CRICKET.

NZ Truth, Issue 69, 13 October 1906, Page 2

CRICKET.

:.. (By Scout)* i- :'.-'.■' Midland will lose the services this; ; season of Staples, who, ''under medi" oal advice, is hayinß a twelve-vhonth's '' respite, Mowatt, whose duties at the Uni6n Steam Ship Company's " tepair-.'. ing yard is ' against him- 1 obtaining' leave- for most of the club's matches, and Hatchings, who has been shifted; ;to Auckland. . The champions, however, have an: acquisition in Patrick, a Melbourne junior, I understand, who is said to be a 'good bat and decent hiediumpace bowlet. His form at the nets has impressed the Midlanders. Bruce, one' of the juniors of last season, will .probably be given, a trial in. the senior ranks this season. The lad has the makings of a fine batsman. Arnold Williams will probably don the gloves ( for Midland, now . that Mowatt's services are unavailable. If not, the champions will be in the soup. The. Rovers, a* junior club of last season, has dropped out of the Association. • '...' Thorndon, which applied for senior status and Was refused such by the management committee of the Cricket Association, is calling a special meeting to discuss the situation. The club is reported to have secured a quantity of new blood this year. _ Gosling,- late of the Midland Club, has taken up the secretarial reins of the Newtown Club. He is a bowler with possibilities and a batsman of the hard-hitting type. Newtown has got hold of two youngYorkshiremen, but their qualifications

