CRICKETERS DISCARD ONE-DAY MATCHES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 232, 20 December 1927, Page 14

CRICKETERS DISCARD ONE-DAY MATCHES

IN PLAYERS’ INTERESTS SUBURBAN EXPERIMENT O" E-DAY cricket is in the discard for the rest of the season as ar as the suburban senior grade is concerned. By the narrow margin of one vote the Suburban Management last evening decided to go back to the two-day games. The one-day arrangement was subject to review for senior A matches at the end of the round, and players have not been pleased with it. The chairman. Mr. J. W. F. Dickson, expressed the view that the one-day match Vas all right for the first round, but not for the second, because it was not fair to the players themselves. Many men were not getting a hand with the bat at all. In the second place, the association should encourage cricket, not slogging. He had also noticed that the team which plays second always had an advantage. “Has the one-day game been a success?” asked Mr. E. Stall worthy, and lie answered himself with an emphatic “Yes!” In his view it had improved the cricket and impressed the public. “APOLOGY FOR CRICKET.” “Speaking as a player,” said Mr A Gedye,” I detest one-day cricket. It is only an apology for cricket. It develops the hitter with no defence. Any team that brings up a fast or medium fast bowler will skittle any team in the competition.” Mr G. McConnell, as delegate for the Harbour Board Club, said that with the young batsmen not getting a hand the club was in danger of losing some of its best young players. He moved that the association go back to two-day matches, with the hours of 2 to 6.15 p.m.

The object of one-day matches, said Mr. J. Elliott, was to give an incentive to make runs quickly and give the public something to look at. Those objects had been defeated in farcical second strikes. Many young players were getting tired of cooling their heels in the grandstand, and would look for fresh fields and pastures new, for they got neither)a bowl nor a strike in the game. Their only part in the band was to pay their shilling wicket fee. They had no incentive to stay in the association. All the great Australian players had impressed the lesson that the great essential for young cricketers was patience, and one-day cricket was ruining young players in this way. He was strongly against one-day matches from a cricketer’s standpoint. It had failed dismally. By four votes to three it was decided to go back to two-day matches.