CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 178, 14 December 1912, Page 7

CRICKET.

To-day's fixtures are: New Plymouth v. Service, on the Sports Ground at 2 p.m.; and Law v. lnglewood, at High School ground. NOTES.

The following will play for New Plymouth: —Williams, Mason, Arden, Gwillini, Harding, W. Sheppard, Stohr, Green, Monk, F. Shepperd, and O'Donnell. Emergencies: Hooker and Okey. The Law match proved easily the most interesting game played here this season. Contrary to expectations, scoring on both sides was low. The wicket played well and the ground was in good order. Bewley was dismissed before scoring by a swerve from Bain, who was bowling well. Lash and Greatbatch looked as if they were going to make a big stand, hut a mishit by Lash, from which he was caught, and a smart throwin which dismissed Greatbatch soon put an end to the partnership. The rest of the Law team, with the exception of King and Elliot, formed a mere procession to and from the wickets. King showed surprisingly good form, when it is considered that he has not handled a bat for a couple of seasons. His forward drive was especially effective. Elliot, during his stay at the wickets, made some pretty off strokes, but he was very slow in running between the wickets. With only 82 to make it was thought that Service had an easy win before them, and they were so confident that Dinniss put his'tail in first. This proved to be a rather risky thing to do. •for Law's trundlers bowled very well and they were ably supported in the field. Bain, who was expected to pass the score himself, never seemed to be at home and was finally completely beaten by a beautiful ball from Lash. With his dismissal, Law's hopes revived and the wickets continued to fall quickly till Osborne went in. With customary coolness he played the bowling with ease, and without taking any risks slowly raised the score. With still 10 runs to get to win Ingram went in and a weak over by Lash enabled the batsmen to pass Law's tally. Osborne undoubtedly won the game for Service. Most of his runs were scored from a glide to leg—a favourite stroke of his—and a good scoring off-drive past point. lie is also a smart man in the field, and his allround qualifications should find him a place in the reps. lnglewood B defeated Waitara on Thursday by five runs. Waitara have protested, holding that as the lnglewood men were nearly an hour and a half late arriving on the ground they . were entitled to play an" extra half' hour after the customary closing hour, 6.30. The rules of the Association do not provide for this extension, and in this writer's opinion it would appear that Waitara have waived their chance of appeal by not faking advantage of the rule, which says in effect that any team not prepared to commence play within' 30 minutes of the time appointed may forfeit the match. Undoubtedly it is very hard on Waitara, for had play commenced at the appointed time the match would in all probability have been won by them. The representative team will play against Wanganui on Nmas Dav and Boxing Day. leaving New Plymouth by the mail train on Xmas. Day.' On BoxingDay they will leave Wanganui by the last train for ITawera, and there plav a match against South Taranaki on December 27 and 28.

The matrimonial engagement of Dr. IT. V. Hordern, the well-known googlie bowler, is announced. C. J. Eady, who retired from cricket some years ago, reappeared in a senior grade match at Hobart last week, and secured five wickets for 10 runs. Eady was a member of the 1890 Australian team, and the Anak of the combination.

f>n the subject of umpiring, R. Bal lantyne, in a letter to a Sydney evening paper, says that at the match played at Bray between Fry's eleven and the Australians, Hazlitt appealed against Hobbs for leg-before, and Umpire West gave "not out." That was all very well, but there was a sequel. The next ball Hobbs snicked to the boundary for 4. and the umpire actually started to clap his hands, and. turning to the bowler, said: "I could not help it, for that boundary gave Hobbs his 2000 th run." That was the limit, and Hazlitt could not help replying: "Oh. no wonder he was not out leg-before-wicket just now." During a visit by one of (he Australian teams of the 'eighties the Australians complained bitterly of the decision of an umpire in one of the test games. W. G. Grave was batting, and was some feet outside the crease when stumped, but the umpire, to the astonishment and disgust of the Australians, gave him not out, and lie afterwards made a big score. Murdoch afterwards refused to play if the same umpire was appointed. The Australians likewise grumbled when Barlow was standing umpire in a test match, as bis sympathies for his countrymen were plainly manifested during the game. One can quite understand this, as Barlow, from long assoeiation with Knglish sides in test matches, was carried away by his feelings. Memories of Tom Richardson, William Lock-wood. Arthur Mold, and other fast bowlers were recalled by the exhibition of young Dock;.'r (a son of the Judge) in the Bunvood v. North Sydney match at Concord (says the Sydney Morning Herald). The young cricketer walks 2o paces from the wicket, turns up the collar of his cricket shirt, gives a preliminary swing of the arm, and then dashes at full speed to the wicket to hurl the ball at the stumps only 22yds away. He bowls at a good pace, but surely the same speed could be obtained without the extraordinarily long run. Richardson, Lockwood and Mold at mi period of their careers exceeded, a 20yd run, and their pace was well known. The new school of fast bowlers is much more economical in this direction, and good examples are to be found in England's best bowlers at the present time—Walter I Brearley and Buekcnham. The Lancas- | trian only needs Gyds in which to set i himself in motion, and Buckenham. of Kssex. one of the best-edueated professionals in England, about 10yds. Docker bowled only three overs on Saturday, yet he had to walk and run more than half a mile to do so. His length was erratic. Perhaps the long run affects the accuracy of the. pitch. Tf (says a Sydney writer) the suggested New South Wales team be sent to New Zealand this summer, some of the most distinguished of our players are likely to be available, among them Victor Trumper and Dr. H. V. Hordern. Dr. L. O. S. Poidevin might also be available; he is still but a young man and a great player, and, in my opinion, with regular practice, quite good enough for a place in the best eleven of the State. He is a far better slip fieldsman than the men we have seen in the position with \ recent New South Wales representative 'teams. If the Association does not organise sucb a team, it is to be hoped that in addition to the question of cricketing / Qualifications the selection committee will consider the personal qualities of | candidates, upon which the harmony and reputation as sportsmen of the party will depend. This phase of the selectors' duties has not met with the serioun

