CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 343, 19 March 1910, Page 3

CRICKET.

NORTH TAKANAKI FIXTURES. The Fixtures' Committee has ar-' ranged the remaining senior lixtniei i as follows: — I March 24 and April 7 —Rovers v.' Wanderers, at the Recreation Sports Ground; Waitara v. Ingle wood, at Inglewood. j March 31 (all day)— Rovers v. Car- ' rington Road, on Recreation Sports Ground; Wanderers v. Ingle wood, on Western Park. ! i (By "Third Slip.") | The match Warehousemen v. Egraont Village will be iplayed on the Western Park instead of the Sports Ground, as the latter is being reserved for the. Australia-Taranaki match, which takes place next week. The following will represent Warehouses' in their match against Egmont Village to-day:—McLaren, Greene, Williams', Johns, Stohr, Thompson, Green, Steeds, Gwilliam, White, and Bigelow. Mr Clegg published this week his final selection of the representative team to try conclusions with the A istralians on Tuesday and Wednesday next, and it appears 1 very sound, and should give general satisfaction. As a batting side it must be considered the best that Mr Clegg could ipossiWy ! choose; and I think that without a single exception the same can be said of the fielding, but the bowling might pos'sibly be slightly improved upon by substituting Nicoll and Hill in place of Clarke and Eggleston. This would give greater variety, as Clarke, with Cole in; the team, will most likely have to take a back seat. However, on this season's performances he has well earned his place in the rep. team, and should be a success. Mr Clegg has evidently given the mat ter very weighty consideration, and can defy anyone to say that any single man has been included in the team with-

out present records to back him up. Some of the strongest supporters of ; the "fifteen" urged that it would give s'o many more "colts" an opportunity > , for experience in high-class cricket, but where are the colts? Greatbatcli can be considered such, I suppose, but he would have been a certainty for an eleven; so Clarke seems to be the only colt left, who will have gs ined bv the playing of fifteen men. i ' Cole, McCarthv, Dunlop, and South- 1 i a .1 can be considered the chief bowlers ( f f the team, and as they are bowlers of . entirely different styles, should provide I the necessary variety. The first thTee L 'l mentioned can also be relied upon to [! greatly strengthen the batting depart- .' ment, as was shown in the recent North , ; v. South trial match. II The team will have in Smith as ; wicket-keeper one of the smartest, men , in the Dominion, and if ho gets much . work to do behind the sticks, he can !'c safely depended upon to do ft weil. j Although he is by no means a stylisn I. he is capable of giving great .assistance to the batting department ' ■ also. [l Wanderers renewed the'r second 'n- , nings against Carrington Road on P Thursday last, and, batting a man short, > ran their score up to 122, thanks mafnly I to a very spirited display by Whittle. He punished Robertson rather severe' •, y i and looked like making a good stand, , but failed to 'get right on to a, ieg J | break from Southall, and was caught by t ! F. Lash at deep mid-off. Carrington 3 j Road were set 90 runs to make for a

win, and when .'Whittle secured Robertson and Lash cheaply, it looker .-.« if Wanderers had an excellent elmnee j of snatching a victory, hut an excellent stand by Perha-m and Jordan made Carrington Road's prospects look mu;h brighter, these two carrying the total to 40 before Jordan was dismiss.l. Gwilliam hit a four and then retired 1.b.w., but Benbow's adVent settled a'' doubts), as he played very confidently, he and Perham knocking off the cequired ""i? w : t!;ou: loss of a wicket. This win puts v/.irriiigton Road points ahead of Wanderers, and the latter have to get in a three-point win in their next match to draw level again. It is stated by the Sydney Referee that the leading batsman of South Australia, Vietoria, New South Wales' andj New Zealand, is a left-hander, viz., lull, Ransford, Bardsley and Reese. In evu-y ease, save Clem Hill, the question is. of course, open to question. Armstrong ■ might challenge. Ransford, Trumper' Bardsley, and Henmis Reese. This pro- '■ minenee of the left-hander is peculiar. I •£(io for D. Denton and £7O for J. B.' Hobbs was subscribed by the Johannesburg public and presented to these two English cricketers in recognition of their . brilliant form in the test matches. It is) not customary for subscriptions of this kind to be made in any country for foreign players. It shows that the cricket of the two Englishmen made .a deep impression on Johannesburg sportsmen. In the first Test Match, M.C.C. * South Africa at Johannesburg, the takings were as l follows: Saturday, £1100; Monday, £1200; Tuesday, .£800; and Wednesday, £6o—total '£3 100. How ; would this suit the local Association's book next week? The South African correspondent o f . the London Sportsman in his comments on the First Test at Johannesburg compares Falkner's batting with Bardsley at bis best, as follows:—"I have seen all five matches between England and Australia in the Old Country during lie i past summer, and I still have Bardslcy's double-century performance at the Oval clearly in mind. His self-possession, when he had reached 98 in his second , innings was a tiling never to be for- ' gotten. The crowd shouted to him to ; get the necessary two and end the susI ipense, !but with the English bowling as deadly as at the start the young 'Cornstalk' was going to take no chances, and he got his two in Oris ow i i time after the crowd asked him to do 1 the needful. For numbers, Falkn r's , batting achievement came dangerou&'ly ! near rivalling that of Bardsley, but fir quality I should be inclined to put Ae South African's display first. I certainly think Falkner's defence sounder. Still, thev are both great cricketers, an I Australia and South Africa have every to lie proud of them. I like Mr: way Falkner walks to the wickets, H« : : = in deadly earnest, and steems to be ; oblivious of his surroundings. Neither ; applause nor barracking seems to affect him, and herein lies the secret of much i of his success l . • . . I am inclined to : class ~ him as v the greatest all-round , pi aver in the world at the present time, and Vogler the greatest howler." t ' *