CHAMPIONSHIP CONTESTS.

NZ Truth, Issue 79, 22 December 1906, Page 2

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTESTS.

The magnificent weather prevailing on Saturday drew a big crowd to the Basin Reserve. The Avickets were m capital order, but the exhibition of cricket was below expectations, and, save m a few instances, was the essence of tameness. t No. 3 ground was occupied by Newtown and Gas Company and the day's operations was to give the latter a smart advantage. Newtown baited first but nothing oi note happened until Gourley and Allan Day became associated.

Gourley hails from Melbourne and is certainly an acquisition to the Newtown ranks.. He hits fairly hard and is always on the gui vive for a run. He was eventually nicely caught by McKay off Dick Burke for a freely played 40. Day, who by the way Is a hardworking club man, rattled on 47. His innings was marked by sound defence and sandwiched with a few clear and crisp hits mostly on the leg-side. Alpe was busy during his tenure of the batting crease and had 24 to his credit when a run-out. sent him pavilionwatds. He drove vigorously. . On his showing this season Dick _irf*ke ca^^aioi to be^.the star bowler of the Gasworke£s ... combination • Dick ..sends down, .some : "swer.vers" _now and again, and has bagged some good wickets. His figures against the Newtown men read 6 for 78. McKay trundled steadily and captured 2 for 12. ....

McDermid .was as reliable as usual •behind the wickets .and accounted for n, : . couple 6t his 'opponents. ' McDermid ; lacks the stylishness .of Arnold "Wil- ' iiaips, when m possession of the gloves ibuCfor effective's., he : is perhaps the TMidlaridgit's superior; ' ;: '„".' McKa^.' wfco ; is' one of" the surest ;catchers^'fiv. the .pity,' judged one m the 'loiig; fteld m clever style, ....' ;,;The .Newtown- representatives put .•1.66 , on the slate ; "and when stumps Vwere drawn for. the day, their opponents were credited with 139 for 5 wickets., ' •

Dredn-o. who pjenerally takes some shi _ tin.?, early fell a victim to Rothe, who keeps an excellent length. Hawthorne (36) and McKay (32) made an -invaluable partnership,; "'-tlie.. former m Particular displacing fine form' on both sides of the wicket ere SpragTn spread-eagled his timbers. ■'■ Before ihe HawthOrne-Mckay association was broken up 39 runs had been added m 22 minutes. On two occasions, the ex-Duhedinite banged the ball for five, all run out. His lively innings terminated when Day accepted a catch from his bat off Spraffgon. Topp (36) ancl Lingard (16) assisted to carry the score along to respectable dimensions. Topp gave a sound exhibition, his strokes on the on-side beinp; well timed, and the ball travelling fast along the carpet. He wis run-out through Waugh hesitating at the middle of the pitch. Topp made a mighty effort to get home safely, but , the task was an unsurmountable one.

Lingard acted anainiy on the defence - Seven bowlers .were given a hand with the leather on the Newtown side, but none achieved startling success.

Contrary to expectation the, Well-ington-Phoenix game, was unproductive- of interesting cricket. The wicket was a perfect one, yet the batsmen failed to make substantial headway against the bowlers, and when the day's proceedings came to a close both teams had' gone through their first essay, Wellington's total being 166, whilst Phoenix had to be content with 56 less.

Stan Hickson (26) shaped freely,, and was unfortunate enough to be run out at a stage when he was shaping towards a good score . Barney Wey•bourne (27) opened his shoulders and was sailing merrily along until an exchange of bats owing to his first bursting proved his undoing. . Richardson (42>)' : played patiently and soundly and was undefeated when the last Wellington. wicket fell to Cobcroft. Charley Gore (16) batted neatly for his runs.. . Tom Hales was absent and Wellington decided to bat a m,an short m order that the fast bowler's, services might be at disposal when the competitions are resumed -after the New Year.

If the, Wellington team's innings was devoid of interest, the Phoenicians' display was even more spiritless,'' McLellan (27) led the way among the run-getters and Quinn's long; bops en the le.fi side suffered -at the hands of this batsman. Laws (19)'.- and Burton, ■ .jurf. (16 not out) and Millar (10) were the only other '. double-figure contributors. Their efforts call for, no special mention. Lnokie (4. for 59} and; Hill. (3 for 27) captured the bulk of the. wickets. Co'bcroft's slow leg-breaks tied; up most of the Wellington batsmen m a knot; He netted .6 victims at a cost of 45 runs. .Wellington-: promises to triumph over Old Boys, the former haying seven wickets .m "hand and wanting, only 56 runs to achieve victory. Mahoney and Richardson are the present obstacles m the -path of the excollegians. The game was to have been resumed last night.The spectators-' . attention was chiefly centred m the Old " Boys-Midland game. • Getting first strike on a wicket that played fast and true, the Old Boys started m promising style, Beeehey and Collins, the opening batsmen, defying the efforts of the opposing trundlers and fieldsmen to dislodge them until 88 appeared on the score sheet, when Beeehey was run out per medium of clean fielding and accurate returning by Sisson 'near the pavilion boundry.

