Cricket 1909

M arch 25, 1909. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 45 H a w k e ’ s B a y . First innings. Second innings. Wordsworth.. Torrance Siedeberg .. Rutherford .. o. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. 15 2 46 2 ... ... 7 1 23 0 23 2 6 51 7 ... 0 5 0 ... ... 19 5 42 'l 7 1 36 1 ... ... 20 3 52 3 Hopkins ... 8 1 25 0 COEBESPONDENCE. [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the opinions of his correspondents .] The match between Auckland and Otago for the Plunket Shield bred an amount of bitterness that is happily a rarity in New Zealand cricket, and will not soon be forgotten. It was a regrettable business right through. The Southerners were not wholly blameless for this deplorable state of things. They were aware that the under­ standing was that it was to be a three days’ match. There was, therefore, this essential difference between the requirements of the two sides, that Otago had to win the game to claim the Shield, whereas Auckland retained it by either winning or drawing. The Southerners appeared not to appreciate this fact, for they were to some extent a party to the waste of time which meant so much to them. For instance, they acquiesced in an adjournment for afiernoon tea-twenty minutes on the first day and a quarter of an hour on each of the other days. Then, again, their tactics on the last day, when they occupied the wickets for nearly two hours for 89 runs, showed a woeful lack of enterprise, and was playing right into Auckland’s hands. However, on the other hand, the Shield holders pursued a policy right through which betokened an intention to retain the Shield if it were possible to do so by any legal means. “ Long Slip,” in the Otago Witness , makes these pertinent remarks during a lengthy criticism of the game and its incidents :—“ It may be that Auckland is not to blame for the latest absurdity in cricket, but I cannot altogether hold the northern province guiltless, and would have admired the spirit which would have prompted them to have played the game out, even at the risk of losing the Shield. The holding of the Shield in this incident was paramount, and was allowed to out­ weigh the true sporting feeling which should have existed between the contesting sides. Auckland may think exactly what it pleases about the match against Otago for the Plunket Shield, and may even think it has done a clever thing; but I cannot shake off the feeling that there was the sportsmanship of the pame to be considered, which was indeed of even greater importance than th holding of the Shield.” These sentiments will be shared by nineteen-twent:eth3 of cricketers outside of Auckland. Indeed, the Dunedin scribe puts it very temperately From Canterbury players who saw the last day’s play, I learn that the way the Auck landers wasted time in scheming for a draw wa3 shameful. Another very unsavoury feature was the way in which the opposing skippers snarled at one another, and this was punctuated at times by remarks that were - to say the least—decidedly uncricket like. It was a sorry affair right through and it is to be hoped the Plunket Shield w.ll not be responsible for any more such inglorious exhibitions .—The Weekly Press , At Christchurch on January 1st and 2nd Canter­ bury Juniors (164 and 413 for seven wickets, innings , eclared closed) beat Otago Juniors (100 and 162) Y ^ runs. The visiting team were not at full strength. Of the three games now played between tne two sides the Canterbury representatives have won two and those of Otago one. piC H A R D DAFT’S ‘‘ Nottinghamshire M arl.’— 1V Particulars apply, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts. [A d vt . THE COMING TEST MATCHES. To the Editor of C rick e t. Sib,—We have been hearing a good deal of late of the necessity of National defence. May not our cricket authorities be urged to set their house in order? Our recent records Test matches with both Australia and South Africa are, surely, not such as to justify our usual self-complacency and lack of fitting preparation. Since the M.C.C. team, under Mr. Warner, “ recovered the Ashes ” we have heard so much of our “ supremacy ” that it may be just as well to look up the results of subsequent Tests. Of the five played, in South Africa, four were lost and only one won. Of the three played in England against South Africa only one was won, and that in a manner that was hardly conclusive of super­ iority, even as the game was played. As Wisden remarks, “ On the whole the English­ men had no great reason to congratulate themselves on their victory. ” Of the five played in Australia last winter, four were lost as against a single victoiy. Since the time, then, of our “ supremacy” being “ re­ established” England has played thirteen Tests, winning three and losing eight. Of course, many will urge as against this that ten of the number were played away. Well, have to go back some little distance to find much satisfaction in contemplating Test matches played even in England ! But the question now is—Can nothing be done this year to enable the England side which shall take the field in the coming Tests to start on more level terms with