CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1922, Page 3

CRICKET.

THE GAME IN ENGLAND, THE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, August 3. Middlesex made 343 against Essex, which made 221, Essex lost eight wickets for 103, Hearne doing the hat trick, then Claude Ashton made a. dazzling 110 not out, the last wicket adding 96, his partner scoring three. Ashton hit 91 in 50 minutes, despite the fact that he threw away at least 20 runs In order to monopolise bowling. Received Aug. 6, 5.5 p.m. London, August 5. The county championship struggle appears to rest between Yorkshire, Notts, Surrey and Lancashire, the prospects of Middlesex having been seriously jeopardised through their surprising defeat by Somerset, while Kent, despite a remarkable second innings against Surrey, receded, owing to a first inning’? defeat. It is remarkable that Surrey, although holding the second position in the championship, have only two betsmen, namely Hobbs (the second) and Sandha-h (the seventeenth) among the first twenty-four in the averages. Their leading bowler, Fender, occupies the twentyfourth place in the county championship, Yorkshire the seventy-eighth, Notts the seven-ty-fifth, Surrey the seventy-second, Lancashire the sixty-fifth, Kent the sixty-second, and Middlesex the fifty-eighth. Notts. 227 and 265, beat Lancashire, 231 and 184. Surrey, 323 and 141 for eight wickets, declared (Sandringham 123 unfinished and 71) drew with Hants, 291 and 130 for five wickets. Somerset, 367, drew with Worcester, 87 and 145 for nine wickets. White took eight wickets for 55. The newspapers are urging a revision of the system of deciding the cricket championship. The Evening Standard says the system is too full of anomalies tn give satisfaction to anyone. Agitation is strong throughout the country. and it will be strange if that autocratic body, Marylebone, continue to turn deaf ears to the many proposals being made. The present scheme is causing so much dissatisfaction that something must be done in the direction of improvements. Public opinion is growing in favour of a division of the first-class counties into two sections.