the match. The Wellington C.C. pro-, posed that the match should be played on two consecutive Saturdays, but the Stars would not, fall in with this arrangement, and what promised to be an interesting match ended in a draw. In the early, part' of the game the “Star” supporters were jubilant, and were: profuse in their applause, but when the tide turned and the wickets' began to fall an onimous silence fell on the supporters of the blue, and when the last wicket went down for a total of 65 things looked very blue indeed for the “ Stars.” However, their spirits rose again when the first two men of the Wellington C.C. were out for about halt a dozen, Kennett and Knapp stemmed the tide and made it very lively for the field, especially • the former, who treated Garwood’s fast bowling rather roughly. During this part of the game I was sorry to see an ebullition of temper on the part of I. J. Salmon, who threw the ball about in a most reckless manner, and behaved in a way that I never saw before on a cricket field, and which I hope will not occur again. Had anyone else but his brother been captain of the team, I imagine he would have been asked to withdraw from the field. Such conduct should not be allowed, and I trust steps will be taken to prevent such another exhibition in the future. . When stumps were drawn the Wellington men had scored 40 for the loss of two wickets, the game being much in their favor, although ending in a draw. There is a great deal of ill-feeling existing between these clubs, for what reason I am at a loss to understand. The feeling, however, appears to be all on one side. The Stars have some grudge against the Welling; ton men, but the cause of it I cannot learn. It is a great, pity that such a thing exists in the pursuit of so noble and healthful a recreation, and the sooner a more friendly feeling exists between them the better it will be for cricket, and those who take part in it. Last Saturday the return match between the Lex and Artillery Clubs was played, and the Artillerymen on this occasion completely turned the tables on the lawyers. Garwood, who, by-the-by, seems to adapt himself to any profession, played with the soldiers.! The other week he was inducted into the mysteries of the legal profession, and on this occasion he becomes an artilleryman, and plays against a club he had already played with. Very wrong is this, and not according to match rules, being the main cause of the downfall of the lawyers. His bowling was .really first-class, securing no, fewer than, twelve wickets at the small cost,, of ten runs in the two innings. J. A. Salmon, for the Lex Club, bowled very well. and;his six wickets for twenty-nine runs was not at all a bad average. Our gallant defenders won the match in one innings, with 38 runs to spare. The Shamrock and Albert Clubs played their return match last Saturday on.the Albion Ground, but there was no dispute, this time, the former club winning in one innings and 23 runs.

I see by a late telegram from Dunedin that the Otago Cricket Association have chosen their twenty-two to represent them in the match against the All England Eleven. I have advised the same thing- to our Association, but as yet without avail. Perhaps the action of their .Otago brethren will have the desired effect. I also see by-a report, in,the Otago Daily Times, of a meeting called for the purpose of raising funds for the visit of the Englishmen, that the chairman at the close announced that Messrs. Kohn and Co. had very kindly determined to present a handsome trophy to the highest scorer of the Otago team in the match with the All-England Eleven. Have we no enthusiastic firm in Wellington who' will come forward and do likewise ?