Cricket 1909

4 5 8 CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME Nov. 25, 1909. him , as he w ent through to E n g la n d last M arch , that that was the only recognition he had received in A ustralia. O n the tour ju st concluded the V icto ria n had proved to be an all-round giant. H e had finished second in batting and bowling, had taken the greatest num ber o f w ickets and the greatest num ber o f catches of any m an o f the team. T h e South A u stralian selectors this season are N . Claxton, C. H ill and C. E . D ollin g . M e . C h a s . B . O ’ R e i l l y , who, under the n o m -d e -p lu m e o f “ Recorder,” for eleven years contributed the very in te r­ esting cricket articles w h ich appeared in the Adelaide O b s e rv e r, has severed his connection w ith the Adelaide press in order to direct the lite rary side o f the K a p u n d a H e r a ld from the editorial chair. T h e best wishes o f a ll readers of C ric k e t, w ho m ust frequently have noticed ex­ tracts in G o ssip from h is w ritings, w ill accompany him in h is new sphere of work. “ I shall keep in close touch w ith the game,” he w rote to m e recently, “ and,” he added w ith characteristic kindness, “ shall be glad if 1 can be o f service to you.” T h e last Au stralian m a il w h ich reached E n g la n d brought no new s o f a settlement between the V icto ria n C ricket Association and the M elbourne C lub concerning the ground upon w h ich future inter-State and in tern atio n al matches should be played. T h e offer made by the M elbourne Club fo r the games to be played on their ground was not accepted by the V.C.A., and, although negotiations between the tw o bodies had not been definitely dropped, there appeared a distinct possi­ b ility o f the matches being transferred to the F itz ro y ground. T o M a jo r W a rd ill, “ whose C h ristian name is B en ,” I am indebted fo r a copy o f the A n n u a l Report, for the season 1908-9, of the M elbourne C.C.— a very interesting publication of 125 pages. Th e ground receipts am ounted to £1, 5644s. Id., and the balance due to the bank was .£9,266 17s. 2d., instead of £8,285 8s. 4d. at the end of the season 1907-8. T h a t the liab ilities have not been reduced is ow ing p rin cip a lly to the heavy expenditure in ­ curred at the A lb ert (formerly W arehouse­ men's) G round in putting up a new p av ilion and carryin g out im provem ents. There are now 4,786 members and on the lists aw aiting election are 592 applicants for fu ll membership, 346 as ju n iors, and 8 as country members. S. M c M ic h a e l , w ho has played several tim es for V ictoria, scored 173 w ith ou t a chance in three hours and a-quarter for E a st M elbourne against South M elbourne on O ctober 16th. H is cutting and driving were said to be “ superb.” T. S. W arne, o f C arlton, made a couple of hundreds in Pen n an t cricket d uring the first three weeks o f the season. “ C r ic k e t enthusiasts,” says “ F e l i x ” in the A u s tr a la s ia n , “ like to g etaw a y as often as possible from the dust and drouth o f city life during the hot summer months, and cricket enthusiasts also have had reason to com plain of slow and pottering play in recent seasons. They long fo r another P ercy M ’D onnell, Massie, B onnor, and Ja ck Lyon s, w ho made the w elkin rin g m any a tim e and oft by their splendidly aggressive cricket. A hitter of their class w ould be just the th in g to wake us up w hen we are disposed to doze after a spell of specially m onotonous play. Personally, I can always feel deep interest w hen rem arkably fine bow ling has to be treated w ith respect by high-grade bats­ men. Once I saw F ra n k Allan bow l six or seven successive maidens to H . H . Massie, when that Sydney dasher was at h is best. It was a treat. B u t there are times w hen bowling, by no means high-class, is tam ely played, and that is w hat makes even an enthusiast yawn. W h a t a sense o f pleasurable expectancy pervades the crowd when the graceful and accomplished batsman, V ictor Trum per, steps forth from the pavilion. W h e n he gets going, w hat full-handed plaudits ring out all over the arena in recognition o f his perfectly executed strokes. I once saw h im send a yorker on the leg stump to square-leg for four, and how he did it has ever since puzzled me. Y o u n g Sydney batsmen are fortunate in having such a model to copy as the famous