CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 221, 16 March 1912, Page 7

CRICKET.

the board of control. THE REAL HISTORY. In its leading columns, the Sydney Tlaily Telegraph of the Ist inst. thus • l ' j tails the real history of the antagonism to the Board of Control:—The revolt of a few first-class cricketers againsl authority logically finds a focus in Melbourne, where the bad old system of mana<r: , nvnt and gate money division by the players has always been upheld, doubtless owing to the prestige with which it clothed the Melbourne Cricket Club. That institution practically controlled big cricket, especially in regard to constituting Australian teams for England, and evidently aimed at making itself a kind of Australian (Marylebone Club. What lengths it was prepared to go in order to keep its position was evidenced when the Board of Control was being formed and it was discovered that the Melbourne Club had got practicably all the possible international players in the Commonwealth bound under secret agreement—absolutely made a corner, in Australian eleven men, as it thought. The whole thing was to be centred in Melbourne, every other part of Australia was to take its cricket instructions and gets its big cricket privileges from there, and the players were to be confirmed, in the financial rights they had enjoyed by conducting the game largely as a commercial venture. Public opinion's natural preference for federalism in cricket and for independent and authoritative management of the national game defeated that move, and long-lasting soreness over the reverse evidences itself in the c-' rent Melbourne agitation in support "the six" who are not going to Engl. - because they are restive under the bo;> - system. For that is all it amounts i,. inability or unwillingness to play the game under national administration. The Board's appointment of a representative was nothing to reasonably complain about, while the demand of "the six" to take with them a player-manager (Laver), who is not being selected for play for his own State, only evinced a pertinacious desire to keep the old school together and make it as strong numerically as possible,. Had the Board submitted to this dictation it would have destroyed its authority and reduced itself to the status of a ; mere advisory board leaving the real control in the hands of the veteran players whose managing methods it was created to reform out of existence. The team as now finally chosen might have been the stronger for the inclusion of some or all of the older players who have refused to .make the tour. That remains to be seen,, and in the meantime it may be usefully remembered that in the past only the pressure of public opinion or eleventh-hour recognition of merit by selectors has gained brilliant young players places in teams. CRICKET NOTES.

The Australian team lias departed for England, despite meetings of protest, etc., on behalf of the six, who find themselves "left." Australia will be represented by a team of young and enthusiastic players, who have their reputations to make, and they will leave no stone unturned to make them. There is, of course, a leavening of; old players, viz., Gregory, Macartney, Bardsley and Whitty. Hordern, whom business rea-, sons prevented from making the trip, will be missed. So also will Carter (wicket-keeper) and Armstrong. Hill was absent from the last team that went Home; yet it won the "ashes." Trumper, the champagne of cricket, has lost well rf It'.s sparkle, and Cotter has gone otf. The bowlers will be Macartney, Whitty, Kclleway, Matthews,- Emery, Hazlett, McLaren and Minnett. and it is confidently expected that the bowling, will "come off" in England. .The batsmen of the team are: S. E. Gregory, W. Bardsley, E. B. Minnett, C. Kelleway, C. B. Jennings, E. R. Mayne, C. G. Macartney, J. W. McLaren, W. Carkeek, Em- { ery, Matthews, and D. Smith. J The batting and bowling averages of the team during the past season are:— BATTING.

Jn| N.O. H.S. Runs, Avg. Min,nett 17 3 210* 882 63.00 Jennings 5 0 123 264 52.80 Gregory 13 2 186* 563 51.18 Bardsley 18 2 17T 558 34.57 Mayne 10 0 95 306 30.60 Macartney 13 2 122 302 27.45 Emmery 8 0 65 212 26.50 Kelleway ..... 14 0 101 366 26.14 Matthews 13 0 65 207 22.84 Carkeek 10 2 68 160 20.00 W. McLaren... 7 2 29 65 13.00 Webster 10 0 39 113 11.301 Whitty 14 4 14 66 6.601 Hazlitt 9 1 12 41 5.121 BOWLING. j 0. M. R. W. Avg. ! Hazlitt 213 40 '623 29 21.48 Emery 115 13 452 17 26.58 Kelleway 249 61 635 23 27.60 Macartney ... 123 36 295 9 32.77 MacLaren .... 104 9 374 12 31.10 Matthews .... 221 11 617 18 34.27 'Minnett ....'. 157 33 433 11 39.36 Whitty 326 100 890 20 44.50 Sydney Gregory has been appointed captain. It is an honor to which he is entitled by reason of his experience of English cricket and cricketers, and of his having so often been captain of New South Wales. The responsibility' of leading such a team of youth, enthusiasm, and ability, is likely to bring out all that is most striking in his leadership and in his own cricket. It is just possible that on his eighth visit to England he will do better with the bat than he has yet done, save in 1896. He is in good form and condition, and will be as keen as ever a man was to do well and have his team successful. In the peculiar circumstances Australian cricket is fortunate to have such an experienced and able player to lead, the youfig cricketers of the country against England and South Africa. , . ,

