Cricket 1910

CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 105 M ay 5. 1910. it is most sincerely to be hoped that it will turn out more brightly and success­ fully than at present seems likely. I fear there can be no doubt that less interest than usual is being taken in the greatest of games, and it is hard to find a vestige of anything like enthusiasm. The ex­ planation is that for the last few years cricket has been growing more and more dull as players have grown less and less keen. There are, of course, happily, delightful exceptions, county and other teams lliat play up in the true spirit of the game ; but more often than not there is melancholy want of spirit about modern matches, and it is hardly too much to say that some teams appear to look on the game as a bore. They begin late in the morning, and always seem eager for an excuse to do anything but play cricket. Luncheon is prolonged, as is the interval between innings; men emerge slowly from the pavilion to take their places at the wickets ; the tea interval is considered one of the most important incidents of the day ; bad light is accepted readily, if not eagerly, as an excuse for breaking o ff; and three spots of rain send the players scuttling off to shelter like rabbits. Unless there is an alteration for the better, attend­ ances must inevitably still further diminish, and as so many teams certainly do not appear to play for the sake of the game, it is hard to understand why they should con­ tinue to play cricket at all. I am writing with a certain amount o f bitterness, be­ cause, being a busy man, I do not have very many opportunities of seeing a game, and when I have gone during the last two or three seasons I have frequently recognised that the visit was a melancholy waste of time.” H iest and Rhodes turned out for Kirk- lieaton v. Golcar, in the Huddersfield and District League match on Saturday and dismissed the latter for 24. Rhodes took six wickets for 13 runs and Hirst three for 11. The highest individual score was 5. A r r a n g e m e n ts have been made for the visit o f a West Australian team to New South Wales iu October next. This will be the first appearance in Sydney of a team from that State, though, as stated in Gossip a fortnight ago, a side visited Adelaide and Melbourne in 1892-93. P l a y in g for Katanning against Perth Wanderers on March 29th, Keenan took all ten wickets in an innings for 59 runs. In last week’s Gossip I reproduced from the Melbourne A rgus a paragraph which led one to believe that, in a Pen­ nant match in Melbourne, a batsman had appealed successfully against a fieldsman standing at silly-point on the ground that his position interfered with his play. “ Felix,” writing in the Australasian, throws quite a different light on the matter. He savs :— length. Jinks, the Carlton batsman, found that Dudgeon’s shifting shadow affected his sight of the ball. He appealed in vain to one umpire, but the other umpire requested Dudgeon to move. He went to mid- 011 , and had scarcely gone when Jinks popped one up to the spot just vacated. _ It didn’t matter much, for Jinks made only 7. Personally I think the umpire who asked Dudgeon to move acted justly, and in accordance with the provisions of the law as to “ fair or unfair play.” “ Of course,” adds ‘ Felix,' “ if there had been no shadow Jinks would not have appealed.” D u r in g the season o f 1909-10 the lead­ ing players in District Cricket in Adelaide wTere as follows ;— Times Most not in an Total Inns. out. inns. Runs. Aver. L. Hill (E.T.) 1). R. A. Gehrs (N.A.) O. J. Caust (E.T.) ... N. Claxton (N. A.) ... C. E. Dolling (U.) ... L. W. Chamberlain (E.T.) P. Desmazures (N.A.) L. R. Hill (E.T.) ... E. H. Leak (Ad.) ... C. F. Drew (U .).......... L. S. Wayc (Ad.) ... C. Backman (W.T.)... W. A. lluwer (St.) 167’ 182* 133* 95* 83* 109* 118* 99 107 117* 93 118* 80 * Signifies not out. Overs Mdns. J.N. Crawford (E.T.) 80*3 14 A. W. Wright (Ad.)... 228 3 44 J. Laycock (Gl.) ... 192*5 27 J.F. Travers (Ad.)... 195'4 45 A. U. Pretty (W.T.) 190*2 30 1*. II. Coombe (W.T.) 207*5 25 N. Claxton (N.A.) ... 57 10 R. B. Rees (N.A.) ... 170*3 17 N. E. Seppelt(U.) ... 00 14 C. T. Chamberlain (E.T.) 13S*4 25 W. A. Ilewer (St.) ... 101*4 17 L. E. Howard (P.A.) 174*2 30 J. S. Rees (N.A.) ... 521 10 Runs 208 700 030 529 544 791 1S8 771 140 404 303 5SI 173 575 521 457 400 144 403 204 434 421 403 252 251 301 Wkts. 23 59 42 34 34 4S 11 43 25 15 28 8214 57*88 57*12 50*00 48*00 40*30 44*00 43 40 42-10 42-09 42-00 41*£3 40 11 Aver. 11*05 11-90 15-44 15*55 10*00 1048 17-09 17 93 1S*25 18*50 20 20 20*7 21 02 The final positions of the clubs were :— P. w. L. Drn. Pos. Pts. Pts. Gnd. East Torreus ... .. 