CRICKET

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 27, 25 February 1909, Page 3

CRICKET

B.v Tclegitiph —Press Association. Alusiertoii, Last Night. Wairarapa and Uawke's Hay phiyed a drawn game at cricket. Scorem--Wairarapa. -First innings, ;iii; »ccond innings, 3U7. Mosa 102, Smart (ill. Moorchousc 42, A. Hoar 30. Uawke's Day.—i-'irst Linings 148; second innings, six for 124. ilawke 41.

(By "Light Blue"). Play will be resumed to-day in Cc senior competitions, and to all appearances a pleasant afternoon's spoil should result. A number of town enthusiasts intend to journey to Ingicwood to witness the- InglcwoodUrcuui match, the result of which will probably decide the winner of the championship. 1 expect luglewood to win, and should my expectations be correct, laglewood will have to defeat the New Plymouth teams before they can claim the title of champion team for the season. L'rcnui have only to defeat luglewood to achieve that honour. On the Recreation Sports Ground Wanderer and Waitara play their return fixture. A close game should result. The Roveis-C'arrington ltoad match, to have been contested at Carrington Road, will not be played. Rovers have several of their best players away and injured, and have decided not to play. .Carrington Road have the option of accepting a forfeit or playing the game on March 11th. Rev. A. H. Colvile, formerly of the Rovers' team, plays for Auckland Vy± versity on Saturdays. The luglewood Juniors junior competition, whiclielosccloii Thursdavjastf The winners have thor-oughly-earned their position, not having l<}sta match. The position of the teams "is as follows:

I i 4 |.| S i? J e i£ luglewood 8 7 1 0 15 Carrington Road 7 4—3 8 New Plymouth 7 J t 0 Fire Brigade 8 2 15 5 Newton King's 8 2 0 0 4 New Plymouth and Carrington Road have an unfinished match.

Disgusted with the recent performance of Otago against Canterbury. "Long Slip" writes:—At various times it has been suggested to do away with the nets and go in for a thorough system of field practice without trimmings, but the hidebound methods must be adhered to, the players must ue spared as much running about as possible, and the' practice made as much of a " picnic " as it can weli be. All this while our cricketers are made to look ridiculous in the eyes of the whole Dominion. "Long Arm" writes in an Otago paper that Cobcroft and Mahoney of the Wellington team are paid for thciserviees whilst engaged in representative cricket. They have always demanded payment. Where does their amateur status come in?

A new use has been found for the pumpkin—it stands pre-eminent as a cricket trophy. While the recent test game hetween Australia and the Rest was in progress at the Cricket Ground, a merry gentleman in the shilling area entertained a small but select company with his views on the prowess of Gregory. ''Look," he said, and he hoisted aloft a healthy-looking pumpkin, "this is for Sid. when he makes ten." He added that he hoped Gregory would make a million. A score of a million at ten runs per pumpkin suggests a fairly tidy load of vegetables to have to expectantly hawk about for cricket idols. Gregory, all unconscious of the memorial awaiting him, went on steadily cementing himself into the Australian Eleven. He reached a total of nine, and then the partisan burst forth, "Go it, Gre.g.,i old boy—another one, and it's yours.' It was Gregory's. The presentation came later. The donor climbed over the feace, marched over to the pitch, introduced himself to Gregory, patted him on the shoulder, shook hands with him made a few well-chosen remarks—and produced the pumpkin. Would the hero accept it, and wear it—simple, and humble as it was—next his heart as a memento of a great innings? Gregory was too affected to reply. He waved the pumpkin off. The ground was nowrocking with laughter. Then the crowd oji the pitch was inoreased by another outsider—a policeman. He had seen the pumpkin, and was after it. Having quoted the penal clauses of the Riot Act, he suggested an adjournment of the ceremony. Gregory thought he could wait, too. But the donor proposed a compromise. Would the Force accept a share? Xo; then the whole team could have the pumpkin, and the vegetable was thereupon placed by the donor behind the stumps. Still another look a share in the proceedings—.Mr. Phil Sheridan. He, too, had been attracted by the pumpkin, and he sought its banishment. That ended it, and presently all three departed, the gentleman with the undelivered vegetable under olficial escort, and the game proceeded. The crowd was quite compensated for the interruption to the game by the fun it got out of the brief incident. The day was heavy, the game was tuned to Handel's dirgeful march, and this gleeful Gregorian loyalist and his vegetable temporarily revived the depressed people. This well-meaning enthusiast had made his fellow-men laugh and cry hallelujah when all was gloom and sadness.

" Hid On" of tlie Age, writing under date of February 12, inake.3 some strong comments regarding the selection of the Australian team. He says: "The select tion of the Australian team for England has been a job of a most unsavoury character from start to finish. The job bcry commenced sonic weeks ago with the selection of Hartigan as one of the first six certainties, and culminated today in the announcement that MeAlister had been chosen as one of the last four in the thirteen, to the exclusion of Gehrs and either Hopkins or Hazlitt. The announced selection of Gregory, Bardsley, MeAlister, and Carkcek was denied to-day by Mr. Rush, the Victorian representative on the Board of C'ontroul, and Mr. MeAlister and Mr. C. Hill, one of the selectors, who returned from Sydney to-day, stated that he knew nothing about it. It will be found, however, that the 4atment was based upon good information, and this means that a further hole and corner business has been transacted, and that the four plavers named are going to England, despite the fact that Hill, one of the selectors, had not been consulted.

"Respecting the official denial of the selection nf Gregory, Bardsley, MeAlister and Carkcek, it is significant that the same message also announced that Kelleway and Carrol! had been included in the" Rest of Australia team. Of this, also, Hill kiu'w nothing, but, on the contrary, he stated positively that he and Iredale anil MeAlister had agreed fa Sydney that if L. 11. Hill could not play his place was to be laken by Laver. Today, however, it was officially announced that the vacancies caused by Dolling's and L. R. Hill's inabilty to play had been filled by the inclusion of Kelleway and Carroll.' Thus it is evident that C. Hill was not consulted on the point, and a reasonable interence is that the more important statement in regard to the four to go to England will prove to lie correct, as this information regarding Kelleway ami Carroll has proved to be' in regard to the Rest of Australia. ('. Hill is very emphatic in his objection to the inclusion of MeAlister, and says unreservedly that if he is chosen before plavers like Hopkins »;• Gehrs he will state publicly that although nominally one of the 'selectors, the choice is distinctly against his judgment. Assam-, ing that MeAlister lw chosen, I ("MidoiH will repeat emphatically that it has been a disgraceful and thoroughly contemptible job, of which all concerned have reason to be ashamed, considering the weakness of the combination in liowling, the two batting mainstays of the team—Noble and Armstrong—may loojc forward to a nice experience in being depended upon for runs after bein" bowled to a standstill, as they most assurcdlv must be. The outlook is of the Hooiuiest, and from an Australian point of view the uiilv gleam of sunshine is in the fact that as all the matches m Eii'dand extend over only three days, ~,,,'5l „f them will probably he drawn for lack of time." Victor Trumper's last two innings lor Vad.lmgton have yielded 12S and 10.". runs respectively. Eiulit members of the selected Australian team are making their first trip (o England.