Victor.” C. F . M a r t in , who has played occa­ sion ally for Queensland, has settled in V icto ria and joined the E a st M elbourne Club (“ The Jolim onters ” ). H e is des­ cribed as “ A tall, athletic young fellow .” T h e N ew South W ales C ricket Associa­ tion have engaged the famous old player, A . C. Bannerm an, to coach prom ising young cricketers in tho Sydney district. T h e appointment, w hich was a very popular one, w ill extend from October to M arch. W e b b e r , of the Proprietary C.C., B ro ke n H ill, headed the batting figures for that club in senior matches last season w ith an average of 504. H e played in five matches and scored 123 not out, 159 not out, 12, 104 not out, and 106 not out. O n October 2nd S. Jones, o f C row ’s Nest, made 220 not out in a total o f 343 for seven wickets. T h is was stated to be the first score o f over 200 made this season in Queensland. A f e a t u r e o f First-G rade cricket in Sydney on October 9th was the rem ark­ able results achieved by J. Christie, the slow leg-break bowler, for Glebe against Redfern. In a score of 97 he accounted for a ll but one w icket at a cost o f 39 runs. A t tim es he got on an extraordinary leg- break, and he was practically unplayable. “ I n connection w ith the proposal that Tasm ania should send a team to N ew South W ales, it is very m uch to be regretted,” says T h e T a s m a n ia n M a i l, “ that the N orth e rn Association does not acquiesce therein, and have already tried to block the match taking place. A t a meeting of the N orthern Association held last week a comm unication was received from the Southern body covering a letter from the N ew South W ales Association, w ith regard to a m atch between Tasm ania and N ew South Wales, to be played at Sydney. T h e Southern body suggested that the team w h ich w ill visit Victoria in Jan uary should go on to Sydney, thus extending the tour ' by a week. The proposition was discussed by the N orthern comm ittee, and it was resolved that the Association could not endorse it, on account o f the additional cost w hich w ould be involved. I t is to be hoped the Tasm anian C ricket Association w ill not allow the decision o f the N orthern Association to interfere w ith its in ­ tentions in regard to Tasm ania playing N ew South W ales. There is no reason w hy the leading cricketing in stitu tion in the State should not carry the proposal to a successful issue irrespective o f the N orthern vote, and institute regular matches w ith the M other-State.” S ir G e o r g e D a v ie s , K .C .M .G ., in the course of a speech in H o b art in the last week of September said that w hilst com ­ plim enting the Au stralian eleven on its achievements in En glan d, he could not help rem arking that Tasm ania had been very badly treated in the matter of selection. H e had seen the T ria l m atch in Melbourne, and he now said, w ithout any fear of contradiction, that the exclusion from the team o f the Tasm anian repre­ sentative was unfair, not only to his State, but to the whole o f Australia. H e w ould have upheld the good name o f A ustralia as w o rth ily as the best w icket­ keeper that had left the Southern H e m i­ sphere In this expression of opinion the very great m ajority of those w ho follow the game closely w ill readily concur. G. W . H a y m a n , who plays for Staten Island and the N ew Y o rk Veterans, took 139 wickets and scored 1,019 runs during the past season. H e is the first player identified w ith one o f the M etropolitan D istrict Clubs to perform the feat. T h e M a d r a s T im e s understands that, in commemoration of the great and generous services rendered by the late M r. B . B u ch i B abu Naidu, not only to the M adras U nited C.C., but also to the cause of Ind ian sports in genera], and in order to keep alive the m em ory o f one who by h is personal character w on the respect and esteem of the European as w ell as o f the Indian community, it has been resolved to found a Cricket trophy in his name. Th e public of' Southern In d ia has been appealed to so that they also m ay jo in the movement and so m ark their appreciation of M r. B u ch i B abu Naidu. A strong and repre­ sentative Comm ittee has been appointed to carry out the objects of the movement w ith Sir H e n ry K in g as President, Sir V . C. Desika C hariar and the H onorable M r. P. Phyagaraya C hetty vice-Presidents, and