To the Editor of the "Norta-Cuiwa Dairy News."
Sim—In y article on local sport in to-day's issue of your paper reference is made to the Cricket League. This is a many-sided question and altogether beyond the limit of one brief letter.
Every lover of our grand old game will greatly regret that the League games should spoil representative matches such as you refer to, but the suggestion to postpone th League fixtures for such games is not a workable remedy. The sugge: tion, if carried out, would result in abandonment not postponement. The League programme now involves each side playing twelve matches, and this is as many as some of the clubs, at any rate, can manage. Further the difficulties of running the League equitably are not few, and essential for a number of reasons that the official programme be adhered to. Next Saturday there are only two League matches and probably only three or four of the players are likely to be chosen to represent the Rest of Shanghai. Surely a good team can be chosen from the remaining three League teams, the Recreation Club first eleven and the Cricket Club players who are available. The Committee responsible for selecting the Scotland eleven last Saturday had a more difficult task.
Permit me a few words on the general question. The Cricket League was started as an experiment. It has been tried for two a sons, and in the opinion of the writer failed to fulfil the object of the promoters, It began at the wrong end. It is our local first class cricket that needs helping on, more games that will give the pick of our younger players a chance of playing on wickets and in the company of players that will help to develop them. Some combination is needed that will result in the Cricket Club and Recreation Club grounds at least being occupied each Saturday of the season with first class games. It is doubtful, however, whether the formation of o first League would bring this about.
My objections to the present League are briefly these. It introduces some elements that are not helpful to the best interests of the game. Without a first League the difficulties of a second League are greatly increased. It is unnecessary, as matches of the class it represents were quite easy to arrange and there was no lack of keenness before it was organized. It is justly charged al fro
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.