' are not known at the present time. Frank Alpe is not playing for the club this season for eyesight reasons. Owing to the decision of the Gas Company to .play employees only, •Fred Laws and Billy Redgrave have transferred their allegiance to the Phoenix jClub;: which should be much strengthened m consequence. Redgrave's accession to the Phoenix ranks is somewhat curious m view of the efforts made by the club last year to secure a ground appointment for Watson, the English pro. to the exclusion ; of the former-. Coningham is likely to be playing again, but not m the Newtown ranks" Rumor says that there will he a serious split m the southerners' camp if the ex-AtistraUan's services are requisitioned. Spraggen will skipper Newtown this season. Cobcroft. hopes to be notching plenty of. runs for. Phoenix m its engagements this season. Wellington's new blood includes Tolan, of Christohurch, Spottswoode (a nephew of the late Premier), from Melbourne, and reputed to be a good bat, Sheridan, a Poverty Bay rep., who put up nearly a century against Hawke's Bay last year, and Glover, a Southland representative who reportsdredit with being the best trundler m that province last year. Don Naughtqn... has also, .chucked , Phoenix m favor of the alder club. - With all this, fresh talent. Wellington -should make things ; hum this season. •:. . ■, ■:. J. ;Pr:,Blacklpcfc has bad^a very bad turn with rheumatic fever, and may not be available for the Old JBoys m their first; niatch or.? two.HPixon ,. has severed, his sdnijecjflQh "wifh^the -excollegians and will be "fo'untl participating m . W^ednesi!la r y. cricket... ... ' Mb.. Basin, iteserVe swears -a smart appearance after .its renovation" at the hands of C£^etalv"er Twist and .his assistant, W. Redgrave^, .Over £100 has been spent by the Association m improving the .pitches, etc., during the winter, Jhft turf- now looks m tiptop order.' 'There Is oite patch, however, just above the Kent-terrace portion, the grass, which was planted somewhat late not haying made much progress m its growth. During the; Burwoodv. Callan Park Asylum match m Sydney a ; few weeks ago,, a curious |hing happened. E. Barbour.on the first Saturday clean bowled one^ Of the Callan Parks, but the umpire gave it net out. Oh the followingt Saturday he did the same thin^j and neither umpire would give a decision;. .Dr. Moffity -the captain of theo tean>v> however; xaileilt^tbe flayer' but. Instances of thi^Tlesertptibtf fcuis.t- * r ftre ■- ; r;-It ? fei^e-ler ably sure vthat ; Hfo.firs:iHClass lericT^'iio-skip* per would emulate Dr-vMofiWi action? a-^stron^*ea€oft-^ng--3thfttr -a— bats*manv^ni^ic^jtM';h^s to rejji|e qnthe' l^ecisiomJ&d that 'mf IjElinc&rebtCdellion in^fi^.lav'ori p&rdpbSanc^.thfe lu^-.Tn-.any. ■liim, -nothing; WiiiP umpire 6i v \ captain; «ii«h-t t&o sheuld ca'us& any surprise 1 - .!■ .: . vpayid Dentoji is oneVof tlfe batsmen I'yith' (least! relish fb£, bowling- of ■ extreme, speed. iWhen pfaying i:,in 'tfte Whtle'nVefi'r. Players' match at %6t ds, fle/had-i-bothiKhox ana 'Breai'ley" opnosed ! to Tilrti and the citcUtnstanctt dreW from the Yorifshiiemah the fol* lowing remark : "When I play against jjanoashire, I can do4ge .Brearley .. byr keeping "as much- as . possible at the other end, but here thei;e ; ate two of them "coming at ;me,'' ' "■'■ "- ' " Unlike 6ur local tiftpires' Association, the one. now m process of, tcfctnpfi tion m _ jCttcklaUd -Is. m'ee|i<ns mitYi 1.1%. eral support, and several prominent spirits include shining lights of oth&y days. . • ■;..■■■■■. : ,, ;' r . v ;,/. v :' :i l^ f The net amount . handed to P. S 4 Prankish, the Qanterbur^ ' cricketer^ now located m Nelson, or was", for the benefit of Ms health, totalfed. £150. A benefit Cricket tnatch wap. arrani"ed when ! tlie-Melhourne Gricket Club's team was m Christchurch, an 4 pyiyate. subscriptions were also fortlir coming m; Jiid; of the fund.' .' „. The .decision of the Otago Crickeji Association rh'Qt to send a team.notth this seaspn is regretted >, in' Auckland cricketing circles v An opportunity of augmenting •'. the • Auckland Association's fioids depleted by lasttour is .needed by v that body. <.Th» Aucklanders^aye hopes that Wellingj. tpn;will send ;iip. a team. ;,•;:, ' v , The annual report of the Melb;6urn(j Cricket . Qbxb states that thfe total m: come for the yeai^as.£lS,423 Os 9d. During the -yeaCtrthe -limit of town members had' been -.-■ increased f rota 2500 to 3500. , The year began with a bank o^rdraft 0f.£874 5s 7d, and ended wiih an overdraft of £0215 id, against which there is a fixed def posit With the club's bankers of £5636. The contract for the new stand now about finished was £i7j *700, of which £12,500 has . been paid* J.J. Kelly is likely to -once morfe assist Paddirigton this- season. • It is now- twelve years since he left Melr bourne to take up his residence m the N;S.W. metropolis, and m that period. 'his 1 cricketing fortunes have undergone great change. . ■ Cricketing rumors, as we know iii Wellington, need not always be regarded too seriously. A Sydney writer recalls an instance m jj|iich it was stated that the reason why a certain. Australian cricketer was not performing with conspicuous success was that he was "booking" heavily. • The said cricketer happened to be a strict prohibitionist. ' : The. hat trick has teen performed five tunes m English ..county matches this season, two of the performers being new bowlsr's. Gregson, the new Lancashire fast bowler, accomplished the 'feat m his Second county, match, against Leicester, getting thfc two Crawfords and M. Trafford. H.,

fjedgwick, a new Yorkshire fast jowler, performed a similar feat on ihe . same. . day against Leicestershire, Setting Wilson, Bird and BurrowsKerinode, tha , ex- Australian, Jayes, and Braund are the others who have performed the feat. At a meeting of the Wairarapa Cricket Association, it was stated that there were at present no formal entries for the respective championships, and there was some doubt about Carterton , and Greytown raising teams. Albert E. Relf, the popular Sussex cricketer, who is one of the main props of that once champion county, who materially aided "to place it second m last year's championship lists, and who has just been engaged to "coach" the Auckland cricketers during the coming New Zealand summer, is having many nice things said of him m England now that his appointment has been announced. Relf was, born' in Norfolk 32 years back. T. Gates, the Notts wicket-keeper, • had a hand m talcing toalf the twenty •wickets which fell in 1 the match against that county,- catching nine and stumping one, and, m the first innings, making five catches m succession off Hallam. How remarkable this performance really was can be judged from the fact that it is twenty-eight years since a wicket-keeper disposed oE as many as ten wickets m a firstclass match, and that on only one previous occasion— by the late Joseph Hunter, m 1887— had nine catches been made at the wicket m a match. There is some talk of Harry Moorhouse, the one-time Phoenix Club and Wellington representative cricketer turning up again m the Empire city m February next. It is some years since the cricketer-fooflballer left Wellington, to tafce up his residence iry England.