CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 188, 7 February 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

NOTES AND CO.M.MI'.NTS. Last Saturday's cricket did mil. advance Saturday i-oiupctiti<»n much: in I fact, it is oju'ii' t» doubt whether ii did so at all. The general disorder which prevailed comeniing tlu> matches )":ir that day lias apparently resulted in eonfusion worse confounded as regards the I whole competition. The match between I Law and United Service appear, to have been postponed li;, arrangement between the two captains, lull thai '<)'■■ tween Xew Plymouth and Tikoiv.ngi was plaved in a manner which cannot fail to he unsatisfactory to both teams. The position is that, a message was sent to the Tikoraugi tenia, which anparenlly was not, delivered. .Moreover, the captain of the .Vow Plymouth team was not consulted in the matter, am! when Tikorangi arrived' lie played (he match with the best team he could muster. Such a position is obviously entirely wrong, and such slipshod methods are hound !o bring' I rouble in their train.. The derision conreniinf! the plavimr -of matches should be definitely arrived at and adhered to by all teams engaged. The result of last. Saturday's confusion is that there will he no match today for either Tikorangi or Now Plymouth, and this, on top of the fact that last week's game was -o innnli--faetory. is, to say the Ica-d. unfortunate. The decision arrived at concerning to-day's games is the onlv one whi.".i. in the circumstances, could have be.-.i oome'So, as it would have been manifestly unfair for Law and Service to sustain two hves for what was no fault of theirs. If, however, the Association takes the stand' that la 4 Saturday's match between Xew Plymouth and Tikorangi should nut have been played, j then that game must he played auain. I jilld the ejueslinn will be as to whaii , team will travel. 11, will probably be better to let the match stand. • |

The junior competition, is not in a very good position. The Tikorangi teanJ&coine to New I'lviiionili lcf.t Saturday with the seniors, hut did not. fret their mutch with Warehouses. Consequentlv thev now claim tlliil tiny should have the match on forfeit. <>r that Warehouse* shouhl now (ravel lo play them. As (hey (lo nol appeal- lo have heen notified that the match wo'ilil not take place, there is so justice in their contention. Warehouses, however, are reported to .he not nnxiou., to travel, and forfeited mulches arc very unsatisfactory. The Technical College team lias unfortunately heen somewhat scattered latelv. owinjr to the College vacation, and as a result Hie College forfeited its last, match. It is lo he hoped that the team will soon resume active competition, for (he maintenance of live junior clubs is of great importance to cricket, as tn all other games. The. primary schools' competition is to be. recommenced next week, when the second round will,be started. At the end of the first round I lie Central (cam was unbeaten, with three wins. jN'exc. came Waitara <.vilh two. and West End and Inglewood with none.

