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AROUND THE PICKETS.
POINTED PARS AND PITHY PERS0NAUT1ES.
What Is Doing in the Cricket World.
'The King is dead. Long live tho King.'- Football, supreme
monarch of winter sport, has passed away, and cricket has once more
resumed the monarchy. For the next few months the sound of willow
smiting leathir, the click of scattered stumps, and, the roars of ap
plause that crowded stands and mounds accord their flannelled neroes,
will be the order of the day. South Australia is entering on what
promises to he one of the best season's cricket in this State has ever
known, and the prospects are that the flreatest of all summer pastimes is
going to boom as never before. Here's hoping those prospects will be
fulfilled, and that the close of the season will find the Sheffield Shield
once more in the keeping of this State.
Sheffield Shield Prospects.
So far as my foregoing remark is con
cerned, the wish is of course father to
the thought, but at the same time the
prospect of the shield once again coming
to South Australia, is far from a forlorn
hope. 'Tatience is a virtue, 'possess it
if you can,' runs the old proverb. South
Australia has had patience and to spare
in the last decade, but we were re
warded last season when our men, in
defeating the Englishmen for the first
time for 20 years, and' in administering a
sound whacking to the New South Welsh
men, raised our prestige in the cricket
world a thousand per cent. .
For years we battled along facing defeat
after defeat, but stlil battling. The palmy
days of the Giffens, Clem Hill, Ernie
Jones, &c., ic, were followed by very
lean ones. New South Wales aud Vic
torian batsmen and bowlers built up great
reputations at our expense, and there was
even talk of relegating us to a second
grade State. That euch a proposition
should even be suggested shows to tho
full to: what a parlous State our cricket
had l|Hen. . - '
However, all is now changed. Our selec
tors showed wisdom in giving the young
blood that has come into the game since
the war, every possible chance, and buc
cess has at last come pur way. Patience
and 'perseverance merit reward, and our
reward will come this season.
South Australia tuis season nasa won
lerful chance of winning the SnefheM
Shield. ?
f Gilligan.'iust before the. Englishmen em
barked for ?home last season, told me that
South .Australia had. the makings of the.
best side ? in ' Australia for the present
season. W And that '.is not an isolated
opinion either. 'J. W.'f (Jack WorrallJ
of The Australasian; one of the best known
cricket writers of. the Commonwealth ex
pressed almost an: identical 'opinion, and
there are many other insta|ses that could
be quoted. . - . '
We have .some names to conjure with
once more in the two Kichardsons, Grim
jnett, all of whom are. in the forefront cf
:the game at the present time. ': Not quite
?nn-famoiig, but coming right into the lime
1igh£» are Jack Rjmill|.,G«ld8a Harris.
JWafi/' ParmeSr^EaHCB' Gtm',-A-tesander, -atrd
Wainwright. , Araong.the older. players aw
P^D. Kundell and Bill Whitty.
:? Clftiry ('Nip') Pellew,': famous: jnembtr
of.;Arni8trong's.aIl-conquerin!r side, is back
in the game' again, and will- lead North
Adelaide this 'season. ?'..'. -Lance Pellew is
now Associate 'to the Chief Justice, and
will ' play again this season. The most
important importation is Scott, the ex
New South Wales fast bowler, who will
play with Sturt, and incidentally will con
siderably strengthen the State side.
In the nlayers mentioned there is a
galaxy of talent that is going to be very
hard to defeat, and I think that the
team that will be selected from among
them is going to make the other States
po their hardest to retain the Shefnewi
Shield, and more, that this State at last
has an even-money chance of once more
securing that much-coveted trophy.
? Macartney's New Move.
On Wednesday Charles Macartney
definitely severed his connection with the
Government Railways, and- °n .Jo'1™.8}'
he commenced in partnership with W. Olu
fieldas sporting outfitters. All . cricketers
and the public will join m wishing the
little champion a heap of success m Hi*
venture. With such an artist of the.
willow as Macartney.- aud a wicketkeeper
of the merits of Oldfield, cricketers, should
have every confidence in seeking advice
from .them when they are purchasing,
material.
The Trill Matches.
