CRICKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 74, 27 March 1923, Page 8

CRICKET.

PARNEIX V. GRAFTON. This game was practically a foregone conclusion, so far as cricket can be, as Parnell, with eight wickets In hand, had to get on only 22 runs for a twn-poillt win. Parnell got the lead on the lirst Innings, but they lust three wickets ill getting the necessary 22. and the last four wickets (one man being absent I put on only another 2'i, making a total of 173. Itoth Allcott and Wilson were bowling in particularly good form fur Grafton, and Vie Badeley, who carried his bat for 11. was the otilv batsman who seemed at all comfortable to them, (in the afternoon Allcott got three wickets for li runs, and Wilson three

There was still a I'OSsibillly of I'.irnell making a three-point "in of it when <;rnfton started their second innings, with over two hours to play, and when Horspool and C. Sneddon went with only 37 runs on the chances looked good for I'arnell. Patterson end Allcott, however, dissipated hopes In this direction by a third wicket partnership of over 120 runs. Allcott's was a solid and aggressive innings, and all the bowlers suffered from his heavy boundary shots. He looked well set for the century when he was well taken in the slips at 73. The only weakness of his display was a tendency to touch rising off balls, and two or three times he got the ball streakily through the slips, tp to that point his bat ting was much more impressive than that of Patterson, whose timing was rather faulty, a defect that was later corrected as this batsmen got closer to his century mid reached it in tine style. Wilson hit up 42 in •juick and aggressive style before being taught in the outlleld, and Baker stayed with Patterson till the bell sounded, staving off Parnell's chance of Increasing the win, Grafton had 20U on for six wii-ki-ts when (lie bell went.

UNIVERSITY'S FIRST WIN. At no stage of their innings on Saturday did Foneonliy look like overtaking the formidable total set them by their opponents. University. The- students wisely dosed their innings and gave "iMusunhy the whole afternoon to bat. They did so, but it was n two-innings uiatrer. In the first innings the first four wickets fell for tfci runs, a likely partnership between Sneddon and Smith being broken up by the latter going llnv. Thence on It was "only a question of lime, and Sneddon alone conquered ilie bowling. Wet he-rail and Rroberc certainly stayed with him until they got into the twenties, hut both their careers were of the short and sweet nature. The former hit one six and Brnberg two. Sneddon played a splendid uphill innings. He was always aggressive, and had anyone been able to stay with him there was ii prospect of a decent partnership. As it was he carried his bat for 70. l'onsouhy got as near 11' half their opponents' score as It was possible to do, being 178 behind as the result of their first innings score of 177. lii t he tsocond venture? t hoy t^ , nt t lifir Lull in first, while some of the other University irundlers were given a chance. The result was a score of 188 for four wickets, of which McLeod cot 40 by quite a good innings. He played some good driving strokes which reached the boundary- Hamilton also got going, scoring 3S. while Kighton, S3 not out, also made the bowling look easy. It certainly had lost a lot of its sting. In the first innings the bowling was good. It was University's tinst victory this

NOTES AMD COMMENTS. When, in the inalcn ugrninst Victoria, at the end of the day's play. Wilsou had made 142 and Hill-Wood 122. they established a performance that had never previously been made iv Australia. There have been 27 jrreater scores for a first wicket partnership, but never before in Australia, at any rate have two men gone in at noon and remained unconquered at 6 o'clock. It was a splendid, stubborn performance, actually made without a blemish of any sort, with the exception of a possible chance on the leg side given by Wilson before lunch. They made a creditable draw, the wonderful stand of the two men mitigating in a pronounced measure the sting of their failure with both bat and ball on the first two days. lv some quarters, says an Australian critic. disapprobation was freely shown at the batsmen's tactics in the first hour or so, but surely it must have been from -want of thought, as it is just as legitimate for batsmen to keep tbeir wickets intact ami ecore slowly as for others to force the came for a win. The object is Just the same— the honour of the side.

The club cricket, so far as the senior grade is concerned, is almost at an end. and interest is centred on the play-off between Grafton (last year's champions) and Farnell the two teams Jrhich were at the lowest ebb nnd which havi made a wonderful recovery under the club eystem. It is anticipated that the final game between these teams •Rill not be started till the Saturday after Easter.

Patterson, who made 105 not out for Grafton against Parnell on Saturday, did not look at all like staying there for his century in the early part of his innings, for on two or three occasions he made a weak leg stroke that just missed giving a catch to forward short leg. Although his strokes were free, it was not until he had made over 50. and the bowling had tired under punishment by AHcott, that he got his timing right. His last forty runs were made in faultless style. A legacy of the English team's tour is an increased attention among the best club batsmen to soundness in their play where previously they had gone in for "if" shots for the sake of the plaudits of the critics on the hill. This has been distinctly noticeable in the last two matches in the play of E Horapool and N. C. Snedden. HoVspool's 85 against Ponsonby and Sueddens 76 not out against University might hare satisfied even MacLaren. though the hillside critics would have preferred the long-handle stuff.

Hampden S. Love, who scored 1!)2 for Victoria against the M.C.C. team. Is a Sydney boy, who made good as a crick t r ni.u the soldier teams, and. on his return with his club and Xew South Wales. Having qualified for Victoria, he is proving a very striking success with the bat. though he is also as good, relatively, behind the sticks. He has made centv.ries in each of his only three appearances in first-class cricket on the Melbourne ground—lo2 for N.s.w. against Victoria. 156 for Victoria against Tasmania, and 192 against M.C.C.

ROTORUA CRICKET. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) ROTORUA, Saturday. The Public Services, in a whole day match, scored 130 (Dineen 65. Clarke 35), against Matata 88 for eight wickets (Lees 45 not out). INTER-COLLEGE MATCHES. TIMARTJ DEFEATS WAITAKI. Telegraph.—Press Association.) TIMARU, Monday. A cricket match. Timaru Boys' High School versus Waitakl High School, was concluded on Saturday. Timam First defeated Waitakl First by Sve wickets. The Junior match resulted In a win for Waitakl by an innings and 36 runs.