CRICKET

NZ Truth, Issue 1145, 10 November 1927, Page 14

CRICKET

TRICKY PITCH

Trundlers Have Day

In Auckland

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Auckland Rep.) The continuation of the first series of matches m Auckland cricket on Saturday emphasized a feature of the two-day matches which brings the luck of the game into prominent relief. W7HEREAS the previous Saturday " batters had a wicket all to their own liking — and some sides monopolized the crease all the afternoon — last week-end the turf was ripo for the bowler and willow wielders had a try-, ing afternoon. Under, the circumstances the problem arises which side, that scores 100 runs is more worthy, morally, of the fruits of victory? Then of course people say such is the glorious uncertainty of the king of summer games, but such also is the gross unfairness of it, especially if one side is hit by such circumstances more than once m a season. It is disheartening and undoubtedly the strongest argument for starting and finishing each game m the afternoon on which it is started. The outstanding game last weekend was the tussle between North Shore and Eden at Devonport, the game ending m a- three-point win for the latter side. , Occupying the wicket all . afternoon of the first day, Shore entrenched themselves behind the respectable score of 220, but that proved hardly sufficient for Eden, who on the call of time pulled victory out of the, embers by the narrow margin of 18 runs. The wicket on Eden Park was al! ,to the liking of Garrard, Varsity's tricky bowler, and it was due to his trundling that Y.M.C.A.'s second innings only added 62 to the first tally of 191. '; The students, however, could not muster? the necessary runs to gain the points and T.M. claimed the points on a first-innings win. Complete mastery of the ball over the bat was also the position m the Ponsonby v. United Suburbs game, where the city club just scraped home by the narrow margin of 17 runs. Ponsonby m their second innings could make nothing of the trurtdling of Leikis and Williams, who bowled unchanged, coming out with six 'for 25 and four for' 35 respectively. The Suburbs sjde was left with ample time to get the 115 runs necessary to win the game, but they appeared to take fright and wickets dwindled away, the final score reaching only 97. A definite result was returned m the meeting of Grafton and Parnell, the latter, after batting all the afternoon, being .35 behind their opponents' first innings score of 268. It took Parnell 2 hours 20 minutes to get a century and a-half before Macalon got to the crease — then there was an orgy of scoring. But such vigor could riot go on for ever and it came to an end owing to a slow break from x Cyril Snedden, but not before the batsman had registered 59. He played havoc with the bowlers' analyses, Snedden's five for 77 being the best of the afternoon.