The Board of Control has informed the
New South Wales Association that Vic
toria desires a postponement of the trial
matches this season. The Victorian sug
gestion is that the first should take p.ace
in Melbourue at the conclusion of the
Victoria-South Australia game— which
commences in Melbourne on January 1—
md the second should follow the .New
South Wales-Victoria match in Sydney,
on about January 29 or 30. If this Vic
torian suggestion is agreed to, it would
not fit in with the wishes of either South
Australia or New South Wales. - Our
tnnrififf tram, after olavine in Melbourne,
goes on to Sydney, and if Grimmett, the
Richardsons, Pritchard, and Rymill play)
in the trial matches, the South Australia
npainst New South Wales would not be
fully representative. Moreover there
would 'also have to be considered the ex
panse nf sending on tour other playersto
take the places of the men named. The
Xew South Wales candidates would no
doubt play in the trial game, and in that
case the drawing power of the South Aus
tralia-New South Wales game would be
materially reduced^ with resulting financial
loss. The .New South Wales Association
bas decided against the suggestion, and
the South Australian representatives are
also practically sure to adhere to the
original dates. It is intended to select
some of the Australian Eleven at Christ
mas, although to my mind that is not
essential, as the team will not leave till
the end. of March. Therefore if the
second trial is played at the end of
January, there will still remain a further
two months to finalize the touring band.
Players' Allowances.,
The allowances fixed by the New South
Wales Association are much the same as
are allowed here. For pkyers appearing
in Shcflield Shield matches away troai Syd
ney 20/ per day (including Sundays) will
be paid. Tor interstate and the New
Zealand matches— whether the former be
played at Sydney of Brisbane— 10/ per day
is the rate allowed,' Sundays included.
South Australians only receive an allow
ance when on tour, no payment being
made for matches, in Adelaide, except, of
course, loss of time, which is not regarded
as an ''allowance.'
Brisbane Matters.
Brisbane is preparing for a busy season:
They will play the New Zealanders on
December 4, 5, and 6^-the .MaoriLuders'
second fixture— and South Australia on
January 15. They have also arranged
home and home matches with New South
Wales, each association bearing its own
expenses aud receiving its -own gate.
That is a very satisfactory arrangement
for the Brisbane .folk,' who have endea
voured' for several' seasons to obtain this
financial arrangement.
Defeat of Mr. Rush. -
There has been much scheming and en
gineering, daring the last few weeks jn
Melbourne, the. men playing the chief
parts bein? ^Messrs. E. E. Bean and H.
R. Rush. At, the recent meeting of the
Victorian Cricket -Association Mr.. Rush,
who has represented. Victoria on the
Board of Control for '20 years, was de
feated, and Dr. A. Robertson takes, his
place. Mr. Rush in a speech showed keei\
disappointment in,, after doing an enormous
amount of work, being deposed when the
.objective had been reached:-'. It ;had been
a great strain, and in many -ways 'he
thought it was a good thing he had been,
defeated. Messrs. Bean, Ellis, and Mc
AliBter were ' again chosen as selectors,
which duties they have carried out for a
number of years. Mr. Warwick Arm
strong, was also nominated but was de
feated.
Other Trips.
It is possible, that South Australian
representative teams may be dispatched
to Broken Hill and Renmark during the
season. This should provide an oppor
tunity to win their spurs to those players
who have had the misfortune to miss
first-class honours.
Board of Control Meets.
The Australian Board of Cricket Con
trol meets in Sydney to-day, and this
State will be represented by Messrs. B.
V. Scrymgour, G- C, Campbell, and Clem
Hill. The board has a busy time before
it, for there are over 60 items on tbc
agenda paper. Most important are those
dealing with th» forthcoming tour of Eng
land. The meeting will appoint the mana
ger, enptsin, and selectors. The rate of
remuneration and the number of players
will also be decided. Mr. Sydney Smith,
jun.. was manager of the last team that
went away, and he will be well in the
running again on this occasion, while Mr.
E. Bean, who recently resigned ihe sec
retaryship of the Victorian Crickft Asso
ciation, is another whose name is freely
mentioned for the position. It is almost
lertain that Herbert Collins will again be
the skipper The remuneration received
by the players who made the 1922 trip
iras £400 a man, and they * received a
bonus of £300. Another matter that wil
be decided^ is whether the team will, travel
by way of New Zealand or via the Suez
route. The New Zealand Association is
very anxious for the team to' play matches
ia that Dominion, while Tasmania and
Western Australia also want a visit.
? Ovals In Good Order.
?^Cricket will not begin at the Adelaide
Oval until October 14 (Eight Hours Day
when a match between' two picked teams
will be played with a view to the inter
state games. Preparation- there wan de
layed bv the lateness of the football sea
son. Mr- Albert Wright began work
on the pitch on , Monday morning, and
the grass in the centre bar been cut and
rolled very short.' A layer of Athelstone
soil has also been placed down to bind
the young grass. . The Norwood Oval
was utilized up to the end of f last week
for practice by members of the Norwood
Football Club, but there also work on the
preparation of the wickets was begun on
Monday. All the -othe?. grounds are in
first-class condition. ^
There will be no practice at the Ade
laide Oval this season, special practice
wickets having been made on tbe Neutral
Ground.
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