FASTER CRICKET

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20911, 16 September 1939, Page 11

FASTER CRICKET

INNINGS OF THREE HOURS HAWKE’S BAY SUGGESTION (Special to Times) NAPIER, Friday Three-hour innings in Hawke’s Bay competition cricket in order to make the game brighter is a suggestion which has been made by Mr T. G. Lowry to the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association. The incoming management committee has been recommended to consider the proposal, together wth a suggeston that an experimental match of three-hour innings be played on Labour Day. “There has been a good deal of talk about slow cricket, and it seems that something will have to be done,” said Mr Lowry. “No one has been able to formulate any scheme that will help to any great extent, but the public who watch matches have to be considered. New Zealand cricket is not slower than it is elsewhere, but I think it might be possible for something to be done with the suggestion that each side in a match should bat for, say, three hours. That would give every bowler and every batsman a chance.” Mr Lowry added that it was only a suggestion on his part, as it was not his desire to attempt to interfere either with the rules of the game or the enjoyment of the players. Mr G. W. Beuth pointed out that the experiment had already been tried out in Christchurch, where it had been found that, whereas Saturday afternoon cricket was brightened up considerably, players had found the readjustment for the three-day matches of the Plunket Shield series too great a task to accomplish.