HAT TRICKS.

ONLY THREE SHIELD.

ORCHARD AND OLLIFF.

MTXLCOCK fIRST SINCE WAR

(By POXTY.)

The first time any player took three wickets runnng in the Plunket Shield was at Auckland at New Year, 1010, when Sid Orchard (New Zealand fullhack on Australian Rugby tour of 1897) dismissed L. G. Hemus, E. V. Sale and Alf Haddon. Xone of the trio has survived to hear of the latest performance, at Lancaster Park on Wednesday of this week.

E. T. Mulooek (eight for 61 against Otago) can console himself with the thought that his Cantab predecessor also had the misfortune to wind up on the losing side, for Auckland beat the Southerners here, 28 years ago, by seven wickets. Orchard was only a change howler, as his placo in the eleven was gained by many a hard-hitting batting performance. Mulcock is a swerve bowler who wes considered unlucky to miss selection in the 1037 Xew Zealand side to tour Great Britain and Australia.

One of the mainstays of the Auckland attack on that occasion was the slow bowling of C. Olliff, whose double for the match was four for 27 and four for 61. Now reader* know what is coming next. For "Kay" Olliff is the only other player to have the hat trick to his credit in the Plunket Shield. But it was three years later before he annihilated Wellington at Auckland on a dead wicket, in showery weather.

Auckland repulsed the challenge by nine wickets, and Olliff took all the honours of the game (except an opening innings of 85 by Hemus), with figure* of six for 62 and seven for 41.

At one stage in the second innings six wickets had fallen for 11 runs, OilifT claiming all six at a total cost of three runs. And had it not been for the batting efforts of three fine bowlers, two of them Australian internationals, the visitors would never have got within coo-ee of their final total of 120. C. V. Grimmett made 28, Charlie Robinson 45. and J. V. Saunders 21 not out. The first-named pair also got 25 and 22 respectively in the first innings. Won a Belltopper. In his twenty-fourth over of Wellington's first innings at the Domain on New Year's Day, 1013, Olliff caused a sensation. His second ball wo* sent by Grimmett to G. W. Cummings for an easy catch. The next one clean bowled Saunders round hie legs, and the following ball, a. good-length trimmer, rapped Tom Southall's middle stump and brought the innings to an abrupt close. A collection among the crowd realised £5, and a silver inkstand w«.s presented to Olliff. A well-known ex-player also presented the bowler with an order on a local firm of mercers for a hat, with a stipulation it must be a belltopper. In the same match "Kay"' dismissed Rev. E. O. Blamires for a duck in both inning«. AVhen the latter subsequently represented New Zealand against NewSouth Wales be got another pair of specs., but later captained Otago when that province first won the Plunket Shield in 1924-25. Skittled Australian Champion. Olliff went close to another hat trickin February, 190.') (before he was 21 years of age), when lie clean bowled Australia's greatest left-handed lmtsman, Clem Hill, and A. J. Hopkins, when Australia beat Auckland by an innings and 100 runs. But express bowler "Tibby" Cotter hit the vital next ball i high over the ropes for six. Apart from the Plunket Shield, the only other instance on record of the hat trick being done in more important matches in New Zealand are: —

Alex Downes: Four wickets in succession when Auckland beat Otago, at Dunedin, by 13 inns at Xew Year. 1894. Ike Mills carried his hat right through the second innings (in which Dewnes "did the trick"), scoring 88 out of 130. A. A. Duncan: For Wellington against Wairarapa, 1879. C. Frith: For Otago against Canterbury, 1884. H. A. Fannin: For Hawke's Bay against Canterbury. 1808. G. Silcock: For Xelson against Marlborough, 1896. W. Barclay (not long out from England) : For Auckland against Canterbury at the Domain in January, 1904. His victims were A. Sims, H. B. Whitta and C. Boxshall. Auckland won by two runs, the last man (W. Howell) being run out. Oliff also played in the game, taking three for 57 and two for 43. J. H. Bennett: For Canterbury against Wellington, when the former won at Lancaster Park by 322 runs. On a worn wicket in the second innings Joe took seven wickets in ten overs for 33 runs in a total of 60. Freddy Midlane, who afterwards represented Auckland and Xew Zealand, had the rather unique experience of going in first and carrying his bat for 14. E.P.C. V. AUCKLAND CLUB. Team to represent the Auckland Cricket Club against the English Public Schools Club in a match at Rerrmera next Monday, commencing at 11 a.m. :—C. I,angstaffp, D. D. Taylor. C. K. Hemus, K. H. Henms. E. Henimingway. R. H. Bentley. J. P. Bright. E." Appleby, F. E. Cameron, D. Minogue, A. Peckston (ccrvt%in).