its opponents than has been the cace in the past? When playing at home an England side takes the field as a collection of individual units. The team is not chosen till a day or two before the match: even the captain of it does not know who will be his bowlers, nor if he will fi himself with more than a single man t customed to field in the slips: possibly with three points ! Cannot at least one match be arranged for the England side which shall play at Biimingham on 27th May? Why should everything be»leftso late ? Why should the likely men — chosen, of course, on past form—not be asked to Lord’s for a trial match and week’s practice ? The season at Lord’s starts on Wednesday 5th May. Cannot invitations be sent to the twenty-two most likely men to represent England to be at Lord’s on Monday, 3rd May and on the Wednesday or Thursday, after pratice at the nets, a match be played “ Prob­ ables v Possibles ” or under some similar title Naturally existing arrangements for that week would have to be modified. The M.C.C v. Leicester match would have to be abandon ed or po-tponed : Surrey would have to meet Ncrthants and Hants without Hayward and one or two others : Yorks would be deprived of Hirst (and others) in the week’s matches against Derby and Northants. Still the in convenience would be trifling as compared with the certain gain. All doubt as to pos sible absentees would be set at rest. The selectors would invite certain amateurs to to Lord’s for the week. If, through together from the fact that in their case it is nothing like so important as in the case of England’s representatives. Already the Aus- talian captain knows his team to a man or two, and can decide the places each will take in the field, and what bowlers he will play under certain conditions. England at pre­ sent has not even a captain! No one yet knows whether the Messieurs Blank will play cricket this year, and if they do whether they will not when the time comes decline to serve under Captain So-and-So! But the cheery optimist replies :— “ Oh ! yes, of course we start under great disadvantages; still, we shall muddle through somehow! ” But has not the time arrived for some system in our Test match arrangements? This year we have, besides the Australians, to think of a Test team to go out to South Africa to recover, if possible, our lost prestige. Triangular Tests too, are again to be considered. We must not leave it too late. “ K in g W illo w . ” London: March, 1909. love of golf, or owing to business, those in vitations were not accepted, the selectors and the public would know what the position was. Before the Australians take the field at Birmingham they will have had half a dozen opportunities of playing as a team : apart al­ CRICKET IN NEW GUINEA. J. C. Watt, who played for Tasmania and Victoria a few years ago, recently wrote as follows to the Sydney Referee : — ‘ Cricket in Papua is much better than one would expect to find it in such a place. In Tort Moresby we have a really good team, and at Samarai also there is a fine team. The white population of Port Moresby (the capital of Papua) is sixty, and of Samarai about one hundred. The only match between the two places took place during Christmas, 1906, when the Samarai team won. I was on my way to Papua at the time, so was not placing. The Samarai people intend coming to Port Moresby this Christmas, and we are looking foi ward to having a good time. J he natives of Papua take rather kindly to cricket, but are nearly all too anxious to hit the ball out of the ground. Theiv are one or two exceptionally brilliant fieldsmen amongst them, and it is very rarely they miss a catch. Like all other cricketers, they hate to get out without scoring. A few Saturdays ago we were playing a match and one of the house boys got out through playing one on to his wicket. He seemed quite satisfied when he came out, and when asked the reason why he had not scored replied that he had killed himself. If you visit any native villa; e about Port Moresby small boys can always be seen playing cricket right on the water's edge with material of their own make. Every other hit the ball goes into the water, while the two batsmen ‘ run them out.’ The Papuan is never stuck for a cricket ball, for as soon as he loses one he tars the nearest rubber tree and makes another. Cricket is the only game we can play here on account of the heat, though a.few years back tennis was played. There is very little fielding done by the Europeans, as the natives do it all.” The concluding extract in the above quota­ tion is distinctly interesting, recalling the fact that Colonel the Hon. Henry Windsor, who was President of the Prince’s Tlain C.C. in the early years of the last century, always took his coachman to a match to run and field for him. Attention is drawn to the advertisement which appears on another page of the “ Kachaball ” Cricket Fielding Machine. Several of these were sold last season and are now in use at Charterhouse and Sherborne Schools, Lord’s and other important centres in the country. It should prove a very valuable adjunct to all cricket grounds and assist in the aim of attaining smart and reliable fielding.