10 .. 7 . . — . 3 . . 30 .. 21 A delaide........... .. 10 .. 0 . 2 2 SO .. 10 North Adelaide .. 10 . . 5 . . 1 .. 4 . . 30 .. 14 Sturt................... .. 10 . . 3 .. 4 .. 3 . . 30 .. 5 Port Adelaide .. 10 . . 3 .. 5 .. 2 . . 30 .. 4 Glenelg ........... West Torrens .. .. 10 ... 2 . . 0 .. 2 . 30 .. — .. 10 .. 2 . . 0 ... 2 . . 30 .. — University ......... 10 .. 1 . . 5 .. 4 . . 30 - 2 The Premiership previous years by 1597-8—East Torrens. 1598-9—East Adelaide. 1899-0—East Adelaide. 1900-1—East Adelaide. 1901-2—North Adelaide. 1902-3-Sturt. has been won in 1903-4—North Adelaide. 1904-5—Sturt. 1905-0—Adelaide. 1900-7—Sturt. 1907-8—North Adelaide. 1908 9—East Torrens. East Torrens, East Adelaide, Sturt, and North Adelaide have each come out first on three occasions. A n o t h e r instance of a player making two separate hundreds in a match reaches me from Australia. The successful bats­ man in this instance was W . Sewart, who played a few seasons ago for East Melbourne and afterwards wont to Brisbane to coach the local cricketers. Playing at Castlemaine on March 25tli and 2Gth, for Carlton against Castlemaine, he scored 117 in the first innings and 117 not out in the second. The Carlton totals were 209 and 219 for eight wickets. A. Dudgeon, the St. Kilda Captain, went silly point at Carlton 011 Saturday. His shadow extended across the pitch, right on the spot for a good length ball. Matthews was bowling and kept a good A t the meeting of the New South Wales Cricket Association on March 21st, Mr. Charles F. W . Lloyd, vice-president, proposed ;— “ That it be a recommendation from this Associa­ tion to the Associations in Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland, that all future matches between England and South Africa, or matches known as International matches, in Australia, should be played on the same conditions as regards time as prevail in England - namely, three days ; the matches to commence 011 the first day at 11.30 a.m., and at 11 o’clock on the two succeeding days ; stumps to be drawn on each day at G.30 p.m. That the recom­ mendation be forwarded to the Board of Control, with a request that such Board (in the event of the recommendation being approved) take steps to bring into immediate operation the alteration referred to.” C o n c e r n in g this proposal, “ Not O ut” of the Sydney R eferee remarks; —“ The aim of the proposer is laudable and timel 3 T, and the proposal will probably result in something being done in the direction suggested. The matter has been referred to the executive committee for report to the next meeting. H ow ­ ever, instead of making a beginning with International matches, which, by the way, is in the Board of Control’s province, a start should be made with Inter-State matches, and after the success of tho change, whatever it may be, is established, it might be extended to International cricket. The Associations are in a posi­ tion of supreme authority in matters affecting the control of Inter-State cricket, and any changes they may deem desirable' may be brought into operation without any reference to the opinions or wishes of any foreign cricketing body, such as tho M .C .C . or the South African Association.” The same writer continues :— “ .Touch­ ing on the proposal, the restriction of matches to three days is not desirable in this country, where so few first-class matches are played and wickets are so good. I f a restriction be deemed necessary—and I honestly believe it is, in the interests o f the game—four days would be more desirable. Let play be started punctually at the times Mr. Lloyd suggests, with umpires on the field three minutes before the time appointed. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day is sufficient; 6.30 p.m. is rather too late in the Australian climate. Our summer is tolerably hot, and at the end of a long full day in the field from 1 1 a.m., that last half-hour would often be a trial and a labour instead o f a pleasure.” R. J. A. M a s sie , the second son o f the famous H . H . Massie, has taken 223 wickets in four seasons at a cost of eleven runs each for Sydney Church of England Grammar School. The record is an exceptionally good one when it is remembered that only eight matches are played during the season. F r o m the Sydney Referee :—- “ J. 11. M. Maclfay, who has been at Uralla for some con-ider..bio time now, is feeling very well, and almost fully recovered. He has played only four games since the New Year, and scored 50, 104, 107 not out, and 72, which points to his sight having improved since he last playe 1in Syndey. J.R.M. now has hopes of making a complete recovery, and, if e o , it would be one of the most agree-