CRICKET

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12609, 20 November 1926, Page 17

CRICKET

The New Zealand Cricket Council’s appointment of Messrs \Y\ S. Brice (Wellington), \V. R. Patrick (Christchurch). and S. Williams (Dunedin) as selectors of the New Zealand team to tour England will meet with the general approval of cricketers throughout the Dominion. Probably there are no other two in the Dominion so conversant with present New* Zealand cricket as are “Stan” Brice and “Billy” Patrick, while Mr Williams has been a prominent figured in cricketing circles for some time past. Brice and Patrick are still very active players, ami it is well on the cards that one of the two will he leading the side when the team sails for England. The selectors will do well if. before they begin looking for men, they consult someone who knows English conditions. • • • » “COUNTRY WEEK” That the New Zealand Cricket Council is desirous of giving players resident in minor associations an opportunity of gaining selection in the team to tour England is exemplified by the fact that a match has been arranged between the combined minor associations and Wellington, to be played at the Basin Reserve on December 21st and 22nd. This match directly follows the Town v. Country fixture, which promises to provide one of the best games of the season, so that Wellington will shortly stage a regular “country” cricket week. • * * * T. C. Lowry and R de R. Worker (Hawke’s Bay) and C. S. Dempster (Wanganui), the present cream of minor Association players, will, in all probability, gain selection in Wellington. Plunket Shield sides, but there are several other players outside the four big centres entitled to consideration for selection for the English tour. • • • • E. H. L. Bernau, Wanganui’s fast bowler and brilliant batsman, in “Old Boys” opinion, did not receive fair consideration in Plunket Shield matches last season.

J. Newman, Nelson's left-hand medium pace trundler, is another player who will be given a fair opportunity to catch the selectors’ eyes, during country week. • * * • A “DARK HORSE” A wicketkeeper who. to all but a few, is a “dark horse” among the possibles for the English tour is C. N. Kingston, of Taranaki, the famous All Black full-back. ‘‘Old Boy” has seen Kingston in action behind the sticks many times, and as a “’keeper” considers he loses nothing by comparison with either Tattersall or Ken James. In support of this, when the last New South Wales team was in the Dominion, early in 1925, after the match with Taranaki, C. G. Macartney, in conversation with “Old Boy,” complimented Kingston upon his excellent work with the gloves, -and expressed the view that he had not seen a better “’keeper” in. action in the Dominion. • • • • Kingston has now completely recovered from the serious accident which has kept him off the football field, and his wicket-keeping and batting performances are features of present Taranaki cricket. He is a batsman of tbe.“wr?sty” type, with crisp scoring shots all round the wicket, and should be seen in action in Wellington during country week.

IN WANGANUI

That C. S. “Stew” Dempster is batting at the top of his form this season is demonstrated by the big scores that he is knocking up in Wanganui club cricket. Following his great knock, njhich fell just five short of the double century mark, ?>Smpster played a rattling innings for 53 not out for Technical Old Boys last Saturday. Dempster is without doubt one of the moat attractive batsmen in the Dominion. Hi* strokes are delightfully crisp, he scores his runs all round the wicket at a merry pace. Nevertheless, although he never allows the ball to hit the bat, he does not take any unnecessary risks. He should be “right there” when the final selection for England is announced. • • • • J. S. Barton, Wanganui's cricketing magistrate, is meeting with outstanding success with the bat this season. Playing- for Old Boys against United last Saturday he knocked up an attractively scored 71. G. Orr is another River’ City player who is showing consistent batting form. • • • • Following the recent plea for youth, it is pleasing to note that Mr “Ken” Tucker has included a large percentage of oolte in the Wellington team to meet M&nawatu on November 30th. • • * • A match which is creating great interest among members of the insurance profession is the forthcoming game between the staffs of the British and Foreign and the Australasian offices. A number of senior players will be ;aking part, including J. Hutchings, Ken. Mason, Alex Grant, and W. Dhristopherson. It will be an annual fixture.

• * • SOME EARLY HISTORY

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the bowlers had the right of pitching the wickets. At some unknown date previous to 1830 this right passed to the umpires. • • • •

The Hambledon Club, the most famous of all clubs prior to the M.U.C., existed from 1750 to 1791. The earliest length bowlers were “Lumpy” Stevens, of Surrey, and David Harris, of Hambledon. “Lumpy” was the older. To Ihira we owe the middle stump, which was added in 1775, because “Lumpy” in the match of that year (five-a-side) between England and Hambledon, sent three balls through Small’s wicket without hitting tne stumps. (Only two stumps were in vogue then.) The introduction of length bowling and a middle stump improved the batting. • « i •

Confidence is one of the necessary things in a cricketer’s make-up, and judging from the following instances from the “Badminton Book of Cricket” some of the old players had plenty of it. • til

The great William Lillywhite, the first round-arm bowler, who gained official sanction for his style in 1827, used to say: “I bowl the best ball in England and Mr Harene the next.” The latter was a Harrow boy.

Old William Clarke, the most famous of lob bowlers, who opened the Tient Bridge ground at Nottingham in 1838, and founded the All England XI. in 1846, said: “Have me to bowd. Box to keep wicket. Pilch to hit, and you’ll see cricket.” James Southerton. the famous slow bowler of Surrey, said quite frankly in his “Wrinkles on Bowling”: “1 always bowl every ball with the hope of getting the best of them out!”