C. B. Jennings is vice-captain. On the j form shown by him in Sydney this season | as captain of Queensland he is thoroughly capable of filling the position with credit. The selection committee will consist of the captain, vice-captain, and another player to be selected by the pair, probably W. Bardsley. Mr. J. W. H. T. Douglas, captain of England in "The Ashes" matches: "The prospects of the Australian team going to England? Jolly good! You wait and see." Dr. L. 0. S. Poidevin in the Sydney Morning Herald: "... A team of interesting possibilities, youthful, enthusiastic to a degree, and likely to give practical exemplification to the old maxim that 'unity is strength.' Obviously, the prospects of success depend to a large extent upon the opposition. Against the counties the team should give an excellent account of itself. In its representative engagements anything j might happen. On Australian form it has nothing to fear from South Africa; but then, I fancy, the African bowling will be relatively helped more than ours by English conditions. It all depends on how our batsmen 'come off.' Well, some considerable time ago, before the present season was commenced, when under the impression that our team to England would be made up rather differently than it is, I ventured to predict that England would surely beat us at "home' in 1912. Now, however, I would like to modify that opinion somewhat by suggesting that, paradoxical though

it may seem, she ought still to beat us; but, on the other hand, our own chances of success are, to my point of view, brighter than before or than-1 expected them to be. It is young Australia in the field, and in fighting for 'the ashes' it will he strong in this, that it has everything to gain and very little to lose. Such teams are very dangerous. Have we not had a striking illustration of this in this season's M.C;C. team ? It has been suggested that the team will not draw; that the tour will result in financial failure. In my opinion, that is an entirely wrong impression. Custom stales, evett as regards the personnel of cricket teams; and the English public ; if I mistake not, having long since, had a surfeit of the old 'champagne' thrust upon it, will gladly welcome ,and approve the opportunity of sampling the 'new vintage.' Naturally, a good deal will depend on their early success; but, ia any case, they are sure to be a big draw, if only because they are 'the Orstralians.'" Anent the "barracking," Mr. P. F. Warner, in his farewell speech at the Sydney Cricket Ground: "As a spectator, and in the way of being a veteran, I would venture to suggest to you that better time should be kept in big matches. I believe that quite half an hour is lost every day. I never knew a match to start before seven minutes after "twelve. After the luncheon adjournment play should be resumed at 2.15. It is always 2.20 to 2.25 before a start is again made. And there is the tea adjournment. The time to resume is 4.15. But it is always 4.20 to 4.25. If I were a Tjo'bite barracker' I think I would make a noise too. I would suggest that the umpires go o«t five minutes before the time to start play, and that a bell be rung at that time, so that the first ball would be sent down at the appointed time." Two English batsmen, this season joined those who have made 1000 runs against Australia, viz., J. B. Hobbs and W. R. Rhodes. The others were T. Hayward, A. Shrewsbury, A. C. MacLaren, W. G. Grace, J. T. Tyldesley and W. R. Rhodes. Both Hobbs and Rhodes made the "bulk of their runs in Australia, Hobbs having met' with exceptional success fhere.

The career of W. E. Rhodes as batsman in these matches has been unusual. He began as the eleventh batsman on the side, having been originally chosen for his bowling. In his first twelve innings he was not out eight times, and in his first twelve innings he reached double figures twice only. But after that he gradually improved, until this season he far surpassed everything else he bad done in Australia, averaging 66 in the test matches, and scoring 170 in the second Melbourne match, besides making two centuries against New South Wales. It will be remembered that when Warner's last team defeated Australia he published an entertaining volume on "How we Recovered the Ashes." He now intends to publish a story of the present tour. He says that this book will be dedicated to the Australian public. He will never forget the kindness that lias been shown him during his sickness. He is leaving Australia for good, and'will never again put the pads on in Australia, but will hand d,own to his children with gratitude the record of the hospitality shown him in the country.