Cricket 1914

F e b r u a r y , 1914. THE WORLD OF CRICKET. 31 ___ and can bow l a good len g th m u st get w ickets. Schofield Haigh and G eorge T hom pson w ere great bow lers for spin ; and n ob ody can spin th e b a ll more to -d ay th an Sid. Barnes. In En gland th ere are n ot m an y leg-break bow lers who possess enough spin to be of more th an ordin ary service. T om W ass had spin in p le n ty , and he used to be an ideal bow ler on a fast, stick y w ick et. F inger spin has more effect on th e S outh A frican w ickets th an anyw h ere else, I consider, because m attin g is so uneven, ow ing to th e strand s of the cocoanut fibre being of variable thicknesses. B arnes has been bow lin g w ond erfu lly in S outh A frica ; b u t I am afriad th a t th ere h ave been too m an y batsm en opposed to him who h ave been defeated before th ey le ft the pavilion. T h e men w h o represented South A frica four and eight years ago m ig h t h ave tried him more highly. B u t the presen t p layers w ill have had a fine apprenticeship for the A u stralian tour in S outh A frica n ext season, and should do fa r b etter then . To some exten t th e y seem la tte rly to h a v e g o t o v er th e B arnes “ b o gey .” how ever ; and S outh A frica n crick et m a y be reckoned as h a v in g a possible b righ t futu re, as w ell as an honourable past. Overseas Cricket Chat. slip off what looks like a weak stroke.” — “ Point ” in the Sporting Mail (Adelaide). A schoolboy in Sydney, one Allan Kippax, had up to December 20 totalled 949 in 13 innings, three retired, two not out. For his school his scores were 54 (retired), 156 (retired)* 281 (retired) 22*, and 114*. But these schoolboy phenomena don’t always train on. P. C. Charlton, of the 1890 Australian team, now plays for North Sydney in second-grade matches. On December 13 he took 5 for 47 and scored 77* v. Middle Harbor. Victor Trumper played for Gordon Veterans v. Mosman Veterans about Christmas time, and scored 87. But what is V. T. T. doing in that gallery ? South Australia will not, after all, send a team to Western Australia this season, owing to the fact that so many of the players whose aid had been hoped for cannot get leave for the trip. AU STRAL IA . B. W. Farquhar, who used to play for New South Wales, but has for some years past been an up-country resident, can still get them. He made 123 for Merriwa v. Mudgee on November 30. Farquhar played his first big match as far back as 1894-5, against the English team captained by A. E. S tod dart; and W. P. Howell, J. J. Kelly, and T. R. McKibbin all first appeared for N.S.W. in the same game. Cotter’s habit of going over the crease in the act of bowling— a failing to which George Thompson is addicted— seems to be more pronounced than ever, and he has been no-balled for it a good many times this season. His arm is lower than it used to be, but at times he shows much of his old speed. The Melbourne Herald says that Harry Trott, who is 47, weighs over 18 st., works from 11 o ’clock every night until 7 next morning, and still plays the game, has made over 18,500 runs and taken over 900 wickets during his long career. The figures given, however, omit runs made and wickets taken during the South Melbourne tour in New Zealand in 1912-13, and they do not include the genial Harry’s doings as a junior, so it is fairly safe to assume that he has scored well over 20,000 runs and taken well over 1,000 wickets. Another veteran, one who has given up the game, was to the fore in a small match in South Australia recently. J. J. Lyons went with a country team to Balhannah. He had no intention of playing— he has only appeared in a couple of games during the last ten years or so— but he was persuaded to turn out, and pur.ished the Balhannah bowlers to the extent of 71 (6 sixes, Herbert Hordern thinks of giving up cricket altogether for golf. He ought not to be allowed to. Can’t someone stop him ? For Western Suburbs v. Middle Harbor on November 30 Rose made 225 in 70 minutes, which reads like Jessop on the job. Sydney Grammar School beat St. Peter’s School, Adelaide, in an innings, and Melbourne Grammar School by 7 wickets at Melbourne. Raymond Bardsley made 58 v. St. Peter’s and 102 v. Melbourne, and young Trumper scored 87 in the first game. Melbourne University beat Sydney University by a single wicket after a most exciting finish. The score would have been given on another page, but, unfortunately, no complete score has come to hand. Sydney scored 184 and 204, Mel­ bourne 162 and 227 for 9. R oy Minnett and R. J. A. Massie were playing for the losers, and Massie took 9 for 133 in the match. B y the way, he is not to be the N.S.W . Rhodes Scholar, so that he may possibly make the trip to South Africa. ‘ Massie, to my mind, is a long way the best bowler Australia nas produced since M. A. Noble, and the finest left-hander we have had, not even excluding big-hearted Johnny Ferris, who died before his time. Massie, who is in the middle of his twenty- fourth year, has height— 6 ft. 4 ins.— and strength— he weighs ° ver x3 st.— in his favour. Bowling high over as he does, with an easy, natural action, he makes the fullest use of his height, and on a lively, hard wicket one can imagine that he would make the ball bump awkwardly. His strength enables him to oowl a really fast ball, but there is a brain behind his attack, and he varies pitch and pace with considerable judgment. He has strong fingers at the end of a big hand, which reminds one of Bill Howell’s, and, like that once famous bowler, he can turn the ball more than most men. Then, too, he swings it occasion­ ally. 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