Cricket 1909

130 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 20, 1909. part in South Australian cricket. In his time he was an excellent cricketer with an international reputation, and his enthusiasm for the game prompted him to bring out a cricket Guide, which unfortunately collapsed owing to lack of support. He it was who brought out George Giffen, and a better coach for a young player I have never come across.” “ And what was the result of the practice you enjoyed on the Oval ? ” “ That I soon left the Oxfords in order to throw in my lot with East Torrens second. But I played in only a few matches with them, for, making some good scores, I was soon promoted to the first eleven. And I have been associated with the Club ever since. It was during the time I was playing for the second team that the Norwood Oval was opened, and by good fortune I succeeded in making the first century on the new ground. Boy Bobinson, who is now at Oxford University, and I were both playing for East Torrens 2nd XI. against the Erin- dales. I went in first and got 193: he also made a hundred and was the first player to hit a ball out of the ground for six. I remember that when we were walking back to the pavilion he said to m e: ‘ They will have to put you in the first eleven now whether they want to or not.’ In the next match I made 78 on a matting wicket, and, after getting out, jumped on my bicycle, and rode down to the Adelaide Oval to play for the first eleven against West Adelaide. I was sent in straight away and at the end of the day was 57 not out. On the following Saturday I completed my innings for 73 and was out leg-belore-wicket to Beedman. I played for the first during the rest of the season and finished with top average—64. This team used to be called the Norwoods, and some of the world’s greatest cricketers have played for it. George Giffen, Lyons, Darling, Clem Hill, Ferris and others have all done so at one time or another.” “ Your early cricket, I understand, was self-taught?” “ I have a large collection of cricket books, and have learnt most of my cricket from them. J. B. M. Mackay, whose loss to the game was one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Australian cricket, told me that he owes most of his knowledge of batting to W. G. Grace’s book. I have studied all the better-known volumes, and when quite a boy was able to decide which was the best way to hold the bat and stand at the wicket. I used to stand in the old-fashioned way, with left elbow well up, but altered my position after reading Great Batsmen, and now stand as recommended by Beldam and Fry. I find it has improved my defence out of all knowledge.” “ Whom do you consider the best players you have met in Australia?” “ I should rank S. F. Barnes, Noblei Saunders, Armstrong, and Cotter as the best bowlers I have met during my limited experience, and Trumper as by far the greatest batsman—I don’t expect ever to come across his equal. The best fieldsman in Australia at the present time is C. E. Simpson, of Queensland. He is also a fine bat and a good bowler, and all the cricketers here consider him the best player in his State. It was a great loss to South Aus­ tralian cricket, and to the young players especially, when Joe Darling gave up the game. He is the best captain I have played under, and one was always sure of being treated fairly by him,” CRICKET IN NEW ZEALAND. HUMPHREYS’ IMPBESSIONS. After a sojourn in Christchurch of about four months, E. Humphreys, the Kent professional, who has been under engagement as coach to the Canterbury Cricket Associa­ tion, has taken his departure. Thinking his impressions of cricket in New Zealand, and Christchurch in particular, would be interest­ ing to our readers, I managed to get a chat with him before he left. As a preliminary he took the opportunity of expressing his thanks for the consideration shown him by the authorities who had controlled his services, and to the players for the kindly attention they had given to his tuition at practice. It was, he said, no uncommon thing in some places where he had seen cricket coaches employed, to find a woful lack of interest on the part of young players for whose benefit the coach was provided. But it was not so here. The players who had been allotted to the different nets had turned up almost to a man—ora boy—and their enthusiastic desire to improve their play had been an incentive to him to bring them on, and had made his labour a real pleasure. He never wished to teach a more responsive lot of young fellows, and with a genuine ring of pleasure he said he never wished to play with a finer lot of fellows than he had played cricket with in Christ­ church. He waxed eloquent over our salu­ brious climate and our natural advantages for the fine old game. In speaking of the standard of play here, he said he was much impressed with the possibilities of many of our young players, and with perseverance many of them should undoubtedly develop into quite “ classy” players. Bridges he looked upon as a player of exceptional