Cricket 1914

1 2 b THE WORLD OF CRICKET. M a y 9, 1914. For East Hobart v. West Hobart on March 21, K. W att took 5 wickets with 5 consecutive balls. The score was at 72 for 2 when he began. He bowled T. D. Carroll with the fourth ball of an over ; C. Stevens “ played all over a straight one ” ; K. Eltham (known as “ Ranji ” ) hit a full toss back to the bowler:— and that was the hat trick. Paton played a maiden from tiie other end, and then young Newton cleverly caught E. J. Tudor and A. Thomas was clean bowled; SOUTH AFR ICA . Last week some particulars were given of the doings of the leading Cape Town players during the season just ended. This time the Durban figures fall to be dealt with. Nothing could be more comprehensive and painstaking than the complete averages and records of the Durban Senior League as given in our esteemed contemporary, The Latest, and compiled by Mr. A. C. King, a good friend of this paper ; but, of course, they cannot be quoted wholesale, limitations of space forbidding. 1here were two competitions this season, as already explained in these columns. Wanderers won the earlier and more important one, Greyville (after playing off a tie with Queen’s Park) the later one. Ihis is the first season since 1904-5 (when the Zingari were at the head),that any side but Greyville (champions in 1906-7, 1909-10, 1911-2, and 1912-3), and Queen’s Park (in 1905-6, 1907-8, 1908-9, and 1910-1) have been at the head of affairs. The order in the first competition was : Wanderers, Zingari, Greyville, Queen's Park, Casuals, Escombe, Waverley. In the second competition, for the Howden Trophy, the clubs finished thus : Greyville, Queen’s Park, Casuals, Escombe, Wanderers, W averley, Zingari. The best ten batting averages were those of A. D. Noursc (Greyville), 378 runs in 0 innings, 2 not out, 94-50; John Gunn (Wanderers and Waverley), 629 in 11 completed innings, 57-18 ; II. W. Taylor (Q.P.), 415 in 8, 51-87 ; A. C. King (G.), 238 in 0, 39*66 ; G. H. W hyte (Wanderers), 283 in 8, 35-37 ; K. O. Siedle (Esconibe), 310 in 9, 34 44 ; F. W. Holmes (G.), 330 in 10, 33-00 ; G. P. Macfarlane (Escombe), 221 in 7, 31-57 ; F. T. Janion (Zingari), 263 in 10, 20*30 ; and M. C. Jacobs (Casuals), 259 in 11, 23 - 54 - The averages in general are scarcely so high as those of some recent years. Of men not in the ten who have represented Natal at one time or another one notes L. R. Tuckett (G.), with 18-14 I C. D. Saville (Wanderers), with 16-07 ; V. L. Henwood (Q.P.)> with 20 00 ; H. W . Chapman (Q.P.), with 15-55 ; J. Beningfield (Casuals), with 23-22 ; and C. P. Carter (Zingari), with 12-33. Mr. King gives the best ten (but he says “ ten best ” — ten into one won’t go !) bowling averages. But these include the figures of men who took as few as a dozen or so wickets. The bowlers best worth distinction are those who did the bulk of the work. Eleven took 20 wickets, or more, and the worst average of them all was under 18. K. O. Siedle (Escombe) had 44 at 10-75 each ; J. L. Cox (Greyville), 42 at 11 -21 ; C. P. Carter (Zingari), 39 at I 3*43 I J- W. Easterbrook (Wanderers), 37 at 10-27 ; John Gunn (Wanderers and Waverley), 36 at 13-25 ; W. F. Easter­ brook (Queen’s Park), 27 at 11-14 ; J. Davison (G.), 25 at 9-08 ; L. R. Tuckett (G.), 24 at 17-66 ; L. A. E . Moon (Q.P.), 21 at 16-09 ; G. P. Macfarlane (Escombe), 20 at 12-90 ; and V. H. Tunmer (Zingari), 20 at 17-15. Of these Cox, Carter, and Tuckett played for South Africa. Only three centuries were made— by Nourse, Herbert Taylor, and Gunn. The best partnerships of the season were 201 by Nourse and Tuckett for Greyville v. Casuals ; 128 byTaylor and C. Platt, for Queen’s Park v. Casuals ; 114 by L. B. Siedle and G. P. Macfarlane, for Escombe v. Wanderers ; 113 by F. W. Holmes and Nourse, for Greyville v. Waverley ; and 103 b y K. O. Siedle and R. Morton, for Escombe v. Queen’s Park. G. R. Burne did the hat trick for Zingari v. W'anderers. D. J Nicol, the Natal wicket-keeper, made most catches (12), J. W Easterbrook, C. P., Carter, and A. C. King taking 11 each. NEW ZEALAND . The Australian Team which has recently