The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-12-03
HE PLEADS FOR CRICKET
Continued from Page Three

cause they are necessarily relegatcd 60
the position of last man to bat,
if not excluded altogether An inn
provement in the condition of things
in this regard is confidently looked
for.
In the United states the popularity
of cricket has of late years advanced
bv leaps and bounds. extending even
to the Pacific Coast Boston has
done much to advance the welfare of
the game in Massachusetts, while
Philadelphia is regarded as 1.-THE home
of cricket in America" SO assured
are the philadelphians of the cduca-
tional qualities of the game, that last
wear they sent over to England an
eleven of school boys, to see how the
game is played in 1.-THE old country"
Then there is the Longwood club,
founded i'm 1877. which stands at the
head. New York has for many years
boosted of n Metropolitan Cricket
League which includes the well known
clubs of Manhattan, Kings County,
Bedford of Long Island, New York,
Cosmopolitan, New Jersey and Staten
Island. while of clubs outside of the
league the oldest are st. George, Ber-
kelley. Athletic, Brooklyn. Amateur
League. st. Austin, Hamilton and Co
lumbia College. Contests with English
Canadian and Australian elevens are
of regular occurrence, and only on the
4th day of October last ended the
longest and best schedule of internn-
tionnl games ever played by cricket
ers of the United States.
All the world has heard of the Aus
tralian cricketers and their wonder
full proficiency. The series of brilliant
contests with Alfred Shaw's and Lord
Harris teams from the mother coun-
try, played in the eighties and wit
messed by the writer, are responsible
for much of his enthusiasm. And here
suffer me to give an illustration of the
sport proclivities of the Antipodeans.
At the time above referred to no one
in Australia had ever seen baseball
game. or had the faintest idea about
1t. Globe trotters returning to the
colonies by way of the States would
give eNtravagant and humorous ac-
counts of "A pulling game-with the
players knee-deep in mud-which they
had seen in their travels. Yet no
sooner did the Colonials receive Wis
it from the American baseballists, be-
fore they entered into the sport heart
and soul and lost no time in learning
it. And although | understand that
they have not as yet achieved very
great triumphs in the States,I vent
ure to predict that they will give a
good account of themselves ere long.
because they are of the stuff that goes
to make athletes. Those who have been
at Presidency VS.. Parsee cricket
match in the Madam at Bombay will
bear me out that it is a common thing
to see 10000 natives of India looking
on with the keenest interest at an
English game, and it must be recog-
nized that there are qualities in the
game of most especial merit. Prince
Ranjitsinhii has written Il book about
cricket, said to be the best of it's kind
| and quite recently added to his many
laurels by making II phenomenal score
of three figures in match of Eng
land VS.. Australia. SO that here we
have two instances of a people mas
tering an imported sport utterly for
eign to them. 4 can conceive of no
earthly reason why the sport loving
element of this community should not
make up its mind to take up and en-
courage cricket.
The climatic conditions for the sue
cess of cricket in Honolulu are the
best in the world 1t is no eXaggera-
ton to say that they are perfect. The
city, for its size, commands most en-
cellent material for the establishment
of several clubs. Not only have we
got cricketers who with proper
/ practice and training would make
their mark anywhere, but we have
! quite number of good baseballists,
who excel in the fielding department
Then again additional zest could be
infused into the sport by the making
up of teams of diverse nationalities.
Most of the matches hitherto PLAYED
in Honolulu have partaken more of
| the nature of "a social function than
a game of genuine sport, which should
rely more upon its own merits to at
tract an audience than upon the kind
ly hospitality of liberal and interested
lady friends.
Let all lovers of good and manly
| sport give this matter a little more
than passing thought. \ cosmopolitan
city which can support half dozen
baseball clubs, three football clubs.
three tennis clubs, three rowing clubs
and Cyclomere, can surely find ways
and means to provide us with a CEN
trally located ground with very mod
est club house or lanai for shelter,
where we may indulge in Il wholesome
and enjoyable sport which has stood
the test of nearly two centuries,
which is honored and admired i'm the
four quarters of the globe, which is
| played by larger numberof the Eng
lish speaking people than any other
field game and which has, above all,
ever maintained its reputation as be-
ing essentially gentleman's game.
"ANGLO-DANE."