TYPES 01' CrtfCKl-TKUS. THE TALK ATI VIC MAX. There are various kinds of talkative cricketers, but in the main they may be divided into two classes -the purely talkative and the man with an excuse. Grumblers might form a third class, bill may bo conveniently included among . the" merely talkative. . What a wearisome person is I human . with a perpetual excuse! He is genera 11 v a batsman. He has gi.nc to the wickets, taken "centre,' - nnd come our. He "just played a little over that bull,'; or "there was a shadow on the pitch.'' or "just as he raised his bat for a boundary drive the bull took a mysterious turn, or obstinately kept, low when it should have risen!" He is quite sure that never in the annals of cricket was such nnollier hall delivered. The fact that none, ever believes his excuse, or takes any but a speculative interest ;p , it, does 'not concern our batsman one whit. The deadly monotony of his utterances strike him less forcibly th.'.n Ihe struck the ball that bowled him. As he walks from the wickets each week, Iwe see the excuse rising to his lips. 1 listen to it in painful boredom, and. depart to settle our hots as lo what the excuse would be this time. Some day, perhaps, he will see the error of h'.s ways and accept his dismissal from tn* I wickets in dignified silence or reserve j his excuses for bis defenceless wife his admiring and guileless ''best girl/ On the whole, perhaps, we wou'c! rather have this man than his accomplice in crime, the. purely lalkahvo cricketer. You only get bowled once, or twice at the most, hut the talkative, man is with us with the persistence of the fiihlica) poor. He is at his worst when he happens to captain his team. When he bats, he keeps up a running commentary on his strokes, explaining to us the' motive which prompts his ceaseless chatter, and driving us to desperation with his superfluity of reasons. In the field, lie. directs each man, encourages all with his voice, and audi!)!}' upbraids each man who drops a catch, eagerlv pointing out how it should have been done. The proverbial brook would have dried up in sheer envy. The grumbler is generally recruited from the ranks of the slacker. He is a man of many grievances, with which he burdens his cricketing colleagues. His captain puts him in 100 low down 01 the list, and fives him an inferior place, in the field. The long-sulVering captain moreover has never done anylliiiigrig.it since the grumbler helped to elect linn to his position. If lie had not handled the attack so badly, if the grumbler ha.) onlv been put on earlier and taken oil later, if he had fielded the grumbler it "point" instead of wasting him at ••nu;l ofT," if anything and event lung, thai is the burden (,< his perpetual lay. Perhaps oiie. day the milleniiim will arrive ! crimps the grumbler will captain the team himself, work more and talk less; perhaps ho will even carry out his perpetual thecal of resigning from the club and condemn it to uncomplaining and deserved obscurity. Perhaps. who knows?'

■nrcrwsKSTATrvK m.rrntKs. Tlic most interostinir feature nl' 111" past cricket i'»_' week was. <.i' c..nr.-,c. I lie ma toll between North Tarnnaki and mir Southern friends, played at llawera on Thursday. Unfortunately, (lie weather was notvon- favorabK but. tie wicket and outfield were in {rood order, mul tlic miitcli w.'= an enjoyable one The fact, that North Taramiki won liv snob a narrow iiinr"in, indicate-; tli.it the same win closely contested. The total icon"! on cacti side were im! lar;'-> for a. renr.'sciitntivc match, but some •mod indiVidual battinjj wa~ exhibited. n Nicoll. bv bis score of "!>. a»ain demonstrated tlv'fi'H Unit lie Inn *lrw}: irant] baiting form this season, ll.s scov. l - have been c'onsistcnlly pmd of

Lit", and his batsmanship lias betn marked by great coolness. lletiie played a line innings for (!2 rim-;, the highest score in the match, lie is a fast scorer, and forces runs at the critical moment. Wain's score was not up to what would have been expected of him a season ago, but this year he seems to be quite oil' form. Among the Northern bowler-, Bain and Sarten show up most prominently in the analysis. Jvicoll and Montcath howled well, but could not take wicket?. The best score for the Southern team was registered by Dunlop, wholes more thiuu * Southern reputation. Blamires, who is credited with having galvanised the south club into new life, failed to score, but took two wickets at a cost of only 12.5 each. Cane, also a well-known bat, played well for 34 runs before he infringed the troublesome l.b.w rule, and Penny, with 26 runs, was the next highest scorer. McCarthy figured best in the bowling analysis, with Blamires next, the remaining wickets being fairly equally diiided among five other bowlers, for the Southern team has plenty of change bowling. After so well contested a game, the return mutch, which will probnbly be played at New Plymouth at Easier, will lie watched with interest. On Tuesday and Wednesday next, at Ilitwera, the match of the season will take, place. This meeting between ft Tarannki team and such men, as- Triimper. Noble, Waddy, Collins. Mailey (New South Wales), Armstrong,Vernon Hansford, Laver, McKenzie, J. N, Crawford, and Dolling (South Australia) will pro- j vide an education in cricket for i\\? home team, and an exposition of the game such as it is seldom our luck to itt. The batting of 15 men against, the Australians by the South Taranaki team mnV. perhaps." he right enough, when the difference between the Taranaki and Australian standard of play is considered, but the writer inclines to" the belief that it is better and more educative to bat oniy 11 men. However, the match - will he keenlv followed and anxiously looked forward to by nil Taranaki cricketers.