NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 62

NOTES BY LONG SLIP.

'• Mr C. A. Smith, president of the Otago Cricket Association, arrived in London last month after travelling in Italy, Switzerland, the Rhine, and Holland. Mr Smith witnessed the second test match in London, and then set out on a visit to Scotland and Ireland. He proposes to return to New Zealand about the middle of the present month. In an interview on the subject of his omission from England's second test team G. L. Jessop declined to bo drawn into any controversy, but he expressed his indignation at the suggestions contained in came papers that the question of expenses had to do with his non-inclusion. That very controversial subject, the tea interval, came up agair at Lord's in the M.C.C. match. It had been arranged by C B. Fry and M. A. Noble, the captains of the contending elevens, that tea should bo taken at half-past 4 '"whatever happened." But w>ha{ actually happened was that the ninth Australian wicket foil at this •precis© time, and on the players proceed- , ing to leave the field an emphatic and not unreasonable protect was mad.3 by the crowd. The surviving batsman, M'Aliste-r, and the incoming player, Whitty, themselves appeared to recognise th-e- force of the appeal, while the umpires Jingcicd n-ear the wickets. Afw a minute's hesitation the game was resumed, and the innings came to an enrl without the necessity fur beginning another o\v;. Noble captained his side in masterly Ta-hion in the second t^st match (»ajs an "GUI County CVicketer"' in the London Spoit'man). His placing of the field was &o wonc'oif'il that the Australians really • sroir.f'J to ! i\o about 15 men pla>in^ while the jMii'li.-i'i.i-n v.eio batting. Walter Brear- ' le% wa« j-,iol o.i Monday mo,ninp, to play , fc- Kr.glai.d by MacLarcn. I h.-h^ve Brear- ' l^v uic;«'l €»■> an o>cu-e, it in understood, that hin fianr>eli hfid hue 11 .=f>nt en to TOll- • brlfiiTJ i:i i?adin"~* for tho Lancashire '(match agair £t K>'nt. A numV.-or of cricketers ' aij^ar lo !*"> labouring under tho imp"-c-- ! s-.^n that the la vis of the gams fail to 'demand inspect. Tii"y letiro from Via I wicket Vi h-cn thoy havo heov bowled, c» caught, or stumped, or given out l^cfbefore — I will not enumerate fuithcr th-e various ways of getting out — and come in I just as they please, ttas reason being pro- • bably that" they must have forgotten the ' two-minute regulation. I went to tho ! trouble of timing some of tho Australian batemen at Lord's, as I had done the Eng- ' Tishnv&n upon the same ground on the pre- ! vious day. The Englishmen wero not quite so prompt as they should have bonn, but our viators proved even worse. Somo- of them more than doubled tho regulation .'couple of minutes, and if that is the leisurely way cricket is played in the colonies then tLcrc. 13 no longer any w.ondcr

* why so many - days axe required to complete a first-class match. I say deliberately that quite half an hour was wasted through the tardy going out and going in of the Australian batsmen, end it is strange there were not some complaints..