Beeehey, whose contribution was 32, made his runs by sound powerful strokes on the drive and to the onside- The left-hander's cutting was also crisp and deftly executed- -

'Tucker came next on 'the scene but soon afterwards lost Collins, who was making his first appearance m a senior competition match. The youngster hit one back to Patrick, who jumped at the opportunity.

Collins played stylish and correct cricket, his timing and placing being artistically executed. His wristy, forcing strokes were strongly reminiscent of the prowess of his dad, Dr Collins, when the worthy medico was m his batting prime and .piling on many a good score for the Wellington Club. Some of his late cuts were beauties. In the hands of a fir_;t-class coach, the lad would turn out a top-notcher, as the cricket is m him without a doubt. His innings was blemished by only one chance to Atkinson when he had reached 30.

The crowd appreciated Collins taking; display by according him hearty hand-clapping on his return pavilionwards, the Midlanfders also joining m the applause. His contribution was 42.

Tucker (22} was settling down to business when Williams caught him brilliantly behind the wickets off Upham. J. P. Blacklock, who has riot apparently shook off the effects of that rheumatic 'bout, sent one back to Upham when his tally- was 7, and Dixon was out first hallj Arnold Williams bringing off another .clever -catch, also off the fast bowler. D#e6n. Gould scarcely,- credit, his dismjssalV .:"-"';;;''-';"',....'..- WUs-^3^....hjJL.JHsti^, and put plenty of power into his strokesr'He picked the balls to hit and then hit blooming hard. A well-judged catch by Patrick m .the country saw .his downfall-

Dickson, who claimed a batting average of 70 and bowling analysis of 10.2 at Wellington College, made his. debut m senior cricket. He <was plainly ill at ease from the jump and was eventually easily .caught by Upham off Patrick. Nervousness was apparently responsible for his poor showing.

C. P. Blacklock ran into double figures when he played all across-one from Upham and paid the penalty. ••Boss" Ames, promoted from the juniors, survived a few r balls before Upham played havoc m his timber yard.

.When Fisher (last- man) became associated with Jacob the Old Boy's tally stood at 186 and the end was to all intents and purposes m view. Fisher was almost a "goner" m Upham's first over, m . which Arnold Williams appealed. . . The; spectators cheered as 200 came on vthe board through Fisher straight-driving Upham to the' boundary. The newcomer whanged m * ' back-blocks " m effective style ; whilst Jacob, batting m sound and free style, assisted to pile on the rims which came at a great rate/ All efforts to break up the association failed until Fisher (4-9) tried to. lift one from Patrick and had his. wicket mowed down. - V

The pair put on 101 runs,* which is„; I think, a record for-. .the last wicket partnership m Wellington senior cricket. I am open to conviction; on

this point, however^ "Fisher; who had heaps of luck -in getting his runs was badly massed by Davis on notching 43. Jacobs ..(57) gave a sound and almost blemtehlessr /display. Both

men were the recipients of iEn ■ovation from the spectators on -wending their, way pavilionwarda. . ---w. • Upham (5 lor sao^and Patrick (3 for 45) divided the wiclcets.. In thc opinion of "many, the Midland skipper .committed an error of -judgment m i displacing Patrick m favor of Davis: when the ex-Australian was bowling well.. He 'bowled better than his' figures imply. .-■■■ .... . .-,'- The Midland fielding ,waSj on the whole,, open to little criticism, each: •man. showing celerity aad sureness..' in stopping and judgment m- returning.: •Williams did some brilliant work behind the . sticks-, bis 'dismissal Of Tucker and Dixon being as neat and, smart as one oould; wish oto see. : : Midland started unsuspiciously, Patrick and Sisson- going to the right-about fpr a single - , apiece.. Beeehey, m the slips, took a neat catch whioh settled Sisson's -"hash," and wicketkeeper Blacklock proved Patrick's undoing. , The bowlers were. Dickson and Tucker severally. . Hiekson ' and Murphy played out' time without further disaster, their, respective contributions being ,15 each. Murphy gave a chance to J. P. Blacklock when he had notched 7 but it was not availed of. The execrable taste displayed by a section of the spectators m calling into question the bowling of Upham deserves the severest censure. These idiots would do well to put their lung power to better advantage. Barracking for the Victorian Bible-" thumpers, Judkins and Worrall, would be more m their line.- Per-; haps Dan McKenzie. and Andy Wiren • would be glad to utilise the services of these experts m the capacity ofumpires for future competition matches.. Such clever gentlemen (?) should certainly be given every opportunity to expound their know.leidpje of the grand old game for the benefit of the public as well as the. players. ; Barron, Stephenson and Davis were punished pretty freely by the Old Boy's batsmen, as their respective averages, 0 for 87, l for 41, and 0 for 49, indicate. V r