CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1919, Page 7

CRICKET.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By "Spectator.") No cricket last week; wet both Thursday and Saturday. Should those picked all roll up to-day, the A. and B. trial game on the High School ground? should prove an interesting game.

Old Boys and Freezing Work 9 are making their third attempt to complete their fixture to-day. The Nomads team should be capable of extending a North Taranaki eleven, and the fixture to be played shortly should attract a good attendance of enthusiasts.

Interprovincial games will be in full swing during the holidays. Wellington sends a team on a Southern tour, Canterbury visits Auckland, whilst Hawke's Bay visits Canterbury, and meets the Becond best team there, the flrst choice going to Auckland.

In order to select the best eleven, the Hawke's Day selectors have picked 31 players to practise, and the men who visit the nets are to have preference for the trip. In South Taranaki the competition is confined to two Hawera teams, and one each from Manaia and Okaiawa. The competition so far has produced some interesting games. McCarthy and Pratt, who were swinging the bat and scoring boundaries many years back are still the i backbone of the Hawera elevens.

It is a pity Eltham cannot raise a team this summer. One or two enthusiasts made an effort to get going, but bowling seems to have proved too strong an attraction for those who played cricket prior to the war, and they took on bowling when cricket was dropped. Perhaps Eltham could have secured an eleven by securing the assistance of a Kaponga quota. Eltham has the Thursday half-holiday, and the three clubs : Wednesday, that is a stumbling block to many players.

I noticed in a southern paper that George Weston has decided to give cricket best, and has retired from Canterbury cricket. Twenty odd years ago, j Weston was playing for Hawera, and in those days was an" expert wicket-keeper. He subsequently removed to Canterbury, and there his wicket-keeping was in competition with Boxshall and Fowke. Boxshall was admitted by the Australian, elevens to be an ideal keeper of the sticks, while Johnny Fowke also established a reputation in the same capacity, being for many years keeper for the Auckland representatives. With these two men available, Weston hadn't many opportunities of representing Canterbury, but eventually that honor came his way, and he made the most of the opportunities, proving a good average bat. The Hawke Cup, confined to secondclass provinces, is now held by Poverty Bay, who defeated Wanganui last year. The latter are first in the field with a challenge, much to the chagrin of Marlborough, who desired a game during the holidays, but finds Wanganui has monopolised the most suitable dates. Efforts are being made to arrange a match between North Taranaki this summer. If this is successful, there should be no difficulty in arranging for a return game at Hawera.

M. A. Noble lias probably played his closing match in first-class cricket (says the Sydney Referee). He came from the privacy of club cricket last season merely at the call of duty, to assist the State in a stressful hour, when so many of the younger champions were abroad in khaki. His recent visit to Queensland as leader of the New South Wales forces was in-

spired by a special invitation from the Queensland Association, and, 110 doubt, influenced by the fact that his fidus achates, John T, Pope, was,.to be manager M.A.N. is still a very able cricketer, sfeili astute and skilful in leadership; but first class cricket is a serious business for the physical man. Four days of zestful fighting in the flannels under Australia's genial sun, on fields that look so pretty, but feel so hard, are a pleasure and a challenge to youth. But to a man who will be 47 next month the prospect is less alluring. Wa sincerely hope that M, A. Noble will continue to play with and lead Paddington for many years. He was and is a great cricketer, and a great personality in cricket. He lias done big things for cricket, and it is good to know that cricket in its turn lias treated him nobly—as he deserved.