CRICKET NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10479, 16 November 1911, Page 6

CRICKET NOTES.

[By "Leg-Bueak."]

iprsrußEs of m.c.c. in Australia. November 10th: v. South Australia. Won fcy England by an innings un 194 runs. November 17th : v. Victoria. November 2Jt!i: v. New Bouth Wales, December Ist: v. Queensland. December Bth: v. Kleven of Aus. at Brisbane. December 15th: First Test Mutch at Sydney. Deoember 80th : Second Tcs« at Melbourne. January 12th: Third Test at Adelaide. February 2nd: v.Victoria. February 9th : Fourth Tost at Melbourne. February 10th: v. New t-outh Wales. February 23rd: Fifth Test at Sydyey. March Ist: v. South Australia.

iTho Wairarapa com petit ions were continued oil Saturday last. Although good games resulted, there is nothing of a. sensational character to record. L. Smart made a. nice 48. He batted strongly, giving «i good display, -j F. Perry, the Masterton junior, made I a good stand, 'hitmg up 58. His in- •' nings included some very good strokes. Only once did he give the semblance of a chance, and that was a rather difficult one when his score stood at 3. With the ball, B. Welch bowled well for his 4 for 'l7 against Carterton, as also did the Carterton bowler, Vic. Fairbrothcr, whoso 6 for 31 was a good performance. Mascelle captured 9 wickets for 50 against Masterton juniors, although ho'bowled very erratic >at times. Walker secured in all' 11 wickets for 26 against Carlton juniors—a fine performance. I would like to draw the attention of tho Secretary of the Masterton Cricket Council to tho state of tho -sc'hoolgrounds. It' appears at present more like a hayfield titan a cricket ground. Tn one instance on Saturday last a ball was hit for one (under ordinary circumstances), but resulted in six being run before the ball was located, no less than half a dozen playera indulging .in the search for it in the grass, which is from 6in to lOin long. While the Association is paying for the use of this ground, junior cricketers have a right to expect the ground in reasonably good order. I hope the Secretary will draw the attention of those responsible before the next match. Good form is being shown by not a few batsmen in Canterbury lately, and softie big scores have been registered. The Weekly Press records the following in the Colts v. Canterbury match: —R. G. Hickmott, playing for the former, made 235, and this against the l>6st Canterbury bowling, and R. J. Loudon, 73. The best players for Canterbury were Alf. Norman, 171, T. Carlton, 103 (not out), and H. B. Lusk 81. The Canterbury representatives, bid fair to put up a good fight »in order to retain the Plunket Shield I this season.

"Will you bring your family to Auckland as soon as possible, because fre need a fast bowler in the Parnell eleven?" was a question which caused a good-humoured laugh at Newmarket recently, when Sir John Findlay had signified his willingness to answer questions. The Minister replied that his son jfwho was last year a Wellington representative) would take up his residence with the resit of the family in Parnell as soon, as he had sat for his examination. Sir John laughingly added that his son had the idea that his bowling would do more to get him into Parliament that his (Sir John's) politics. . , The Englishmen have commenced their tour in Australia. The opening match with South Australia proved an overwhelming victory for the visitors by "an innings and 194 runs. English critics have been unanimous in their opinion that the team is a strong batting side, and their score of 563 appears to bear out the statement. The team also appears to be strong in ,liowJing and fielding—in fact, a good "all-round combination. It is yet too "early in the day to discuss the possible chances of the Englishmen in the Test matches. The. South Africans, it will be i-emembered, defeated the South Australians in the first match of-their tour last season, but were outclassed in the Tests. By the way, the Auckland professional coach, Georges Thompson, has cabled the Sydney .Referee that he considers that the M.C.C. team "will pull safely through the Test matches." Clem Hill has made more runs in > first-class cricket than any 'Australian playing as ian Australian. The M.C.C. takes half the.gross gate of the Australian tour, they getting no guarantee from the Board of Control. R. V. Minnett, the North Sydney batsman, continues to show great consistency, and up to the present he has made 299 runs in three innings (once not out), giving him pride of place in the first-grade 'averages—l49. S.vd. Gregory, notwithstanding that he is 40 years of age, still commands a

place in the New South Wales team. He didn't play last season, but has played himself into the first N.S.W. team chosen this season, that against Queensland last week. "I don't agree that Fry is tho best batsman in tho world," says P. F. Warner. "To my mind there is no more fascinating batsmen in the world than Victor Trumper. Mind you, Fry is batting bettor than ever ho did, and I havo known him since he was 19 years of age." At tho special meeting of the South Club, Wellington, last week, it was mentioned that it costs about £3 por season to play. One is inclined to think that it costs a good deal more. What with subscribtion. flannels, travelling, and, maybe, a private bat, a cricketer seems to be lucky if £5 cover.-; his expenses for tho season. All out for no runs! In a recent New South Wales country match, Binlow II dismissed Upper Burragorang for a total of 0, all ten wickets being clean bowled. Tho bowling analysis read: — Furlong: First over, w, w, w, 0, w, 0; second over, 0, w, w, 0; 10 balls, 0 runs, six wickets. Clarke: Only over, w, w, 0, 0, w, w ; G balls, 0 runs, four wickets.

J. W. H. T. Douglas, of the M.C.C. team now in Australia, who captured 5 wickets for 65 against South Australia this week, is a fine all-round athlete. Ho is an amateur, a fast, but not "express" bowler, and a batsman with a good defence. Douglas is a first-class amateur boxer, and has held tho middle-weight championship of England. In 1905 he defeated "Snowy" Baker in the English championships. He is 29 years of age.

The latest regarding W. J. Whitty is that the left-hand trimdler has' shaken, off his recent attack of influenza, but is unlikely to regain his last season's form for some time. Should Whitty not be fit enough for the Tests the selectors will consider the claims of R. J. A. Massie, who would be well advised to finally discard that occasional semblance of wrist-throw in his deliveries.

Marcartney's innings of 122 against Queensland included one six and . 22 fours —94 from boundary strokes. C.G.M.'s last five innings in first-class cricket on the Sydney grounds have realised—ll9, 120, 137, 56, and 122 average, 112. Miss Ellen (manageress of the famous hotel at Lord's for 35 years—knows every famous cricketer,' every famous hit) tells tho tale of the wonderful hit made by Barnes, tho Nottingham player. "He struck a which came through the front door of the bar, and out of the window on to .the street. I got possession of the ball and had it mounted." "When Barnes went out to Australia with the English team ho fell down, the hatchway ajid suffered severely. Some of the- other members of the team told me that when ho came to ho said, 'Ah ought to ■have taken mah old mother's advice and never left Sutton.' "

The best bowlers of the year, says the Westminster Gazette, were S. F. Barnes, W. Dean, W. Brearley, F. R. Foster, J. T. Heame, and J. VV. Hearne. Little is seen of Barnes.in first class cricket, but Ms bowling ,n tho Gentlemen v. Players match at Lords was magnificent. A wonderful length and power to break ' the ball both ways were, as usual,-his chief characteristics. F. R. Foster is as fast off the piteh as any bowler, and can boast of a lovely action. When fit and fresh he may go through a side. J. 'AV. Hearne's leg-break googlie bowling needs no description, but it may be said that the secret of liis success lies not so much in the amount of spin he imparts to the ball as the great speed at which, it spins off the ground.* First-class cricket has .gone with a raro swing tliis year, and if all goes well Ave should be able to place in the field in 1912 an eleven powerful at every joint. The game, indeed, is flourishing, and one may express la. pious hope that the voice of tho reformer will not be .heard again tor many a long day.