CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 319, 19 February 1910, Page 2

CRICKET.

(By "Third Slip." The match United Service B v. Ilio-h School will be continued in the Recrea- : tion Grounds' this afternoon at 2.30. j Owing to the somewhat uncalled ;;n----postponement of cricket fixtures ;,n, •week, news pertaining to cup cricket S j,rather scarce. In my mites of la<t j week 1 made certain "remarks on liie j apparent dilatoriness of the South Tar;,- ; naki Association officials, and from the ! latest news available, no response wh.-i'-| 1 ever has been made to the overtures from this end re amalgamation. 1 before mentioned, it appears to lie a de- ' cidedly narrow stand that they are tax.ing, and is unaccountable. I Manawatu have decided to plav thirteen men, and Wanganui eleven against : the Australians, so it is to be hop .1 that our Association will seriously'reconsider their intention of playing eighteen men. ! Mr. Austin Bewlcy has already got] tickets out for the Australian match., I and all those cricket enthusiasts who wish to see the match a big financial success, should lose no time m getting a block of tickets (or several for that for sale. I We have very heavy expenses to , face, and unbounded "energy and enI thusiasm must be the order of the day. : Auckland administered a very -severe drubbing to Otago, and still retain the ; Plunket Shield. However, all hope is ; not yeT abandoned, as they still have j Hawke's Bay to deal with, ami-a ' miracle might happen. I wonder how our big centres would feel if it did happen. They would doubtless turn their minds to some other summer sport. ! Auckland established two Dominion records in their match against Ota»o. I namely, in their total of 579 runs, and 1 in the recording of three centuries in : an innings. Hemus played a delightful , innings, his runs being scored all round the wicket.. His driving was good, I -while his pretty leg play, hooks, and ; glances, never failed to bring applause. ; Relf displayed perfect hatsmanship j during his long innings. He open\l I patiently and left the tempting stuff I alone, only playing the scoring balls. I His timing and placing we re perfection, I and his powerful driving made light work of boundary hits. When going properly he gave a splendid display of cricket as it should l.e .played, and it was probably the most stylish exhibition of batting yet seen in Auckland. Australia managed to win their ■ initial match against Wellington with something to spare. The chief disappointment of the match was the im-! j fortunate running out of Armstrong in I each innings before he had time to showl I his real worth as a batsman. Bardshr.-.j the other star, was dismissed cheaply in#the first innings, but gave a fairivi good display in his second venture. I By the time these notes appear, the .result of the first day's play of the Aus.tralians against Auckland will be known, and on thfe season's porform-l-ances, it is anticipated that Auekla.rl will give them the hardest battl? of the I tour. ! It is to be regretted that Hemus and : Mason are unable to play, as an Auek- , land team without these two players : cannot be considered fully representaj tive. ' Judging by the following par from the Hawke's Bay Herald, Board, the English professional, has done good service in Napier this year:—Provided our representatives maintain the premising form «o far shown this -easci. Auckland, Wellington and the Austi-i- ---. lian team will not have thing altogether . their own way against them." Without wish-in? to depreciate L":-i . Hawke's 'jre-it arenerositv. what a pity it is 'IV: New Zealand had to clepc-o ' • on a man thousands of miles awav to ! present f shield or run for competition among the minor provinces and snv-n■-■.- ' tricts of the Dominion.