consideration it deserves. New South Wales, on the whole, has a very tine class of young men playing the game, and one is proud to he able to say that among the coming players are k. my whose sense of what is fitting in representative cricketers and sporlsnn n is most admirable. die sees many who arc cricketers to the core, who will not be tempted by the juice of the grape, as unfortunately have a few of the gifted ones of other days, to their undoing, and, in some cases, premature, demise.

MISBEHAVIOUR OK AUSTRALIANS,

"Syd" Gregory, the captain of the team, when questioned on the subject of the allegations against certain members of the Australian team, at Sydney last week, declined to discuss it. Other members of the team were likewise loth to talk on the subject, but the following damaging statement was at length obtained from one of the returned cricketers: —"There has been a little trouble in the team, but only since we started on the American tour, and then only in respect of two of the players. These fellows certainly deserve to be censured. 'Syd' Gregory, who is one of the finest fellows that ever played the | game, has done his best, both by example and personal suasion, to keep the ; men in check; but they got beyond all [control, and have of lately completely : defied his authority." i A NIGHT AT AUCKLAND. A Sydney resident, who was a passen'ger by the Marama, said:—"Misconduct may ordinarily be condoned or even laughed at, but under special circum- | stance it cannot be otherwise regarded than as a grave offence. I refer partienlarly to drunkenness. One is always disposed to treat a good-natured drunk with indulgence, and even hilarity of a mildly riotous description may be forgiven'. But when the offenders have been honored with the sacred trust of representing on foreign shores the country to which they belong, I for one tax see no excuse. The Australian eleven are sent away as representatives of our national pastime, and it goes without saying that they are expected to behave properly. I don't care what they do in private', but when they are before the gaze of the public their personalities aro naturally carefully scrutinised, and they are regarded as representative types of Australians. It therefore should be obligatory upon them to behave in a manner which will do credit to the country. The night before the steamer left Auckland a gang of roysterers kept the whole ship awake, and I regret to say that among their number were two members of the Australian eleven. Other incidents during the trip from Vancouver served to make every true Australian on board feel ashamed,'and I shall be very surprised indeed if' the Board of Control does not take the matter up. My sympathies in the matter are chiefly with 'Syd' Gregory, than whom a better-be-haved and more unassuming gentleman could not be found. I believe that Mr. Gregory did ids best to keep these men in order; he certainly showed them a splendid example. Though he said nothing about it, I think he must have felt the action of the players in question very keenly, for on several occasions when they were betraying their lack of good manner at the dinner table, he rose and left the saloon before finishing hiri meal."

GREGORY A WORRIED CAPTAIN. Other passengers said they remarked that "Syd" Gregory was noticeably uncomfortable at meals, and that they thought it strange that he left the table on various occasions some ti«e ] before the others. It became apparent, they said, that he could not endure the misbehaviour of the men in question. Asked what was the nature of this misbehaviour, they said that while it was nothing very serious, it was not what would be expected of gentlemen. "It is not so much a question," said one traveller, "of the degree of misconduct under such circumstances as of there being any misconduct at all. Personally, I consider that any ungentlemanly behaviour on the part of those who are looked to to uphold the dignity of the noble sport of cricket is sufficient to invoke censure."