CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 218, 14 March 1914, Page 7

CRICKET.

THK SKXIOR COMPETITION. XOTKS AND COMMKXTS. The grass on the Sports Ground has been cut! •ix of the New Plymouth team at net practice on Wednesday! Query for the New Plymouth team: Whose (urn w;> it to prepare the wicket for the nialch with United Service on Saturday, and how many New Plymouth men arrived in 1 inn; to do so? Said a member of Hie Xew Plymoutl. team near the (lose of the match: "Oh, I'm not going to wait; someone else can take the matting in." Comment if needless. The match between Xew Plymouth and United Service was not remarkable for high scoring, but it leaves one faced with a <| nest ion which is rather hard to solve. What is the.reason for tim failure of the Xew Plymouth team 1 On paper, the team is as good as any in the competition, but it has failed to "deliver the goods" in a rather surprising manner. At one time it was known as a team with a- tail, but, in the last two matches especially, the whole team has been unable to make Tuns. On Saturday the United Service team, which is accounted by no means a weak batting team, was disposed of for 81 runs, of which 47 were contributed by one man. This was due to the good bowling by Mason and Nicoll, who were unchanged, and to Bmarter fielding than New Plymouth was at the beginning of the season wont to show. Then Xew Plymouth, with batsmen like Mason, Nicoll, Marßh, Arden and Stainton, was disposed of for the miserable total of 30 runs. New Plymouth dismissed Service again in quick time for G4 runs. A spectator remarked that the team played with the worst luck of any in the competition, but this is a plea which no sportsman likes to put forward, however much he may believe in its existence. The fact remains that there is something wanting. Probably it is practice, although latterly the teams which have beaten New Plymouth have not been practising, mainly because of the state of the Sports Ground. Incidentally, it may be noted that the present season is one of the worst on record as far as the batsmen are concerned, and this has been in a large measure due to the state of the gronnd. A movement is on foot towards bettering the conditions for next season. It is to be hoped that it will be successfully carried out. Bain showed flashes of his old form on Saturday, playing with more confidence and timing more accurately than has been the case for some time. He lifted several balls to the terraces with something of his old ease. Stainton, behind tbe stumps, is a "slick" individual. On Saturday, he took three fine catches. Once a bowler sent down a "hot one," which took the leg pin. Stainton gathered in both ball and wicket, so swiftly that it almost appeared as if he had been responsible for the fall of the wicket, but the impact of the ball was plainly heard. The New Plymouth and Service trundlers were all in good form on Saturday. Bain bowled good "off theory" balls and secured three wickets for nine runs. Mason' and Nicoll bowled unchanged throughout two innings. The former annexed ten wickets for 61 runs and the latter ten for 72. Osborne took seven wickets fof 15, the best analysis for the match. He is one of those exasperating bowlers who is invariably "on the wicket." The match between Law and High School was too much of a hollow victory for the legal fraternity to be a very exhilarating contest. The boys made a disappointing showing. Foolish running seems to have been their trouble of late. Monteath, Richards and Candy were all run out on Saturday, and on the previous Saturday several of the scbool team were similarly treated. Yates saved the school team from utter annihilation by a fine last wicket stand which produced 24 runs. Law tried seven trundlers in an attempt to break the stand, and this was finally accomplished by Johnson. Bewley had a day out with the bat, and made 04 runs in forceful style. Billing batted freely for his 36 runs. The wicket on the Sports Ground has been receiving a fair amount of attention lately in preparation for the coming match against South Taranaki. and after a little further treatment should be in fairly good order. The horsemower has been returned after repairs, but will net cut.

The following cricketing problem is asked and answered in a Wellington exchange:—The bowler Bends down a ball which hits the leg wicket, leaving tin bail drooping from the off wicket and half an inch down the centre wicket. The rules say that the bails must be dislodged; in this case they are only displaced. Answer: The batsman is not out. Rule 21 states that the strike! is out only if the wicket is "bowled down." The definition of "bowled down" is given in Rule 19, which reads: "The wicket shall be held to be 'down' when either of the bails is struck off, or, it both hails be off, when a stump :s struck out of the ground." It is possible that some might hold that the bail is "struck off" when one end is hanging out of the groove on the. wicket. That aspect of the matter was referred bv the writer to a number of leading Wellington players. They were unanimously of opinion that, in the case described, the bail was not "struck off." If both ends fetched loose it would be even though it afterwards caught between the stumps and did not actually fall to the ground.

Against Canterbury, Trutnpcr made 2flll runs in 3 hours 10 minutes. The innings included 44 fours and 3 sixes. "The Native," in the Weekly Press, says of the innings:—"Those who were privileged to see 'the incomparable. Victor' may go on their way rejoicing that they have seen the best batting the' world has produced. At any rate, it is beyond my imagination to conceive anything 1 better. Probably the occasion will be a glorious opportunity for Canterbury's detractors, but wc shall not be downhearted. Certainly, Canterbury's batting in the first innings was disappointing, but, as everyone knows, cricket is such a funny game that one innings is a long way from being convincing. The Australians have got bettor sides out for smaller scores. And though the visitors piled np such a big score, there is more than a crumb of comfort in the reflection that apart from Trumper's innings—l don't count I Sims, as he is a Canterbury 7nan—the side was out for a very moderate score. The trouncing may be taken philosophically, whilst we proceed to profit by the lessons learned. The game should do an immense amount of good for Christchurch cricket, for it will doubtless stimulate interest in the game, not only by players, but by the general public." What is wrong with our cricket? (asks the Duncdin Star). In the meantime, it behoves the selector of the. New Zealand team to remember that all the cricket talent of the Dominion does not dwell in the four centres, nor is it advisable to include a single, "passenger." There, are many, players of whom report speaks highly Who. have never had a chance of snowing their mettle when

I pitted against the oig gnus—e.g.. there are Hamilton in Southland. Rutti'rwortli at Wanganui ami MeMahun at Gisborne. about each and all of whom competent critics! declare unei|uivneiilly that they would render a better account of themselves than diil some of the men who did battle for New Zealand in the first test. We would like to see these opinions put to a .proper teat.