been starring in the Dominion is the fourteenth side from the island-continent to visit Maoriland. The first visit took place as far back as 1878, when the First Australian Team to England toured through New Zealand before making its longer voyage. The Second Australian Team (1880) visited the islands on its return. Neither the Third nor the Fourth (1882 and 1884) was seen there ; but the unlucky Fifth Team (1886) went back via N.Z. Though without Scott and Bonnor (left behind in England) this side was all too strong for the opposition it encountered in Maoriland. The 1888, 1890, and 1893 teams all gave New Zealand a miss ; but the famous side of 1896, under Harry T rott’s leadership, took it in on the homeward journey. In 1905 the visit was made on the outward route. In 1909-10 a strong team, organised by the Board of Control, came along. New South Wales teams appeared in 1889-90, 1893-4, an(l 1895-6, Melbourne Club sides in 1899-1900 and 1905-6, a Tas­ manian team in 1883-4, an(l a Queensland side in 1896-7. Thus Australia has done its fair share to assist in the'develop- ment of cricket in the smaller sister islands. But in future New Zealand is trying to arrange for more, and hopes to have visits frequently, if not annually, from sides representing New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland— one team in a season, of course, not all four. They would like to welcome South Australia next. But the Wheatfielders are not the likeliest team to travel so far, perhaps. In all the years they have played inter-colonial and inter-state cricket they have only met Tasmania oiice (1876-7 at Adelaide) and Queensland once (1898-9 at Brisbane), though frequent efforts have been made by Tasmania and Queensland to get on matches with them. Moreover, if a South Australian team did visit New Zealand, Clement Hill would scarcely be a member of i t ; and it would be him that the crowd would want to see. A trip through the islands is so pleasant, however, and the New Zealanders show such genuine hospitality, that there is not likely to be much difficulty in getting frequent teams from one Australian state or another over. Warwick Armstrong, interviewed in New Zealand, stated that in his opinion cricket in the Dominion has improved greatly of late. When he first visited New Zealand 12 or 14 years ago the men he met “ did not shape like cricketers and did not look like cricketers.” As a matter of fact, it is only 9 years ago (1904-5) since Armstrong first played in the islands ; and one need hardly be surprised to hear that the compliment to present- day players is regarded as something in the way of a back­ hander to the men then playing. And many of them are the same men, which further complicates the situation. Many people in New Zealand argue that there has been 110 substantial improvement during the last 20 years or more. They, no doubt, are wrong. But there were plenty of good cricketers in Maoriland 8 or 9, or 12 or 14 years ago, among them D. Reese, A. Sims, C. W. Boxshall, J. H. Bennett, H. G. Siedeberg, A. Downes, K. H. Tucker, and others still playing. Laver is also inclined to be dogmatic. He says that Hemus in making over 100 against the Australians employed strokes on the off side which would be absolutely fatal on a fast Austra­ lian wicket. But Hemus was not playing on such a wicket, but on one which Laver characterised in many ways a good one, but about the deadest he ever saw. But there is no doubt the New Zealand wickets generally need improving. The Australians spoke well of that at the Carisbrook ground, Dunedin, which they happened to strike in a tolerably fine spell ; Carisbrook is no batsman’s paradise when— as so often happens in Otago— rain falls frequently and heavily. Lancaster Parkj Christchurch, *is always good at the s ta r t; but some people say it does not last as it should. Of the four chief grounds, Basin Reserve, Wellington, has undoubtedly the worst wicket. But the conditions there are such that substantial improvement is not easy. Some of the smaller centres have quite good pitches, Temuka and Inver­ cargill among them.