SPORTING GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 290, 4 December 1920, Page 18

SPORTING GOSSIP.

(By "ACTAEOX.")

CRICKET,

The Rev. R. B. Gosnell writes:— "The ' choice of players selected to practice for the touring team. wiU, 1 think, give almost complete satisfaction to cricketers and devotees. Perfect unanimity is quite impospible. I do not write, therefore, to criticise but to suggest, and my suggestion is this: Give Bass, of the V.M.C.A. team, the opportunity of qualifying for the rep. team. It is likely that Bass is the fastest bowler in Auckland to-day. In addition, he is a batsman of some merit. It is true that he may nothave Dick Coates' little turn in from the off, but this I fancy would be more than recompensed by tbe excellency of his batting. Bass would prove as useful a man on the cricket field as he has done on the football field. Let the selectors give him a trial. Len Caughey also might be worth trying. If any precedent is needed for doing the unusual thing, the case of Parkin may be quoted."

JUNIOR MATCHES. Perhaps one of tho most important matches of tl.e season began at Eden lark last Saturday afternoon when V M C.A. were opposed to John's. The former had first hand, Caughey and Prater opening the liningi for V.M.C.A. ■i'l-i pair took the s. oro to 28 when Caughey (13) was un'"ortun.iW enough to pay the ball on to his wicket. With four good wickets down for 04 matters did not look very bright, however F. Cooper and Doughty i.lj) cemented a partnership that produced 44 inns. St. John's were well pleased wich the result. so far, but then good fortune was interrupted, as ,<cotl and Woods put on 57 for the eighth wicket and Ma'bin and Woods added 42 for the ninth wicket, still 'St. John's did very well to dismiss such a strong hatting side 'for 215. Woods performed well with the "bat, espcc'aliy -on -the leg side. He scored one five (an overthrow) and five fours. Scott (41) was vigorous oftimes and notched a couple of sixes. (F. Cooper (30) went in nt a critical time and showed a strong defence. His runs came chiefiy through offstrokes and was responsible for two fours; a good catch at fine-leg terminated his career. JYater (25) scored m— bly to the off, and was going strorg'y when A. G. Aitken took a hot return. Bass was caught napping fby a (*ood return from another member of ,k Aitken family. Larsen with an off-break captured three wickets for 19. R—lertshaw (2 for S3) bowled rather well, but did not meet with much success. W. G. Aitken wound up with 'two for 35. Before time was called, St John's knocked up 94 for tho loss _ three wickets. Schofie.ld (42). a left-hander, considera—y upset the V.M.C.A. attack although his innings was seasoned with a spice of good fortune. He. scored chiefly to leg, and bit five fours, three of them being h':s* last scoring strokes. Mackie played more freely than usual, and counted one -six, a four, and three. threes. A. G. Aitken started with five' singles and then notched a couple of fours. He hit nine off the first three balls from Caughey. The surprise **f tur day was the cricket in the match between Unity and Grammar A. The game was looked upon as a good thing for the school, but as the result of the first Jay's -play, Gram-; mar were dism : see_ for 110 while Unity had 104 for the loss .of four wickets.: Grammar School made, a splendid start.. Goodacre (42) and Bridgcns (_>) putting on 59 for the first wicket, but there fol- j lowed a very sad tail. Three of the] Grammar School's best bats in Bridgens,! Postles, and .Badelev were included in Hutchinson's hat-trick, and the 'book showed fov.r wickets down without any j further increase. 00-odncre and Whelan| (19) raised the total to 98 for the fifth; wicket, 'but afterwards tbe liattirg again broke down and the-innings closed at j 110. Hutchinson. a left-hand bowler] with a leg-break, canture-d seven wickets for 44 runs in 9 overs, and accomplished the 'bat-trick. Hcndy M 0 not out) and Forbes 30, did the bulk of the scoring for Unity. . Sacred Heart had first strike against i Parnell and just managed to exceed the 1 century, notching altogether 105 runs. I Hurley 24 top scoring towards the end j of the innings. The only other double j figures were Brodie (I<>) and Johnston; (15). In eleven overs Seed, the Parnell ] medium fast bowler, captured eight wickets for 27 runs. Parnell started disastrously and had four wickets down j for 15 runs. A good partnership ensued when Seed joined Dennison, and when i time was called, the register showed 93 for live wickets. Seed, 53 not out, played a forceful innings, and some of tho fieldsmen were not very keen on facing the hot stuff. Dennison (18) held his end up in good style, but had a | rather precarious time during one over. ■ Grammar School B met Post and Telegraph at Victoria Park, and taking advantage of moderate bowling nnd in- . different fielding helped themselves to the substantial total of 261 in less than throe hours. Thn first wicket fell cheaply, Ibut thereafter runs came at a good pace until the innings closed. M. j Reid (60) gave an all-round display, j marred by several chances. He scored i one six. D. Rid (46) was strongest on ! the leg side and counted one five in his , quota. Winter Ml) was aggressive at' times, notching two sixes, and showed a strong defence. Totter (33) scored freely. Btiisson (25) and Watts (24) ! proved a substantial tail. McXamara. four for 65, was the most successful of the Post nnd Telegraph bowlers. Post and Telegraph fnred badly against the J collegians' bowlers and were all dismissed for 32. King"s put on S9. Fnrrpihar was caught unawares through the bowler knocking off tbo bails instead of delivering the ball. Johnson (19) and Heard (15) were the chief< contributors, except extras, which reached 21. Half-a-dozen howlers divided the spoils. Stac? captured three for eleven in four overs. Tn their second venture University got two wickets for "27, Winks gettinc: a dozen. Low scoring was the order of things in the King's College-University match. The latter batted first and were all out for 71.' Winks 134) played steadily for bis runs. For King's, Johnson took five wickets for 4.1 runs nnd Potter two for 8. Both howlers aro liable to be nohallcd for overstepping the mark. Heard (three for 12) performed best and bowled Staee with a clinker. Grafton United did not. open very promisingly against Ponsonby, for they had three wickets down for 10 runs, but there was more substance in the middle, while the last four wickets added nearly 100 runs, bringing the. total to 201. K. Rankin (42) played with the utmost confidence, scoring all round the wicket, and included five 4's. He was bowled by a shooter. Brooker (27) was going well, but was not active enough between the wickets and departed "run out." He hit four 4's.