promise, whilst Watson and Donnelly had shown considerable improvement in their batting. From what he had seen of them he thought Bruges, Hayes, Chrystall, and Patterson had all the attributes of good batsmen. Humphreys was even more enthusiastic in his opinion of Crawshaw, who, as an all-round player, had no superior in Christchurch for his age. Addison he also looked upon as one who would make his mark in all departments of the game. He was a very solid batsmen, and a left-hand bowler, with an easy and natural delivery that should ensure his improvement, whilst he was a capital field. Sandman was a bowler, too, full of promise, but he had really too much break. A little less break, with a consequent improvement in his length and direction, would make him a bowler to be reckoned with. Another left- hand bowler whose trundling had great possibilities in it was young Wallace of the Boys’ High School. As a matter of fact, Humphreys said, there were so many promising young players in Christchurch that he had often regretted that he could not give them each more individual attention. Beferring to the more advanced players, he said Anthony was unquestionably a very solid batsman. Indeed there was no sounder bat in Christchurch, or, from what he had seen, in New Zealand. B. B. Wood was a good batsman, but had a stroke peculiar to himself - a cross swing of the bat that left his wicket too much exposed. It was in trying to eradicate this fault—a transition stage, so to speak—that had been responsible to some extent for his failure lately, but, with practice to overcome this defect, he should be a great run-getter. E. J, Norman was another batsman of promise who gave a kind of pre­ liminary swing of the bat that was really detrimental to his stroke, but even with this drawback he was a batsman with exceptional defence. A player whose strong defence had favourably impressed him was Caygill, but the Biccarton man had lately experienced the “ lean” time that comes to the best of batsmen. It was, however, only temporary, and he would yet prove himself the solid bat he undoubtedly is. Fryer was instanced as a player with qualifications that he (Fryer) did not half appreciate. If he had the enthusiasm and desire to improve that many young players in Christchurch possessed he would be one of Canterbury’s best. Humphreys has a high opinion of Bennett as a bowler, and had no hesitation in saying that the Sydenham man was the best New Zealand trundler he had played against. He was of opinion that Bennett’s bowling was of such a class that it would get him into almost any county eleven in England. Humphreys was diffident about speaking of his own performances in Christchurch, but on being reminded that his efforts had raised the team for which he played—Lin­ wood—from the bottom of the tree to the top of the Senior Championship competition, he expressed the opinion that it was as much the moral effect of having a player with a reputation on the side, as that player’s actual performances, that was responsible for Lin- wood’s improvement. At the same time it gave him considerable pleasure to know that his play was so much appreciated by the players and public of Christchurch. Questioned as to the likelihood of his returning to Christchurch next season, Humphreys said he thought that would depend on the inclination or otherwise of the Canterbury Cricket Association to re­ engage him. For his own part he would be very willing to return, but would have to consult his employers—the Kent County cricket authorities — before accepting a further engagement. It may here be apropos to outline Humphreys’ performances with bat and ball during his brief stay in Christchurch. In Senior Championship matches his batting figures are:—32, 100 not out, 12, 5, 91, 119, and 44, giving an aggregate of 403 runs for six completed innings, an average of 67'IB runs per innings. In bowling he has sent down 161 overs for 338 runs and 28 wickets, averaging 12'7 per wicket. In the three inter-provincial matches he played in he scored 150 runs in six innings, with an average of 25 runs per innings, whilst he bowled 164 overs for 312 runs and 25 wickets, averaging 12-20 runs per wicket.— “ The Native” in The Weekly Press (Christ­ church, N.Z.) Mr. G. S. Whitfeld, who played a few times for Sussex last season, was nephew of the late Mr. H. Whitfeld, not son as stated in last week’s issue. GEORGE LEW IN & Co., (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists and Athletic Clothing Manufacturers . OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the Australians, 1896,1899 and 1902 ; Mr. Stoddart’s XI., 1894-1895, 1397- 1898; Mr. MacLaren’s XI., 1901-1902 ; West Indian XI., 1900 and 1906 ; South Africans X l., 1901 and 1907; and M.O.C., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and London Counties, Wanderers, Stoics. Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Clubs.—Write for E stim ates F r e e . Telegraphic Address: “ Leotdde, London.*’ Telephone: P .O . 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