WAS IT CRICKET?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7945, 22 January 1906, Page 5

WAS IT CRICKET?

Sydney cricket circles are concerned just now about a point i n orioket ethics. Last weke New South Wales defeated South Australia by the substantial margin of nine wickets, and Mackay, the New South Wales batsman, established a record by scoring two centuries in the match, no Australian having ever performed a similar feat in firstclass cricket in Australia. Let it be explained to those who do not. follow cricket closely, that a feat of this kind confers a sort of immortality. Unfortunately Mackay's success was marred by unpleasantness. The home team wanted 377 to win, and when Trumper left at GO, Noble joinei Mackay. There was a uood deal of excitement over the prospect of Macicay scoring a 'second hundred, but, unfortunately for Mackay, Noble scored quickly, and when the score was 145, Mack»ay still wanted 28 to complete his hundred. Then it was that Noble began to "stonewall" deliberately, so that Mackay might get the runs. While Mackay bit everything he oould, Noble softly tapped balls back to the bowler, which he might have hit to the boundary. A bail cannoned off Noble's pads to long-leg for three but the batsman did aot'run. The climax came when Noble accidentally snicked a ball to One lea. Had it reached the boundary, Mackay's chance would have gone but it stopped short by a" few feet. The batsmen did not move out of their creases, and three runs were lost. A seotiou of the crowd oheered Noble's "magnanimity," but Darling, the visiting captain, went up to Noble and protested vigorously against his conduct, ttlliug him that it was making a farce of the game, and that if it continued he might instruct his bowlers to bowl "wides," and so defeat its object. Further unpleasantness was prevented by Mackay adding the runs in the next over. Darling came back to the pavilion looking exceedingly angry, while Noble seemed to be the least disturbed of the three. The weight of opinion is strongly against Noble. The Daily Telegraph puts the matter briefly when it saya that the performance was a good one, but it was not cricket. The value of a record is immediately lessened when it is achieved iu this way. Unfortunately the man who will suffer most from the incident will be Mackay himself, for it will never be entirely forgotten that the record was not entirely bis own doing.