|W. Ranikin (24 not out) played steadily. | McConnell (20) hit freely. Rowe (20) | scored a dozen in three strokes.. Austin i (four for 49) did the damage with an I off break. Roberts (two for 35) was really the best bowler. Ponsonby lost four' wickets for 85 runs. Leikis (30 not out) did not ta_c many risks. He notched four 4's. Stretton (18 not out) scored mostly on the leg side, and registered three 4's in that direction.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS NOTES.

Grafton went all to pieces against Napier Street on Saturday, their first innings produced only eleven runs, w_:le their second venture,. though less of a rout, increased their total to only 44. Wynn again carried Napier Street along with a well played 29 out of a total of 67. —uungawhau gave Mt. Albert an exciting time, for the game was finished. I with only five minutes to spare. Bat- ; ting first, Mt. Albert put up 104 for four , wickets, and then declared. Langley ; played a pretty bat for 57, and Monk j could not bo dug out. Maungawhau I played solidly and held up the attoa-ck ] almost long enough to make a draw of I the match, several of their players .showing most dogged defence. However, just five minntes before time the last batsman put his leg where his bat should have been, and Maungavrtiau were all out for 73. (Bayfield appeared to have a great chance against Devonport. They got the Shore lads cheaply—--all out for 39. Cle-al with 16 not out was the only one to ' ma.ke any stand, Bayfield batting proved , unequal to this very (moderate demand, for the wfiole side went for 20. I Remuera did not strive in the first I innings against Vermont Street, and ,'though they gave a better display on ! their return to the crease, Vermont Street had tbe game well in hand, and won by seven wickets. Lack played a sound innings for the victors. Edendale's contest with Epsom was a very one-sided affair. The Epsom lads came and went rapidly {or 27, while Edendale responded by collaring the bowling and keeping the field busy from 10.30 to 1 o'clock. .—elton, Ellis, '. Boyes, Ratcliffc, Morris, and Gilmore all contributed their quota to a three-figure '. . total. | Orey Lynn went cheaply in the first innings against Parnell, and though they I put up a fine second performance of 70 I for four wickets, Edmonds, Matheson, i Holdsworth, and Middleton all getting! into double Kgures, they could not turn the tide, and Parnell, for whom Barley j and Boyd shared the honours, secured a ' fit— innings v : C—*ry. i I Nelson Street continued a victorious i career by defeating Onehunga by 34 j runs. Walters, Stotter, Haytcr, and I Fielder _11 batted .veil for the victors. | A fine innings for 49 <by Cavaye gave I Northcote an easy win over St. Albans, for whom Johns was the only consistent batsman. I St. Barnabas shared the fate of its | ' fellow sa : —;, for New—_ East dismissed i the side for 22 and 15, responding with j j a*%ard hammerefi 61, of which Pickering ' made 24. " I i The junior grade competition jogs ! along with mucfh interest to both players I and numerous older spectators, who" csj pecially on Eden Park, gather to watch | j the contests. On Wednesday Mt. Albert I ' i disnrs-sed Grafton for two runs, one of j which was a bye, and then put up 64. i Not long previously Edendale had disI missed the city team for 4.