SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10428, 20 September 1911, Page 6

SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

CRICKET NOTES. [By "Leg-Break."] The annual meeting of the Oarlton Club will bo held on Friday evening next. R. Moss has definitely stated that, owing to business reasons, he cannot see <his way to take up the game in any way this season. His retirement will be a big loss to Wairarapa cricket generally, and to the Carlton Club in particular. The movement in favour of forming a junior team in collection with the Oarlton Club has been so enthusiastically taken up that the Secretary has already about twenty names in hand, and there is now every probability of two teams being entered for the junior championship. It is reported that Mr H. Moorhouse intends (leaving the district shortly. Should the report be wellfounded, the Masterton Club will suffer a. very severe loss, as this player was one of the best bats in the Wairarapa. He was also" very < good with the ball and in the field. He is a good wicket-keeper, although he has nob played much of late years behind the stumps. The Masterton club will feel the loss in many ways, particularly in the preparation of pitches, as Harry used to put in a great deal of time in cutting and rolling the wickets. Although I have the report on very good authority, personally, I hope that it is not correct, I have ibeen asked to give the full team which is chosen to represent England in the forthcoming Australian tour., Following is a complete list, with' the respective ages of the players: —Amateurs: P. F. Warner, (Middlesex, captain), age S8; F. R. Foster (Warwickshire), age 22. Professionals: J. B. Hobbs (Surrey); age 29; H. Strudwick (Surrey), age 31; J. W. Hitch (Surrey), age 25; S. P. Kinneir (WarAviokshire), age 38; E. J. Smith, (Warwickshire), age 24; J. W. Hearne (Middlesex), age 20; J. Iremonger (Notts), age 34; G. Gunn (Notts), age 32; W. R. Rhodes (Yorkshire), age 32 F, E. Woolley (Kent), age 24; C. P. Mead (Hampshire), age 24; J. Vine (Sussex), age 36; S. F. Barnes (Staffordshire), age 35. Manager, Mr Thomas Pawley, general manager of the Kent County Cricket Club. From the above list— itfoe ages of the players are reckoned from their last birthday—it will be seen that Kinneir and Warner are the two oldest, and that J. W. Hearne and F. R. Foster are the two youngest members af the team, the .average age of which is 29£ years. It will not be a team of veterans that Warner will bring to Australia in quest of the "ashes" of ..international cricket. J. W. Hearne is the" baby of the party—in fact P. F. Warner is almost twice his age. having been born on October 2nd, 1873, 'whilst Hearn's natal day was February 11th, 1891. He is known as "Young Jack," and bids fair to uphold the prestige gained by, members of this famous family. He bats very correctly, has-a sound defence, and has been performing with distinct credit during the present English season. He is a "googlie" bowler, anil ,vas "discovered" by Warner, who in June, 1909, noticed him bowling th? "wrong, 'uns" between the fall of the .rickets in the Middlesex-Somerset match at Bath. Warner last year expressed the opinion that Hearne would do well on Australian wickets. Playing for his county against Essex recently, Hearne carried all'before him, the opposing side being dismissed for a paltry 78. Hearne sent down seven overs, three of them being maidens, for 11 runs and six wickets, an astonishing piece of bowling, as': the pitch was good. He achieved nearly all his success by the' aid of the "wrong He performed the hat trick, dismissing three batsmen with the last three balls of one over. The batting and bowling averages of S. F. Barnes are 43 and 7.21 respectively. | Barnes does not play first-class cricket as his county is in the minor counties [ competition. Still, he.is considered the finest bowler in England. Barnes, for Staffs, took five wickets for 14 and nine for 15 runs against the Indians. He was utterly unplayable, making .the ball turn either way at paralysing speed. At one period he took five wickets in three overs for one run—a truly remarkable performance. The team will leave for England on September 29th, and will play its first match against South Australia on team will leave England on Sepa week's practice before commencing the first .match. A unique cricket feat was performed by Alfred Shaw, one of England's greatest bowlers, li, a match in 1882 he bowled against M.C.C. for an hour and a quarter, during which time not one ran was scored off him. ' C. J.B. Wood, on the Triangular Tests:—"lt seems rather a farce to bring together in England the finest

cricketers of the three great cricket countries, and riot to make sure of even one finished game in the contests between them." W. G. Grace was sixty-three years of age on July 18th last, but he is still taking an active part in the summer pastime, says a London exchange. Recently assisted Eltham against Bromley, and, to the delight of the spectators, played a fine innings for 69. Eltham won, scoring 228 for six wickets, to Bromley's 163. "If one had to say who was the great stylist among the chief English batsmen, one would sertainly say R. H. Spooner."—So says such an astute judge as Major Philip Trevor. Some seasons ago, in a small match, I. D. Walker, the old Middlesex captain, had a novel experience. Just as he was affecting a catch his cap bleu into his hands, and, though he held the ball all right, the batsmen was given not out, on the ground that Walker .had used part of his dress to stop the ball with. Tho Victorian Association has arranged inter-State matches .as follow: —November 3rd, v. South Australia, at Adelaide; .November 24th, v South Australia, at Melbourne;. December 23rd, v. New South Wales, at Melbourne; January 26th, v. New South Wales, at Sydney. Sydney clubs are all astir. The grounds are top-dressed; and in several cases (match practice commenced last Saturday. The junior associations are already moving, and. some of the competitions were started on Saturday last.

"Not Out" in the Referee says:— The Victorian Cricket Association has decided to play the return match between Victoria and the M.C.C. team as a benefit for J. M. Blackham, who is not quite so well off in the goods of the world as he used to be. It is to be hoped that fine weather and a powerful Victorian team will assist to make the match a great attraction and a fitting success as benefit for the most celebrated wicket-keeper Australia has ever brought to light. 'Some of the Sydney benefits have been very successful, and there is no reason why. one at Melbourne should not be so too. Blackham is now 56 years of age. In supplying the averages of several Australians in all the first-class cricket they have played, "Cricket" includes the matches of the Melbourne CO. team against .the New Zealand provinces, and, of course, the 335 by W. W. Armstrong against Southland. Our English contemporary remarks: "lb is perhaps a little unfortunate that Armstrong's highest score should be one of the most doubtful included. The 335 was made for the Melbourne Club team against Southland at Invercargill (N.Z.). But the Melbourne Club team was .about the same strength as the Viotorian teams which have often played against Tasmania, and Southland, although one of the weaker provinces in New Zealand, plays Otago regularly." The Melbourne Club team's strength was there; but what of Southland? asks "Not Out" in'the Referee. If a match of this nature may be regarded as first-class every first grade match played in Sydney must be first-class, too, and no doubt the same argument would apply to first grade club cricket in Melbourne and Adelaide. A match with Southland will not be accepted by Australians as fit to rank as firstclass; though one hopes the day will cope when the quality of Southland cricket will justify its representative matches taking high rank.